Keep it Safe Shopping Online
The internet is the world's largest marketplace. It is home to over two billion customers. And a major part of its customer base, at least here in the US, are people who shop online and order goods and services from sellers all around the world. But before you go shopping for your next gadget or household item, take a moment to learn about some of the dangers that can occur when you shop online — it could save you quite a lot of heartache and money!
What we'll be discussing today are some safety precautions that can help protect both you and your wallet from getting ripped off while doing your online window shopping!
The first thing to consider is what websites are safe to use when shopping.
In general, I would recommend that you avoid using sites based overseas. There are several reasons for this:
Your financial information is not protected. The site may be registered in a remote country that has little or no privacy protection laws. You will be paying for goods and services from another country, which can cause problems when it comes to shipping and returns. If there are any disputes or issues with your order, the shipping costs to get it back to the seller could cost more than the product itself!
So wherever possible, try to stick with merchants that take orders and ship directly from within the US . You will find that there are a lot more options to choose from, and the prices will usually be better too. This is because you avoid all of the extra fees that come along with international shipping, and your seller is guaranteed better access to customer support should something go wrong!
For example, my favorite place to shop for electronics (as well as a lot of other things… like travel gear , clothing , and even art supplies ) is Newegg.com. They have an enormous selection, competitive prices, and take all of my favorite forms of payment. Keep in mind that they are based out of California .
Another good place to check out is Amazon.com. They offer free super-saver shipping on hundreds of thousands of products, and they are based right here in Seattle .
Now that you know which sites to shop from, let's talk about how you should be using them!
When shopping online, it's best to use the same precautions that you would when visiting your local retail store: don't shop with a computer or mobile device that can be traced back to you . This includes any government or public computers (like those at libraries and schools).
If you want to use a computer that's connected to the internet but isn't part of your normal daily routine, it's best to use a public computer. And if you want to be especially protected, you can even bridge the connection through several different libraries and/or schools to make it almost impossible for anyone to trace it back to you. Use an anonymous network like Tor if you really need complete anonymity and privacy. And of course, always protect your personal information on these public computers just as if they were actually your personal machine!
After all of this, let's talk about payment methods!
There are many ways for someone out there to steal your money or other private data when buying things online.
Credit card information is the most common type of private information you will find on the internet. But credit card data can be stolen through your computer and mobile device, so we'll look at ways to protect against this risk first.
When using a credit card, it's best to use a credit card that isn't tied to your personal identity . This way, if someone does get a hold of the information, they don't have access to your real name or other personal information which can cause much more damage.
But even with these precautions in place, it's not enough to just use a prepaid credit card — or better yet — use your own credit card and pay for it in cash! After all, you'll still need to enter some private data online: your billing address and phone number.
Today, most credit card processing companies will give you the option to use a billing address that isn't tied to your personal identity. You can usually check this option right on their website when you are checking out. And if they don't offer this option, ask them if they can set it up for you!
Here's a great example. When I first visited the Newegg website, they asked me for my billing address just like any other merchant would. But no matter how many times I tried every combination of different addresses and zip codes that popped into my head, I was never able to get it to accept one of the addresses I created from scratch… not until I added in one final line: "PO Box 5556". Once I did this, Newegg accepted the address and also offered me the option to have my package sent to a PO Box rather than my home address.
So why is all of this information important? Well, by using a billing address that doesn't tie back to you, no one can find your home address even if they do get a hold of your credit card information. As long as you never give out this secret PO Box address to anyone else, it will still remain completely private.
So when you are buying something from a merchant online, go ahead and use your normal home address, but just add in that final PO Box as your billing address! This will make it even more difficult for anyone to find your real address.
Some merchants will also offer the option of not having a billing address at all. You can usually check this option on their website as well. But if they do not offer it, I would recommend adding in an anonymous PO Box as a default instead of using your home address or any other information that's tied back to you. Sometimes this is called "shipping at location". In most cases, the merchant will let you choose where the package will be shipped after they are notified of payment.
Conclusion
When it comes to personal security online, there are many ways you can protect yourself. But the first thing you always have to remember is to stay ahead of the criminals! And that means knowing what they're doing and how they're doing it so that you can protect yourself against them.
In this guide I've explained three methods that criminals use to steal personal information: phishing, keylogging, and pharming.