Many, many people shop online. An estimated 73% of online shoppers, in fact, say that they prefer it because it saves time, while an estimated 67% of online shoppers say that it offers them more than variety. But how safe is online shopping? However, what these people don’t know about the security risks of online shopping could put them in danger, which is why if you like to make purchases on the web, you need smart shopping tips.When you’re shopping online, you need to be extra careful, lest your computer or mobile device gets hacked and your identity stolen.
In the U.S., 52% of online shopping is done on a desktop, which leaves a solid 48% to be done on mobile devices. According to the National Retail Federation, between five and seven percent of American adults use their mobile phone to compare prices when they’re shopping. Most people don’t think of their mobile device as the mini-computer that it is, and rather just think about it as an intelligent phone. This frame of mind leaves their smartphone and mobile device susceptible to the many risks. Here are three, easy smart shopping tips to bulk up your smartphone security while shopping online!
1. Don’t use the free, available wifi.
If you can access the wifi without a password, so can everyone else. The connection is open, and unsecured, which means that your Internet usage is also unsecured. PC Magazine advises, “Only use the wireless if you access the Web over a virtual private network (VPN) connection.” On these unsecured networks, hackers can easily steal sensitive information, like passwords.
2. Lock your phone.
Out of all of the smart shopping tips, this is the easiest. According to Internet security company, McAffee, loss of a mobile device is the biggest security threat. Mobile devices are 15 times more likely to be lost than laptops. This means that a thief in the physical world is the biggest threat to users. An easy way to keep them out is to lock your phone with a personal identification number. With this password, you can keep out any unwanted persons from accessing your sensitive information.
Keeping safe online is an absolute must in today’s cyber dominated world, which means that people to need to know how to shop safely online. On Cyber Monday in 2012, there was an estimated 1.47 billion U.S. dollars spent on online purchases, which was a veritable smorgasbord for malicious hackers. McAffee says that there are more than a third of people who lack the necessary protection to keep their valued information safe. Don’t be one of these people! These smart shopping tips were given to you to help you stay safe.
You would be wise to heed these smart shopping tips. Use these smart shopping tips to protect yourself online! If you have any other smart shopping tips, feel free to leave them in the comments! If you have any questions about these smart shopping tips, feel free to leave a question in the comments!
