by Joseph Kenny | 11/30/09
Keeping your credit card information safe online should be your primary concern when you consider shopping online. It can be easy to get caught up in the low prices, free shipping, and ease of the shopping experience but if you are not using safe online shopping practices then you could be risking your credit card information and your identity.
Anytime you do anything with your credit card online or think about using your credit card online, remember these tips to keep your credit card and your identity safe.
Watch For Trick Websites And Emails
There are many variations on the tricks that are used to try to get you to hand over your credit card information. If these individuals can get you to just hand it over then there is no need for them to actively hack your accounts to steal this information. You will have done the work for them. You may think that you can spot these tricks, but they get more convincing every day.
Never give your credit card information through emails. This means not giving it in an email or in a site that you opened by clicking on a link in an email. The email and the site may appear to be official, but there are many convincing fake emails and websites. Before you enter in your credit card information, type in the web address that you would like to visit yourself instead of clicking on a link.
Also, check to se if the site is secure. A secure address will begin with https:// and the site itself should have a small icon of a padlock located at the bottom of your internet browser. If you do not see this or if anything seems off then do not enter any information.
Do Not Store Your Information
It is so much easier to store your credit card information with a site that you visit with some regularity. It is certainly faster than typing in the same credit card information every time you want to make a purchase. There is a drawback to this convenience, however.
Storing your credit card information can make it easier for hackers to get their hands on that information. Having to type in the same information every time you visit a particular website may seem like a bit of a hassle, but having to deal with the aftermath of your information being stolen and used to make numerous charges to your account will be a much bigger one.
Create Effective Passwords
Passwords are used to get into all manner of sites on the web. You want to make sure that no one could guess or figure out any of your passwords or any personal information available on that account will be the hacker's to use as he or she sees fit. Follow these guidelines.
Do not reuse passwords. You want a new one for every website account. Don't use obvious information to form them either. Birthdays, phone numbers, and obvious pieces of information are too easily discovered as passwords.
To make your passwords strong you will want to make then at least six characters in length. Combine letters, numbers, and punctuation to make them more difficult to guess. Finally, do not save password lists on your computer or store them in any place where others could get to them.
Keeping credit card information safe online is a matter of being smart. Be vigilant. Protect yourself from threats by avoiding potential attacks when you can and shielding yourself from the threats you cannot always avoid.