The Gen XY Lifestyle
Tips to help shop safely online by Mastercard
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According to the MasterCard’s Safety and Security Index, up to 31% of shoppers worry about their orders not being delivered at all. Interestingly enough, only 10% have ever experienced it.
MasterCard shares some “online signposts” for a peace of mind
- To shop with peace of mind, look out for security badges on the checkout page before you proceed to purchase your item. This ensures that the retailer meets the industry security standards.
- Take note of your retailers’ customer support services. This can be by way of a telephone number, an online chat box or an address on the checkout page. Having someone you can contact is reassuring, just in case there are any problems with your order.
- If you are shopping on the go and worried about the reliability of the mobile app you’re using, make sure you only download apps by trusted app creators and well-known shopping websites. It also helps to read reviews and ratings before you download the app to ensure its legitimacy.
- Speaking of mobile shopping, use mobile anti-virus protection on your cell phone! It adds an extra layer of safety by protecting any sensitive information and offering lost-device security.
- Always use your card – Never transfer money directly because if you are a victim of fraud, you are not protected
- Last but not least, always check that your connection to a website is secure. How? Look out for a green padlock on the side of your address bar and an ‘s’ at the start of the web address (https:// instead of http://). This signals that the website is encrypted, which protects your personal information from non-secure sites.
In the rare case that your order is indeed missing, here’s what you can do to make it right:
- Notify the merchant immediately to locate your order or request for a refund. Go prepared and expedite the process by providing your order number and receipt. The sooner, the better!
- If the merchant doesn’t respond to you within a reasonable time frame and you notice you’ve been charged for the order, provide your bank with proof of the merchant’s non-responsiveness (email or paper trails of correspondence) and the transaction being charged to your account. Take care to remove confidential information like account or card numbers. Your bank should have you covered with liability protection!
Delivery delays are common, but they are no small matter when they affect your payments. When you are armed with payment security know-hows, you can shop with a peace of mind.
Click here to learn more about how you can empower yourself with more payments-related safety and security tips.
This article was contributed by MasterCard.
