11-23-09 | Katie | No Comments
You are a brave one. You have decided to actually go out and brave the throngs of vicious shoppers who stalk the brick and moarter stores on Black Friday. Well, just because things are busy does not mean that you should not take some time to keep yourself secure from identity theft. Here are some tips that can help you out.
Ladies, please choose a purse with a zipper on the top. This will keep prying hands busy long enough for you to notice them trying to get into your purse.
Men, for the same reasons, keep your wallet in a breast pocket, and not a pants pocket. Alternativly, you can use a chain wallet.
Check to make sure that you have your card before you leave the line. Yes, you have 30 bags of goodies, but these 15 seconds to check can be critical.
Pay cash if you shop from a street vendor or anyone else with a temporary store location. That includes mall kiosks.
Safe Shopping, and good luck.
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11-23-09 | Katie | No Comments
The biggest shopping day of the year is just around the corner. That means loads of good deals, and loads of people looking to trick you into giving out your personal information. How can you keep yourself safe when Black Friday (or Cyber Monday) shopping online?
- Don’t click that link. If a site tells you about a great deal from a side like Amazon or Walmart, make your way to the site via a search engine.
- Do not shop on sites that you do not know. If you must try a new site for your desired product, look for signs of a secure transaction, like https in the checkout URL.
- Never submit information that would not be normally needed to shop online. They don’t need your bank account numbers, or Pay Pal password.
Cyber shop safely.
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11-11-09 | Katie | No Comments
It is almost the holiday, and that means shopping, both in store and online, but how do you know that you can trust a store?
- Does the site look professional?
- Do they have a better business bureau or verisign seal of good business practices?
- Does the sites checkout begin with https.
If it does not meet these criteria, try another site.
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10-5-09 | Katie | No Comments
Trusting an online shopping site can be a bit hard. Sure, if you are dealing with a mainstream site like Barnes and Noble or Amazon, things will probably be fine, but on smaller sites how do you know that you are not falling into a trap? Well, here are some guidelines:
1. Look for professional design, and signs of recent updates. Most scammers will not invest a great deal of time and energy in their trap.
2. Check for the security certificate and Https on the checkout section. These are mandatory if you are putting in personal data.
3. Look for satisfied, or angry customers. Take the 10 seconds to give it a Google before you buy.
Give it a try, before you buy.
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