Surfing the Internet is a habit. However, it implies a series of risks that should be taken into account so that a user does not end up becoming a victim. Online scams are increasingly common and have experienced exponential growth -more than 450%- in the last five years, as pointed out by the Ministry of the Interior.

The increase in these unwanted episodes is a direct consequence of the fact that users have become accustomed to purchasing products or services from home. According to data from the survey "New habits in payment methods in Spain" by PaynoPain, a Spanish technology company specializing in the development of online payment tools, 82% of Spaniards opt for this way to make their purchases online.

When it comes to ensuring the security of their purchases, the practice most used by Spaniards is double authentication (48%). However, three out of ten admit that they have not implemented protection measures when they shop online. For this reason, concepts such as smishing, phishing and other fraudulent online practices have become normalized and are becoming more frequent.

According to the Ministry, in 2021, 305,000 online crimes were registered in Spain. Of these, computer fraud represented 87% -267,011 cases-. Given the dizzying increase in online scams, PaynoPain highlights five mistakes that users often make when buying online:

    Overconfidence: Internet users are often innocent and do not stop to look at the web page they are buying from or the links they click on. This can lead them to fall for cyberattacks of different types. To avoid this, you must make sure at all times that the web is secure. To do this, you just have to check that there is a padlock next to the URL and identify the HTTPS protocol, always with an "S" at the end, to make sure that the page itself complies with all protection standards.
    Ignore reviews: on many occasions, users do not consult the opinions of other customers before making a purchase. It is more than advisable to rely on these and identify the contact details of the business -email address or telephone-.

Not reviewing conditions: most people accept the conditions of many services without reading them and that is a big mistake. It is essential to calmly read all the information before accepting the purchase conditions. In this way, your data -telephone number, email address and bank account, among others- will be protected and unwanted risks will be avoided.
    Take risks when paying: before approving a purchase, it must be verified that the business offers a secure payment gateway that complies with the European Payment Services Directive. These systems must verify the identity of the user through two methods -at least-: any method of double authentication, a message to the mobile phone, a password or a fingerprint or Face ID are some examples. In order for users to enjoy an agile and intuitive experience, platforms such as Paylands offer a simple and fast payment process from any device.
    Insecure passwords: some users recycle keys, use set phrases, write down the pin or directly share it. For protection reasons, it is advisable to build a strong and different password for each web page and renew them periodically. This must contain at least 15 characters, combine uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, and the inclusion of data such as first name or date of birth must be avoided.

“Online scams are the order of the day. Cybercriminals increasingly have more tools such as Artificial Intelligence, which can be used with malicious effect. For this reason, it is more important than ever to monitor behavior when buying online. And it is that many users accept the purchase conditions without reviewing them sufficiently and realize it when it is too late”, says Jordi Nebot, CEO and Co-founder of PaynoPain.

Taken from:  https://cybersecuritynews.es/cinco-errores-y-riesgos-de-los-usuarios-al-comprar-por-internet/