Tips For Secure E-Commerce

With each passing day online shopping is becoming more popular in India. It's mainly due to the convenience of buying and increasing reliability of the portals selling the products. However one just needs to make sure about the safety when doing transactions on the Internet. Here are some tips for making secure Internet transactions.

How to check whether the web site is safe :
 

Encryption – Make sure one shop's only at secure web sites that use encryption. If the web site uses encryption technology to transfer information from your computer to the merchant’s computer, that means the information is scrambled so computer hackers can’t easily steal it. 

Secure URL – Look for the “s” following “http" in a web address, indicating it’s safe. However unfortunately most of the sites divert you to https URL only on the final step when you are about to make the payment. 

Lock display – The Padlock display is at the bottom of the browser screen (on the browser’s status bar). If that lock is open, one should stay away from it, as it’s probably not a secure site.

Unbroken key – An unbroken key also designates a secure site.

Unknown / Strange web address – If a URL has a string of numbers at the beginning or has strange names, be suspicious because this isn't an address one would see for a genuine/reputed company.

Tips for Safe Online Shopping

Don’t shop at shared networks – Don’t do online transactions when you’re using public or shared networks (like cyber cafe). It's best to buy online at home. The computers in shared networks may have Trojans / viruses/ keyloggers which may store your passwords.

Use the card wisely – While paying with credit / debit card, be cautious to ensure that the site where you are putting in the details is safe and secure. If you still have reservations about giving out your credit card number online, then use third-party escrow services such as PayPal.

Don’t share personal information – Usually legitimate web sites won’t ask one to give out personal information such as his birth date, account details or the address. By giving out the personal information, you can give criminals enough data to apply for new credit cards in your name.

Keep accurate records – Always keep accurate, detailed records of any online transactions. This way one will have the evidence of his purchase if problems occur.

Use updated anti-virus programs – Be sure your computer is secured with updated anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software.