As the Holiday season quickly approaches and time is of the essence,
convenience becomes the name of the game when trying to find that
perfect gift for your friends and family. The Internet has become one of
the most convenient tools in our lives as it puts anything our hearts
desire at our fingertips 7 days a week 24 hours a day. The number of
people who purchase things online has soared over the past 5 years as
there are many benefits to shopping online including not having to wait
in long lines and finding great online only deals.
One common misconception is that shopping online is unsafe. Here are a
few tips that can help make your online shopping experience safe and
enjoyable this holiday season.
• Use a secure browser that complies with Industry security
standards including things like Secure Socket Layer or (SSL).
If you are using Internet Explorer make sure that you have
all of the latest patches installed. You can find these at:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com You can also find
several other free browsers on the Internet including
Mozilla’s Firefox that offer good online security. Clearing
the cache of your browser after visiting secure sites is a
good idea as well as it ensures that none of your transaction
details are stored on your computer.
• Know who you’re dealing with. Shopping with companies that
are publicly known is a good measure of security. You can
often find better deals on a company’s website than at their
store. If you are shopping through an auction site like Ebay
be sure to read the sellers feedback to see how their past
transactions have been handled.
• Find out the company's return or exchange policies. These
should be posted on their website.
• Pay by credit card or through a payment service like PayPal.
Most credit card companies offer some form of protection
against online fraud. The Fair Credit Billing Act states that
you have the right to dispute charges on your credit card if
you suspect a fraudulent transaction. Services like PayPal
also offer buyer protection and can safeguard your personal
credit card information from online retailers.
• Keep records of your transactions including a printed copy of
your receipt until you have received the product. |
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