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Shopping Online and Staying Safe

By Vickie J. Scanlon



More and more people are doing their shopping on the Internet. With it comes, easy browsing and no long lines (especially during the Christmas season). That is the good part of shopping online. However, the one area that many first time online buyers do not take in to consideration is, staying safe online. Here are some simple things you can do to stay safe.

10 Simple Rules To Stay Safe Online

Here are some simple things you can do to stay safe, as well as, some additional information as to your liability.

1. Unknown Emails- if you receive emails from individuals that you did not solicit, or in which you have not done business with, it might be a scam. In many cases, the deal is just to good to be true. And, if you find yourself whispering, "that's a great deal". You might be wise to delete the email. Never click on the link. Why? A virus might be attached to the link.

2. Pay with a credit card. Never pay with your debit card. When you pay with a debit card, the money is subtracted from the account immediately. In addition, you have only 30 days to contest the bill. Under federal laws you can contest an item on your credit card bill if you didn't receive your purchase, or a purchase was placed on your account that you did not order.

a. Liability- The Truth and Lending Act allows you to be liable for only $50 of unauthorized use of your credit card. This is not the same for debit cards. You only have 2 days to report your card lost or stolen to keep your personal liabilities to $50.

b. Billing errors- Through the Fair Credit Billing Act, consumers have the right to dispute "billing errors". To dispute these charges, you will have to call your credit card company, who will send you a form to complete. This must be done within 60 days. It is then the creditors responsibility to investigate. They have 90 days to do so.

What is a billing error? A billing error includes some of the following situations:

• Unauthorized charges
• Math errors
• Charges incurred when a credit was not correctly posted to your account
• Undelivered merchandise that you purchased

3. Security Software- make sure that your operating system is update and your anti-virus software is up-to-date. 

4. Dealing with Sites- It is best to deal with sites you are familiar with. 

5. Number One Credit Credit -Never give credit card information to a website that is not secure. How do you determine a secure site? A secure site will have a tiny icon or a padlock that is usually located in the bottom right-hand side of the website page.

6. Use only one specific credit card online. Why? It's a lot easier to track one credit card versus many.

7. Check the privacy policy of the website. Will it sell your personal information? If so, it's time a click away. No great deal is worth someone selling your personal information for personal gain.

8. Look for the Trust-E logo. The Trust-E company reviews websites for a fee. Thus, if it meets the Trust-E standard, only then can the website put their logo on their site.

9. Review your monthly statements for fraudulent activities. Many times, scammers will make small purchases against your account. Why? 

In many cases, people will blow off a small purchase, versus a large purchase, or ignore the charge, as something they purchased but forgot about. Don't be one of these individuals. My advice, question everything. It can save you a lot of money on your account, because the purchases will continue until you remove it from your credit card.

10. Document everything.

Yes, shopping online is convenient, but ignoring some simple safety procedures can turn your online shopping experience into a nightmare. It's best to use a little common sense. And remember, if you are finding yourself saying, "This deal is just to be good to be true," you're probably right, and should back away from the deal.