Are you a safe online shopper?

Whether you’re purchasing items for your home or personal use, everything you need can be purchased online. Thanks to the convenience of online shopping, many people have made this their chosen method of purchasing goods.

How to protect your data and identity when online shopping

Pay using a credit card

Debit cards use the available money in your account. On the other hand, credit cards use money you will pay your bank in the future.

If your credit card gets compromised, banks can easily freeze it and reverse the charges since no money has been moved yet. But if fraudsters use your debit card to make online purchases, retrieving the money may be more difficult.

Use strong and unique passwords

Always create strong passwords for your accounts. Remember to use a combination of upper case, lower case, numbers, and special characters.

As much as possible, do not use the same password in different sites and apps. If one site is hacked, it makes it easier for hackers to enter all your other accounts.

Never give more information than what is needed

When shopping online or logging into a new app, you’ll mostly be asked to fill up an information form to complete a purchase. Fill up only the required fields and leave the rest blank.

For instance, if there’s a space for a home phone number but it isn’t required, skip it. The more information you give up, the more information you risk exposing.

Before filling up any form, make sure to carefully read the privacy policy so you know exactly where and how your info will be used.

Use shopping apps wisely

Mobile apps make online shopping even more convenient, but it makes stealing your private information easier, too.

Make sure to download your shopping apps from trusted sources like the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Be mindful of what you grant your app access to. For instance, if it asks to sync with your contacts or monitor your movement on other apps, you can disallow it.

Don’t fall prey to email scams

Many cybercriminals and phishing links lurk in your inbox, waiting for you to make the wrong move.

Don’t be their next victim. Avoid replying to emails from an unknown sender or a site you haven’t visited.

Even if you do know the sender, you should still be mindful of the links embedded in the emails. Many fraudsters mimic a legitimate company, such as your bank, a subscription network, or a government agency, and alert you about a problem with your account. If this happens, it’s best to head straight to your browser and Google the correct website or type the website directly into the search bar.

With everything being more convenient these days, online data protection becomes more important than ever. Who knows what might happen if your data or information falls into the wrong hands?

Learn more about online fraud and how to report it with Metrobank Fraud Protection.