Electronic commerce is one of the fastest-growing segments of the payments industry, and Cyber Monday is among an eRetailer’s most important days of the year.
Many consumers will shop early and often next Monday and throughout the holiday season, and hackers know this as well. Bob Bunge, and associate professor in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences at DeVry University has provided customers with some key safety tips on Venture Beat, and they’re worth examining here.
What are the five tips that Bunge proposes? Let’s take a look.
Password Strength And Length Matter
Bunge stresses that simple passwords, such as proper nouns or consecutive strings of letters, are easy for programs to crack. To combat this, make your passwords long, mix up capital and lowercase letters and use abbreviations or pass phrases instead of words.
Oh, and whatever you do, don’t use “password” as your password. Or any on this list for that matter.
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Shop On Secure Websites Only
Bunge reminds us to only shop on sites that begin with https:// and have padlock icons next to their URLs. Also make sure that the URL matches the merchant, and do a little research before you buy from a site you’re not sure about. As Bunge writes, If the words “scam,” “fraud,” or “rip-off” pop up, consider yourself duly warned!”
Credit Cards Make The Best Online Cards
Your debit card offers details to your checking account, which is why it’s the most danger card to use when shopping online. Plus, if the card is stolen or your goods don’t arrive, there are fewer dispute resolution options open to you. Bunge represents having a dedicated credit card for online shopping, or using a PayPal account, so long as you monitor it closely.
Make Sure Your Internet Connection Is Secure
Never use open or public WiFi to make an online purchase – it’s much easier for hackers to obtain access to that information. If you can plug in through a wire or cable connection, that’s the safest play, although personal wireless connections are usually fine: just try to make sure they have WPA2 secure with AES encryption.
Don’t Give Out Superfluous Data
A secure site should need only your name, shipping address, and secured card information. If it’s asking for more than that, you’re likely better off shopping elsewhere. Bunge also offers this reminder: “if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A deal offering brand name merchandise for pennies is probably a scam. Similarly, ‘free’ gifts that require you to pay shipping up front are scams.”
