Lebaran Season Spends A Lot, Recognize 3 Tips Safely Transaction Online

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Finance)

JAKARTA Financial transactions continue to show an increasing trend ahead of Eid al-Fitr at the end of next week. This was at least recorded in the Mandiri Lending Index (MSI) reported by PT Bank Mandiri Tbk. recently.

It was stated that MSI at the end of March 2023 reached 136.4 or was the highest since the beginning of this year. According to the government bank, the spike has been going on since the end of February and has accelerated as the month of Ramadan began.

In relation to these conditions, of course, financial transaction activities in the virtual realm have also been boosted. In the digital era like now, online transactions must be familiar. Starting from paying bills, buying goods, or transferring money, everything can be done via cellphone or laptop. However, the rise of various modes of crime in digital transactions has become a fear in itself.

Citing information reported by Bank Indonesia (BI), digital transaction crime usually uses social manipulation techniques, where perpetrators collect confidential information from customers with certain tricks.

"Manipulating someone to give their password tends to be easier than breaking into the system to get it. Therefore, in order to avoid losses, vigilance and understanding of how to securely transact digitally," said the central bank.

Here are 3 important principles that must be considered in conducting online transactions.

The first thing to pay attention to is maintaining the confidentiality of personal data. Avoid providing data such as user ID, password, and OTP code to anyone.

In addition, sharing personal data such as telephone numbers, emails, and identity numbers on social media also has the potential to be misused. Make sure to make difficult passwords, such as personal data commonly used as passwords with the excuse of ease of remembering, including date of birth or name.

Second, always be aware of various modes of fraud when transacting online. Use a personal device to carry out digital transactions and make sure to always log out after you finish the transaction.

If shopping or paying bills, make sure the site and application are official and licensed. One of the characteristics of the official and licensed website is the existence of the HTTPS protocol and the 'lock' logo at the site address which indicates that the site is safe for payment transactions. Don't easily believe the reward offer and don't click on the suspicious link or link, because this is a 'phishing' online crime mode.

The financial services industry is the sector most often attacked by 'phishing' crimes. Therefore, always be alert to people or organizations/institutions who request credit card information or other sensitive data by telephone, email, social media, SMS, or through other means.

Finally, if there is a problem during a transaction, the first thing to do is contact the organizer's official contact center. Official contact center numbers can be obtained from the website or the official social media account of the organizer. Come on, online transactions are safe and smart in the digital era!