Visiting trustworthy websites and being wary of emails with suspicious-looking links will mean a more secure online shopping experience.
Shopping online is quick, easy and convenient. Having immediate access to digital services has substantially improved our lives, but it has also meant the proliferation of a wide range of scams. It is important to keep abreast of the different types of Internet fraud we might fall victim to, as we will be better equipped to protect ourselves, and to follow a series of recommendations.
Below we explain the key points to make your online shopping experience as secure and pleasurable as possible.
Security tips for your online purchases
With some simple recommendations, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to an online scam. Here are some of the most important:
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Be wary of unrealistic offers. Don’t blindly trust in e-commerce sites that attempt to sell products far below their market price. For example, if you find that €2,000 camera that you’ve had your eye on for a sale price of just €400, don’t be tempted, as it might just be a scam.
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Beware of offers that come to you by email, WhatsApp or other channels if you haven’t requested them. If it turns out to be a scam, it might inject a virus or malware in your device if you should happen to click on the links included in these messages. For example, if you click on an infected link, the criminal might then hack your account or steal your identity. If you do receive a suspicious message, we recommend ignoring it and deleting it immediately without clicking on the link it contains.
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Keep informed to avoid falling victim to a ‘ghost’ company. Make sure that the e-commerce site you want to buy from has a telephone and a postal address which you can contact in case of problems.
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Read other users’ opinions. Be wary of e-commerce sites with 100% positive opinions and also those which you don’t find any information about on the Internet.
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Keep your antivirus updated. Always having an updated version of your antivirus is very important in online shopping, both on your computer and your phone. In this regard, it is also a good idea to have the operating systems on your devices updated to their latest version.
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Never make a purchase connected from a public Wi-Fi network. You should always make purchases from your own network or from places where you have the utmost trust in the person or institution which is providing the Wi-Fi connection you are operating through.
- Secure URLs. In e-commerce portals, it is crucial that there be a padlock in the browser bar. Click on the padlock and make sure that the address is written properly.
Discover the keys to your most secure digital banking
Your bank card, a security guarantee
Along with these recommendations, your Banco Sabadell card is also a great ally for enhanced security in your online purchases.
Whenever you need to, you can deactivate your card from being able to make online payments. To deactivate this option, view “your cards” in the Banco Sabadell app, select the one you want to switch off, and in the bottom menu, within “Settings”, you will find the option “Do you want to use your card online?”. With a simple tap you can turn off this option and turn it back on when you want.
In shopping with EMV Chip, your PIN will be requested to reduce the risk of fraud, thanks to its cardholder validation system.
In contactless payments, we will ask for your PIN for purchases that exceed a predetermined amount.
You can adjust the limits on your card for purchases and cash withdrawals.
In the case of suspected loss or theft of your card, you can switch it off temporarily from the Banco Sabadell app. What’s more, if we detect certain unusual patterns or transactions, we will get in touch with you immediately.