Buy Online?

Buying Online Info & Consumer Advice

By Andrew Bennett (Confirmed Internet Shop-a-holic)

You can buy online with confidence when you know a lot more about e-commerce and understand better how the Internet works. Just about everyone has an opinion about buying online, even people who don't have computers or an internet connection have heard or read something on the subject of buying online.

Much of the feedback is negative although there is also a lot of positive feedback, but we have to remember how young the Internet is when comparing it to millennia of traditional commerce, we're bound to be nervous and skeptical when it's all new and fairly mysterious.

Since it's estimated that the amount of Internet users is set to double in the next four years you can perhaps appreciate how young the Internet still is and how buying online is set to explode.

My mission here is to show you just how safe Internet shopping can be and to show you that misinformation is the basis for your "I won't buy online" fears.

I'll also show you where the real threat comes from, and the truth is it's not from where you might automatically assume. And when you're finished there I have my own story to tell which involved a $4,000.00 transaction that I personally undertook that nearly ended in tears!

Those of us who are afraid to use their credit card to buy online because they think that their card details are waiting to be intercepted and misused as soon as they enter them into a website's card processing facilities simply aren't getting their facts straight.

Page Navigation Menu

128 Bit Encryption
Does that Mean 128 Bit Encryption Is Safe?
Get A Credit Card - Don't Use A Debit Card
Your P.C. Might Be Under Attack!
How To Stay Safe And Buy With Confidence
I Have A Story To Tell
The Future Of Buying Online
Secure Credit Cards
Essential Security Products
Recommended Secure Internet Stores
Recommended Secure Dating Sites
Consumer Resources & Further Information

Buy Online: 128 Bit Encryption

All reputable Internet Stores have 128 bit encryption built into their shopping cart systems

128 bit encryption is just about as good as it gets when you want to pass secure information over the Internet.

The way to tell if you have found a merchant using secure encryption is to a) check for their security policy on their site and b) check that you have a locked yellow padlock or equivalent key symbol being displayed in your browser which tells you that you are on a secure site.

Another way to see it is to view the address bar. If the page you are currently viewing starts with https: and not http: then it is an "s" for secure web page and you are definitely on the secure part of a website.

Does That Mean 128 Bit
Encryption Is Safe?

We'll it takes a highly skilled individual to break into this kind of security, even international governments have trouble breaking these kind of cipher codes.

Even so, the answer is "not entirely safe" although it's not the actual online buying process that's vulnerable to attack by hackers looking to get your card details when you buy online.

Why would they attempt to go through the front door when the back door is often left wide open?

It's after the sale, especially if you are required to create an account that stores your details for future use, that the attacks can occur.

Although the very best online stores are addressing this issue with high security back end servers, it's been a long time coming and many sites, not just Internet stores, that deal with credit cards are still very vulnerable to attack in this way.

And then there's the thought that if someone is able to crack 128 bit encryption, they're more likely to go after the big fish rather than bother with the little ones like us individuals reading this article.

Many merchants use third party card processing services to handle their transactions and store the data, and these offer high security as standard and after all it's their livelihood that's at stake.

It's almost always at the merchant's site where the security vulnerability issues arise, so take a good look at the security policy of the site that you intend to buy online from. If you can't find what you're looking for call or email them to find out more about their online buying security.

If in doubt when buying online, don't log your details, just make a one off transaction. If you have to create an account make sure that it's on a secure website with (with a locked padlock) that you have to create a "log on account" for.

And THEN make sure that you log out properly after using the site and then check that you are required to log back in, even when you use the browsers back button after logging out. For peace of mind always check that you're properly logged out in this way by doing the back button test.

So why the heck am I telling you that to buy online is safe and secure?

Get A Credit Card - Don't
Use Your Debit Card

The answer is in the way that e-commerce is set up. It's not the customer that gets the blame for fraudulent credit card use - it's invariably the merchant that pays for it. This isn't true for all debit cards however, because you'll need to check with your bank as to how securely insured your debit card is.

Because a credit card issues you with instant credit and doesn't take the money directly from your account, the credit issuer will take steps on your behalf by making a charge back against a merchant or processing provider whose security is lapse.

They want their money and it's much easier to get the merchant to pay up rather than chasing the individual whose credit card may have been compromised and used fraudulently.

Bad publicity caused by unsafe shopping is an online store's worst nightmare, not only do they have to pay back the money lost, they lose credibility and a lot of sales due to lack of consumer confidence. News travels fast on the Internet!

So it's always in the best interests of a high profile online store to get their security policy right and tight.

There are providers like American Express who have cards such as the blue card that protects the Internet consumer 100% even when fraudulent transactions aren't the fault of the merchant or the processing provider.

There are even new steps being taken by credit providers such as Visa and Mastercard to eliminate fraud through the use of secure pin numbers that are set up by the card holder, which the card processors and merchants never have access to.

The pin number is checked against the card number by mastercard and visa themselves, thus eliminating the merchant's security from the equation. Even so you won't be able to buy online using this method till later this year and even then merchants will have to implement the changes on their websites.

American Express has it's own variation (available now) which uses a card reader that's connected directly to the user's p.c. but it works in a similar way to the others.

Your P.C. Might Be Under Attack!

There are other ways for people to get at your private and financial information and that's by hacking into your private computer that you have connected to the internet. In recent studies it was revealed that 85% of all internet users have sensitive and personal and credit card information stored on their computers, do you?

This kind of vulnerability is more prevalent for broadband surfers using an "always on" connection. If you haven't got a firewall yet then you need one to stop information theft occurring from your computer when you're online. Hackers will move on when they find a properly configured firewall stopping their advances and you'll be able to buy online safely. Save $5 on McAfee Personal Firewall Plus

Make sure your personal eTrust EZ Antivirus is kept updated regularly, because a lot of viruses are able to read your private information and pass it on to people you'd rather didn't have access to it. It has also been found in recent studies that although most users have anti virus software installed already, they never keep it updated! That is one of the beauties of this program. It updates itself daily.

But that's not the end of the story because if you've downloaded free software or music and file sharing software there's a good chance that your system is already infected with spyware that runs invisibly in the background recording everything you see and do. These nasties can even record your keystrokes and are therefore able to read your encoded passwords and send them to the person who infected your system!

Then there's direct advances to get you to relinquish your information of your own free will. This can take the form of emails that claim to be from your Internet service provider or your bank or credit card provider etc.... These invariably ask you to confirm your private, social security or bank details e.t.c. because of some kind of problem has "allegedly occurred" that requires your immediate attention. Beware!

Tips On How To Stay Safe And
Buy Online With Confidence

Review the security policy of the website that you're intending to do business with. Check that a locked yellow padlock or locked key symbol appears when you're asked to enter your sensitive personal details.
If you have to create an account first, make sure there is a secure log in area that is easy to log out from. check that log out has in fact occurred by using your back button to check.
Make sure you use a credit card and not a debit card.
Never supply your password/s to anyone who may request it no matter who they are. A reputable organized company won't need to ask for it, and they won't anyway.
Always print or copy the transaction page and or the receipt page after making your purchase.
Make sure there is a phone number and a physical address being displayed on the website that you're buying from in case you need to call them or you need to return the product.
Read the fine print and returns policy, there might be something in there that you don't agree with.
Beware when using online auction sites, anyone can and does set up shop here, that includes fakers and scammers. Most complaints (28%) to do with online fraud come from users of online auctions!
Trust your instincts, if you smell a rat, chances are there's one hiding nearby.
Don't give any more information than you need to give to get the transaction completed. The less information you give away the less ammunition there is to use against you if the worst should happen. If something's optional leave it blank.
Don't answer an email asking you to confirm passwords or sensitive account information or your social security number
Never open email attachments unless you know that someone is going to send you one, computer viruses can easily pretend to be from someone you know! If you can, make sure your email preview pane is configured to keep all attachments shut until you actually want to open them yourself.

Buy Online? I Have A Story To Tell

Early In 2008 I decided to buy a product online for another web business that I own and promote. Suffice to say that I was investing in a service that finds thousands of newsletter subscribers for freely available opt in e-zines (electronic magazine).

As you can imagine delivery was going to take a few weeks to set up and a few weeks or months to deliver the required amount of subscribers because they wouldn't all subscribe at the same time on the same day in the same week.

I did my homework and due diligence and found a highly respected service run by highly respected people who shall remain nameless. Their price was competitive and the service they offered among the best I'd seen. I even went as far to contact one of their customers, a highly respected and fairly famous Internet marketer who implied that everything would be as expected.

I checked their online buying security policy and found that they preferred to use Paypal. I was about to shell out $4,000.00 using Paypal? NO WAY!! I emailed the company and was immediately contacted by a helpful assistant who was able to set up a special transaction through a secure credit card processing company.

That was fine, I paid my money and was told that setting the account up would take place the following week when the owner arrived back from holiday. I had to wait for a call from the card processing company to verify that I was who I said I was, which took three days anyway.

I was able to submit my ad copy for my listing in advance and was contacted the following week by the owner to say that she thought she could improve on the wording of the listing and she would be in touch. In fact this is the last contact that I received back from them although I tried several times.

Eventually I thought that they were ignoring my emails so I decided to look up their site for any and all email addresses to contact them with. No response... I tried both the phone numbers as listed on the site...no response (answer services).

I let this process carry on for a month and then one day I decided enough was enough I went to the card processing company and requested a $4,000.00 chargeback. If that wasn't going to work, I was going to try my card provider, but as it turned out I wasn't going to need to.

Within 24 hours of the chargeback request I received three emails to tell me I had been successful in my chargeback request and that the full amount of $4,000.00 would appear on my next credit card statement. I didn't even have to make a phone call to do it!

Has this experience put me off buying online? Would I ever buy online again?

Yes, I still buy online quite happily and with confidence, but I always check credentials before I buy!! I did indeed receive my money back and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Why let one bad apple spoil the barrel?

The Future Of Buying Online

The trends for buying online are showing steep increases as security breaches are actually very rare compared to the amount of transactions that take place online. You're more likely to get run over by a car while crossing the road, but only as long as you've done your shopping research.

In a recent survey it has been shown that website design and usability price and returns policy are the top concerns for consumers lining up in their thousands to buy online.

Security concerns are still important but are dropping down the scale of importance on most peoples lists. After all, the Internet is big business and it's in the common interests of all online businesses to tighten security wherever possible.

Credit card providers are doing more, but as ever it's always a slow but deliberate process and nothing in life is ever guaranteed.

You're just as likely to run into problems in your local brick and mortar businesses where pocket sized, hand-held card-swipers are increasingly being used by some unscrupulous workers (criminals) to copy the details from your card without anybody noticing.

But that's another story....

Secure transactions inevitably rely on your own personal security measures as well as those of the merchant you're intending to buy online from. So rest assured, if you're fully prepared, your online buying experiences should be happy ones.......