Using credit cards for online payments has become the new normal. Be it for shopping, money transfer, or other purposes. People find it convenient to put their credit information on the website or store to pay for their purchasing.
It won’t be wrong to say that credit cards have revamped the online shopping experience for online customers.
But every tech-ease has its risks too. By putting your personal information online, you have given a chance to hackers to misuse your data for credit theft or, even worse, corruption. Yes, you never know how badly you can be affected if your personal or credit information ever got leaked online.
So, it is a must to practice taking some necessary precautions before using your credit data online for any purpose to save it from fraudsters and hackers. Here, we have come up with 8 simple tips and tricks you can follow to keep your personal and credit card information safe online. Meanwhile, if you are looking for a valid cc shop, we recommend you visit the link given.
Stick to One Account Rule
The first tip that can save you lots is by keeping the same account for all of your online purchases. It means whatever you buy or even add any of your details to different stores, just remember always to use the same card information.
It will help you save all the credit data of your other cards. For instance, if any of the hackers or fraudsters found your information and tried to track all the other accounts you have connected, he won’t be able to look for any of those.
Another thing that you can do is to never make an account on any of the online stores where you usually buy. It also rules out creating an account on new and unsecured websites. The best way is to make a guest account where your credit information can’t be stored.
Sign Up to Have More Security
Some credit card companies provide their customers with additional protection packages. Like, secured credit card Canada, various credit stores offer to help in case of any card theft or fraud. Still, you have to put together little strings for it, like skip using debit cards for online payments and stick to making purchases through your credit card.
Also, check with your company if they provide SecureCode service, i.e., to always demand a secure pin whenever someone tries to use your card for any payment, be it online or offline. Or, you also subscribe to send you a verification code on your number if a transaction happened.
The SecureCode or verification pin makes sure to stop any transfer if one fails to enter the code while making payments. The other thing you can do is to call your bank and ask for a ‘confirmation call’ if even a small sum of money is being transferred online or at an ATM.
Schedule to Change Your Passwords
Long and complicated passwords are hard to remember, but they surely can be more protected than all the basic ones that anyone and everyone can guess. So, if your account has a password that is just so obvious or easy to decrypt, change it immediately.
Or, if you happen to make a purchase online, even on a secured website, it is advisable to change your password to omit the chance of identity fraud or theft. To keep your data secure, you should also have different passwords for different accounts.
For instance, if you are habitual of making online transactions with your credit card for whatever reason, try not to use the same password everywhere. It means if any hacker got your one account hacked, he wouldn’t be able to link it to all of the others you have signed up on various websites.
Finance experts say to practice changing passwords now and then always to stay a step ahead of any fraudster. Also, never use password managers as they put you at risk of getting hacked by keeping all of your passwords in one place.
Say No to Public Data Connections
We all love to use free public Wi-Fi. Yes, no denying that. But, do you know that all those free public connections are never secure, making it even more, riskier to use. Of course, we can’t skip using it just because it costs zero money.
So, if you are one of those people who look for a free connection to use, the basic tip is to never use it for any of your online transactions. The same thing applies to internet cafes or public computers. They may already be bugged or have some software installed to track your information.
It is also not convenient and safe to make a transaction using your personal computer but with a public internet connection, because in the end, it is still not secure. No matter how urgent it is to do, it is always best to use your mobile data package to make payments.
Keep a Keen Eye on Account Information
If only you know that there’s something wrong with your account, only then can you fix it or find a solution for it. In other words, as soon as you can track the problem as earlier, you can get rid of it. So, it is best to regularly check your account information and see if there’s any surprise transaction made.
Make it your habit to check your transaction report or history at least once a day. If you happen to note any transfer or deduction you don’t recognize, immediately complain to your bank.
Also, if you log in with your card account anywhere on the web, make sure to log out before you leave the page. You can also enable two-step verification to keep a check on your account information. For instance, if anyone was trying to change your password or get access to your account, you will get an alert for it.
Keep CVC/CVV Secure & Hidden
The CVC (Card Verification Code) or CVV (Card Verification Value) protects your account from financial theft online, but what if you put it there for everyone to see. Wondering how? Think of that one time when you use it for the transaction and forget to log out of the account. Or, you accidentally save it on the store, which means whenever someone opens that specific web for shopping from your phone or tab, he can simply click to use the auto-fill card option to order whatever they want. So, it is necessary to disable the auto-fill credit data to have a safe online shopping experience.
Even if you are at a brick-and-mortar store, never agree to contactless payment. Always try to swipe the card yourself by keeping your hand on the code. Also, never post the picture of your card even by putting a hand on half of the code because it can still get hacked.
Keep The Receipt of Payments
It may seem not related to credit security but think of all the bills, receipts, or documents you have received in the mail or your number via online payments or messages. And, you just didn’t take notice because, well, it’s right there, and you did it, so, why check it?
Well, to avoid any financial feud, if you made a transaction online, always print the receipt for it. Or, if it didn’t make through for the first time, immediately take a screenshot and let your bank know that a glitch happened while you were forwarding payments. It will omit the chance of double cash cutting.
Avoid Unsecured Website & Stores
The last but not least trick on our guide is the most basic tip that we all know but still forget every time we see a good offer anywhere online. Just know, if something feels extremely cheap as compared to other similar things in different stores, there’s a higher chance it could be a scam.
For instance, you were generally using social media and a great discount ad pop-up. You click on the link and scroll through the website to see all the amazing deals. In fact, you even decided to get one using the online payment method.
What did you do wrong here? Did you check if that website has a ‘lock or padlock’ sign that depicts it as a secured page? Or, did you look for its social media pages to see what others have to say about it? Whether or not it has enough audience? If even a single answer is no to any of the above questions, no matter how good the deal is, try to avoid buying it.
Conclusion
The evolution of digital media has provided us with many opportunities. But at the same time, it has also made it easier for hackers and fraudsters to scam ignorant people. It won’t be wrong to say that they are also there on the same website. And they are waiting for anyone to make a mistake so that they can benefit from it.
So, you really can’t afford to miss a beat and provide them with exactly that. To help you out, we have mentioned 8 simple tricks and tips you can follow to be safer with your online payments using a credit card.