Authored by Nityanand Sharma
Indians have been embracing digital rapidly. In fact, amid the rising fears of COVID 19 last year, when the physical transactions took a back seat, the country witnessed an exponential spike in digital payments, especially during the lockdown period. People switched to online modes of payment for paying off bills or buying goods. This has led to a surge in the number of downloads and transactions made through digital payment platforms.
While the pandemic has accelerated this digital transformation, it has led to the rise of multilateral cyber fraud concerns and second thoughts about the security in digital payments. This has made it crucial to stay aware, vigilant, and adopt safe digital transaction methods. No matter how familiar or new you’re to digital payments, it is essential to ensure the security of your online transactions every time you make one.
Here are five tips that will help you make smart online transactions and keep your money secure:
Please refrain from using public Wi-Fi for online transactions
Today every public place be it restaurants, hotels, railway stations, hospitals, offices, and airports, has its own Wi-Fi network readily available. A majority of times people tend to connect their devices to it due to lack of mobile network without realizing that most of these public networks lack the required level of security. This makes them an easy target for hackers.
Being careless in this case might make your devices vulnerable to getting infected with a virus or malware that can compromise all your sensitive data. Therefore, it is best to avoid using public networks as much as possible. If need be, opt for a virtual private network (VPN) as it brings an extra layer of security to your online transactions.
Use strong passwords and use OTP for transactions but avoid sharing them
Make sure to use different and strong passwords for multiple websites/platforms as much as possible and also for your wireless connection at home. Meanwhile, for online transactions, instead of using a password or 3D PIN, generate OTP for security as it lasts for only one transaction. OTP numbers are safe as the user receives them on his registered mobile number. But make sure you don’t share the OTP as this can lead to fraudulent transactions using your account.
User may also opt for “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) services rather than direct bank transfers
While the use of credit cards are popular for making online transactions, Buy Now, Pay Later services are a secure alternative for making transactions as it does not require the users to disclose their bank details. Since it eliminates the use of third-party payment gateways, this payment option remains totally secure.
Avoid accessing suspicious-looking websites and stick to the reputed ones
Many a time we keep getting pop-ups of tempting e-commerce websites and end up clicking on them to make purchases. Making payments on unknown websites can turn out to be risky as there might be chances of your system getting affected by viruses to scam you and extract confidential financial information. To avoid any data compromises, make sure to stick to verified websites and payment getaways for surfing and e-commerce purposes.
Make sure the links you click have a secure padlock
Whenever you are visiting any website or clicking on a link, always watch out for the ones starting without ‘HTTP’ as they are insecure. Accessing your bank accounts or making online payments using such unverified links may lead to spyware getting installed in your system. A legit website would start with ‘HTTPs’. Yet another precaution is to look out for a padlock symbol while accessing a website. Both these symbols indicate that the website uses SSL or TLS protocol for data encryption and can be trusted.
Keeping these points in mind will go a long way in ensuring that you enjoy safe and secure online transactions.
Nityanand Sharma is co-founder and CEO at Simpl
