8 Tips to Keep Your Credit Card Information Safe When Shopping Online
Posted on Wed, 24th February, 2010 by Jeremy (14) Comments
How to Keep Your Credit Card Safe Online
Using your credit card to buy something online has become an almost daily habit for most people. Even so, there are many people who are still uncomfortable with submitting their credit card information online. Their fears aren’t completely unfounded. Scams are everywhere and the techniques scammers use are constantly evolving so it’s true that you are taking on a little bit of risk if you punch in your credit card number online.
Luckily, with some common sense on your part and some technological advances it is incredibly safe to shop online. That isn’t to say there aren’t potential dangers out there, but if you are able to follow a few basic tips and procedures you can make sure your credit card information is safe.
- Just like you should be aware of your surroundings and be on the lookout for suspicious looking characters when withdrawing money from an ATM, you should know how to recognize the warning signs of online scams and take steps to avoid being a victim. Don’t just blindly click on links or emails and keep your eye out for things that just don’t quite seem right.
- Ensure your browser and operating system are running the latest versions and you have applied all of the recent updates. These online scammers are constantly changing their tactics and companies must update their software over time to combat their attacks. If you’re running a version that’s a year old you may be vulnerable.
- Watch for the padlock icon on the status bar at the bottom of your browser window, which indicates that the site is secure. You will also want to look for an ’s’ added to the usual http at the beginning of the web site’s URL when you get ready to submit your purchase information. The https indicates a secure server that is using SSL, which means your information is being encrypted. Without the https or other secure transmission you open yourself up to having your credit card information snagged by a thief during the transaction.
- Before submitting personal information to a site, read their privacy policy to find out how the information may be used and whether it will be sold or shared with other businesses. If you don’t like what you read, shop somewhere else. Most sites will obviously have a solid privacy policy, but if it’s a site you’ve never used before it is worth double checking.
- Don’t provide personal information such as address, telephone number, Social Security number, bank account number, or e-mail address unless you know who you’re providing the information to, why it’s being requested, and how it will be used. If an online store is requesting more information than you’re used to, stop and think about why it is asking.
- Use a credit card, not a debit card, for online purchases. A debit and credit card may look the same, but they aren’t. You have more protection in the event of a fraudulent purchase if you use a credit card. Besides, your debit card is linked to your bank account, so if your information gets stolen you could find your account wiped out!
- Carefully review your credit card and bank statement each month for unauthorized charges and notify your credit card company or bank immediately if you notice any charges you didn’t authorize. Not only that, but you should be monitoring your credit score and report on a regular basis. Sometimes the goal is to steal your information so that a criminal can create a fake identity, not necessarily steal your money. So looking at your bank statements might not alert you to identity theft.
- Finally, make sure your computer is secure. If you use a wireless network at home you need to be sure you have it locked down with at least some sort of WEP or WAP protection. Avoid transacting business on wireless networks that are not your own. And make sure your computer’s anti-virus and spyware software is updated and keeping your computer safe. One way scammers can get your information is by loading trojans or other hidden programs on your computer that silently take your personal information even if you don’t realize it.
Tip #6 is not NECESSARY if your debit card is backed by VISA or MC. Of course you can have your account wiped out, which could be terribly inconvenient if you don’t have savings to cover you “in the meantime” but a VISA or MC insured debit card has the same theft/fraud protection that a credit card with those names. It would be a hassle to have your actual account used, but the money WOULD be replaced if theft occured
Best tip when shopping online, use virtual or temporary credit card numbers. I have Citi and Schwab credit cards and both offer this feature.
Wow. I was kind of shocked about using debit card vs. credit card for online transactions since I am always using my debit card I might have to reconsider this. But I’ll definitely checked out what Kaye has said with my bank.
I think the single biggest way to secure purchases is to use less known browsers (such as Chrome or Opera) when making purchases.
If your computer is infested by spyware or trojans, it is probably going to be against the top browsers, IE and Firefox.
The last point about wireless security is a passion of mine. It’s amazing how people think they can ride on the wave of ‘free’ wireless. Remember there is nothing free. while the wireless next door may appear open and you can hop in and .. you never know who is operating it. You never know whether they are hijacking your web transmission..
Thanks for this helpful and informative post! I will definitely put all of these tips to good use. In case any other readers are looking for more information on identity theft, I would recommend checking out this blog:
http://blog.greensherpa.com/index.php/personal-finance/4-simple-tips-for-preventing-identity-theft/
It suggests a lot of easy and helpful ways to avoid identity theft
I am an e-business owner, and I used North American Bancard for the credit card processing on my website. It provides an extremely safe gateway, and I would recommend it to anyone!