What precautions must be taken while shopping online?

We now live in a completely virtual metaverse where we pretty much spend most of our time, be it scrolling through your social media feed to getting your dinner delivered to your doorstep; we are all entirely dependent on technology.

During the festival season, most of us shop online and purchase gifts for our loved ones from Apps like Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, etc., where the variety is unlimited and the offers are crazy. But before going into these online shopping sites, we all must be aware of any security concerns regarding this way of shopping.

Threats to Online Shopping

Let's throw some light on the possible threats while shopping online and how to keep safe from them.

Fake Websites and Apps

Many online frauds are being done using fake websites and apps where cybercriminals create fake links and websites similar to original online shopping platforms. Still, they will slightly modify a letter or two so that we don't notice the change and this method is also known as phishing.

These websites advertise fake products and are mainly built to get your credit card information, bank details, and personal information. They primarily target older people and people who are not well aware of this technology.

Adware

We all have probably gone through this in our online shopping experiences, including getting pop-up ads telling us you won a lottery. All you have to do to claim that is click this link, but as soon as you click it, you will be asked to share your personal information, or your device gets infected with a sort of malware. So always keep an out for these scams.

Malware

Like adware, legal retailers can be infected with malware and used as a front to propagate the infection to others who visit the site. It would only take a single visit to the website for the malware to infect your computer. If you don't have a decent antivirus to date, you could easily fall victim to this.

Hackers

Hackers can benefit from unauthorized entry to other laptops and constantly search for ways to break into a network. They usually accomplish some of these the usage of unpatched software holes. Even non-technical people can hack information online on the strategies, malware, and gear used.

Tips for Safe Online Shopping

Follow the tips given below for safe and secure online shopping experience −

• During the festival season when lots of consumers shop online, a phishing strive can enter your system in the form of an email advertising a sale you tend to overlook. However, the hyperlinks in the email may direct you to a fake website that became constructed to capture your statistics. Have your protection up for emails and text messages advertising vacation offers that appear too proper to be real. Even though junk mail emails may additionally seem harmless, never click on hyperlinks or download files from unknown resources.

• Use only secure and well-known sites for shopping; many offers may come up on your screen that might be tempting but always make sure you only make purchases from secure ones. Check for "https" in the URL to ensure it's safe.

• Do not use public internet or insecure networks to make your online purchases. Still, any other person on this network who knows how to use this opportunity might steal your personal information.

Use good antiviruses and protection software on all your devices to help you identify and prevent any such attacks; you might also want to consider using a VPN for protection.