Online shopping - Is it really secure?
@jewelenterprises (1996)
Australia
April 29, 2008 7:51am CST
A lot of people today are a very cautious about shopping online. Afraid to fill out their details for fear of identity theft etc.
Personally, I don't mine putting my credit card number in as long as the payment is secure. I know better than to place my passwords and id's into sites that I have received through email... eg, an email 'supposedly' from paypal asking me to log in via a link in the email... those are always scams perpetrated by criminals seeking to defraud or steal your identity
What is your attitude to submitting financial details online? Are you willing to purchase products online and pay via credit card, egold, paypal, alertpay etc?
Like I say, I'm willing as long as I know the payment is secure... when it is there is a little picture of a lock at the lower right hand corner of your browser... or one in the address bar.
7 people like this
30 responses
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I shop online often and have never had a problem. As you said, never enter info when following a link from an email. I always go directly to the site. I think it is just as secure online as it is going into a store and using a credit card. Several stores where I shop have had card numbers stolen in the last few years. Breaches of security and theft of information can happen anywhere. Just monitor your credit and keep an eye on your accounts. Use due caution, no matter where you shop.
1 person likes this
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Absolutely, what about those card reader attachments that people attach to ATM machines to harvest peoples account numbers and passwords.
No matter where you are you have to be careful.
Which is why I always look for the security lock when making online payments.
@sreejithsreenivas (10200)
• India
29 Apr 08
We have to be more cautious while doing any online shopping by using credit card.I have done online purchasing through paypal account and not yet faced any problem.
1 person likes this
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Yes, I think the most important thing is to not get caught out by those hoax emails asking you to log in via links in the email. As long as you don't do that then your accounts are pretty safe. It's also important not to store your financial details on your computer where a hacker could get in and find them.
That's one of the reasons that I don't use those roboform fillers... I don't want my IDs and passwords stored on my pc. They might be encrypted but one day someone will break the encryption.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
1 Jul 08
If the site is one that I know is secure, I will not hesitate to buy that item off it.
Sites that are good with their policies on fraud, I have no problem buying things off them.
It is when I have this nagging feeling about a site that I would avoid it altogether. If it so much as ask for details that I am not comfortable with, I will back off. Close the browser and search for another site that sells the same item that I am more comfortable buying from.
I guess it is a little like shopping physically. If you do not like the shop you see, would you still go in to buy stuff? The same theory can be applied to online shops as well.
wow, that mail guy sure knows how to go on a spending spree!
And did your ex husband managed to get his money back?@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
1 Jul 08
Yes, I think in general the online stores are pretty good. I know my ex husband is absolutely paranoid about purchasing anything online. If I see something online for one of the kids and suggest we buy it he will transfer the money into my bank account via the internet and let me purchase the item... rather than pay for it online himself.
Having said that, he did have a credit card stolen in the mail (turned out that some guy at the mail center stole about 20 credit cards and had a wow of a racking up other peoples debts till he got caught). Guy ran up over $2000 in debt and the bill got sent to my ex hubby. But that's a physical thing and has nothing to do with online security.
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I've been shopping online for years and thankfully have never had a problem. I always watch for that little lock on the site to be reassured.
1 person likes this
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Like you I've never had a problem. The only issue I do have is that I once signed up for a free trial and had to submit my credit card details. I am now being charged $6.95 per month on the credit card for something I don't use and I can't remember what it was for so I can't get rid of it... it's a pain in the butt.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
29 Apr 08
I think that this is what is the scariest thing about online shopping, is hoping that you do not get ripped off through your payment. But I always check for the security of any site that I am intending to pay through, and if I do not get the signs that I am looking for then I cancel the order as it is just not worth taking the chance on it.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Exactly gemini. I wouldn't continue with the order unless payment was secure AND verifiable.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Yes, either your https (s being for secure) or paypal payment is safe. I've never had a problem so far.
Which is not to say I haven't been scammed. I picked up some game cartridges from a site, only to find that three out of five of them were faulty (doubtless pirate copies). Unfortunately, even though I had paid via paypal I couldn't get my money back because paypal won't do a refund on that type of product because of the frequency of scam transactions.
@Cajunhellcat (2073)
• United States
6 May 08
I do a lot of shopping on ebay and have never has any trouble
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
6 May 08
In general, as long as you follow a few precautionary tips, I don't think you would experience any problems.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
13 May 08
Anything that involved the use o a credit card has the potential to be insecure. Fraud is committed on line and off line. I have done a lot of shopping on line, and I have never ever had a problem.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
13 May 08
That's very true, which is why caution is always necessary. Caution may not stop the risk entirely but it will certainly drastically reduce the chances of identity fraud.
@Ravenladyj (22902)
• United States
29 Apr 08
When I owned my biz I used a C.Cd all the time to place my online orders etc...Now that we dont use C.Cds and also I no longer have my biz I just shop online using paypal....or on occasion a debt card..But I'm careful of who i purchase from too..
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Yeah, I tend to be cautious. Either paying via paypal so I can get my money back or looking for the little security lock if paying via credit card.
And yes, cinome, it is important to have good internet security. The best one I know of is available at www.invisus.com it's more expensive than your usual entry level security suites like mcaffee, vet and norton but it offers corporate strength protection like that used by microsoft and other huge corporations. They pay thousands of dollars for their security but you can get the same thing at invisus for only $250 by buying it as a package.
@bowtieguy (5915)
• United States
2 May 08
In my case it wasn't, well for my brother I should say. He had his credit information stolen last year. There was over 1,000$ charged to his account and he was only able to have about half of it removed and over a long investigation he ended up paying 3 or 400 of the bill and had to have a new credit card issued. This also lowered his credit score signifigantly. I'm not saying this sort of thing happens all the time but you do have to be careful where you send out your credit information.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Well, as long as you make sure that the payment is secure with verisign, paypal, the padlock or https then it should be safe. That isn't to say that is always the case but it does make credit and identity fraud less likely.
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
13 May 08
I have never had a problem shopping online, using a credit card or paying through Paypal. I limit the amount of money I keep in my Paypal account, so it's never really subject to theft and the credit card I use for online purchases is used only for online purchases and purposely has a $500 credit limit. So I don't really think I'm to exposed to theft either way.
I do love shopping online, especially with the insane gas prices we have. I save gas, and time and often get good deals online (& quite often, free shipping too!) Plus I get a cash back incentive for most of my online shopping...even Ebay.
Online shopping sure beats driving to the mall or store only to find that the shelf is empty and you end up going home empty-handed or settling for something other than what you really wanted. On the computer, I know within minutes if they have what I want or not...and they're open 24/7!
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
14 May 08
It would appear you are doing everything right to protect yourself from getting ripped off by fraudsters. Well done.
I entirely agree with the advantages of shopping online. It is so much more convenient than rushing here there and everywhere in the car to shop at regular stores... especially at christmas time.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
The main things to be careful of is to watch for secure payment and not to log in to sites like paypal or your online bank or ebay via links in emails.
If you receive an email asking you to log in via a link contained in the email you should always forward the email to the organisation concerned.
With ebay the address is spoof@ebay.com
With paypal I think it is spoof@paypal.com
Your bank will have it's own email address to send such emails to.
@WANDALIE44 (888)
• United States
30 Apr 08
i get tose emails to about paypal.i contacted paypal and they sent me a link to email them that message i got so they can keep track of fraud emails. i also o alot of shopping online but i use programs that im familar with like upromise.com and i try to go to the direct site and shop through them. i also lok for those signs they have i think thier called verisign it states that the site is safe to shop on, they have another 1 but i cant remeber at this time. i also try to change my password to my paypal often so that way i know they wont get in to my account.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
I change my paypal login when I think it may have been compromised but in general I don't worry too much.
A few weeks ago I was logging in to a site and a little login window popped up but when I tried to log in that way it didn't work. It was different to what normally happened on that site so I immediately changed my password because I thought it might have been some sneaky script designed to get my login details for my internet banking. Then I ran my virus checker. It hasn't happened since.
@Adelida2233 (1005)
• United States
5 May 08
Like the previous poster, I have never had any problems purchasing items online. I've bought tons of items from all different price ranges. I am jsut sure to use a credit card or a debit card with a visa/mc card logo, that way if I have any problems, I can file a claim through the credit card company.
I am also aware of the little lock symbol, and generally wont buy from sites that don't contain that symbol in the web address bar.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Yes, there are plenty of ways to make sure that payment is secure.
Paypal is always safe but you have to make sure that the login page you are sent to is secure. I know someone who paid via paypal but didn't check the login page. It wasn't paypal at all, consequently she went through the payment process then later discovered (after her paypal account had been hacked) that the payment had never been made... it was simply a clever hoax to get access to her paypal account.
Just read through the rest of the responses to see some of the other ways to verify that a payment is secure.
@sahira (1071)
• Philippines
30 Apr 08
It's a good question,i may too curious about it...because last year i had supposed to buy a video karaoke through online shopping but the problem is i was so unsure of the seller..i don't even know him so i just realized that it would be difficult.I'm always scammed here in the internet and it would be different if my money is given unsecure.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
There are several things to watch for if you want to be sure that payment is secure.
1. A padlock either in the address bar or at the bottom of the screen
2. Https rather than http alone as the prefix to the URL. The S stands for SSL 'secure sockets layer' and indicates secure payment.
3. Paypal is always secure. Just make sure you dont give out your login details by logging into paypal by links in an email as these links are always sent by scammers looking for access to paypal accounts.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
30 Apr 08
i am the same like you... i also don't mind doing shopping online as long as i know that it is a trusted site and it is definitely secure... otherwise, i wouldn't want to disclose my credit card information on the screen... it is just too risky to do that... especially nowadays with so many frauds happening out there... i have to be more cautious...
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Well, my card numbers wouldn't do anyone any good anyway since the cards are maxxed out, but I still don't want my details compromised so yes, I am still very cautious.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Good luck with your first online purchase chiyosan.
Just remember to look for those indicators of online payments and it will be fine.
@jeetanjaria (135)
• India
30 Apr 08
i think it is either way.. i mean when u shop at some secure websites like 128 bit ssl secured then there are less chances
that u will be cheated but,,,, if u go for any other unknown ..insecure websites than there are chances that u may get cheated so better be careful...
Nice to meet u
Byeee
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Yes, I'm always careful to look for secure payment options. I don't want to compromise my details.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Well, mistakes can occur. As long as you get your money back it's not a problem.
@paradise429 (2)
• China
30 Apr 08
I have been buying goods on line for one year,includs cloth,skirt ,jeans ,and some household articles,in general, the goods are cheaper than the shopping mall,but not every goods that I satisfied.the quality of some goods can not be guaranteed,so,we should be cautious to shopping on line.
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
5 May 08
Well, I guess that's just a risk we need to take. The same thing can happen with buying in a store. You can buy clothes that fall apart at the seams the first time you wash them or appliances that are faulty or just don't last. What really annoys me with appliances is when they blow up just after the warranty runs out.
