Tips for Safe Online Shopping this Diwali
We recently held a webinar and issued a blog post about the top 5 risks of online shopping this festive season. Continuing down the same lines, we would now like to inform our readers about some of the best practices they should undertake while shopping online.
The Diwali season is a time for celebrations and gifts. E-commerce and shopping sites know this just as well and have tons of great deals and discounts for their customers. When compared with retail stores, these portals offer very sweet prices so there is no reason for someone to not buy the same items over these portals and save some of their hard earned money as well. Moreover, online shopping also gives one the luxury to not wait in long lines, visit crowded stores or worry about carrying large amounts of cash. It can all be done while sitting at home.
In our previous post we highlighted the top risks to look out for while shopping online. These were as follows:
- The risk of Phishing Scams
- The risk of Online Theft
- The risk of Specialized Malware
- The risk of Fake Stores
- The risk of Fake Apps
Tips and Steps for Safe Online Shopping
When it comes to avoiding online theft and malware, the best steps one can take involve several precautionary methods. Being safe is better than being sorry and with that in mind, here are Quick Heal’s top tips for safe online shopping this festive season.
Use your debit/credit card wisely
For online shoppers, their card info is the most crucial information to protect. If these card details fall into the wrong hands, the consequences can be disastrous. To avoid such situations, it is advisable to use a new debit card for online shopping. Keep the balance in this account at the bare minimum, so that even if the card is lost, the damage is minimal. Alternatively, use a credit card which has a low credit limit to minimize losses. You can also make use of the virtual credit card feature that most banks offer today. Using a card wisely is the best precaution you can take. If you are visiting a site for the first time, it is highly recommended that you choose the option of Cash on Delivery, or COD.
If it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably not real
There is no such thing as a free lunch. You know this, and even retail sellers know this. If you come across a deal somewhere that sounds absolutely unbelievable, then be wary. It could be a trap to lure you to a particular page and compromise your safety. Deals and discounts are common at this time of year, but it is always best to be cautious and suspicious of deals that sound unrealistically true. Use some cold hard logic before you decide to take the plunge and visit such pages and sites. Also check the URL and the HTTPS certifications on pages before you make purchases there.
Update your antivirus software and your OS regularly
Needless to say, your machine cannot get compromised if all your defenses are up and running. Users who have valid versions of Quick Heal running should ensure that their virus databases are updated. There are several settings such as browser sandbox, web filtering, phishing protection and others that guard against all kinds of online shopping threats. So always keep your software updated. Moreover, keep your OS and other programs/applications/games updated as well. Vulnerabilities in software often allow attackers to stage attacks, so closing off all possible entry points is the key.
Here are some additional points for security that everyone should keep in mind:
- Do not shop online when you are connected to a public/free Wi-Fi connection.
- Look for the padlock symbol in the address bar. This denotes that the page has HTTPS verification.
- Read reviews of products and websites before you actually purchase them.
- Read the privacy policy of websites and portals when you visit them.
- During online payments, use the OTP password for shopping and not the one you have set in the past.
- Do not follow links of products and deals that reach your inbox via unknown senders.
- Read the Terms and Conditions of offers before you make a purchase and if possible, also take a screenshot to avoid confusion later.
Shoppers who follow these tips should be relatively safe against most of the risks associated with online shopping this Diwali. A little bit of awareness and a bit of caution will help you stay safe and protected against several online shopping threats.
Quick Heal wishes you and your family a very Happy Diwali. Stay safe!
51 Comments
yeah really warned me about virus and what can happen if not taken precautions about security on your computer may result in money loss if paid through credit or debit card.thankss!!!!!!
Its use full antivirus
Good information…helpfull
Hi thanks dear i am glad to hear such info. thanks again
Useful tips/information from Quick Heal as always.
Good Information,
Most helpful,Thankx
Very helpful to the o nline shoppers.Its an eye opening tips.Thanks alot.
1. Open a new email A/C. with fake information like D.O.B., and should not link with your original email address.
2. while filling the information on ONLINE SHOPPING WEBSITE give only fake DOB.
3. Use only option of COD.
4. USE such ATM CUM DEBIT CARD of the bank which has a less amount in the balance. if you have not such account then open a new account with less balance for purchasing tickets,goods, products etc.
5. After every internet surfing clean your memory with antivirus
6. Complete scan your all computer drives before shut down ur computer at night.
7. clear google history cache everyday.
8. use CCLEANER for scan, analyze and clean.
9. sometimes the products available on shopping portal are available in the market @ very cheap price. dont buy them.
10. Dont buy any products from your mobile APP., and keep shopping with your desktop or laptop.
11. Use virtual keyboard for passwords and changed it frequently.
12. It is happened that the products which are in less or unbelievable price may be used from other customer and returned back with the return policy based. so dont purchased such products it is happened with amazn and eby with so many customers complaints.
Hi Rakesh,
Thank you for your great tips for online shopping.
Regards.
Its very interesting……
Good news and useful news
Let us fallow your advice.
good information
i think i got fooled by your so called content spoofing like amazon i ordered a A10 lenovo laptop priced at 9850rs after the order was successfully placed it changed to 17000 rs other sites are also offering the same product around that same price even amazon is not showing its customer care no what should i do the order is supposed to be delivered by 28 oct 2014
Hi Swati,
If this was an official Amazon deal, then you can always contact them and clarify this matter. Their contact details will not be hard to find. You can simply visit their site or find the details in the order confirmation email that may have been sent to you. If you have received an official email with an invoice for the product at the discounted price, then you will receive that product. The price may have changed later as the deal may be over.
Regards.
thanx
for use full informATION
very important and useful news,Thanks QH Team.
Helpfull information……
It’ s a nice app that eradicate virus from the devices.
useful tips for us.
thanks
Really Helpful
reallu Helpful
quick heal is really helpfull it allow me to do anything on my pc without any tension or any bullshit.
very helpful tips
Very useful tips to avoid frauds.
Your precise and timely Advice would certainly caution us to be vigil. Tks
Dr. THOMAS
What is OTP Password?
OTP refers to One Time Password.
It is sent to you on your mobile and can be used only once.
OTP means One Time Password
OTP is the One time password
it is send to your mobile no for transaction purpose
Otp refers to one time password which is generated when we shop online using credit or debit cards…nd thanks for the information…. proved really helpful!!!!!!
Thanks for giving useful and reliable information.
good news! help prevent that a bad Fake Stores! Phishing Scams!
very useful & key information for online shopping
Good information but i have doubt.
If the OS is not updated then what are the risks?
Because i am using windows xp and the support from microsoft hasbeen stoped.
please give the advice…
Hi Radha
As Windows XP is out of support, any activity on the Internet including online shopping, will make you vulnerable to malware attack. Please update your OS as soon as possible.
Regards,
its use full pc antivirus …
thank you
Thanks….. very useful information.
thanks ….its very helpful
It’s a very useful information. Thank you for this type of tips.
thanks for aware me
how can I get away these malicious sites and how to get secured don’t know ?
Hi Manni,
You can protect yourself from malicious sites by following the tips mentioned in this post and by installing a reliable antivirus software.
Regards,
Good Advice…For All Internet User.
Thanks for this information
Valuable tips for cyber security.
upgrade my antivirus
Hi Omprakash,
You can follow the link below to upgrade your antivirus.
https://www.quickheal.co.in/upgrade/
Regards,
it is the best antivirus in the world the secure the system and safety