Shop
or donate online only on sites that use technology that encrypts your personal
and financial information before sending it for payment processing. Encrypting
sensitive information makes it inaccessible to anyone outside the system.
Always
look for the “s.” Any page on a site that asks for personal or financial
information should have a URL or Web address beginning with https:// as opposed
to the usual http://.
Shopping
only on the sites of merchants you know and trust is another critical means of
ensuring your online safety. However, if you decide to order from a Web site
you have never patronized before, it's a good idea to spend a few minutes
investigating the site. For starters, reliable Internet retailers always
include a business address and contact telephone number on their sites, as well
as information about site security, their return and refund policies, shipping
practices and privacy policy. This information should be easily located on the
Web site, often along the bottom of the company's home page. If you can't find
this information or suspect that the business might not be legitimate, contact
the Better Business Bureau or the Michigan Attorney General's office to
determine if there are outstanding complaints against the company.
Another
critical step in securing your personal and financial data is to provide only
the information necessary to complete the transaction — and no more. Social
Security numbers are not required to complete an online purchase and consumers
should never provide this information. Being asked to reveal sensitive
information, such as a Social Security number, on a retail Web site is an
automatic red flag indicating that something is not right. Your best bet? Close
your browser window and search for another, reputable source for the item you
want.
Finally,
whenever you shop online, it's best to pay directly with credit cards, or
through a pay service that accepts credit cards, which are protected by the
federal Fair Credit Billing Act — a law that entitles cardholders to dispute
charges made to their accounts. Unfortunately, there is no other form of
payment that provides this type or level of protection.