Posted By – Chris Sweigart
Last Updated On: 11/26/2010 5:20:42 PM
ATLANTA — If crowded malls and stores scare you away from shopping this holiday season, you might be inclined to buy gifts online. But, be warned. Shopping online can put your personal information at risk.
We all know there are risks to shopping in crowded malls. Thieves may try to steal your wallet or purse, or break into your car. We know how to protect ourselves there. So, we should also know how to protect ourselves from thieves online.
The experts at Best Buy’s Geek Squad offered the following tips for online shoppers:
Only shop the websites of reputable retailers. If you don’t recognize an online store, do some research to find out if they’re legit.
Legitimate retailers will display an “SSL” certificate during the checkout process. Look for “https://” in the address bar, showing you that the site is secure.
Make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date.
Don’t store your credit card information anywhere online. “That’s definitely something you don’t want to do,” said Geek Squad’s Jacqueline Callender. “The risk you run with it is that if anyone ever hacks that website, hack that retailer, that’s got that information out there. So, you want to be careful of that.”
Experts say you should also pay for your items using a credit card with a low credit limit. That way, if the crooks do strike, they won’t be able to get much.
Article source: http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=165076
Category: Cyber Crime
Article source: http://nationalcybersecurity.com/?p=41217
