Enhance your Google Account (GMail Security): PART 2

Enhance your Google Account (GMail Security): PART 2

This part of the post will help you decide if you would like to enable SMS auth on your Google Account. Added security comes with a few additional steps. So you first need to know how this will affect your access to other Google Applications like GTalk, accessing Gmail on your phone device etc. Most screenshots are self-explanatory, so I will let the pictures do the talking. Click on each picture to see enlarged view.

Disclaimer: The use of Google logos is just for educational purposes and in no way intends any copyright violation

Once you click the 'Confirm' button and complete the set-up for 2-step verification, you will be asked to re-login. Enter your password and you will see this screen:

First Screen you see after setting up 2-Step verification

GENERATING BACKUP CODES:

You will be prompted to save backup codes when you come to the above screen. You can do that immediately, or choose to do that later by going to your Google Account settings >> Security settings and editing your 2-step verification settings (explained later).

IMPORTANT: As mentioned in the above picture, under 'Application-specific passwords', your normal account password will no longer work when you access applications like GTalk or Gmail application etc on your mobile phone. When you will access Gmail using an internet browser, you will use your normal password and the SMS code. But when you will access the GMail application on your smart phone, you will need an Application-specific password.

Gmail application for Android phone. Needs application specific password.
Note: As a security ettiquette, I have archived all fan emails before taking this screenshot.

HOW TO CREATE APPLICATION SPECIFIC PASSWORDS?

To generate application specific passwords, click on 'Manage application specific passwords as highlighted in the above pic. This is what you will see:

Generate Application-specific passwords

This is how the password looks. Create as many as you need for each application. If you clear cache and cookies and forget that you need application specific password to re-login, how will you know? Well, the application will not let you sign in with your regular password and you will get an error. This should remind you that you need to generate a new application-specific password in Google Account settings.

You DO NOT need to remember any of these names or application passwords. These passwords are NOT reusable. So every time you clear your computer's or cellphone's/ device's cache and cookies, you will need to use an easy name and generate a password to get into the application. Easy peasy, isn't it?

The screen you see above is shown to you right after you enable 2-step verification. To come back to these options later, simply log in to your Google Account Settings at:

accounts.google.com

and click on 'Security' from the options in the left:

This is what you see after you click on 'Edit':

If you need more help in understanding application specific passwords, you can watch THIS VIDEO

I hope this is really helpful to people who constantly worry about their account security or who have been victims of account hijacking in the past (like me). If you are ready to set up 2-step verification, click HERE.

To go to the first part of this post, click HERE.

Please leave your feedback comments to let me know if this was something great to know about. Stay SAFE, stay HAPPY!

Enhance your Google Account (GMail Security): PART 1

Enhance your Google Account (GMail Security): PART 1

Even though Gmail is the most secure of all email platforms I have used so far, your security is always at risk if you use a different email service as your alternative email. 

Image Courtesy web

I have learnt the harder way, to protect my account and would now love to share with my readers, how you can have a super secure GMail account. So today I am going to talk about setting up SMS auth for your Google account.

Your Google Account includes all Google services you use with the same Email ID and password:  GMail, Google Maps, Blogger, Orkut, Google+, iGoogle, GTalk etc. As the name says, SMS auth means authorizing access to your Google Account with the help of an SMS. It is also called 2 step verification. So in order to access your account, you will need to verify: 1. your User ID and password 2. An SMS code.

Once you enable SMS auth security on your Google Account, there will be an extra layer of security before you can access our account. After you will enter your User ID and password, a code will sent to your registered phone number through SMS. You will need to enter this code on the screen to be able to access your account. If you do not receive the SMS, you can click on the link there to instantly receive a phone call with the code.

HOW WILL THIS PROTECT YOU?

Though this is an additional step, it makes your Google Account (including GMail) super secure. So even if someone gets your password, they cannot hack your account till you have your phone with you. The hacker won’t be able to log in till the time they enter the SMS auth code (which will come to your phone). Also, if you receive an SMS auth code and you did not try to log in, you will automatically get to know that someone else is trying to access your account without your authority.

ENABLE SMS AUTH / 2-STEP VERIFICATION IN 4 EASY STEPS:

Just 4 steps and you are done. You can do this even if you just check the pictures below. To enable SMS auth or 2-step verification for your Google Account go to this link:

https://accounts.google.com/b/0/SmsAuthConfig

Now before you do that, read on for the complete tutorial and also to find out if you would like to enable it. When you click on the above link, you will be asked to sign into your Google Account. After entering user ID and password, you will see this page:

STEP 1: Set up your phone.

STEP 2: Verify your phone

STEP 3: Choose to add your present computer as 'Trusted'. On a trusted computer/device, Google won't ask you for an SMS code each you log in, till you clear cache and cookies.

STEP 4: Confirm and YOU ARE DONE!

IS THIS FOOLPROOF?

This is foolproof till the time you have your phone with you. But if the hacker is a friend/family member who has physical access to your phone, then this protection may fail as they can see/check the code from your phone. Still this is great especially if you use public computers/cybercafés to access your account.

WHEN WILL THIS NOT WORK?

You cannot receive a code when you are out of coverage area or when you are travelling. 

When you are travelling abroad, you may want to avoid charges for incoming SMS. Or you may have not international roaming activated on your cellphone.

Very rarely, there can be times when the SMS is received late or not received at all due to network problems.

In such scenarios, you can print and keep 20 backup codes with you. Instead of printing you can also transfer the text file containing the codes to your cellphone (if you have a smart phone). Also, you can easily turn off SMS auth any time you want and turn it back on at your convenience. 

You can also download an application called Google Authenticator (only for Android, iPhone and Blackberry) to generate codes when you have no network coverage on your phone.

DO YOU NEED THE CODE EVERY TIME YOU LOG IN?

If you had chosen ‘Trust this Computer’ option while setting up SMS authorization on your Google Account, you will be asked for the code only the first time and not every time you log in using that ‘Trusted’ computer. Every time you clear your computer/phone’s cache and cookies, you will need to enter a new code to log in.

Sounds great? Well before you set this up, I recommend you read the PART 2 of this post which will cover how to turn off SMS auth, how to generate backup codes and application specific passwords. (coming soon)

If you have any questions on the steps above, feel free to ask in the comments below.

An Online Shopper's Guide – Part 3: Online Payments Security and Discount Coupons

This part of the guide relates to the most important thing related to online shopping: Payments and your money.

Enter payment details only on secure pages:

This is relevant to you only if you want to pay for your order via credit card, debit card or net banking. This is the most important step while making online payments.

When you click on the ‘Payment’ button, the site should take you to a secure payment page. Before you enter your payment details, always check the URL of the page in the address bar. If it is a secured page, it should say ‘https’ instead of ‘http’, where the ‘s’ in ‘https’ stands for ‘secured’. Also, you can see a lock sign next to the company name that owns that secured page. See the screenshot below.

If the payment page shows ‘http’, DO NOT enter your sensitive payment details.

goodlife.com/firstcry.com Secure Online Payment Page. 
Click on image to see enlarged view.

Use Virtual Keypad to enter bank password:

While transacting online, always use the 'Enter password using Virtual Keypad' option to enter your bank password. This will show a keyboard on the secure screen, where you can click on the letters/numbers buttons to enter your password. This way your password remains secure even if there is some tracking/spy software installed on your computer. Avoid typing your password. 

Transaction Failure:

This is relevant to you only if you want to pay for your order via credit card, debit card or net banking. Sometimes you have almost placed the order and the online payment transaction fails at the last moment. Most websites automatically cancel your failed order within 24 hours. Till then the order status keeps showing as pending and you can see it under the ‘My Account’ section on some sites.

With credit/debit cards, sometimes money gets deducted even though the order was not placed successfully. After completing the payment process, you see an error page instead of an order confirmation page, and still money gets deducted.

What to do?

Take a screenshot of the screen immediately and save it. Your computer’s time/clock and the website URL should be visible in the screenshot. In all such cases, money is automatically returned to your card within 4-5 business days. Still to be on the safer side, send an email to customer care with the screenshot and a proof of payment (a copy of account statement clearly showing the balance deducted or an email from your bank about successful payment). If money is not returned even after 4-5 business days (though this never happens), and you have a valid proof of payment, the business should refund you the money.

At times, these online businesses themselves call you proactively when they see that you tried to pay but your transaction had failed.

Understanding and Using Discount/Promotional/Gift coupons:

Image Courtesy Squidoo.com

Using Multiple Coupons:

You have an email from a website with a 15% discount on skin care items. But you want to buy other stuff too. Can you use the coupon?... Yes, definitely. You need to know here that coupons have terms and conditions attached. Some websites let you use multiple coupons, one after the other in a single transaction, while some do not let you do that.

Example, you have a 15% discount coupon on skin care items and another 10% discount coupon on L’Oreal brand. After clicking on checkout and before making the payment, you see a Coupon box where you can redeem your coupon. Enter the first coupon there. It will reduce the price on the skin care items in your cart and you can see the updated amount side by side. Then use the next coupon and will reduce the price on all L’Oreal items in your cart by 10% and the rest of the items will remain with their actual price.

The two coupons should not overlap each other. If there was an item which comes under skin care and is from the L’Oreal brand (meaning the item comes under both coupon categories in this example), the two coupons will overlap in this case and you cannot use them one after the other. In that case, you will need to place two different orders to avail the two coupons.

Types of Coupon discounts:

Some coupon discounts work on whichever higher basis and others on additional discount. 

Sites like goodlife.com / firstcry.com offer coupons which work on whichever higher basis. Meaning if a lipstick is available at the site at a 8% discount for Rs 350 and the coupon says 10% discount on lipsticks, it means you can buy it for a total 10% discount on the MRP (as 10% is the higher of the two discounts). This is explained in detail in goodlife.com firstcry.com review here.

Whereas, sites like medplusbeauty.com mostly offers coupons with additional discounts. Meaning if a lipstick is available at the site at a 8% discount for Rs 350 and the coupon says additional 10% discount, it means you can buy it for a total 18% discount on the MRP.

Understanding discounts:

Please know that the discount is mostly on selected products. For example, if the email says 10% discount on face care, it does not mean that the 10% discount applies to all face care items sold by the site. If you see a discount code on the website, or their Facebook page or in an email from that website, there is always a buy now link there. Clicking on it will take you to the list of items which come under that discount scheme. Discount on the entire range will clearly mention x% on the 'entire' / 'complete' range.

Coupon redeemed but transaction failed:

At checkout, you redeem your coupon and then make the payment. When you redeem the coupon, you can immediately see your discounted bill amount and then click on the ‘Payment’ button. While making the payment, if your transaction failed, or your browser closed accidentally or your internet connection got disconnected, you lose the coupon. This means, when you reopen or refresh the page, it says ‘Coupon Redeemed’ but the bill amount goes back to the original amount instead of the discounted amount. You cannot redeem that coupon again in that order.

What to do?

Contact customer care over phone/email and tell them to cancel the order. Then you place a new order and redeem the coupon again. If you had opted for Cash on Delivery (COD), the customer care can edit the same order for you and reapply the coupon successfully. They will complete the order on your behalf.

Hope you find the above information helpful. By now you should be confident enough to make online purchases and be a smart buyer.

*I have given examples only on online shopping websites from India, because that’s where I mainly shop from. But all the topics covered apply to all international shoppers too.

I would also love to hear from you your good/bad/exceptional shopping experience(s) with these or any other online businesses. Please leave your valuable comments.

Happy Online Shopping!

An Online Shopper's Guide – Part 2: Placing Your First Order Online

Now that you have done your ground work (after reading the ONLINE SHOPPER’S GUIDE – Part 1) and have researched a few online shopping websites, their policies and offers etc., you are ready to dive into the world of online shopping and to give it your first try.

Do comparison shopping:

Just like physical shopping, a wise online shopper should also check out the price of an item on various shopping portals and find out the best deal. The best deal does not always mean the cheapest or the maximum discount. The best deal is a combination of fresh products, safe shopping, some discount, most suitable delivery option with the least delivery fee.

Example 1: I want to buy a body lotion which is available at medplusbeauty.com, goodlife.com as well as urbantouch.com. All three of these are safe websites to shop from. The price is the lowest at medplusbeauty.com, a little higher at urbantouch and no discount at goodlife. medplusbeauty has free shipping on and above Rs 400 and goodlife has free shipping above Rs 100 (for customers paying by card only). If I have to buy only the lotion, I would prefer goodlife, even though I will be paying a few bucks extra, because I can get free delivery even for that single item, and need not buy other stuff I do not presently need. But if I have to buy more items with total price > Rs 400, I would prefer medplusbeauty.com, as I will get the best discount and free delivery too. So the best deal varies based on your shopping requirement.

Example 2: I want to buy a lotion which is available only at mall.xyz.com and slassy.com and not available in any market in my city. I have never shopped from either of these sites before. mall.xyz is offering the lotion at a very good discount, while slassy.com has no discount at all. Now I have read customer reviews and mall.xyz has a very bad customer reputation in terms of product prices and quality and slassy.com has good customer reviews. I would prefer buying from slassy.com at a higher price than buying from an unsafe website mall.xyz at a higher discount.

Check Item Description in detail:

All sites do not provide detailed description on an item. For example, goodlife.com, firstcry.com, hoopos.com etc. provide very detailed description, whereas urbantouch.com and medplusbeuaty.com have limited details. If you cannot find enough detail for an item, first check the description on other sites or do a Google search to make sure you are buying something you actually want to buy. Read as many reviews as possible to know the plus and minus of the product beforehand.

Always check the cart at checkout time:

Image Coutesy Marvel Infomatics

When you are shopping for multiple items, you go to each item and click on ‘Buy now’ or ‘Add to cart’ or ‘Add to bag.’ Some websites like medplusbeauty.com show a small pop up box asking to confirm the quantity for that item. So if I am buying two pieces of the same item, I can change the quantity to 2. But some websites like goodlife.com adds one item with one click.

Depending on your internet speed and how heavy the website content is, it may take some 5-45 sec for the item to show in the cart at the top of the page. So while the item is being added to the cart, you think the page is not working and click on the ‘Buy now’ link again. In this case, you won’t even come to know and actually the quantity in the cart will become 2, since you clicked twice. Therefore, before checking out, always review all the items you have in your shopping cart/bag and check the quantity mentioned against each item. ('Checkout' means once you have finished shopping and now just want to pay to finish your order.)

How to search for an item?

Most online shopping websites have nicely categorised items under various menus and sub menus. Like a shampoo would show under either a ‘bath and body’ menu or under ‘Body care >> Hair Care>> Shampoo’ sub menu etc. Despite this, many times you are not able to locate an item which actually that site sells, but it doesn’t show up in the categories. I have faced this with medplusbeauty.com, where I have to use 'Browse by Brands' link to locate a product.

Either use the 'Browse by Brands'/ 'Brands available' link, or use the search box to locate your product. All websites have a search box where you can enter a relevant word and look for the item. Do not type many words or long sentences in the search box. So if I can’t find an item and I see that this site is selling other similar items from the brand, I may want to use the search box and make double sure if the item is present on the site or not. 

On goodlife.com/firstcry.com, out of stock items are filtered out by default so you can’t see them till the time you tick mark on ‘Include out of stock’ items. An easier way is to do a Google Search with the item name and website name and it will give you the exact page on that site, if that site actually sells that item.

Out of stock items:

You desperately want to buy something but the item is sold out already. Some websites have a ‘Add to wishlist’ button for out of stock items. If you are logged in and you click on ‘Add to wishlist,’ the site will automatically pick up your email address and once the item is back in stock, you will receive an email intimating you about it. I have tried this with goodlife.com and urbantouch.com, a few times.

Websites like hitplay.in let you add items to wishlist even when the item is in stock. So you can come back and buy whenever you have the money to buy it. But I have noticed that most websites wipe out your wishlist after a designated amount of time (say 1 month or 1 quarter).

If you don’t receive an automatic email on your wishlisted item in the next 10 days, email customer care to check when do they plan to replenish. Sometimes some items are discontinued by the brand or sometimes the shopping website does not replenish an item for their own reasons. Email and check, or else buy from another website. If a website has a ‘Live Chat’ link on their home page, you can also check immediately over chat, about restocking on an item.

Suggest a Product feature:

You are on a good online shopping portal and want to buy a particular product. You see that all other products from that brand are listed but the one you are looking for is not there. Most websites have a ‘Suggest a Product’ button or link on their home page. Click on that and suggest that product. They will consider it and may soon launch it, depending on if their management approves it. 

Easier way to get this done is to contact them on facebook or email. Most good online businesses go out of their way to procure requested products for their customers if you write to them directly. Just drop a polite email asking  if so and so product can be made available and they will let you know. 

Sending Gifts or Sending an Order to a different address:

When you are completing your order, one of the steps is to confirm your shipping address. The billing address is the one you entered while creating the account with that website. If you are placing an order for yourself, just select the option that the shipping address is the same as the billing address. But if you want to send the order to someone else, you can put in a different shipping address there. In this case, the order will be shipped to the shipping address you entered instead of your own address.

Hope the above information and examples make you comfortable with shopping online. Go ahead and practice on a few websites. Learn to add items and check the different types of shopping cart on different online shopping websites. You will not be charged till the time you don’t make the payment. Please be responsible and do not play around by selecting the Cash on Delivery option and completing the order until you actually want to place the order.

Practice and get SMARTER!