Dodging The Dangers Of Internet Shopping
Contributed by
Jennifer Goldman
If you’ve ever shopped online, you know how fun and convenient it is, allowing you access to a never ending array of hard-to-get items—sometimes at deeply discounted prices—around the clock. For shopaholics who prefer to avoid long lines and crowded parking lots, the Internet may seem like the ultimate shopping mall. But online buyers beware: Internet shopping poses certain serious risks. As an Internet shopper, you can significantly minimize those risks by remaining informed and taking certain precautions.
Taking these steps will increase your protection against identity theft, the unauthorized distribution of your personal information, credit card fraud, and other types of costly or intrusive scams, so you can enjoy your shopping experience, free of these nagging concerns.
Check Out Your Seller
One way those avoid this step altogether is to stick to well-known sellers. In most cases, that means using a merchant that operates physical chain stores throughout the United States. However, if you decide to use a lesser-known merchant, there are a few things you can do to check out the seller and make sure he’s legit. For one, you can visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site for links to consumer protection resources, including lists of complaints lodged against businesses. You also have the option of searching the business section of a major search engine, where you can view company profiles and customer reviews of that company’s products and services. Last but not least, you can request that a seller send you a catalog or other information about his or her company.
Look for the Lock
You may have noticed that when you “checkout” your online purchase, a yellow lock appears at the bottom right-hand side of your computer screen. This lock indicates that you’re dealing with a secure server, which will encode, or scramble your personal information as it is being transmitted over the Internet. The yellow lock indicates that the merchant’s security software will protect the privacy and safety of your credit card or other personal information. So make sure the lock appears closed or unbroken before you proceed with an online purchase.
Read the Fine Print
Don’t forget to read the merchant’s Terms of Service so you know to what you’re agreeing. Also read all the fine print about shipping and handling policies and fees. Make sure you know exactly what charges you are authorizing with your purchase.
Protect Your Privacy
It’s important that you be aware of how the company will handle your private information. Will they sell it to other merchants or mailing list brokers? Does the company let you decide whether or not you’d like your information to be applied to other uses, or do they make that decision for you? Obviously, as a consumer, the more control you retain over the use of your personal information, the better protected you will be-- against fraud, junk mail, and telemarketers’ phone calls.
Your Secret Password
When choosing your password avoid using personal information that is either commonly known or easily obtained. Use both numbers and letters in your password so it’s harder for a hacker to guess.
Keep Your Computer Healthy
Don’t open any file attachments that are e-mailed to you by an unknown merchant, no matter how interesting a product sounds. Doing so could result in a virus that may be damaging to your computer.
Choose to Use Credit
Credit card payments are the safest form of payments you can make over the Internet because your rights as a credit card holder are protected under the Fair Credit Billing Act. That means you can dispute charges and have your card recredited in the event of an unauthorized charge.
Save Records and Receipts
Print all receipts, purchase orders, order confirmations and file them away for safe keeping in case you need to provide proof of your purchase or track a delayed order. Keep the paperwork for orders not yet filed in a separate folder, so you’ll know when an order has failed to arrive. Otherwise you might forget all about it!
Speak Up!
Don’t hesitate to complain or report a problem first to the company, and then to the authorities if it isn’t resolved as promised. Look at it this way, the longer you wait, the more likely the person taking advantage of you will get away with it.
Follow Up
Last but not least, follow up on your Internet purchases by checking your credit card billing statements. You need to make sure that the credit information you provided to the merchant is being abused in the form of extraneous or fraudulent charges.
About the Author:
Jennifer Goldman is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader living in Denver, Colorado.
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