Erie

Online Safe Shopping Tips

For the most part, e-commerce is incredibly safe! There are a few areas of risk on the web, but most of these are related to viruses and “phishing” scams. Very few online retailers have been involved in cases of identity theft or credit card theft. In the U.S. alone, an average of almost $400 million is spent through Internet retailers every day, yet far less than $700,000 per day is lost through all forms of Internet fraud (according the FBI). That means that 99.9% of all online transactions are legitimate.

	The company should only require personal information that's necessary to complete the purchase. You will probably enter your credit card number, address, and telephone number. Be wary if they ask for other information such as your Social Security number, bank account numbers, or your mother's maiden name.
	Note: Some reputable companies might ask for your interests by having you check certain boxes. This information should not be required to complete the purchase.

	The web site should use secure technology. When you get to the screen where you enter your credit card number or other personal information, make sure that the Web address begins with https (for example, https://www.tailspintoys.com/) and check to see if a tiny locked padlock appears at the bottom right or top of the screen, as shown in the following image.


	Keep updated. Keep you computer updated with the latest updates from Microsoft and your internet security provider. Don't let your security/antivirus software expire.

	Pay by credit card. Paying by credit card is the safest and quickest way to shop online. The federal Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to dispute credit card charges for goods or services that you never received, never ordered or that were misrepresented to you. So, if you have a problem with your purchase, you may be able to withhold payment while your credit card company investigates the problem.. Don't send cash or use a money-wiring service because you'll have no way to get your money back if something goes wrong.

	Use your instincts. If a site matches all the criteria above, then there's a good chance that the site is both legitimate and reliable. But as with most things online or off, if you get a bad feeling about a store, skip it and shop somewhere else.

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