SAFE ON LINE SHOPPING

It is no longer news that the internet is now a world or platform for endless and unlimited opportunities. Many sections of the society are leveraging this opportunity both the good and bad way.

Simply put the good bad and ugly are taking the advantage of the unimaginable potentials, which the online platform and market place provides.

Yeah most of our readers will be wondering what I am driving at; okay lets go down to the basic. It is not a new thing that today many business transactions can be carried out through the net; Booking your flight ticket from the comfort of your home through the net. Exchanging different currencies, buying from ecommerce/stores like Kyamu, Jumia etc, classified sites like Olx, Trades table Etc as well as selling products there. I believe you reading this have carried out one or two business activities through the net.

In the mist of all this ease and favorable means of transaction, safety and precaution should be the watch word in carrying out these transactions. Why because to complete a transaction on net credit cards or debit cards are always needed to complete majority of transactions, in which during this process some sensitive information about the credit card are required like the CV number. But many scam artist cash in on this to scam people by collecting sensitive information about their card either by hacking popular site like Amazon,Kaymu etc or setting up a replica or fake site of popular ecommerce stores.

So before I go into the safe payment alter natives fro onine shopping first of all I will strongly advise that you

1) You should shop on popular and reliable e-commerce stores like kaymu, Jumia, dealdey etc.

2) Never use your credit card information on e-commerce stores that is not verified or encrypted. You know that with the green lock sign at the top right corner of the site.

3) Never use your credit card on a public system like on a cyber café.

Okay down to business. Let’s now go into safe ways to pay for products online.

 INTERNET/ELECTRONIC BANK TRANFER.

This is a safe method of transferring money from your bank account to the account of the beneficiary without visiting your bank or ATM machine. All you need is just an Internet access, activating your Internet banking platform with your bank, a token or one time pass word from your financial institution.

Many of the banks in Nigeria offer such services GTBANK ECOBANK, DIAMOND BANK ECT. Now before you can do this you must activate your internet banking platform with your bank. Visit your bank make inquiry and they will assist you, it is very easy in less than 48 hours your are ready to go. Note that you have to pay for the token for banks that make use of a token, for those that make use of one time pass word code you pay nothing, banks like ECOBANK, STANBIC IBTC make use of one time pass word.


How it works.

After activating your internet online banking platform. A pass word is given to you to access you account online. A token is also given to you for banks that make use of token. also preliminary directions on how to activate your token is given to you at your bank( we wont go into that now)


1) Login into your account,


2) Go to bank transfer, add the beneficiary details that is account name, account number and amount you want to transfer.


3) Then you might add details for what the transaction is meant for(a box is always provided for that) this will help the merchant know what you are paying for. May be payment for nokia asha 102 to golden technics.

4) Generate a code from you token or request for onetime password from your bank. Enter the password or code generated on the necessary field provided. Then confirm you transfer.

The beneficiary will receive the money in less than 24 hours. So easy and safe why; because you don’t expose sensitive information and details to your merchant unlike when you use your credit cards you just transfer money with your Internet banking platform.

· Never reveal the password to your to your on-line banking platform to anyone and change and change it at an interval of every 3-6 months.

With this you are safer on the net, even if someone get access to your on-line platform, he can’t generate code from your token which is in your possession and only random codes generated from that particular token tied to your account can be used on your account.( that is why tokens are preferable).


On the part 2 of this write up, we will talk order safe ways to shoe on-line with your prepaid card, third party payment solution etc. until then make life easier buy shopping safe on-line. Especially with golden technics. Visit our store at KAYMU or OLX