The internet is more popular than ever and is used to download games, music, and movies, and to conduct business. The pandemic has seen a seismic shift from how people purchase day-to-day items such as groceries, and how they find entertainment.

As the virus hit, people chose to self isolate themselves voluntarily, and they were also ordered to go into lockdown in many countries. This led to more online activity than ever before, and much of it involves making payments.

While there are still options to pay with cash for pizza delivery, for instance, many other transactions need payments to be made online. With around 2 billion people purchasing goods and services online during 2020, there is huge potential for hackers and cybercriminals to steal sensitive information.

So, is it safe to be conducting so many financial transactions online, and how can you make sure your data is safe? 

Is it safe to pass your financial details over online?

With access to the internet becoming ever easier, and high-speeds becoming more common, it makes sense that people would do more of their shopping online.

The benefits are many, and sitting at home, browsing and comparing products, is far more convenient than traipsing from one store to another in the city. There is no travel to think about, no expense, the time-savings are obvious, and the products are often cheaper.

Nowadays digital payment apps are making it easier than ever to make purchases online, but how often do you think about your safety? There are some basic steps that you can take to increase your safety when shopping online, and being aware of the most common scams can also help. 

What methods are used to scam people online?

When shopping online or using services that require your card or bank details, you should be aware that the majority of websites are genuine. Retailers are not looking to rip their customers off, but sometimes there are errors and data breaches.

Payment systems can contain errors, and one well-known food delivery service is currently under fire in Southeast Asia for debiting cash from customers who haven’t placed orders. Fortunately, these types of ‘genuine’ errors can usually be resolved easily.

Online deceptions are increasing during the pandemic, as cybercriminals take advantage of vulnerable people and the news to set up plausible scams. Fake websites, phishing emails, and SMS are all used to lure unwitting people into handing over financial details.

Often an email will arrive purporting to be from DHL, Apple, or a bank, requesting the reader to click on a link. Most of these emails fail due to the recipient having no affiliation with the purported sender. However, many of these emails do work, and this is one way that criminals get people to visit a hoax site. 

How can you ensure your data is safe?

There are some habits you can get into to keep your data safe when online. One is to choose a good secure payment method. Look for merchants that offer a good selection of payment methods and have your preferred option.

Online casinos are ahead of many retailers in this regard. Sites such as Energy Casino offer around 20 different payment options. This means a user can pick the method they feel is the securest. Casinos also use high levels of security and encryption.

When visiting any website, look at the URL for HTTPS. If the site address is only HTTP then it is not secure and no sensitive data should be entered into it. This isn’t to say these websites are dangerous to browse, they should just be avoided when making purchases.

Never click on any links in an unsolicited email or electronic message. Visit the website by entering the address in the browser window yourself. This will reduce the chances of being redirected to fake websites. 

Use a VPN when online

A virtual private network can be downloaded and installed very easily, but it can provide an extra layer of security. VPNs mask your true address, encrypt your data, and generally make life more difficult for cybercriminals.

VPNs have the downside of sometimes slowing connection speeds. The more distance there is between you and the server, the slower the connection may be. However, they also have some useful side benefits.

A VPN will help to make you anonymous, and this is useful for masking your identity and location. But, because you are effectively pretending to be in another country, you will be able to access different websites.

By connecting to a VPN you can access a casino online from any country or region that doesn’t allow this, such as Hawaii. You will also be able to access different versions of Netflix, and streaming channels that are region-locked. 

How can you hand over sensitive data safely?

There are times when you may need to send documents and sensitive information through the internet. Emails and messaging services have limitations on their security so it is important to use completely secure methods for transferring data.

Blockchain is a secure way of making payments while keeping your identity anonymous, but when it comes to handing over pages of documents, there is another way.

Many people use Google Drive and Dropbox to transfer files, videos, images, and documents. While both these methods are secure, there has been at least one data breach concerning Dropbox.

Virtual data rooms are used by financial institutions and banks, and while they are similar to the above storage methods, their security is far tighter. Virtual data rooms match and often exceed international standards such as ISO. These storage platforms are trusted by the biggest financial corporations in the world for mergers and acquisitions.

However, they are out of the reach of most people and may be overkill if you are just looking to send some bank statements to a mortgage lender. 

Summary

Handing over your financial details does involve some risk. But, when a website is fully secure, you use a VPN, and you combine this with a safe payment method, you reduce any possible chance of being compromised.

Carrying out the best practices to stay safe while online should lead to problem-free shopping, and payments to Netflix and online casinos should remain secure.