Here are some useful online shopping safety tips that you should consider while shopping during Harbolnas.
s more than 200 e-commerce platforms are giving out huge discounts during National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas), the idea of hunting desired items on Dec. 12-14 may sound enticing to many.
However, it is important to follow safety measures before making online transactions.
Tulus Abadi, chairman of Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), advised customers to be alert while making online transactions. “Based on our research, we found that most customers were unaware of the risks involved while conducting online transactions,” Tulus said, as quoted by kompas.com.
Here are some useful online shopping safety tips that you should consider while shopping during Harbolnas.
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Keep your passwords safe
Always remember to use a password that's not easy to guess. Its recommended to have one that consists of both capital and small letters, numbers and even characters. Avoid using birthdays, nicknames and addresses. Differentiate your password from social media accounts. Remember to always keep the password to yourself and change it regularly.
Pay attention to where you shop
Before deciding to buy anything, make sure to check the shop’s URL address first. E-commerce company Blibli.com advises shoppers to only do transactions on sites with “https” type of addresses. “Https”, which is usually marked with a green color and lock symbol on the browser’s search bar, indicates an encrypted protocol that prevents other parties from reading a users’ activity log on a site. Buying from widely-known e-commerce platforms with good rating reviews and clear payment methods is also recommended.
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Keep credentials to yourself
Tulus also stated that Indonesian customers needed to be more selective and not easily give out their credentials or private information. “Customers' private information, such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers or credit card details are often misused for certain promotions,” he said. He also advised checking to see if the site is equipped with customer service.
Shop smartly
Some examples of Harbolnas offers by e-commerce groups include up to 90-100 percent cash back or extreme discount deals, as well as free shipping promotions and zero percent interest installment plans. It is important to pay close attention to the terms and conditions of these offers before making a transaction. Always remember to check your transaction details before making a payment. (mas/kes)
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