Three Ways to Reduce Risk When Making Online Purchases
In these uncertain times, there are lots of fraudsters trying to take advantage of you. One of the areas being targeted is online fraud. Fraudsters are trying to steal your personal information so it’s important you protect yourself. Here are three steps you can take to reduce your risk when purchasing products and services online.
Only purchase things from websites that you visit frequently
Fraudsters may send you emails or messages telling you to visit a new website for an amazing offer. Often, these offers are too good to be true and the fraudster is trying to trick you into providing your personal information like your name, social security number, and/or account information. Do not do any business with websites you are not familiar with. Instead, only purchase goods and services from websites you visit frequently or have made purchases with in the past.
Use digital wallets to purchase things online
Many websites will let you pay for goods and services with a digital wallet such as Apple Pay™, Samsung Pay™, or Google Pay™. Your card information is secure when paying with a digital wallet because your card information isn’t stored on your mobile device. Instead, each transaction uses a random, encrypted token to make a purchase. Fraudsters can’t access your card information if you use a digital wallet. All Bank of Blue Valley, a division of HTLF Bank consumer debit cards are eligible for Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay
Monitor your accounts with online banking
You should proactively monitor your accounts with online banking or mobile banking. If you notice any suspicious or fraudulent purchases on your accounts report them to the bank immediately. You can also setup alerts to notify you of updates on your accounts.
Apple Pay and the Apple logo are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
Google Pay, Google App Store and the Google Pay logo are trademarks of Google, LLC.
Samsung Pay is a registered trademark of Samsung.