PayPal
gives 5 practical tips for safe online shopping
Christmas is officially in the air. The parols
are out, Jose Mari Chan is dominating the airwaves, and Filipinos are checking
off items on their holiday shopping lists. The festive season also brings with
it the stress of navigating heavy traffic and long lines at retail stores.
That's why many opt for online shopping instead.
Ecommerce continues to gain popularity in the
Philippines,[1] with convenience and
security being the key drivers for this trend.[2]
And why not shop online? The bargains are there, the selection is vast, and
payment is convenient.
With online shopping expected to increase in the
weeks leading up to December, opportunistic cyber criminals will be looking to
prey on vulnerable online shoppers. According to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky,
the Philippines was the fifth-most targeted country after Algeria, Nepal,
Albania and Djibouti. This was attributed to the general carelessness and lack
of online security awareness among Filipino Internet users, leading to a large
number of drive-by download attacks.[3]
But being aware of these threats can ensure that
your time spent after Boxing Dayis with loved ones and not customer service
representatives. PayPal, one of the world’s leading commerce enablers, offers practical tips on
staying safe while shopping online this season.
- Only shop on secure websites.Start at a trusted site. Search
results can sometimes lead you astray, and sales on other sites might look
enticing, but make a few checks before giving up your info to any website.
Look out for the padlock icon on sites and
ensure that they start with “https” before entering your account information
and password. This means that the site is secure and any financial or personal
details that you provide are encrypted.
To be extra careful, a quick check to see
if this website has a social media presence can uncover reviews to see if there
are concerns raised by other customers.
Also, beware of misspellings or sites using
a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example)—those are some
of the oldest tricks in the book.
- Use a strong password.A secure, unique password for each of
your online accounts is never more important than when banking and
shopping online. A strong password should be: more than 8 characters long;
use upper case, lower case, a number, and a special character; not a word
or date associated with you; a combination of words with unusual
capitalization, numbers, or a special character; and most importantly,
something you can remember.
But even a perfect password isn't perfect.
Another option is to use a password manager to create virtually uncrackable
passwords for you. It'll also keep track of them and enter them, so you don't
have to think about it.
- Opt for 2-factor authentication.Having 2-factor authentication can
prevent loss of confidential information & can prevent data from being
hacked. This
security measure has been used to control access to sensitive data and
systems, and online services are increasingly introducing 2-factor
authentication to prevent their users’ data from being hacked. It also
prevents fraudulent transactions when someone tries to transact using your
data.
4.
Use Trusted Online Payment Systems.Link your credit card to your PayPal
account to not just shop securely, but to also enjoy rewards such as cashbacks
and rebates as well. Aside from being able to link multiple credit cards to
your account, using PayPal to complete your online purchases keeps your
financial details more secure while still enabling you to enjoy the rewards
associated with each card (contact your card issuer for details).
PayPal’s Buyer Protection policy also covers eligible purchases,
should anything go wrong with your purchase.
- Beware of Phishing
Emails.During key
shopping periods like the Christmas season, you are likely to be swamped
with festive e-mailers from your favorite online stores telling you about
their fabulous promotions. While it may be tempting to click through, keep
a lookout for tell-tale signs that it could be a phishing email.
PayPal’s world-class cyber defence centre
provides coverage 24/7, 365 days a year. Through coordinated efforts, the
company has successfully shut down 500,000 fraudulant websites annually. Lookout for
potential red flags, such as poor grammar or spelling, and URLs and domains
that don't match the sender before clicking through the links.
About PayPal
PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital
payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make
financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the
PayPal platform is empowering 300 million consumers and merchants in more than
200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information,
visit paypal.com.
[2]PayPal conducted a global survey
with approximately 34,000 consumers from 31 markets to examine how people shop
online and across borders. Research in the Philippines was carried out with
1,006 respondents between 16 to 27 April 2018.
[3]
Businessworld, Philippines
fifth on cyber attack list
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