Dhanteras 2022: Shopping online? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to stay away from online scams

Dhanteras and Diwali are around the corner and amid the season of festivities, shoppers will make every effort to buy expensive gifts. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic became a reality, there has been a surge in online shopping. However, cybercriminals are doing everything in their capacity to dupe you with eye candy offers and discounts. Not just online shopping, fraudsters are using cashback offers to steal the hard earned money of shoppers.

Dhanteras is considered auspicious for buyers who invest heavily on gold and silver. But now people are buying digital gold which is also a form of investing in physical gold. Buying gold online has become a trend nowadays and it is kept in insured vaults by the seller.

The whole point is, cyberattacks happen because the fraudsters understand shoppers generally don’t cross check or verify websites before buying. They first look at attractive discounts and then fall in that trap by paying large sums to cybercriminals.

To put some data in perspective, online transactions have increased a lot. In terms of volume, 678 crore transactions were done on UPI platform. Cybercriminals use their notoriety to either steal money or dupe you while online shopping.

Here’s how to stay safe while making online transactions:

1. First and foremost, one should maintain good online hygiene which means avoiding clicking on spurious links or emails from unknown sources.

2. Avoid calls from strangers who can lure you towards attractive offers.

3. Even if you are busy, avoid giving personal information on calls or messages. This includes OTPs, passwords and more.

4. Under no circumstance, one should share One Time Password (OTP) even if it arrives on WhatsApp or SMS.

5. Be it Gmail or any other online accounts, one should always maintain two factor authentication.

6. Avoid QR codes that come on your WhatsApp while making online payments. If you scan, then each and every penny from your account will be debited.

Also read: Gold, silver price today: Gold, silver rates remain unchanged ahead of Dhanteras, Diwali boom

Also read: Dhanteras 2022: What is the cost of buying physical and digital gold?