Why "checking seller reviews" isn't enough

For individuals, cybersecurity isn't about antivirus software; it's about habits. Ninety percent of reported frauds don't stem from technical flaws but from people being conned by a phone call, SMS, or a well-crafted message into doing the wrong thing.

A simple but powerful habit is to keep the minimum possible funds on the card you use for online purchases. Use a dedicated prepaid card, load only the amount you need, and that's it. Even if someone manages to steal its data, the maximum damage is limited from the start. A little friction, a lot of peace of mind.

Two-factor authentication should be active on anything involving money or identity: your bank, primary email, and favorite marketplace account. Even better, a passkey, the latest system and most resistant to phishing attacks. It takes five minutes to set up once and eliminates half your risks.

If you buy something that needs to be shipped, tracked shipping is your best friend. Not so much because it shows you where the package is, but because it provides objective proof if it arrives empty or doesn't arrive at all. Refusing tracked shipping is a small sign that something isn't right.

If you've been scammed online, report it. Always. Even for small amounts, even if you're convinced it "won't do any good." Reports are the only way postal police can reconstruct patterns and close connected accounts. Every report, in aggregate, protects the next person.

If you receive a strange message from a fake courier, a fake bank, or a fake operator of one of the sites you use, there's only one rule: don't click. Close the message, open the official app or website manually, and look for the information there. Most scams die on their own when the victim ignores the link and authenticates through the official channel.

Unfortunately, there are no serious shortcuts. The only things that truly work, after years of stories collected, are calmly evaluating the counterparty, a payment method with real protection, and a written record of everything that was said.