Credit Card Security Tips for Online Shopping

With holidays around the corner and most ecommerce sites throwing away huge offers and discounts, we have to be extra careful against online scams and frauds. In this post today, we have listed down some helpful tips that you can use for safe credit card usage on the Internet.

Credit Card Security Tips

A few days back Flipkart announced its “Big App Shopping Days” offer for users who use the Flipkart App. Amazon is another site that has been hosting ”Deals of the Day” offers. Now, while all such offers are popular amongst online shoppers, their fame is misused by scammers to trick users. For instance, a fake email might lure you with an unbelievable discount to visit a fake website that looks like Flipkart and steal all your information.

So, if you usually shop online with your credit card, here are some safety tips you must consider.

Choose Credit Cards Over Debit Cards
If you use your credit card most of the time for online shopping, then you are already following an important security tip. If any fraudulent charges occur on your credit card, you will still have time to report it to your bank and avoid paying for the transaction made on the card. On the other hand, for a debit card, ‘real money’ gets debited instantly, and it may take days before you can reclaim the money. Also, most banks offer zero liability on lost credit cards. If we take HDFC bank into consideration, it states, “If you lose your card, report it immediately to our 24-hour call centre. After reporting the loss, you have a zero liability on any fraudulent transactions made on your card.

Go a step further – Use a Virtual Credit Card
Another credit card security tip that works effectively, is using a virtual credit card. As the name suggests, this is not a ‘physical card’ and not issued physically. The following are the benefits of using a virtual credit card:

  1. A virtual credit card is mostly valid for 21 – 48 hours only, depending on the bank that has issued it.
  2. The card can be used for making one payment only.
  3. Any unused amount left in the card gets credited back to the customer’s account.
  4. A virtual credit card cannot be stolen or cloned, as it is an intangible property.

Know your Online Shoppe
Always go for trusted, well-known, reputable, online shopping sites. This is more important when you are purchasing expensive items. It is also wise to go through the privacy and security policy of the site that you are shopping from. You might come across a site that offers unbelievable deals; but odds are, the deals are fake or not what they appear to be.

Understand What Information Your Online Shoppe Needs
A standard checkout/payment page of most online shopping sites require you to give the following details:

  • Full name as printed on the card
  • Credit card number
  • Expiration date
  • CVV number
  • Shipping/Billing address

But, if the payment page asks for your ATM pin, net banking login ID and password, mother’s maiden name, etc., then you have enough reasons to treat this as a phishing attack. Immediately close the browser, and report the website to the right authority such as Google.

Avoid Public and Free Wi-Fi Networks
This credit card security tip also applies to all kinds of financial transactions that you do online. Avoid using your credit card over public computer network such as cyber cafes and free Wi-Fi. These networks are less secured or have no security against hackers who can spy on your information and misuses it for illegal purpose.

Look for “HTTPS” and pad lock symbol
Before giving away your credit/debit information on the checkout page of any site, always ensure that the URL in browser’s address bar begins with “https://” and is accompanied by a “locked padlock” symbol. If it is otherwise, then do not proceed with the purchase. Go for a safer option such as cash-on-delivery.

Quick Heal Safe Banking feature protects your online financial transactions. It lets you shop, bank, pay bills online, etc., in a virtual environment that blocks fraud and phishing websites from stealing your information.

Don’t Follow Links in Emails
If you receive an email from your online shopping site about a great offer, and asks you to follow a link to view it, then here’s what you should do. Go to the website by typing its URL in the browser or Google, and verify if it is really hosting any such offers. Never click such links in emails even if they seem to have come from your favorite or a popular retailer.

Have Anti-phishing Protection on Your Computer
Nowadays, it is impossible for normal users to differentiate a fake, phishing website from a real one. Even a professional, neatly done website that seems innocuous, can be a compromised site waiting for you to fall into its trap. Hence, having an anti-phishing protection on your computer can be extremely beneficial. This feature, as the name suggests, automatically restricts user from landing on a fraudulent or phishing website.

If you think you have some more credit card security tips to add to this post, please feel free to leave them in the comment box below. Stay safe!

Rajiv Singha

Rajiv Singha


48 Comments

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  1. Avatar Kiran phalkeDecember 17, 2014 at 4:17 PM

    Hi Nice info. Where and how can i get a virtual credit card?

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv SinghaDecember 17, 2014 at 5:44 PM

      Hi Kiran,

      Thanks! If you have a credit card, you can contact your bank to issue you a virtual credit card.

      Regards,

      Reply
      • Avatar Dr Raj PajgadeDecember 17, 2014 at 6:26 PM

        You can issue virtual credit card on your internet banking website on concerned bank for eg. SBI provides in on Internet banking

        Reply
  2. Avatar Raghunath BoradoDecember 17, 2014 at 4:46 PM

    i will start now

    Reply
  3. Thanks For the valuable information

    Reply
  4. Avatar Avinash ShuklaDecember 17, 2014 at 4:54 PM

    Some of sites like a bank website give you a choice of virtual keypad. If you are working at a public place, prefer that keypan. It is more safe than the physical keyboard. This will make sure that nothing that capture your key strokes can work on the work you are doing.

    Reply
  5. Avatar Fakir HyderabadwallaDecember 17, 2014 at 5:33 PM

    THANKS FOR THE INFO.

    Reply
  6. Avatar Sampatraj MehtaDecember 17, 2014 at 6:28 PM

    Thanks for advise

    Reply
  7. Avatar Pankaj BhamareDecember 17, 2014 at 6:52 PM

    Virtual keyboard secure online banking against keyloggers.

    But some spywares may record screenshots.

    So is it safe to use online banking with virtual keyboard in public use computers like cyber cafe?

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv SinghaDecember 18, 2014 at 1:55 PM

      Hi Pankaj,

      We always recommend users never to conduct any kind of financial transaction in public network such as cyber cafes and free Wi-Fi hotspots.

      Regards.

      Reply
  8. i tried to update my quick heal total protraction 14.0 since 2 days but it cant comleate i also tried in 3G network but it cant done my total net pack is over but it is not done why?

    Reply
    • Hi John,

      We are sorry to learn about the trouble you faced while updating our product. Please give us an opportunity to help you resolve this issue. You can chat with our engineers at https://bit.ly/QHSupport, and they will be glad to help you out.

      Regards,

      Reply
  9. Avatar Chandrashekhar VaidyaDecember 17, 2014 at 7:51 PM

    Excellent piece of information, that too, for an occasional user or for that matter, any credit card user.

    Reply
  10. Avatar Satish DesaiDecember 17, 2014 at 7:55 PM

    Thanks

    Reply
  11. keep it up. keep us imformed.

    Reply
  12. Avatar HK ChaudhuriDecember 17, 2014 at 9:51 PM

    Allways type the URL on address bar for any https://***URL*** for purchasing or internet banking.
    Regard

    HK Chaudhuri
    Ranchi

    Reply
  13. What about PayPal?? Wouldn’t that rank on the same safety level as those methods mentioned?

    Reply
    • Hi Chez,

      You are correct. Any online financial transaction should be treated with utmost care. Here is a post that you might find helpful >> https://bit.ly/13eyYdu

      Regards,

      Reply
      • Thanks for the link reference for Paypal. I always use PayPal when paying for anything online. Furthermore, I only ever use a debit card specifically for online use i.e. this a/c only ever holds a low amount of money. I never, ever use my main a/c when paying online.

        Reply
  14. Thank u so much
    Pls share information to all
    Suggest to all bank customers, dont give any bank related information to any one through phone call, fraudsters are calling to customers and they are telling we are calling from …..bank customer care/atm customer centres and they collect all information. So becarefull……..

    Reply
  15. Avatar Monoj MohantyDecember 18, 2014 at 4:33 AM

    THANKS FOR THIS VERY VALUABLE INSIGHT; WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE PRECAUTIONS; PREVENTION IS THE BEST MEDICINE. THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE.

    Reply
  16. thanks to q

    Reply
  17. thanks sir, for this kind of information

    Reply
  18. Hi,

    It happens for me to notice the term “Malwares or attackers steals confidential and personal data from the infected machine” in many of the places while discussing on online shopping and virus issues.

    What exactly does confidential/personal data represents. Is that my personal files in my machine?

    Reply
  19. Thank you for your valuable information.

    Reply
  20. cool……….

    Reply
  21. Avatar Niraj KananiDecember 18, 2014 at 5:09 PM

    Thank you for the info.

    Reply
  22. Avatar PANKAJ GUPTA BHOPALDecember 19, 2014 at 2:06 PM

    Good information for online purchaing or trading.

    Reply
  23. Avatar Unnikrishnan NairDecember 19, 2014 at 4:10 PM

    When I open for Quick Heal Secure Browsing, I get a message “Please restart your system in order to use Quick Heal Secure Browse for the first time.” I have restarted repeatedly but the message always appear. Kindly suggest how to fix it.

    Reply
    • Hello Mr. Nair,

      We request you to give us an opportunity to analyze the problem and provide you with a solution. Please contact our Support Team at 0-927-22-33-000. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting https://bit.ly/QHSupport

      Regards,

      Reply
  24. one more thing emails are coming saying your card is compromised plz contact bank on following link , it even has a logo of paypal on the email , be careful

    Reply
  25. wonderfully good debit card users beware

    Reply
  26. Avatar RadhakrishnanDecember 21, 2014 at 6:27 PM

    a month back some fraudlent delhi based company introducing themselves as credit cards rewards related company told they are giving holiday packages, free gifts etc and I have to pay 6000 only as services charges. later they prompted me to do payment by telephone IVRS . at some point I felt is is fraud and in right time I declined the offer. I hope others reading this will be cautious

    Reply
  27. Avatar Joginder KhuranaDecember 21, 2014 at 9:55 PM

    Thanks for such a valuable information.

    Reply
  28. good news

    Reply
  29. Avatar RAKESH SINGHDecember 23, 2014 at 3:53 PM

    GOOD NEWS

    Reply
  30. Avatar Kinjal k purohitDecember 23, 2014 at 7:38 PM

    Thanks for such important info.

    Reply
  31. Sir, does Quick Heal antivirus pro provides Anti-phishing protection ?

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv SinghaDecember 24, 2014 at 5:57 PM

      Hi Kamal,

      Quick Heal AntiVirus Pro includes Web Security that blocks infected websites, but not phishing websites. However, Quick Heal Internet Security and Quick Heal Total Security does provide Anti-phishing protection.

      Regards,

      Reply
  32. I have quick heal antivirus v26….
    Whenever I open any site many ads open up vvvv fast.. I tried to fix it thru your antimalware but the problem continues.. Please advise.

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv SinghaJanuary 9, 2015 at 2:48 PM

      Hi Sreenath,

      There could be multiple reasons behind this issue. We request you to give us an opportunity to analyze the problem and provide you with a solution. Please contact our Support Team at 0-927-22-33-000. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting https://bit.ly/QHSupport

      Regards,

      Reply
  33. Thank you for information keep posting

    Reply
  34. Honestly, the pleasure of approaching your blog!

    Reply
  35. Thank you….. This should work.

    Reply
  36. Avatar O2infosystemsJanuary 23, 2016 at 12:15 PM

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    Reply