If the Tinder Swindler scandal has taught us anything, it’s that scammers are finding increasingly creative ways to take your hard-earned cash.
According to 2021 stats from datareportal.com, 57.7% of South African internet users have purchased a product online. With the increase in online purchases – from food and clothing to furniture and appliances – e-commerce has continued to grow, with over $9 billion in digitally enabled payments last year alone.
Online Retail in South Africa 2021, a study conducted (in 2021) by World Wide Worx in partnership with Mastercard and Standard Bank, revealed that the total growth for online retail in South Africa in 2020 came to 66%, bringing the total of online retail in South Africa to R30,2-billion. “The most astonishing aspect of this total was that it more than doubled the R14,1-billion reached in 2018.” Said World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck.
And while we don’t have advice on how to avoid the Tinder Swindler scams of the world, OneDayOnly‘s Sales and Marketing Director, Laurian Venter, has provided us with some insight on how to stay aware when purchasing online and to avoid online scams.
Security and privacy are becoming more important – to consumers and e-tailers
In 2021 OneDayOnly.co.za conducted a survey which found that 30% of respondents said that they do not shop online because they “don’t trust the payment functionality” of online stores. While the landscape is changing, shoppers are still increasingly aware and nervous of the security risks and implications of making purchases online.
Staying safe online
Online retailers take steps to ensure that your online experience is as secure as possible – but there are still some tips you can follow to keep yourself as safe as possible.
– Make sure that the site is encrypted. If you see a padlock on the left of the URL in your browser’s address bar, and an https:// next to it, this indicates that the site has an SSL certificate – proof that the site is whom they say they are and a sign that there is an encrypted (secure) connection between you and the website.
– Type the URL into the browser – don’t rely on paid ads in search results to click through to the page – these could be phishing websites (identical to the real website, but run by fraudsters).
– Email scams also get customers to click on links that go to phishing websites – so double-check before you enter any secure information (such as passwords or banking details)
– Avoid using public Wi-Fi to bank or shop online.
– If something truly looks too good to be true, check it carefully before proceeding.
What are e-retailers doing to keep you safe?
Your online safety isn’t up to you alone. E-commerce websites should do all that they can to ensure that they provide you with a safe shopping experience.
Here’s an example of what OneDayOnly do to provide a safe shopping experience.
“We had our servers managed at a hosted company where they did all the security patches to prevent vulnerabilities. Over the years our requirements demanded more than what they could provide us and thus we made the decision to migrate to Azure, so that we have full control over our security.
They conduct security penetration tests each year (with a security expert that does the same kind of tests for international banks and their systems) to ensure they stay up to date regarding possible security risks. After the tests have been conducted, they implement the necessary amendments to ensure the highest possible level of safety for all customers.
With regards to credit card safety, they ensure none of those details are saved or stored on their side at all. In fact, the Payment Gateway companies handle this. The customer also has control whether they want the payment gateways to save their payment information or not.
Cybercrime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and even experienced online purchasers can be duped. The bottom line: there are ways for you to assure your online safety. To recap, ensure that they offer secure credit facilities, check their social media following (the larger, the better) and do your research.
