WE ALL love to shop. Whether it’s browsing your favourite stores or scrolling online, treating yourself feels good.
But what does not is the pain and stress of having your financial details stolen online. According to Action Fraud, losses of £69.6million were reported between April 2020 and March 2021 due to cybercrime, with people aged 20 to 39 being those at highest risk of falling victim. So here are my top tips for shopping safely.
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Go manual
You will often be asked if you want to save your card details to make future purchases speedier when checking out on new sites. But many retailer websites don’t have adequate security to ensure that details can’t be hacked. Manually enter your card details each time you want to make a purchase.
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Change it up
Most people tend to use the same password over and over again as it’s easier to remember. This is a scammer’s dream as, once they get your password from one website, they are able to access all of your accounts. Instead, use a random online password generator to create strong passwords each time. That way, if a fraudster does manage to access one of your accounts, they will not be able to use that password on any other site.
One stop shop
Some banks offer customers the ability to generate virtual cards when shopping online. When you make a purchase, the details are generated and you’re able to shop as normal. Then just delete the card. So if your details are accessed, no purchases can be made as the card will have been deleted.
Use a random online password generator to create strong passwords
Kia Commodore
Views expressed in this column are those of the expert and do not reflect the views of Klarna. To learn more about Klarna visit klarna.com/uk/moneytalks
