As online shopping grows in popularity, scammers are following the money and doing whatever they can to get their hands on your credit card information.
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Internet fraud: A growing problem
According to the 2016 American Express Digital Payments Security Survey, 48% of U.S. consumers who shopped online in the past year have experienced payment fraud, representing nearly 80 million online shoppers.
Even more alarming, many retailers say their level of fraud with online sales is on the rise. Why? The Wall Street Journal reports that the increase may be the result of brick-and-mortar stores shifting to chip technology, which is more secure. So criminals are moving to the Internet, where it can be harder to verify whether a charge is valid.
The American Express study found that most shoppers are willing to take extra steps to improve security: entering a security code for their credit card, answering security questions and creating a one-time password. But the problem is that not all online retailers require additional measures when you use a payment card at the checkout.
Clark’s take: Use this tip to protect yourself
So what else can you do to reduce your chances of becoming a victim? Clark suggests only using one credit card for all of your online shopping and never use that credit card for anything else.
When you’re at a physical store, pay however you want, though Clark advises against using a debit card.
But every time you buy something on the Internet, pay with your designated “online shopping card” and check your statement monthly to look for any suspicious activity.
There’s no way to 100% prevent online card fraud, but this tip will at least help you stay on top of it.
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