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Online fraud can take many forms from non-delivery of goods to non-return of damaged
goods. In many cases, online fraud can be deterred by following a few simple practices.
Just as consumers should take obvious measures to protect themselves in brick-and-mortar
stores – not leaving a purse in an unguarded shopping cart, protecting their PIN (personal
identification number) at checkout, not carrying large amounts of cash in their wallets –
online shoppers should consider sensible precautions, as well.
1. Learn as much as possible about the product and seller: Shoppers will feel more
secure and confident if they are familiar with the merchants from whom they’re buying.
The Internet offers the platform for retailers to provide information about their
companies and histories while the buyers are empowered to do their research about
the products and companies. Shoppers might also learn about a retailer from its
reputation, from previous purchases, from referrals through friends or from reviews
and comments by other shoppers found online.
2. Understand the retailers’ refund policies: Look for and ask about what the refund
policies are. Questions to ask include: the required timeframe a buyer must contact
the retailers and return the items, if a full refund will be offered or a merchandise
credit, and if an item that has been opened can be returned. For retailers without
refund policies, consumers can use buyer protection programs from either the site or
through the payment method. This ensures that if there is a problem with a transaction,
the payment will be covered or refunded as a result of the protection guarantee.
3. Choose a secure password to protect account information: Many people use passwords
for online stores that could be guessed, like their birthday, Social Security
Number or a family member’s name. Instead, a password should contain a
combination of upper and lower case letters and numbers and symbols that no
one else will know.
4. Use a secure checkout and payment process: Many Web sites use a technology
called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt the personal and financial information
sent over the Internet. To know if the retailer is offering a safe checkout process, look
for the logos from companies like VeriSign or TrustE logo. A browser will also display
the icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen to indicate encryption.
When it comes to choosing which method to use when paying online, consumers
should take precautions when entering credit card or checking account information
at each online retailer they visit. By entering this on several different merchant Web
sites, the likelihood of this information being compromised increases. A safe and
easy-to-use payment service allows shoppers to enter account information only once
at a highly secure and reputable site that protects this financial information from
merchants and other intruders. Future purchases should be made from that one
account to avoid the need to enter credit card information separately into the Web
sites of individual retailers.
5. If an offer sounds highly suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is: As with
any purchase, shoppers should read the fine print (or, in some instances, click the
links describing the purchase agreement). While Internet shops frequently offer lower
prices than brick-and-mortar stores, shoppers should be wary of unreasonably low
bargain prices or unusually attractive promises.