In online shopping, using a secure payment method is crucial to protect against what type of risk?

Using a secure payment method in online shopping is crucial to protect against fraud or unauthorized transactions because these payment methods implement various security measures designed to safeguard your financial information. Secure payment methods often utilize encryption technology, which protects credit card numbers and personal details during transmission, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to intercept or misuse this information. Additionally, many secure payment options offer buyer protection policies that can help resolve disputes in cases of fraud, further reinforcing their role in protecting consumers.

In contrast, while privacy breaches, data loss, and technical failures are legitimate concerns in the online shopping environment, they are not the primary focus of secure payment methods. Privacy breaches relate more to the mishandling or unauthorized access to personal information by third parties. Data loss pertains to the potential loss of information, which is often a storage or access issue rather than a direct result of the payment process. Technical failures can occur for various reasons related to infrastructure but are not specifically mitigated by the use of secure payment methods.