Security can never be enough when it comes to carrying out transactions online, especially using your Debit or Credit Card. Cases of credit card or debit card fraudulence, hacks, identity breach, and information leaks are reported all over the place against online transactions. With almost every online retailer offering exciting deals upon the use of credit and debit cards, it’s only a matter of time before you start using your cards more frequently. Deals such as debit card EMI offers from Amazon and Flipkart are too good to ignore. How to ensure card security? Read on.
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Safety is in your hands
Most of the time, we ignore the instruction pamphlets that come with the Debit or Credit Card Kit. These instruction pamphlets or any other general guidelines contain information that is imperative to ensure that your online transactions are hassle-free and safe. We tend to use our own judgment, but the result?
FAQs and Instructions
Spend your valuable time to read the FAQ sections of various banks such as HDFC Bank or State Bank of India. A lot of confusion that troubles bank customers daily is cleared out in these sections. Therefore, you need not bother wasting time in the IVRS queue to speak to a customer service agent or going to the bank and gaining control of your finances.
Using your debit card for online transactions is a safe process if you are smart enough to distinguish between real and fraudulent online payments models. Well, every day, newer procedures are being devised by scammers to dupe people of their money, but you can guard yourself against becoming a victim of the same.
Here are some safety tips to make sure your online transactions are safe and genuine and do not take away your night’s sleep!.
Clone Websites and Site Encryption
Clone websites are made to appear exactly the same as the original ones. But these websites differ in their web address and can be easily identified from the title bar of your browser. You may have received forward messages or emails which claim to have free or highly discounted smartphone giveaways and ask you to proceed with the link. But if you notice the address, you will see that it isn’t a genuine address but a fake one. For example, a clone of amazon.com could appear as www.amzn.mobi.
Also, you need to be sure about the website encryption. If you find the “HTTPS” prefix before the web address, you can rest assured that the website is secure. Do not proceed with online transactions that have only “HTTP” as a web address prefix.
Unreliable and Open WiFi
Public hotspots or open WiFi networks are the places where hackers thrive. Your debit or credit card information may be at risk if you use unreliable and open hotspots to connect to the internet. Not only this, but sensitive information can be procured directly from the memory of your phone or PC. Therefore, be sure to carry out online transactions within a secure and trusted network.
OTP and Card PIN
OTP or One Time Password is sent to your registered mobile number by your bank server generally for authenticating online transactions. Be sure to never share your OTP or your card PIN over phone or email to anyone, even if the person claims to be the bank’s CEO.
Public safety notifications are released by banks and government bodies to not entertain any call, message, and email from anyone with regards to your bank account. Such correspondences should be treated as fake. Be sure to not divulge any sensitive information with regards to your bank account, card PIN, OTP, Card CVV, etc.
Delete Sensitive Information
Many phone apps today come with the facility of storing your card information so that during subsequent transactions, you do not have to enter the complete information. Well, safety comes with a price – Vigilance. Hackers can procure this kind of information at the drop of a hat, and that is something you do not want to risk.
Delete your card information from your profile in the various apps and take the pain to enter them every time you carry out a transaction. Select “No” even if your app prompts you to save the information.
Incognito Mode
Every web browser facilitates you to surf incognito, which means that your browsing history, location, and data entries in websites will not be recorded or stored, except by your service provider. So the chances of your information being misused are reduced. You can be sure that your details cannot be accessed by anybody remotely or from within the device itself. Avoid installing unnecessary extensions in your browser as they might be fake.
A small mistake from your end may make you pay a higher price. Follow the above and remain worry-free about the safety of your credit and debit cards.
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