With the holiday season upon us, you might be thinking about buying gifts. If you want to avoid the crowded shopping centers and long lines, consider online shopping for a simple, convenient way to research and buy items without braving the malls. But when making purchases online, it’s important to safeguard against identity theft and fraud. As shopping online becomes more and more popular, an increasing number of consumers are discovering that their personal information, including credit/debit card details, user names and passwords, has been hacked. Protect yourself against identity theft by following these tips when making purchases online:
Protect passwords.
As you would with your ATM PIN, be sure to protect any and all passwords. Don’t share your password with anyone. Also, choose passwords with care. Steer clear of easy-to-guess names and numbers such as your name, year of birth or address. For the most protection, choose strong passwords that include a combination of lower- and upper-case letters as well as numbers.
Look for third-party seals of approval.
To decide whether or not a site is trustworthy, look for seals of approval from reputable third parties as GeoTrust, VeriSign, BBB and TRUSTe. These logos tell you that this site uses the proper procedures to protect customer information. Click on these logos to verify that they include relevant information about the site. If the name or URL is different, go elsewhere to make your holiday purchaes. The following logos are commonly found trusted third-party seals of approval:
Read privacy policies.
If a website is PCI-compliant, meaning it meets the highest data security standards, it will include a privacy policy that clearly addresses information security. To ensure that your information won’t be used by any other companies, be sure to read the privacy policy before making purchases.
Submit information only to secure sites.
Before entering information into any online form, make sure the site is completely secure. In the web address, there should be an “s” after the “http.” This “s” tells you that any data submitted will be encrypted, meaning your information is scrambled as it’s transmitted through the Internet. Also, look for a closed padlock emblem in the web address bar and/or in the bottom right-hand corner of the browser. An open padlock means this isn’t a secure site. If you don’t see either of these signs, your information is susceptible to theft. Here’s an example of what the web address of a secure online store looks like:
Watch out for phishing.
Phishing occurs when customers are unsuspectingly redirected to an authentic-looking site in attempts to get hold of sensitive customer information. In many cases, phishing websites are designed to look like the trusted websites customers think they are using; however, the URL will be different. Many phishing attacks also take place through e-mail when customers click on links. Avoid phishing attacks by not clicking on suspicious links and checking the URL consistently throughout the checkout process to make sure you’re still on the right website.
Make sure to sign out.
If the online store you’re shopping at requires signing in, be sure to sign out after completing your transaction; don’t simply close your browser when you’re done. Ecommerce websites often use session cookies that retain information from page to page through the checkout process. If you don’t sign out, hackers will be able to access these session cookies for up to 15 minutes, plenty of time to get your information.
Use common sense.
The bottom line is if you don’t trust website for any reason, just don’t use it. Even if it means finding another gift somewhere else, you’re better off purchasing at a place where you can comfortably and safely share your information.
If you believe you’ve been the victim of online identity theft or fraud, be sure to report all instances to The Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. A partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Internet Crime Complaint Center gathers and directs instances of Internet crime to the appropriate local, state, federal or international agency to investigate.
Check out these resources for even more ways to shop safe during the holidays or any other time of year:
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse – Online Shopping Tips: Ecommerce and You
Microsoft Safety – Online Shopping Safety Tips
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