Want to keep your online payments safe and secure? Here are few things to keep in mind

According to a recent research by global cybersecurity and anti-virus brand Kaspersky, online payment processing systems will be targeted more in 2020, putting millions of people at risk of losing their money. Worryingly, Kaspersky researchers in their latest report said they are currently aware of at least 10 different actors involved in these type of attacks and their number will grow over the next 12 months. E-commerce companies are expected to be hit the worst.

"This year has been one of many important developments. Just as we predicted at the end of 2018, it has seen the emergence of new cybercriminal groups, like CopyPaste, a new geography of attacks by Silence group, cybercriminals shifting their focus onto data that helps to bypass antifraud systems in their attacks," Yuriy Namestnikov, Security Researcher at Kaspersky, said in a statement.

Karmesh Gupta, CEO and Co founder at WiJungle - a cyber security Startup believes that using strong and unique passwords to prevent online theft is probably not enough. He suggests few things that you must keep in mind to avoid phishing, debit card and credit card cloning and social engineering scams. Here are the tips suggested by Gupta to keep your money safe -

Secure your devices: Before you buy anything online, you need to make sure that your computer has an updated firewall/antivirus/defender and that it's turned on which is well equipped against viruses, spyware and other threats.

Always use HTTPS Website: Ensure that a green padlock symbol is present in your url bar and website begins with "https://" before submitting any payment information even  you've previously visited. It's not unusual for some phishing scams to resemble the entire website just like your bank.

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Two-Step Authentication: Always enable two step/factor authentication either in the form of SMS/Voice call or Authenticators like google/authy etc & SMS/Email Alerts. Be extra cautious if you ever get an SMS (or a voice call) from your bank without requesting one, it is an immediate hint that someone knows your credentials and take action by changing those cred & inform your bank about the act.

Don't make purchases in public places & unknown websites: It's OK to browse online while sipping your coffee, but it's not OK to make a purchase using your coffee shop's Wi-Fi. Hackers can easily intercept your data on open Wi-Fi signals. If it is still mandatory, i suggest you to use your own VPN but remember free VPN may still pose a threat.

Use virtual credit card numbers: If you are unsure about the website or feel that you maybe wrongly billed again or even in normal transactions, it is recommend that you use Virtual Credit Cards. It's a randomly generated number that changes whenever you use your real credit card to purchase an item online. Your actual account number is never stored on the website/app and even if the website gets hacked, the fraudster isn't able to use the virtual numbers obtained.