Avoid Jack Fraud This Winter: Shop Securely Online

Online shopping is great for many reasons; you can find stuff online that “brick-and-mortar” stores don’t offer, often times you can order something and personalize it to make gifts more special, and you can do it all from the convenience of your own home in your pajamas!

I know that a lot of people don’t like shopping online because they feel it is not secure. The truth is that there are a lot of fraudulent websites out there, online hackers, identity thieves, unsecure check-out pages, etc. However, there are also a lot of ways to make sure that when you are online, you are secure.

During the winter season, I do as much of my shopping as I can at home and online. When I shop online, I don’t have to go anywhere to pick up my items and I don’t have to deal with crazy angry parents looking for the last “Tickle Me Elmo” on the shelves. I also love online shopping because I know the tricks ofkeeping my personal and financial information secure while shopping online.

In this article, I will be sharing with you my online shopping secrets, to help you stay secure while online.

1.      Protect your computer. It always drives me crazy when I hear about people complaining about online fraud and then you come to find out that their own computer is not PCI Compliant or secure. That is just asking for Identity Theft! If you are like me, then much of your life is conducted on your computer. This is why I ensure that my own computer is secure.

2.      Visit Wisely. The first rule to online shopping is: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Before I purchase something online, if it is from a site I am not familiar with I do three things to verify it.

a.    First, Check to see if it has a security seal or trust logo posted on their website. If you don’t see a security seal displayed from a trust online verification company like Trust Guard, it is probably not a secure site.

b.    Next, Check the contacts. I always make sure that the business’ address and phone number match up. If I can’t find the info on Google, I don’t trust it. If I can find it on Google, then I verify it even more and call the number to get more information. If a website does not have a mailing address, phone number, and email address, then it is not a company I want to do business with.

c.    Third, In the URL Bar at the top of your page, check to see if a little secure lock pulls up when you are checking out. If this does not happen, then the check out page is not secure. The lock is the sign that the company has a current SSL certificate.

It is not hard to be secure online. Keep these tips in mind as you avoid the Jack Fraud this winter and shop securely online.