With the increased number of online sales, companies are trying to hook more customers into buying products on their online stores. In order to attract more people to order their products online, companies will usually set up a website for their online store and make it compatible with mobile devices. Additionally, some companies with big enough budget can create mobile apps for their online stores so that people can simply download their apps if they want to buy their online products.
In order to lure even more buyers into using their apps, usually companies will offer discounts for people who buy their products via the apps instead of the regular website. This is how their mobile sales keep on increasing. And as a customer, you have to learn to be more careful when shopping online, especially using your mobile devices. Since you are transferring private and personal information whenever you buy something with your mobile devices, you have to ensure that your private information stays secure. Here are some tips to shop with your mobile devices securely and privately:
1. Don’t Connect To Open WiFi Networks When Buying From Mobile Devices
Open WiFi networks may provide you convenience in connecting to the internet instantly, but it’s not a safe way to browse the internet. While they might be abundantly available in various public places near you, their security is still not too good. WiFi networks that are not being protected by passwords are not safe for you to connect to because they pose a big risk that can danger your online privacy. Since anyone can connect to it, you never know whether there are some malicious users using the network at the same time as you.
So, if you are buying something using your mobile device, don’t connect to the open WiFi network while doing that. It can risk your private data since it might get stolen by unscrupulous third parties. It is always better to use the network that you fully trust if you are about to shop online.
2. Turn On Your Private Network When Shopping With Your Gadgets
Using a virtual private network when shopping online using your mobile device is highly recommended because it protects your network traffic and keep your real information private. There are lots of apps that offer private connection for your mobile devices, which mostly are available for free. However, it is better to invest a small amount of money to upgrade to the premium VPN apps that can provide you with the better private connection for your devices.
By using a private connection when buying something online, you prevent any third parties from monitoring your online activity, stealing your private data, and spying on your financial transactions.
3. Lock Your Shopping Apps
It is better for you to install a good app locker for your mobile devices so that you can lock individual apps to keep them secure. What you need to do is to lock your shopping apps with a pass code so that you don’t need to worry about people trying to access your shopping apps and look at your transaction history.
By keeping your shopping apps locked, you can ensure that your transaction information remains private and secure. This is because most of the transaction information will be available via the shopping apps, and anybody can access it if you are careless about keeping it secure.
4. Always Lock Your Devices With Strong Passwords
You need to turn on the security protection for your device so that nobody else can access your device. This is a security standard for most mobile devices, but many people still neglect the importance of keeping their devices secure. If you want to ensure that your device is always protected from any unauthorized access, you need to lock your device with a strong password.
You can also use the fingerprint sensor or any other security protocols to keep your device locked and prevent anyone else from accessing it whether directly or remotely.
5. Keep What You’ve Bought Private
Many shopping apps will encourage you to share what you have bought online to your social media friends. This feature is there to help them spread the word about their online stores and attract more people into using their apps. However, you should keep what you’ve bought private if you don’t want anyone to track your shopping behaviors. Keep your shopping activity personal to you and stay away from sharing it on social media.
Those are the tips to shop with your mobile devices securely and privately. Follow these tips if you want to keep your online activity, financial activity, and shopping activity private only to yourself. It will prevent any unscrupulous third parties from collecting any personal information related to your mobile activity for their own purposes.