There is no denying that shopping online is the quickest
and easiest way to zip through a holiday shopping list. With a few
clicks and keystrokes, it's possible to have all of your Christmas
shopping done in no time. But as many people have found out -- the hard
way -- purchasing via the Internet can be risky business, especially
during the holiday season when shoppers are pressed for time and make
hasty decisions. While identity theft and fraud can occur at any time of
the year, the holiday shopping season leaves consumers particularly
vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a
San Diego-based nonprofit, there are several important steps that
consumers should take to ensure that their online transactions are
conducted both safely and securely. First and foremost, the ITRC
recommends that consumers shop only on sites that use technology that
encrypts -- or encodes -- both your personal and financial information
before sending it for payment processing. Encrypting sensitive
information makes it inaccessible to anyone outside the system, and all
of the Web's major retailers secure customer data in this manner.
Nevertheless, it's a good idea to ensure that a shopping site is secure,
particularly if you have not made purchases there in the past. Any page
on a site that asks for personal or financial information will have a
URL or Web address beginning with https:// as opposed to the usual
http://.
Shopping only on the sites of merchants you know
and trust is another critical means of ensuring your online safety.
However, if you decide to order from a Web site you have never
patronized before, it's a good idea to spend a few minutes investigating
the site. For starters, reliable Internet retailers always include a
business address and contact telephone number on their sites, as well as
information about site security, their return and refund policies,
shipping practices and privacy policy. This information should be easily
located on the Web site, often along the bottom of the company's home
page. If you can't find this information or suspect that the business
might not be legitimate, contact the Better Business Bureau or your
state's Attorney General's office to determine if there are outstanding
complaints against the company.
Another critical step in securing your personal
and financial data is to provide only the information necessary to
complete the transaction -- and no more. Social Security numbers are not
required to complete an online purchase and consumers should never
provide this information. Being asked to reveal sensitive information,
such as a Social Security number, on a retail Web site is an automatic
red flag indicating that something is not right. Your best bet? Close
your browser window and search for another, reputable source for the
item you want.
Finally, whenever you shop online, it's best to
pay with credit cards, which are protected by the federal Fair Credit
Billing Act -- a law that entitles cardholders to dispute charges made
to their accounts. Unfortunately, there is no other form of payment that
provides this type or level of protection.
The good news? Once you are assured that a site
is secure and the retailer is reputable, shop away. Chances are good
that you'll not only save time, but money and energy as well.
Share on: facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment