Experts in e-commerce and security gave recommendations so that transactions do not have problems and avoid any kind of fraud
29.10.2018 • 15:09hs • Online shopping
Online shopping
CyberMonday: how to buy online safely and avoid problems
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This Monday began a new edition of the CyberMonday, so it is important to take into account some recommendations so that purchases generate satisfaction and not headaches.
In the first place, it is necessary to verify the seal of participation of the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CACE), which is the organizer of the CyberMonday.
The more than 500 companies that participate in the move as official partners have identified their sites with a seal of the entity, which guarantees that they are supervised spaces and that they have the necessary requirements to guarantee secure transactions.
During these three days an avalanche of online purchases is expected, as happened in the previous editions. In fact, last year there were 2.45 million unique users who entered the official website of CyberMonday, when fewer companies participated: 430. On that occasion, there were also 80 Interior firms, twice as many as in 2016.
However, a great variety of brands go up to the days of discounts, but without the CACE umbrella. It is important to keep this in mind not only for security reasons, but also because it may be providing misleading information, such as discounts that are not, and that generate the anger of users.
From the Linio, a portal that offers articles of various categories, pointed out that in these three days of rebates, other issues should also be considered, not minor:
- Do not think about discount percentages. While it is the preferred marketing tool to offer a discount, it is easy to lose the notion of reality when that promise amounts to 80%. It is convenient, in those cases, to review the final amount. And also distrust.
- Take into account the cost of shipping. You do not have to take accounts only based on the amount of the item, but you have to do so taking into account also the price of the delivery because it can neutralize the opportunity of the offer on what it will cost eventually. It is best to choose stores that provide low costs and different delivery methods: pay cash at home, door-to-door delivery, withdrawal at branches of mail companies, lockers or retail chains.
- Pay attention to bank promotions and financing. In times of high rates, you have to look at the total financial cost to see if, indeed, it is interest-free installments or what the final amount will be.
- Download mobile applications. More than 50% of the consultations prior to purchase are made in this way. Apps can help these operations, especially when 36% of transactions end up being closed by this means.
- Compare prices. Comparacity is the tool that began to be used strongly in the HotSale and that, in the current context of inflation, is expected to be even more relevant in the CyberMonday.
On the CACE page are all the e-commerce sites that adhered to the promotion and can be specifically consulted in which categories each participates.
The comparator will allow users to check the price history of the same product in different points of sale to know if the discount is real or not.
One of the myths that circulate the most during these dates is that in the CyberMonday there are only online offers. Although it started in this way, more and more retail stores are starting to promote their CyberMonday offers, and even their CyberSemana, also in physical stores. It will be a matter of checking with the nearest point of sale.
"Comparacity helps save time in tedious searches because when doing a search, it throws the best options with the main results, without the need to enter site by site, since it compares the costs of all companies that have the desired product. , the site has compared more than 35,000 offers, "explained Julián Gurfinkiel, founder of the company.
Online security
Among the councils also arise aspects related to computer security, a crucial item so that the purchase does not become a nightmare. From the companies specialized in the subject they indicated a series of tips to follow so that the experience is pleasant, at least, from the plane of the cybersecurity.
- Make sure that the browser is updated. "By doing this, it is likely that vulnerabilities that could have been found in previous versions have been identified and repaired," explained Ignacio Conti, regional channel and distribution manager of Symantec.
For his part, Marc Asturias, senior director of marketing at Fortinet for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that "providers issue regular updates to the operating system and many of them contain critical security patches that protect against attacks and exploits."
Therefore, he advised to consider in mobile equipment "the same security concerns for laptops also apply to mobile devices".
In addition, you must pay attention to some recommendations to ensure a safe shopping experience:
- Learn to detect phishing attempts and questionable offers. These days, it is common to receive emails with incredible offers. But you have to be alert: they can be phishing attempts, that is, a trap that leads users to a fake website to capture personal information. Avoid, in turn, clicking on seemingly harmless post links or downloading files from unknown sources.
- Create secure passwords. The same password should not be used for multiple accounts. Especially for those that contain sensitive information, such as personal or banking information.
- Search for HTTPS addresses and perform secure downloads. It is necessary that the address bar of the browser turns green or has the S, which will indicate that the website is secure and that it will encrypt personal data. As for downloading applications, always do it from the official Android or Apple stores.
- Secure means of payment. The financial institutions offer virtual means of payment, credit card, transfer, etc. These have purchase limits, so mitigate the possible fraud and also alerts the user if there is any anomaly in any transaction in a preliminary manner.
- Understand the privacy policy of the website. Read the famous "Terms and Conditions" and know what information the company is collecting where the purchase is being made. And if the data requested is relevant to finalize the operation. The best thing is that the company offers a point of contact to answer questions.
"Keys and personal data should not be requested repeatedly without having made a transaction, and distrust last-minute application downloads," recommended Josué Ariza, regional director of Forcepoint.
- Keep a record of purchases. This includes the addresses (URL) of the trade, the item purchased and the amount paid. It can be a somewhat cumbersome procedure, but it will be a great preventive measure if any of these sites turns out to be fraudulent and it is necessary to file a claim with the bank or the credit card company.
- Prevent identity theft. You must be proactive with the supervision of financial accounts. One way is to subscribe to receive alerts by text messages or emails when the institution in which the user has accounts offers them. You can also monitor the misuse of information, such as credit card numbers.
- Use VPN in public Wi-Fi connections. If you use a public WiFi (the one that provides a bar, for example), most likely those connections are not encrypted or secured. For that reason, it is recommended to use a virtual private network during the purchase to prevent a cybercriminal from exploiting a possible security failure. Or postpone the operation until you get home.
- Confirm the website when there are doubts. There are several tools, many of them free, that can help ensure the credibility of a site. Also, it is best to buy in well-known stores, which have a good reputation. Pay attention to the name of the site, which is correctly written, and to the URL ending in .com, .com.ar or another top level domain to be certain that the page belongs to the
