Is Online Shopping Really that Safe?

I recently encountered quite a shocking incident with one of the online stores I regularly buy groceries from. I assumed the platform I used was entirely safe, but apparently not. I’ll try not give away too easily who the culprit was, let’s just say it takes 60 seconds to get to a minute.

What Exactly Happened

Upon beginning my regular weekly grocery shopping, the first thing I noticed was that my regular ordered items were not appearing. Hmm, strange I thought. Let me carry on and buy. When the delivery driver stopped at my gate, he asked me if my name was Dineo, I replied: “No, this is Wesley, as per my profile.”

After getting back inside, I immediately started reviewing my online profile. I noticed the initials DD were showing on my profile, not WC. I looked at saved addresses, none were mine. Previous order history, gone. The worst part was when I opened saved bank cards and noticed a card there that wasn’t mine. Yes, it was Dineo’s. Somehow my profile became intertwined with someone else’s.

The Actions Taken

I immediately removed all my banking card details from my profile on the app and contacted the company to submit my issue. They responded that they did indeed see there was a mix of both profiles. After around a day they did a restore to a previous date on my profile. Another problem, my wallet balance is now zero and hopefully that will be resolved soon. I also hope Dineo came right with his profile.

Lessons Learnt and Outcome

Always handle online transactions very carefully. If you notice the slightest suspicious activity on your profile, report the problem to the company involved. It could have ended up much worse, as in someone accessing my bank card details and spending on my account.