Computer Services for Downeast Maine at Computers Don't Byte

How To Beat Web/Online Scams

In this age of online shopping, buyers need to be extra careful when they pull out their credit cards. Charges can be run up on your cards by fraudsters who improperly obtain your account information. Even the most security-conscious shoppers can have their financial information stolen. In fact, 40 million accounts were compromised earlier this year when a credit card processing company suffered a security breach.

What can you do?

Start by checking your credit card statements carefully, especially during holiday shopping, when there is more potential to "miss" small charges. You are not responsible for unauthorized charges on your account, as long as you report these promptly to the card company. A more recent trend is for fraudulant charges to be smaller so that they might slip by easier. We may all be able to recognize a $200 charge added to our bill when we are certain we did not buy anything that large. However, a charge for $19.99 could go unnoticed, especially if it looks like a legitimate payment.

Another thing you can do is designate a credit card to be used for online transactions only, instead of exposing multiple cards to scams. This will allow you to track expenditures and spot suspicious charges. One should also look for a trusted "seal" from the Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, or TRUSTe. You can also read reviews from other consumers or view ratings from sites such as bizrate.com or epinions.com. The site you are shopping on should also include a real-life address and phone number. Try dialing this number to ask some questions and get a feel for customer service.

After you select your items and go to the checkput, keep an eye on the web address. Before you enter payment information, make sure the page address begins with "https" instead of "http". This indicates that you are on a secure server. Also, Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser should show a small yellow padlock at the bottom of the window. Double clicking on this will bring up the site's security certificate. Make sure that this has not expired and that the name on the certificate matches the name of the company.

Internet auction sites can raise concerns as well. Even though sites such as ebay are trusted, there may be sellers on there who are not. These sites try very hard to keep on top of fraud, but ultimately, you are buying from a stranger!! Ebay does cover buyers up to $200 (and occassionally more), if fraud is determined. Be wary of items that you think are worth $5000, but the highest bid is $200...trust the other bidders on this one, it's probably not that much of a bargain. Also, you should check the reviews of the sellers, and see what the ratings are actually for. Some dealers will artificially "pas" their ratings by making hundreds of small purchases.

Finally, don't forget to secure your own computer!! Spyware and Firewall programs, along with Antivirus protection, should be kept current and active. There are a few free packages out there, Spybot and Ad-Aware are two popular downloads. There are many commercial packages as well - comparison shop!!

Safe purchasing on line is possible, but the buyer needs to be aware and alert, and not willing to fall for scams or "too-good-to-be-true" deals....

HAPPY BUYING ! ! !