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There
are many people who still fear buying items or
services on the internet because they worry about
identity theft
or
credit card
fraud. While these are natural concerns, it's
important to note that there have been many
advancements in credit card security, and in
particular, protection for online purchases.
Shopping online is not all that much different
from shopping in person as far as security is
concerned. Certain cards have special security
features intended just for online purchases, and
include password protection and single use credit
card numbers.
Web sites that accept
credit cards
typically offer an additional layer of protection
as well, by encrypting the information (credit
card numbers) as it is sent from your computer to
theirs. In fact, someone who is intelligent enough
to decrypt such information is probably
intelligent enough to create a self-generating
credit card system, and make their own credit card
cards with fake account numbers! Before making a
purchase on a website, just make sure that there
is a secure label someplace on the page, usually "SSL".
Also, you can check to be sure that the domain
starts with "https"; the "s" is to show you that
it is a secure site.
Using credit cards online gives you purchase
protection, in addition to security protection. If
you make a purchase from an online merchant that
does not delivery on their promise for what you
expected to receive, or the item is never sent,
your credit card offers protection. You will not
have to pay for an item that is not as described.
Also, if the item arrives in the mail broken or
gets lost before you receive it, in most cases
your purchase protection will allow you to return
the item or obtain a new one.
Visa, among other credit card lenders, have come
up with a way to password protect your credit
card. Whenever you are shopping online, you will
be required to input your special password before
you can make the purchase. This protects you
against people who have obtained your credit card
number or have the card itself and are attempting
to make purchases with it. As long as you don't
store your password with your card, this layer of
protection should make it impossible for someone
else to use your credit card.
Many cards are currently offering single use
credit card numbers for shopping online. Each time
you make an online purchase, the credit card
company issues a secondary card number, which will
be used for that single purchase only. Once your
transaction has been entered with your single use
card number, you (or anyone else who may have seen
the transmission or is waiting on the other end of
the website for your card information!) will not
be able to use that particular number again to
make another purchase.
If the worst happens- and someone does happen to
get your credit card number or the card itself- if
you report the fraud the moment you notice it on a
statement, or the moment you notice the card is
not in your wallet- you will not be held liable
for charges made on that card. In fact, it is the
retail stores that take the biggest beating when
it comes to credit card fraud, not the consumer.
Shopping online is as safe, if not safer, than
shopping at the store or over the phone thanks to
the plastic protection your credit cards provide.
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