Practice Safe Internet Shopping

Ahh, Internet shopping. No lines, no crowded parking lot…you don’t even have to put on a shirt. And neither does an identity thief before he hacks into a web merchant’s database and steals your credit card number.

Online shopping isn’t quite so convenient if it results in identity theft, so before you and your credit card get too cozy over there, check out these rules for shopping smart.

• Shop from secure sites, which will encrypt your order info—including your credit card number—before sending it to a merchant. To make sure your connection is secure, look for “https://” at the beginning of the URL in the address bar (it’s the “s” that’s important). Also check for a little picture of a padlock or an unbroken key in the bottom right hand corner of your browser.
• Read privacy policies. Secure ordering only protects your information en route. A privacy policy should tell you if the company is going to store and use your information safely once it arrives.
• Shop at sites you know. If you aren’t sure about a site, do a little research before you divulge your digits.
• Look for privacy seals—like BBBOnline, TRUSTe, or VeriSign—on the sites where you shop. These colorful little logos, usually located at the bottom of a homepage, certify that the company adheres to certain privacy and security guidelines. Click on the seal to make sure it’s genuine, and to find out exactly what its placement on the site means.
• Shop with a credit card—not a debit card. If a thief intercepts your credit card number and runs up charges, federal law limits your liability to $50 per card. If the same thing happens with your debit card, you can lose $500 or more.
• Keep detailed records of your online purchases in case anything goes wrong.
• Log off after using public Internet terminals, and, if possible, save your shopping for your home computer.
• Use special software to wipe your hard drive clean before chucking your old computer.