Monica, a mother of two teenage children, caught up with her neighbour for a quick chat. Monica really liked the orange top that her neighbour was wearing. Monica mentioned it casually. Her neighbour said that she bought the tops online. She also told Monica that she buys most of her clothing online these days.
Later in the day, Monica was thinking about what her neighbour told about online shopping. Monica's daughter Isha is also an online shopper and keeps telling Monica that she should try online shopping. Monica had her concerns. She was sceptical about the quality and size of the clothes available online. But she can always return the clothes if she didn't like it. So, Monica decides to try online shopping.
[[Let's get started->Question 1]] Monica opens Google and searches for 'Cotton Orange tops'. A few websites link appear in the search results.
Which site should Monica select?
[[Monica knows about the websites from which her daughter Isha orders very often. She chooses one of the known websites->Good - Choose trusted site]]
[[Monica chooses the website displaying orange tops, which resembled the ones that Monica had in mind. ->Bad - Choose less trusted site]]
It is always good to shop in a trusted site. Search results can sometimes lead you astray, especially, after the first few pages of links. Also, one must be beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example). Monica did the right thing by choosing a trusted site.
In the website, Monica sees several brands selling the same orange tops. After browsing for a while, she selects all the tops that she liked. It is time to pick one. She looked at the price and brand of the tops selected One brand in particular, which Monica has never heard of, sold tops with '80%' fixed sale. Which brand must Monica choose?
[[Monica chooses the less popular brand. The sale was too good to miss. ->Bad - Trusted brand]]
[[Monica chooses a popular brand from which her daughter Isha usually orders. ->Good - Trusted brand]] It is always good to shop in a trusted site. Search results can sometimes lead you astray, especially, after the first few pages of links. Also, one must be beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example).
Unfortunately, Monica chose one such site. While she was navigating the site, a few software downloaded without asking for her permission. Before Monica could realise what happened, her system was attacked by a virus. Monica had to spend a lot of money to remove the virus. She invested in anti-spy software as a precaution to avoid virus attacks in the future. Though Monica learned a valuable lesson, her first online shopping experience turned out to be a bitter experience!
[[Let Monica try online shopping again. Help her make the right choices this time! ->Question 1]] Monica has chosen a less popular brand.
What precaution must Monica take before proceeding to the payment section?
[[Monica must try to contact the company through the number given on the website to check their authenticity. ->Good - Less popular brand precaution]]
[[Monica can proceed to the payment section to place her order. ->Bad - Less popular brand precaution]]
Choosing a popular brand ensures good quality. Now, Monica need not worry about the quality of the clothing. She then proceeds to fill up the delivery section page. The page asks for Monica's delivery address, email ID, contact number and her Aadhar(SSN) number.
[[Monica diligently fills up all the sections in the page and proceeds to payment page ->Bad - Oversharing information]]
[[Monica omits the section which asks for details other than what is required for order delivery ->Good - Oversharing information]]
Checking for "https://" is one of the safety precautions that one must take when making an online payment with respect to any website. Monica did the right thing by taking this precaution.
Now, there are many options that Monica can choose to pay. Which payment method must she choose?
[[Monica can choose to pay through her debit card ->Bad - Debit card payment]]
[[Monica can choose to pay through payment apps(like Google Pay or Paypal) ->Good - Payment app]]
[[Monica can choose to pay through her credit card ->Better - Credit card payment]] Monica's decision not to check the security of the payment page proved costly. Monica's payment went through and she received her order. But, the payment information she entered, was misused by the hacker. Her credit card statement showed many purchases that she did not make. She had to talk to her bank and take necessary actions to stop the misuse.
You'll know if the payment site is secure if it has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS—instead of just HTTP. An icon of a locked padlock will appear, typically to the left of the URL in the address bar or the status bar down below. Monica learned the lesson the hard way.
[[Let Monica be given a chance again. Let her make wise choices while placing an order online. ->Better3-Question]]
Monica tried reaching the contact number of the unpopular brand company given on the website. Turned out that none of the contact numbers was reachable. The return address mentioned on the website turned out to be a bogus one.
Monica is saved from a bad shopping experience. She did the right thing by checking on the not-so-popular company before ordering from them.
[[She decides to choose a well-known brand. ->Good - Trusted brand]] Monica proceeds to make the payment and receives the tops after a few days. The top turned out to be of very cheap quality and the colour was totally different from the one shown on the website.
Monica starts looking for the return policy and address of the brand which she ordered from. But the contact number given under returns sections was not reachable. Monica is disappointed, her first online shopping experience turned out to be a disaster. She realised that she must have checked on the return policy and the contact number before ordering from an unpopular brand.
[[Try again! Let Monica choose the right options to make her first online shopping experience a great one. ->Question 1]] In the case of debit card payment, if the card is compromised, then the hacker will have direct access to your bank account.
Paying through credit card is a better way to make payments in online shopping.
However, the best way to make a safe online payment is through payment apps like Google pay or Paypal, which encrypts the information sent online.
After a few days, Monica receives her order. She loved the top and was happy with her first online shopping experience.
[[You can try again and see what would have happened if Monica had made different choices. ->Question 1]] Making payment through trusted payment apps is the safest way. When Monica enters the payment related information, there are chances that hackers can get the details when it travels to the server. Payment apps will ensure that the information is encrypted and is safe.
Monica has safely made the payment and receives her order in a few days. Monica is happy with the quality. Her first online shopping experience has been great!
[[You can start from the first to see what would have happened if Monica had chosen different options along the way ->Question 1]] Paying through credit card is a better way to make payments in online shopping. In the case of debit card payment, if the card is compromised, then the hacker will have direct access to your bank account.
However, the best way to make a safe online payment is through payment apps like Google pay or Paypal, which encrypts the information sent online.
After a few days, Monica receives her order. She loved the top and was happy with her first online shopping experience.
[[You can try again and see what would have happened if Monica had made different choices. ->Question 1]] It is prudent not to overshare information in the internet. The more the scammers know, the easier it is to steal your identity.
After filling up the delivery section, Monica proceeds to the payment section.
What precaution must Monica take after landing on the payment page?
[[Monica checks if the payment is a secure payment page. ->Good - Payment security]]
[[Monica can proceed to the payment directly. ->Bad - Payment security]]Monica ensures that the payment site is secure. Now, there are many options that Monica can choose to pay. Which payment method must she choose?
[[Monica can choose to pay through her debit card ->Bad - Debit card payment]]
[[Monica can choose to pay through the payment apps(like Google Pay or Paypal) ->Good - Payment app]]
[[Monica can choose to pay through her credit card ->Better - Credit card payment]] Monica is wise enough not to share her Social Security Number or Aadhar number. It is prudent not to overshare information on the internet. The more the scammers know, the easier it is to steal your identity.
After filling up the delivery section, Monica proceeds to the payment section.
What precaution must Monica take after landing on the payment page?
[[Monica checks if the payment is a secure payment page. ->Good - Payment security]]
[[Monica can proceed to the payment directly. ->Bad - Payment security]]