Online Shopping - Security That You Need to Practice

Online shopping now is a huge industry. We buy, we sell, we pay bills... the list is almost endless of what we can do online. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent worldwide shopping online every year. Unfortunately, with all the pluses of ease and speed of online shopping and transactions, come a few negatives. Here are a few tips to making online shopping more secure.

When using sites, always try to use well known and secure sites, so that your chance of being taken advantage of is greatly lessened, or eliminated. You can check with the department of consumer affairs to see if a particular site is not recommended.

There are a number of ways to identify whether an online site is secure or not (see notes below)

Some of the common types of online fraud

• Chain letters
• Illegal trading and investment activities
• Scams
• Pyramid Schemes
• Identity theft
• Dummy Auctions / Dummy Bidding
• Credit card theft
• False sale prices

Usually, an online company that states everything on their web page has nothing to hide. This includes;

• Privacy statements

• All information relating to what they sell, the conditions of purchases, and lines of communication should you need to talk with them.
• Testimonials

• Reviews

When using a secure site, many steps have been taken to ensure your security.

1. Advanced encryption and validation processes, are used to protect your credit card number. This stops others from identity theft and fraud. If your browser shows a locked icon near the web address, then this will show that you are on a secure site.

2. Secure sites can also have https:// instead of http://, the 's' means 'secure server'.
Other items that you can look for may include pop up windows that confirm your security. If none of these are in place, then it is probable that the site is not as secure as you need it to be.

3. Paying by credit card is actually quite safe compared to traditional beliefs. Encryption and credit card technologies have made most transactions very secure. In most countries, the credit card is limited to a certain amount (for example $50) to minimise the possibility of unauthorised use. Credit cards can be safer to use than money orders and checks.

4. You can also use an alternative - the single use credit card, one that is just used for online purchases. You can find this service from some credit card companies. These cards will expire immediately after their use so a potential hacker cannot retrieve any funds from you. Ask your bank about this service.

5. Keep all transaction records. These are proof and a trail that can be used as evidence that you made only certain purchasers. They will show order dates, delivery dates, and any other details that may be required in an investigation.

Need some help? Foresight Security planning was created for you. An easy to understand and use security advice and consultancy service, which also has online security advice via our email or phone.
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