Network security experts agree that online shopping is not any riskier than offline shopping. In fact, consumers can ensure their online experience is just as safe as any face-to-face purchase by adhering to the following common sense practices:
• keep watch for signs of fraud,
• make sure the merchant has strong security and privacy policies,
• make sure your own computer is secured and well protected,
• use a credit card for all purchases, and
• keep all transaction records and receipts.
Know Thy Merchant
Shop with merchants that you know and have a reputation that you trust. Look for a ‘seal of approval’ type icon from consumer protection organizations like the Better Business Bureau, TRUSTe, VeriSign, and WebTrust.
The business should have easily accessible contact information on their site, including a physical address (not just a post office box), a phone number, and an email address. Be wary of a merchant located in another country because you may not have the same rights as you do at home.
Take the time to read the privacy policy that every reputable online retailer posts on their site so that you can find out exactly what information they gather from you in an online shopping transaction, what they do with it, and why. In most cases you’ll need to provide your name, address, email address, and phone number in order to process your purchase, but make certain the merchant is not collecting and compiling your personal information and then sharing it with someone else. Be very aware that no online merchant will ever need to know your Social Security Number, so never share it with anyone in that manner!
Check the merchant’s return and exchange policy, their delivery costs and dates, and any warranty on the products they sell. Know exactly what you’re buying and what the full cost will be including shipping and handling charges.
If you’re unsure about anything don’t hesitate to call the merchant and ask questions, or visit the Better Business Bureau Online website and do a search on them.
Check For Security – Theirs, and Yours Too!
The e-commerce industry continues to spend billions of dollars to develop technology to ensure the safety and security of your personal and financial information on the internet. Reputable sites use security encryption technology such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or SET (Secure Electronic Transmission) that use 128-bit data encryption during transmission.
You can tell if a website is secure and the information is being encrypted by checking for the following:
• The website address in the address bar near the top of the screen should begin with https:// and not just http://. The ‘s’ at the end of ‘https:’ indicates a secure zone and that the information cannot be read by anyone else. Be aware that sometimes you may not be able to see that you are in a secure zone until you actually get to the order page.
• There will be a yellow icon of a closed padlock, or an icon of an unbroken key, most often on the right side of the status bar near the bottom of the screen. You can hold your mouse pointer over the padlock or unbroken key icon and see the level of encryption used, and then double click on it to ensure that the name of the site the security certificate was issued to is the same as the one you are visiting.
Be very aware that these security protections only work in a secure web transaction and do not work in an email so, never send personal and payment information by email!
Not only is the security protocol of the site you’re shopping with important, but the security measures you take on your own PC are equally critical because there are two sides to every transaction. So, be sure to take care of your end of the bargain because it you don’t, it won’t matter how secure that other site is.
To ensure your computer is well protected to complete the transaction in a safe and secure manner ensure that it has:
• good anti-virus and spyware detection programs installed and they are updated and used at least weekly,
• a browser that supports 128-bit encryption and is constantly updated with the latest security protection, and
• an operating system that is constantly updated with the built-in security firewall protection enabled. If your operating system doesn’t offer firewall protection, free firewall programs are available on the internet.
If your computer is part of a wireless network make sure that it has security protection at least as strong as 128-bit Wired Equivalency Protection (WEP). The strongest wireless network security currently available for Windows XP based computers is Wi-Fi Protected Access Version 2 (WPA2).
Always Pay With Plastic
While the number one concern of most online shoppers is giving out their credit card information over the internet, the fact is, using your credit card is the safest way to shop online. Under US federal law you can be held responsible for only the first $50 if your credit card is used without your authorization. Nonetheless, many major credit card companies won’t make you pay anything at all in fraudulent use cases.
If you’re still apprehensive about using your charge card online many major credit companies offer ‘virtual’ credit cards for use in online and telephone transactions. You get a randomly generated credit card number from the card issuer’s web site that is different from your actual card number that is for a one-time use only. Therefore, the number would be useless to anyone else.
Services such as Paypal and Google Checkout are offered by some merchants and are perfectly good alternatives to using your credit card every single time you make an online purchase. They both use the same highest level of security protection that the banks use for online transactions. The major advantage of services such as Paypal and Google Checkout is that you are not sharing your credit card information with each merchant every time you make a purchase.
Keep Good Records
As with any purchase, whether online or offline, good record keeping is a must. In case you need to return your order or a dispute arises it’s always good practice to save all the pertinent information such as printouts of:
• the web pages showing the merchant’s name, address, and telephone number, the legal terms, and any warranties,
• copies of the order confirmation that shows your confirmation number, a description of the items your ordered, the total costs, and the delivery dates, and
• any other correspondence with the seller.
About The Author
Denis Vaillancourt is a successful business writer and travel enthusiast providing valuable tips and reviews for online purchasers of travel products such as discount luggage, designer luggage and luggage sets.
