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Welcome to Computer Tips, your local source for computer help and information. This is your host, Doug Bocaz-Larson, computer science program manager at the Grants Campus of NMSU.
Today’s computer tip topic is: Safe and secure shopping
More and more people are choosing to shop online. Is it cheaper? Maybe and maybe not, but if you want to avoid the crowds, online shopping is the way to go. Online shopping is great because you can comparison shop without driving all over town and you can hunt for great deals without ever leaving the comfort of your home. Plus the internet is open 24-7. You can buy almost anything on the internet: books, videos, games. You can reserve a hotel room, buy stocks, or order flowers for someone you love.
But is shopping online safe? Well… Yes and no. It does pay to be careful. To shop online, you’ll need a credit card in most cases. A few companies will let you pay by check, but this will delay your order considerably. So using a credit card is the most efficient way to shop online, but you must be careful. First, I do suggest using your credit card rather than a bank or debit card, because if you do run into a problem, then you don’t want unauthorized people accessing your bank account. Also, look for a credit card that offers credit protection for online shopping, and don’t go for a high credit limit. Keep the limit low so a lot of charges can’t be made on the card if it is stolen.
Next, when you’re armed with your protected credit card, be sure you shop at a website with a good reputation such as Amazon.com or WalMart.com. But if you do decide to shop at an unknown website you find during a search, you want to be sure that shopping on this website is safe. How do you do this? When you add the item you want to purchase in the website’s shopping card, watch for yellow lock at the bottom right of your browser screen. If you see a little yellow lock, you know it is a secure website and you can feel comfortable entering your credit card number. If you don’t see the little yellow lock, don’t give your credit card number. Also, never give your credit card information by email. Email is not secure.
Another way to make sure you are safe is when a website asks you to create a username and password. Be careful not to use your birthday, social security number or some other easy to guess password. Also try to use a combination of numbers and letters to make the password harder to crack.
So play it safe and smart and look for the gold lock and you’ll be fine shopping online.
That’s it for today’s computer tip brought to you by the computer science program at the Grants Campus of NMSU where we provide you with a variety of computer training opportunities from PC repair to Web Design. If you have a question for me about your computer, email me at [email protected] and I might use your question in my next Computer Tips segment. That’s [email protected] You can also view this computer tip, along with others, at bocaz.com. That’s w-w-w.b-o-c-a-z.com. Or check out our computer program at http://grants.nmsu.edu. I look forward to talking to you again soon.
Find more information on this topic at:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/91shptip.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/cybrsmrt.htm