Hyderabad: With tech taking over lives, today, online payments have become nearly as indispensable as having a meal. It is unlikely that one goes an entire day without making at least one online payment – be it for paying bills, or shopping online, or booking appointments at the doctor’s clinic. With the onset of the pandemic, the last 15 months has seen a significant growth in adoption of online payments across the board. Razorpay stated 5 ways to getting scammed when making online payments.
However, it must be noted that this extraordinary convenience is not without its own set of security and fraud risks that are easily avoidable, if one is vigilant. Here are a few basic pointers that one must bear in mind at all times, to ensure their security while making digital transactions:
1) Never disclose your password or OTP to anyone. This is the most common trick used to commit fraud. Always remember that your OTPs and passwords are strictly private and even a bank official is not permitted to ask you for this information.
2) Avoid using public WiFi networks or computers for online transactions, as they are more vulnerable to cyber breaches, security threats, and data theft.
3) Download only verified, trusted, and legitimate apps on your devices so as to ensure that your financial and other sensitive data is protected. If unsure about any mobile application, avoid making transactions through them, and deny access to personal information stored on your phone.
4) Always make payments on secure websites only. Ensure that the URL begins with https:// and not http://, and there is a padlock symbol before it. Both these indicate a secure connection, that the website is encrypted, and it has an SSL/TLS certificate.
5) As a general rule, make purchases only from credible websites. Avoid experimenting with online stores and even if you do, you could always select the pay on delivery option to refrain from sharing your payment information on their site. Many small merchants do not have the required security checks in place to prevent any sensitive data fraud. Further, you can also check that the site uses a credible payment gateway that is completely safe and compliant with all the latest security norms.
6) Never open or respond to fraudulent emails, SMSs or calls. While it is hard to distinguish, most fraudulent emails and texts are promotional in nature, offering unrealistic deals and prizes. Some emails might even clone known websites, as a way to get information out of you.
