The rise of digital payments in the last 2 years due to the pandemic, has led to an increased number of cyber frauds and ransomware attacks. The primary reason behind this situation is lack of awareness among consumers and businesses on how to keep their data and money safe, especially when hackers are eyeing at every opportunity to snip money. To spread awareness and contribute towards this year’s theme of “Together for a better internet”, Mastercard has shared some essential safety tips to ensure safe and secure digital payments. 

As cybercriminals have countless ways to trick users, customers should avoid sharing any account-related information via suspicious web forms or opening of suspicious email attachments. The payment makers should keep a close eye on the messages they receive after payments and ensure a detailed viewing of the financial statement regularly. Mastercard advises customers to avoid using generic details like names, birthdays, as passwords and change them regularly to avoid falling prey to cyber-attacks. To mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks, customers should avoid using public devices or Wi-Fi networks, especially while making online transactions. It is equally important to only use reputed websites or RBI verified payment gateways for online payment transactions. Customers also must be cognizant and always check the reliability of the beneficiary while scanning QR codes for payments. 

Additionally, the safety of bank accounts lies both with the customer as well as the concerned bank, therefore banks must have a proper system in place to alert account holders in case of any fraudulent intervention. Customers must also turn on two-factor email authentication while logging in to accounts to protect account takeovers that can lead to higher payment fraud. Mastercard is committed to create a cyber strong payments network in 2022, to enable simple, frictionless consumer experiences. Through several initiatives like Card-on-file tokenization services, roll out a data-rich protocol of 3DS2.0 and incorporating biometrics in payment services it aims to stay ahead of fraudsters by continually evolving and enhancing the protection of cyber environments for banks and users.