|
The_only_sure_way_to_shop_safe_on_the_Internet
| The only sure way to shop safe on the Internet
After all my years as an Internet Professional, I can't begin to
count the number of phone calls and emails I've gotten regarding
safe shopping on the Internet. When you really think about it,
there's about the same amount of risk shopping in a regular
walk-in store (remember those?) as there is shopping on the
Internet. Actually, there's less risk on the Internet. If you're
robbed in a regular store, you're life could be in danger. If
you pay attention to what you're buying on the Internet and what
type of site you're on, the worst that will happen is the
occasional impulse buy.
Of course, if you're really concerned about your credit
information: Your best defense when it comes to keeping your
credit card information safe on the Internet is not to use your
credit card on the Internet. However, shopping on the Internet -
on secure sites - is perfectly safe and a great way to shop
(Granted, the "great" part is only my opinion, but the ease of
point and click shopping beats the great googly-moogly out of a
crowded mall....).
When you shop on the Internet, remember, your common sense is
your best weapon. If a site looks a little goofy in the security
department & your gut tells you not to enter in your personal
information... DON'T!
You can pretty much always trust established businesses such as
amazon.com, macys.com, and the like, to have secure servers for
credit card and check transactions. If you're unsure about the
site, you can see if they're secure or not by looking for the
little "secure" icon in your browser. When on a secure page in
Internet Explorer, there will be a little padlock icon on the
lower right-hand corner of the browser window. Netscape has a
similar icon. Secure pages also have the
"https://www.domainnamehere.com/secure.htm" distinction in their
address as opposed to a non-secure site, which would read
"http://www.domainnamehere.com".
If you're fairly new to the Internet shopping scene, Windows
(WIN'95, '98 and ME) has an excellent little feature that will
tell you exactly what pages are secure and/or not secure on any
site.
To access this feature open your browser to any site and on the
top toolbar, select "Tools" then "Internet Options", then
"Advanced". In the "Advanced" section, scroll down until you see
the "Security" options.
Once there, go ahead and check the following boxes:
Warn about invalid site certificates Warn if changing between
secure and not secure mode Warn if forms submittal is being
redirected Once that's finished, click "Apply" then "OK"
You're finished. Your computer will now tell you when you're on
a secure page and warn you when you're on a not secure page.
Still not sure about being secure? Want a step-by-step
ILLUSTRATED version of this tutorial? Want lots more FREE
computer and Internet tips and tricks? Visit
http://www.sunsetinn.net/guardian.htm
About the author:
William Milham is an Internet Professional with more than a
decade of experience on the WWW. For more articles and eBooks
written by Mr. Milham, please visit www.sunsetinn.net and click
on the "Publications" link.
|
|
| |
| |
