Credit Card From Fraud and ID Theft - What You Should Know
Have you ever tried shopping online? Why not? Many people find that online shopping is not only easy and convenient, but much cheaper as well.
Internet merchants can afford to sell their products for lower prices because of a lower capital needed for maintaining an online store.
But don't forget about the risk of credit card fraud and identity theft when purchasing from the web.
You may not even be aware of it but other people may already be using your personal information to commit fraudulent crimes against you.
For instance, one common strategy used by identity thieves is called "phishing".
In fact, this strategy has been used by ID thieves since the 1990s and has become more and more prevalent today.
How is the crime of phishing done? An identity thief will send an email to an unsuspecting victim, disguising as an email from a reputable company or online merchant like the IRS, Amazon, PayPal and other big names on the web.
If you're not aware of identity theft tricks, you may think that the email is indeed from a valid source.
You may be asked to click on a link that leads to a phishing website.
This webpage was made to look just like the genuine company and it takes careful examination to recognize a fake one from the real one.
The email may ask you to fill out the online form for them to verify your account.
But upon submitting that online form, you may not know that you're also handing out your personal information to identity thieves.
What You Should Do The Federal Trade Commission warns all consumers against such tricks.
Remember that trusted merchants and government agencies will not solicit personal information from consumers through an electronic message.
The best thing to do if you receive a suspicious email is to call the company who appeared to have sent it to confirm.
Never attempt to open an email or click on the links in it.
Bear in mind that the URL of a secured website always begins with https://.
You should also look for the pad locked icon in the bottom right corner of your browser.
If you have been a victim of Identity Theft or credit card fraud, contact the FTC immediately.
Be Alert Against Online Identity Theft When making an online purchase, check the background and reputation of the internet merchant you intend to purchase from.
Don't just compare shops based on the low prices they offer.
If a certain online shop sells items at an incredibly low price, if it doesn't have a solid track record of service to show, you could be in danger.
You may also prefer to send in your payment through a reputable online system like Pay Pal.
This way, you don't have to reveal your credit card's number to anyone.
See to it that the online shop uses a secured server.
There must be a Privacy Policy provided on the site to show that they are concerned about protecting their customer's personal information.
Internet merchants can afford to sell their products for lower prices because of a lower capital needed for maintaining an online store.
But don't forget about the risk of credit card fraud and identity theft when purchasing from the web.
You may not even be aware of it but other people may already be using your personal information to commit fraudulent crimes against you.
For instance, one common strategy used by identity thieves is called "phishing".
In fact, this strategy has been used by ID thieves since the 1990s and has become more and more prevalent today.
How is the crime of phishing done? An identity thief will send an email to an unsuspecting victim, disguising as an email from a reputable company or online merchant like the IRS, Amazon, PayPal and other big names on the web.
If you're not aware of identity theft tricks, you may think that the email is indeed from a valid source.
You may be asked to click on a link that leads to a phishing website.
This webpage was made to look just like the genuine company and it takes careful examination to recognize a fake one from the real one.
The email may ask you to fill out the online form for them to verify your account.
But upon submitting that online form, you may not know that you're also handing out your personal information to identity thieves.
What You Should Do The Federal Trade Commission warns all consumers against such tricks.
Remember that trusted merchants and government agencies will not solicit personal information from consumers through an electronic message.
The best thing to do if you receive a suspicious email is to call the company who appeared to have sent it to confirm.
Never attempt to open an email or click on the links in it.
Bear in mind that the URL of a secured website always begins with https://.
You should also look for the pad locked icon in the bottom right corner of your browser.
If you have been a victim of Identity Theft or credit card fraud, contact the FTC immediately.
Be Alert Against Online Identity Theft When making an online purchase, check the background and reputation of the internet merchant you intend to purchase from.
Don't just compare shops based on the low prices they offer.
If a certain online shop sells items at an incredibly low price, if it doesn't have a solid track record of service to show, you could be in danger.
You may also prefer to send in your payment through a reputable online system like Pay Pal.
This way, you don't have to reveal your credit card's number to anyone.
See to it that the online shop uses a secured server.
There must be a Privacy Policy provided on the site to show that they are concerned about protecting their customer's personal information.