Safe shopping: use a virtual card!

Online purchases and payments have become quite popular in recent years, especially for those using delivery services or accessing online stores. However, pay extra attention to security measures when making an online payment. Don’t fall for financial scams! 

Always check the online store’s reliability and reputation before purchasing and be extra careful during the checkout process. If you choose to pay by credit card, generate and use a virtual card instead of a physical one. 

The virtual credit card, or online card, is offered by several banks to protect the data of physical cards and as an attempt to minimize the damage caused by scams and even to avoid them. It is linked to your physical credit card, but with different numbers, security code, and limits. 

The virtual card can usually be generated through the bank’s own web application. Features and standards depend on the issuing company. Some cards have a maximum value per transaction, a predetermined validity period, and restriction on the number of transactions carried out. You should be able to control your virtual card’s limit, respecting the limit of the physical credit card to which it is linked. You can also define the amount needed for a specific purchase as the limit. 

In addition to the virtual credit card being easy to set up, you can easily block it if your data are compromised. And it does not interfere with the use of your physical card!

Finally, when making a purchase, avoid saving your card details on the store’s website. Despite being more practical, this decreases your online security. If a data leakage from this site occurs, your card information will be compromised as well. 

Remember: in case of suspected misuse, dispute the transaction with your bank, request the blocking/cancellation of the virtual card, and generate a new one. 

Learn more at:

https://cartilha.cert.br/fasciculos/#comercio-eletronico (portuguese only)

https://cartilha.cert.br/dicas-rapidas/#golpes (portuguese only)

https://cartilha.cert.br/fasciculos/#vazamento-de-dados (portuguese only)

https://internetsegura.br/pdf/guia-internet-com-responsa-vai-as-compras.pdf (portuguese only)

Topic suggested by Fabio Storino

Video description

In the first scene, a young man uses his cell phone; the screen shows an online shopping site, with a chair highlighted as the chosen product and the option “Buy” is displayed. The man clicks to make the purchase. Above this image, the phrase “Are you buying online?”. The payment page now appears on the mobile screen; over this image, a physical credit card representation appears, followed by an attention symbol. 

In the second scene, the phrase changes to “Generate your virtual credit card in your bank’s app”; on the cell phone screen, the young man accesses his bank’s application and chooses the Credit Card option, followed by Virtual Card. The screen then changes, showing the message “Virtual card generated!”, and the virtual card data appear. Right below this image, the padlock and trash icons representing the lock and delete options are respectively shown. 

In the third scene, the man is again at the payment screen; his cell phone is surrounded by cyber threats. The phrase “If you have any problem, block it easily!” appears. The screen changes to the bank app and, in the virtual card settings, a dialog appears with the question “Delete this card?”. The man clicks on “Yes”. 

In the fourth scene, the phrase “And request a new one!” is shown. The screen then shows the option “Generate virtual card,” and the data of a new virtual card appear. The young man claps his hands, and several emoticons representing his joy appear around him.