Have You Been A Victim of Credit Card Fraud? How To Act

Online commerce occupies an increasingly important role in our lives. From technology or fashion to the purchase of the week, we can acquire many products and services today through a credit card and the Internet, and, in this way, we cover all our wishes and needs quickly and easily, with just one click.
However, sometimes a particularly tempting offer can cause us to drop our guard and stop performing the necessary security checks before buying from a website. In most cases, this situation will remain risky without posing a major problem. Still, we may have the bad luck of running into a fraudulent website, and our bank details are in danger. At that point, what can you do if you have been the victim of fraud with your bank card?

How To Know If We Have Bought On An Unsafe Website?

Several methods will help you know if a website is not recommended in just a few seconds. In addition, these security guidelines can and should be applied before finalizing an online purchase to prevent possible risks. If you have already purchased on the portal, you can use them to verify that everything is in order. 

Before beginning, it is worth clarifying: that a web page could be more secure does not mean it is fraudulent, but we must be especially careful in either case. So what is the difference? If you have purchased on an unsecured web page, you will likely receive the shipment normally; In other words, the company’s operation may be normal, but the risk is that the website does not guarantee that your data is correctly protected. Hence, anyone (beyond the portal owners) can access it. 

In contrast, if you have purchased on a fraudulent website, you will most likely not receive any order, which is the first warning sign. Normally, behind these pages, there is not a business but people who seek to carry out any attack against our equipment or unprotected information. Here the risk will be even greater.

Address

Reviewing the link on the page will see if it has a minimum level of protection. To do this, verify that the name “https” (not “HTTP“) appears at the beginning of it. In this way, you will know that it at least complies with the basics of cybersecurity: your information will be encrypted and protected.

Security Certificate

Check for a lock icon just before the link when inside the page. If it is absent, the web does not have a certificate that guarantees it is a secure site. Therefore, you are facing another of the signs that should make you distrust and take action.

It is important to make a point: this certificate may only be available in some portals you have purchased. Many online stores only protect the sections in which sales occur. This is optional, but at least it guarantees that your transactions are encrypted (that is, they have been shielded with a code).

Legal Warning

All web pages must display a legal notice section by law. Through this, you will know who owns the portal and other information of interest. Even if the page you purchased from has it, ensure that no suspicious information appears and that you can easily identify the company behind the website. Generally, you will find the legal notice at the bottom of the store.

Overly Conspicuous Information

Be wary if you have purchased a product with a very high discount. In this sense, the alleged mobile phones advertised at out-of-market prices are very common. Although more and more brands are opting for a discount strategy or expediting shipping times as a claim, we recommend that you apply common sense to identify possible scams. For example, an item delivered on the same day despite coming from a foreign country can be a scam. To clear up any doubts, it is best to carefully check all the delivery conditions and verify the opinions of other users.

Origin

The fact that a web page is foreign does not mean that it is not reliable. Therefore, do not expect a level of protection similar to that of the portals that comply with our national or community legislation. This should be especially taken into account concerning the protection of your data.

What Do I Do If I Buy On An Unsecured Website? Can I Get The Money Back?

The first thing you have to know is that there is a solution. Act quickly to minimize potential risks if you pay at a suspicious online store. And it is that, depending on where you have made the transaction, you can face situations such as the following:

• Theft of bank information (account number, card number, owner).
• Loss of money (involuntary transactions, theft).
• Scam (receive a fake or not receive anything at all).

We will show you an order of steps that we recommend you follow in the event of an incident of this type.

Notify your bank

The first thing to do is notify your bank. You must do it quickly so that they indicate the steps to follow from that moment on. You will need to provide them with the transaction’s total amount, the merchant’s name, and the data related to the date and time of the purchase.

Block bank card

The bank will most likely do so as long as you tell them what happened. Otherwise, request that they do it immediately (depending on your entity, you can do it yourself from their mobile application or website). Blocking the card, whether debit or credit, implies that the merchant cannot make unauthorized transactions for you.

File a claim

Although the web is not secure, it may be a real trade. In this case, claim your money back and cancel your purchase.

Report to the authorities

This step is essential, even if you successfully carried out the previous ones. As Internet users, we should report any indication of crime to the authorities. The Civil Guard has a portal where you can file complaints related to online scams through various means of communication.

Protect your close circle.

If you have come to that online store, it may have been recommended. In that case, warn the person who taught it to you so they don’t fall into the same trap. Do the same with your family and friends. We can all cut the circle of digital scams.

Eliminate any relationship with the website.

This last step will help you avoid future scams in the future. Delete all your traces of the fraudulent website, which includes deleting your account (not logging out, but deleting it directly). To do this, contact the portal and request your ” right to be forgotten.”

How Can I Prevent It From Happening Again In The Future?

Many people get scared after having a bad experience on the Internet, especially if it is related to banking transactions. However, there are other reasons to stop buying online. The key is to do it safely, and then we can enjoy all the opportunities the digital world offers us with complete peace of mind. 

In this sense, to avoid future mishaps of this type, we propose a series of recommendations that will make your online shopping experience completely satisfactory.

Create a trusted list.

It will help you to have a list of businesses where transactions are safe. To do this, base yourself on your experience or ask people around you for opinions. 

Open an account for online purchases.

Do you usually make your payments through your main account? The most advisable thing is that you open one exclusively for online stores. In this way, you will have the option of always leaving it without a balance, and you will add the necessary amount for the purchase when making it. Many banks in our country have plans for this type of operation.

Always check payment methods.

Put this third tip into practice when you have verified that the web is safe. You must pay attention to the payment methods that you have at your disposal. Be suspicious if several appear and only one is available since it indicates they want to lead you to a specific section where you can extract your data.

Choose secure payment methods.

Related to the above, several forms of payment will help you make a transaction safely. The main one is, obviously, through your bank card. However, you can also process it through PayPal, international entities that encrypt their data properly or make your purchases against delivery. Avoid Western Union and the like. You can learn more about secure payment methods in this article.

Compare prices

You must always compare prices to avoid falling into the trap of too-flashy offers. This way, you will get an idea of ​​the average cost of the product you buy. If reality does not resemble what you see on the web, do not make the purchase. It will most certainly be a scam. Ultimately, you can protect yourself even if you have already been a victim of bank card fraud. The key is to use the networks responsibly and help make them a more protected space. No one doubts that online shopping is the future, but it must be safe and reliable. Remember that you have the other sections of this Cybersecurity Guide And our free resources at your disposal. Continue discovering how to carry out safe use of the network!