Safe Shopping Online and Protecting Your Personal Information

At times, we can all be a little careless when it comes to our online safety. Shopping on the computer can cause us to be unaware of the possible threats that are out there. Since we cannot see the dangers, we may assume that we are safe.

For example, if we went shopping at any given store offline and we saw some suspicious looking individuals hanging out in front of the store, we can choose not to shop there because we see or sense a threat. In cyberspace however, you cannot see if anyone is in front of the store waiting to take advantage of you. This can either make us too careless about our online safety or too scared to shop online.

If we take precautions, there is no need to feel either complacent or fearful of shopping online. Most reputable online companies are well aware of the threats that exist and they have done a great deal to protect their online shoppers. Even still, it is important that you do everything you can to protect your personal information while shopping online.

You should do what you can to protect yourself first. Any other security measure provided by an online vendor should be seen as a bonus or icing on the cake. Below are 4 main ways you can protect yourself while shopping online:

1. Protect your computer with an anti-virus or internet security program - Protecting your security is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Before you even think about shopping online, you should already have an Anti-Virus software package installed on your computer. These programs scan your computer for any possible viruses or spyware that cyber criminals use to steal your information. They also protect your computer while you are surfing on the internet.

Before you do any surfing or shopping online, it is best to scan your computer to make sure you are virus and spyware free.There are free anti virus or anti spy ware downloads but paying for a good reputable program is always the best way to go. You can get a good program for anywhere between $60/yr to $100/yr. It is well worth the money to feel safe online. It is like having a security guard travel with you to every website you visit.

2. Always use a credit card or check card from a company that disputes fraud - It is always best to use a credit card or check card that you have designated for online use only. However, if this is not convenient for you, make sure you use a credit card that has fraud protection. In most cases, you will be able to get your money back for any unauthorized charges and the credit card company will investigate the situation.  Some check card companies may not provide this for you unless you have a good reputation with your bank or financial institution.

3. Try not to store any sensitive information on your computer - It is a very common habit to store personal information in a file on the computer. It is very convenient to do this and it allows easy access to the document if it is needed again. It may be convenient but it is also a hackers dream come true. When we store personal info on our computers, we make it easy for a hacker to retrieve our info with very little effort.Do not store any personal information on your computer such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, passwords or other sensitive data. Keep these things in a safe, convenient place away from your computer.

4. Before you enter your credit card information, look for an SSL lock - An SSL lock is a small yellow lock that you should find at either the bottom right or bottom left corner of any web page asking you for your credit card information. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. What this system does is encrypts any information that you enter into a website before you send it over the web. It is a very complex system that would take time to explain. However, all you need to know is just a few basic things:

First - before you enter your credit card info or other sensitive data, look for the small, yellow lock at the bottom of the computer.
Second - look for the https:// in your browsers address bar. A non secure site will start with http:// and a secure site will start with https://
Third - Always click on the yellow lock to verify its authenticity. Some websites have phony yellow locks at the bottom of their website to make their sites look secure. Always click on the lock to be sure the site is not fraudulent.

There are many other ways to prevent yourself from a cyber attack. However, if you follow these basic steps listed above, you will definitely create a safe shopping online experience for yourself.

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