How Safe is Online Shopping?
I shop online for everything! But; not everyone feels as secure as I do, including my husband :-(
I believe in many ways it's safer than mailing your bills or using checks.
Here's why:
Your credit card transaction is protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This means you have the legal right to dispute charges for goods or services that were never ordered, never received, or misrepresented.
Some credit cards now provide "substitute" or "single-use" numbers, linked to your account. You can use these numbers for one purchase only (sometimes they can also be used for regular payments to the same company). Since you never put your real account number online, your financial information is safe from abuse by "hackers" or dishonest employees.
When you provide payment information, the "http" at the beginning of the address bar should change to "https" or "shttp." This indicates that this is a 'secure' shopping area.
Also, make sure your browser complies with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or SET Secure Electronic Transaction. This means that information is being encrypted, or scrambled, as it is being sent. For example, using internet explorer will display a little locked padlock symbol at the bottom right hand corner of your screen when making a purchase.
The following browsers are 100% SSL compatible:
Netscape 4.61 and above AOL 5 and above Opera 6.1 and above Mozilla 0.9.8 and above
I believe in many ways it's safer than mailing your bills or using checks.
Here's why:
Your credit card transaction is protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This means you have the legal right to dispute charges for goods or services that were never ordered, never received, or misrepresented.
Some credit cards now provide "substitute" or "single-use" numbers, linked to your account. You can use these numbers for one purchase only (sometimes they can also be used for regular payments to the same company). Since you never put your real account number online, your financial information is safe from abuse by "hackers" or dishonest employees.
When you provide payment information, the "http" at the beginning of the address bar should change to "https" or "shttp." This indicates that this is a 'secure' shopping area.
Also, make sure your browser complies with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or SET Secure Electronic Transaction. This means that information is being encrypted, or scrambled, as it is being sent. For example, using internet explorer will display a little locked padlock symbol at the bottom right hand corner of your screen when making a purchase.
The following browsers are 100% SSL compatible:
- Internet Explorer 5.00.2919.6307 and above
Tips to ALWAYS remember:
Never, ever provide credit card information, social security number or any other sensitive infomation by email or phone. If you are requested to provide information ask for the name of the company that is requesting the information. Find their phone number YOURSELF and then you call them back.
Happy Shopping!
posted by Unknown at 10:23 AM
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