How to Shop Online Safely
Read the site’s privacy policy. Reputable companies will be open about how they collect data from you and what they do with it. Many now also belong to web-seal approval or trust mark programs that set out guidelines on the treatment of your information. Look for a privacy policy and learn about whether the company uses your information beyond the purchase transaction, for example, to email you with updates or deals etc. or if it passes on information to third party merchants. This is how you can end up getting spam mail if you are not careful. At the end of the day, you must make your own decision about how much information you are prepared to give.
Only use secure websites if you are transferring funds via the site. Once you’re happy with the company you are purchasing from, ensure that your credit card details are going to be processed using a secure connection. The most common form of secure encryption is known as Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL for short.
Depending on your browser settings you may receive a message stating that you are entering a secure area. The secure area normally begins on the first page where you enter personal details.
Use a credit card with online fraud protection. Just in case all else fails it pays to know the policy for online fraud protection offered by your credit card company. Many credit card companies offer protection against purchases made without your consent and have special clauses to include online purchases.
Find out more about a company’s reputation. After looking for these signs of identification, it is a good idea to also ensure that the company has a good online reputation. Do not assume that just because a store in the real world sells things one way that their online service will be as good. There might be a risk of lacking service back-up or returns policies etc. for online purchases that do not exist if you buy direct in the store. Reputation can be checked via searches of the internet for comments from others on consumer review sites.
Special Thanks to these sites :
~Better Business Bureau : http://welcome.bbb.org/
~American Bar Association : http://www.safeshopping.org/home.shtml
~Consumer.gov.au : http://www.consumer.gov.au/html/shopp...
~ http://www.wikihow.com/Shop-Online-Sa...
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