The NCSA recommends that Americans employ a small handful of simple behaviors to ensure the online holiday shopping season is safe and successful:
- Update Core Protections: Take a few minutes to update your core protections — anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall — before you get on the information superhighway. Also make certain they are set to automatically update against new threats.
- Shop Secure Sites: Is there a closed padlock on the browser’s status bar? Does the Web site’s address (URL) change to shttp or https when you are asked to provide payment information? If so, you know the vendor has secured their payment process.
- Check Sellers Out: Conduct independent research on a seller’s reputation before you buy from a seller you have never done business with.
- Passwords Are Key: Create long unique passwords incorporating symbols and numbers to increase your security against hackers and others trying to access online accounts.
- Always Ask WWW: When providing personal information for any purchase, always ensure that you know who is asking for the information, what information they are asking for and why the need it.
- Not All Money is Created Equal: Credit cards are generally the safest option because shoppers can seek a credit from the issuer of the card if the item isn’t delivered or not what was ordered.
Excerpt from article:
Americans’ Online Shopping Decisions Affected by Security Concerns, Poll Finds
National Cyber Security Alliance Finds that Security Questions Cause Online Retailers to Lose Sales
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/
Source: http://staysafeonline.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=54