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Seven Tips for Safer Online Shopping

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01 November 2010

A few weeks ago, I received a call from my credit card company informing me that someone in Italy was using my credit card. I knew it wasn't me — but who was this character, how did he get my card number, and, just as important, how long was this going to take to clear up?

Luckily, the fraud was caught early; unfortunately, you may not realize just how many bills are paid by automatic debit to your credit card. We’re still finding out.

This got me thinking about online shopping and how to protect your information as we head into the holiday shopping season. Here are seven simple tips to help minimize your exposure to identity theft and mitigate the damage:

  1. Don't shop using Wi-Fi. You are open to identify theft when using a public Wi-Fi connection. Hackers can tap into your Blackberry, iPhone or other smartphone with the same tactics they use to access your computer.
  2. Conduct your online shopping on sites where the browser address begins with "https." If you don't, you are transmitting information unprotected.
  3. Check your accounts regularly. If something looks suspicious, report it immediately to your credit card company. If you start receiving bills for items you didn’t order, don’t brush it off as a billing mistake. You may be the victim of identity theft. Contact your credit card company, your bank and law enforcement. It is better to be safe than sorry.
  4. Never shop using a debit card. If your debit card gets hacked the perpetrators can go straight to your bank account and wipe you out. Debit cards do not have the same limited liability as credit cards.
  5. When shopping online, use only one credit card. If your card information gets stolen, you only have one card to cancel and a single credit card firm to deal with.
  6. You know that little pop up that asks if you want your computer to remember certain user names and passwords? Apparently, most passwords are stored in a special file on a Windows 95/98/ME system and every hacker knows where that special file is!
  7. And lastly, don’t store your logins and passwords on your computer.

Wishing all of you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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