3 Signs You Know A Site Is Safe For Entering Card Details Into

In this day and age, you can never be too careful when it comes to your personal data, especially in a digital world.

16:51 21 April 2021

And, as the online landscape increases, as does cyber theft. Therefore, internet safety is vital for us all.

 

With the right know-how, it’s easy to stay safe online when entering your card details. A trustworthy website will let you know straight away that it is legitimate, and these are 3 signs to look out for.

 

SSL Protection

 

SSL is a sophisticated form of encryption that encodes any sensitive data to make it difficult for hackers to gain access to your information. This is a particularly important thing to look out for when using websites that ask for card details. For example, let’s say you are using an online lottery website and you want to make a bet on what the numbers might be. Not only will you want to ensure your bank details are safe when you make a bet, but you will want to know they are covered with any winnings too, which is why SSL Protection is so important. In the gambling industry especially, the safe and secure transference of funds from customers to the site, or vice versa, is extremely important. The industry itself revolves around the assurance that customer funds and winnings will be kept safe, so looking for the SSL signs before signing up to a platform is equally as vital.

 

You will know if a website is SSL protected as you’ll see a padlock symbol in the address bar. Another way is to make sure the URL begins with ‘HTTPS’ rather than ‘HTTP’, because the extra ‘S’ stands for ‘secure’. Fortunately, with this lottery site example above, you can see it has both the padlock symbol and the ‘HTTPS’ code, so you know it’s safe to enter any details, and deposit money.

 

Read Reviews

 

Never underestimate word of mouth, particularly when looking out for a legitimate website. A great way of finding out if a certain page is the real deal is to head to a reputable review forum and see what others are saying. Say, for example, you are looking for an online holiday provider. You will find many deals and destinations to the point that it might be hard to know who the trustworthy ones are.

 

If you have found a holiday offer that takes your fancy, but it isn’t a name that you necessarily recognise, do some digging online to see whether or not it’s too good to be true. Before it comes to typing in your card number, it pays to do some legwork first. People will be eager to say if they have been scammed by these unheard-of sites, or if they are safe to use.

 

Appearance Is Everything

 

From the layout looking professional, to the number of pop-ups that appear when you load the home page, a website’s appearance can be a huge sign of its trustworthiness. If something looks like it was made when the internet first began, then alarm bells should start ringing. If, for example, you find a good deal for an online food shop and have found some offers, and the overall site aesthetic is clean, clear, and, generally, nice to look at, that’s a good start.

 

However, appearance shouldn't be the main factor - one of the most important things to look for on a trustworthy site is contact details. This is because it proves the company actually exists and isn’t coming from a random cyber thief’s computer. Having legitimate details means someone, somewhere can be contacted and can be held accountable should anything go wrong.

 

It’s important when entering card details online that you opt to follow all of these points and not just one. This will ensure your overall online safety.