Business Analyst - June 23

Thursday, June 23, 2022
E-COMMERCE
5 tips for smart and safe
online shopping in Ghana
E-CoMMErCE around the
world has experienced
exponential growth,
especially during the
Covid-19 lockdowns. In
Ghana, e-commerce is still in its
fledgling stages, with most people
hesitating to shop online for fear of
being conned. Internet fraud is a
common occurrence in Ghana, and
a Cybersecurity Act was passed in
2020 to deal with this menace.
Between 2016 and 2018,
Ghanaians lost more than $200
million to cybercriminal activities,
with most of the recorded cases
being cyber fraud, and in 2018 alone,
the country lost $97 million. Since
we are heading into an era where e-
commerce might replace physical
shopping, here are some tips to
protect yourself online, and to
ensure safe online shopping.
1. Buy from reputable Sites
the lure of low prices and huge
discounts from little known
shopping sites has been the
downfall of many. Most of these
sites are not safe and are often
operated by cyber-criminals, which
puts you in danger of being hacked.
If you do any transactions on these
reputable sites, you need to make
payments over an encrypted network. the
best way to do this is to secure your
payment with a virtual Private
network (vPn). A vPn encrypts your sent
and received data using the AES-256
standard, which is military-grade
encryption. this ensures your credit card
details are secure and cannot be stolen by
hackers.
Cybercriminals target unsecured
networks such as free Wi-Fi hotspots, so
avoid logging into your shopping account
via public hotspots without your vPn.
2. Use comparison tools to find
discounts
Since we all love discounts, you can use
comparison tools to find the best
discounts from legit companies. During
the Christmas holidays, there are
discounts all over and it is hard to
differentiate between the real and the fake
ones.
Using apps and sites that do price
comparisons is a good way of finding
genuine discounts. Go for those that offer
discount codes, you might be able to save
quite an amount this way. Some discount
codes include percentage discounts, free
shipping, or fixed rate discounts.
3. Buy in bulk
If possible, avoid buying and shipping
different items from the same vendor
separately. If you need ten items from the
same vendor, shop once, and have them
package everything at once. this saves you
shipping charges, and if shipping is
free, you minimize packaging waste.
remember we are striving to reduce
waste and our carbon footprint for a
cleaner environment.
4. Use your PC or laptop
Most people in Ghana own their
laptops or PCs, and it is advisable to use
your machine or smartphone to access
shopping sites. Using someone else’s
device puts you at risk of being hacked. If
this device is not encrypted, chances are
your banking and shopping details will be
exposed, and hackers will eventually
access the information. If using a cyber
cafe, you should not enter your card
details, or log in to your shopping account.
5. Ignore messages or emails
from unknown sources
Phishing is a type of cybercrime used
by fraudsters to send emails with links and
attachments while pretending to be a
trusted source such as one of your trusted
shopping sites. When you click on the
link and download the attachment, you
unleash malware or viruses into your
computer. Do not download any
attachments or click on any links that
seem to be legit, but you cannot be sure. Go
to your browser and directly go to the
shopping site.
Conclusion
E-commerce is popular for its
convenience. You can shop from the
comfort of your home and have the
products delivered to your door. Ghana is
fast catching up to the rest of the world in
terms of technology. Malicious actors have
also found a ripe hunting ground where
they target naïve shoppers and defraud
them of their hard-earned cash.
You can use a vPn, shop from
reputable sites, use comparison tools, use
your device, and do not download any
attachments or click on links. these tips
will help you avoid hackers and loss of
money, and ensure safe online shopping
for you.
Writer’s bio
Matthew Stern is a technology content
strategist at TechFools, a tech blog aiming at
informing readers about the potential dangers of
technology and introducing them to the best
ways to protect themselves online.
As a tech enthusiast and an advocate for
digital freedom, Matthew is dedicated to
introducing his readers to the latest technology
trends and teaching them how to gain control
over their digital lives.
Here are 5 Simple Steps to Stay Secure whilst Shopping Online
E-CoMMErCE is booming and is
fast becoming the preferred means
for most shoppers across the globe
due to the convenience it offers and
the unlimited access it provides to
millions of products for shoppers.
But with this boom has come a
somehow intractable problem that
threatens to roll back the gains
being chalked in deploying
technology for trade – insecurity.
though e-commerce is in a
burgeoning stage in Ghana, we have
had occasional incidents of online
fraud and theft. People are
sometimes hesitant of shopping
online because of the fear of being
defrauded or having their
credit/debit card details stolen.
Jumia, a leader in e-commerce in
Ghana, proposes these five smart
steps to help you stay safe whilst
shopping online:
Do not Shop on Public
networks
If you want to shop and not
worry about the possibility of
having your credit card or debit card
details stolen, StAY oFF free public
Wi-Fi. Whilst the opportunity to
surf the internet for free presents a
good enough attraction to do
everything online including
shopping, do not get carried away
by the two or three hours of free
time you get to use the internet.
Fact is, you and your cyber
criminals all have the same access
to the same network, and they are
better at phishing or hacking into
your system to steal your
information.
Use Your own
Laptop/Computer
Good thing is – most people in
Ghana, these days, have their own
laptops and computers and thus
internet cafés are gradually fading
out from the system. But if you do
not have the fortune of owning your
own laptop/computer and you have
to shop online, try doing it on your
phone. You cannot trust a computer
that does not belong to you. You will
be leaving a trail of all your
transactions on that system and
cyber criminals can have a field day
with your information.
Choose trusted Places to
Shop
this might seem simplistic but
the truth is, most online shoppers
are carried away by the promise of
good prices and huge discounts.
there are millions of online
platforms promising good
discounts and quality products. But
do not let such mouthwatering
offers fool you; a good number of
these platforms are not operated by
trusted people, thus jeopardizing
your own security if you do business
with them. Shop on recognized and
trusted platforms. Platforms such as
Jumia has in place mechanisms to
vet their vendors and ensure that
you are buying from genuine and
trusted sources.
Change Your Passwords
regularly
David B. Lartey, Head of It at
Jumia Ghana suggests changing
your password every 3 to 6 months
whilst also ensuring that you use
different passwords for all your
online accounts. A good password
includes numbers, symbols,
uppercase and lowercase letters,
and should be at least twelve
characters long. this way, you are
always a step ahead of those who
will be on your tracks trying to steal
your information, be it credit/debit
card details or even passwords.
Ignore Unsolicited
Messages
these days, one of the ways of
online fraudsters involve calling or
sending mails or messages to
unsuspecting people to make
payment to certain accounts or
mobile money numbers in order to
redeem prizes or even purchases
(purchases they might not have
made anyway). For instance, an
unknown number can call
purportedly from Jumia asking you
to send money via mobile money in
order to receive an item.