Introduction
Shopping and banking online offer attractive convenience and savings. Before you take advantage of the Internet's many offerings, learn to create a safe and beneficial online experience
Fraud is a widespread risk in online business. In
phishing expeditions, con artists try to fool consumers into divulging confidential or personal information for their own, often financial, benefit.
Be cautious whether you're dealing with your bank, your ISP, or a charity. With any business over the Internet, ensure all requests for payment or information are legitimate, as well as the requestors. Simply call the organization to verify the request’s method and the request itself.
All major browsers have security features built in. Update your browser regularly to utilize the latest features.
Serious online businesses employ further security technologies on their sites. When we talk about site security, we're referring to encryption and authentication.
- Encryption scrambles the data you send over the Web. Web addresses for encryption-enabled pages generally begin with https. Most browsers display a "locked" icon in the window frame when encryption is engaged.
- Authentication verifies the site you're on is the site it claims to be. Authenticated sites use digital certificates to prove their identity. Most browsers can check for a valid certificate. Spend time with your browser's certificate validation features to learn how to verify authentic sites.
Whenever you log onto an account or use your credit card over the Web, you should ensure the site is authentic and uses the strongest encryption available.
Guard your private information.
- Before providing any personal information for an online transaction, read the organization's privacy policy. If it's unclear if your information will be sold or shared, or if you're not comfortable with their request, keep asking questions.
- Unless you're comfortable with how and why an organization wants your address, telephone number, or email address, don't provide them.
- If they ask for your social security number, call to verify their request. Don't provide that critical identifier over the Internet.
Spyware and adware. Take precautions to minimize your computer’s
spyware and adware. These are essentially information-gathering programs, many of which slip onto your computer without your knowledge or permission. They ordinarily run in the background, monitoring your online activity, including shopping habits. They either relay that information elsewhere or use it to direct online advertisements your way.
While you may want some programs on your computer, you may consider others a privacy violation or security risk. Take control with a good antispyware program. We recommend
Norton Internet Security to help take control of your computer.
- Use credit cards for Internet purchases. In the United States, your liability is limited by law if someone captures your credit card number and uses it illegally. However, the law doesn't protect debit cards the same way. Though your debit card may appear to function like a credit card, use an actual credit card instead. Check with your credit card company, bank, or online merchant for further protection information.
- Keep track of your online accounts. Review your credit card, bank, and investment statements monthly. If you discover unusual activity or unauthorized transactions, immediately contact your credit card company or bank.
- Use strong passwords for your online accounts and change them often. Don't use your phone number, birth date, or name in user names and passwords. Make sure passwords use a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters.
- Be careful with online auctions. Before bidding, learn the rules, validation procedures, and payment methods for the site. Watch out for sellers offering unique or rare items. Try to assure authenticity and confirm the legitimacy of the seller before bidding.
