On-line Purchases

[Guest]

Some other things to try:

1. The LastPass password manager. Works in all browsers. LastPass.com for more info.

2. Use a prepaid type Visa or MasterCard for online or brick and mortar store purchases. These cost to use and load (put money on) but come in handy for using sites you are not certain of. If that card gets hijacked they can only steal what's on the card.

[Guest LadyC]

identity theft is a huge problem these days.... and not just online. in fact, in the 13 years i've been using the internet to shop, i've never had a single problem result from my virtual shopping sprees. but i did have my identity stolen years ago... several charge accounts opened in my name, and i no amount of police reports was going to convince those companies that i didn't open them. took years for it to finally fall off my credit record, and i still get letters saying i owe... on one of them, the last time i checked, the interest was accumulating at over $500/month.

and the theft didn't occur online. i suspect it was one of my daughters' friends, because one of the addresses that was used to open an account was at an apartment complex where her friend lived. didn't find that out until long after the fact, though, because it was nearly a year before i ever even learned of it having been opened.

more recently, about a year and a half ago, my debit card was stolen. i found out the next morning when BoA called me and asked if i was attempting to make a purchase at a local Lowes store. i said no, i was sitting at home in my jammies. the bank called because the person had tried 4 times unsuccessfully to make a purchase for more than i had in the bank at the time. they immediately locked out the account and called me, probably before the guy got out of the parking lot. fortunately, the only thing he did get away with was about $17 in gas.

the point of my story is this... don't write off the option of shopping online because of your experience. yes, it sucks that it happened. but it happens OFFLINE to people every day. just be cautious, and always mke sure that if you're shopping online, that the page where you pay is secure... there should be a padlock icon in the URL bar, and the url should start with 'https' instead of http.

[Tyler John]

Thanks everyone for some really useful advice. I have also been told that it is a good idea not to use bookmarks when going to one's bank or card accounts, as this can somehow allow hackers to access ones passwords etc.

[He giveth more grace]

Thanks for everyone's input of knowledge and experience.

I was told that I would not be responsible for this thief, but they haven't credited my account yet, I will call today.

[Invisible]

Some more tips that might come in handy and limit the damage.

1. Check you bank balance on a regular basis, that way you can immediately see if someone has swiped your card.

2. Check you credit scores on a regular basis as well, that way you can see if someone has swiped your ID

3. Never leave your drivers licence on view in your wallet, with mobile phones as they are today someone can easily snap a picture of your license and use that to apply for credit cards etc.

If I have any more pieces of advice, I will post them.

[enoob57]

Ps 32:8

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

NKJV

[Guest shiloh357]

My bank offers a special card that acts like a debit card. I can transfer money from my account to that card. I only transfer enough to make a given purchase. It has no connection to my account, so if I am online and this card gets hacked, they don't get any money since the number on the card is not to any of my accounts.

[He giveth more grace]

Thanks all!

I just purchased a Green Dot Card designated for on-line shopping.

A fool and his money is soon departed. (Prov.)

[freeinnocentspirit]

depending on which browser you use as well, there are add-ons which can help.

For firefox look for WOT (web of Trust), users can rate a website on how trust worthy it is.

Google Chrome also has security addons which can help as well.

Final tip, when checking out of an online store, Make sure that in the address bar it says https://www............ instead of http://www....... the s at the end designates that it is a secure server it is using.

Now do not get me wrong, all of these things will not stop the determined id thief, but it will stop 95% of casual thieves.

Other online tips. Never use an easy to guess password, always use a password which uses letters and numbers in both upper and lower case, and if you can remeber it use symbols as well. this makes passwords very difficult to hack.

Here is a good website to check how tough your passwords are to crack. http://www.passwordmeter.com/

I agree, I once bought something for my mum using my credit card. She used to use Chrome so i put the order through and got a confirmation number then accidentally she pressed back and ended up on the page with my whole card number with the expiry date and everything. I was a flaw with Chrome so we have now all moved to Firefox.

thanks for the advice Invisible.

[Fez]

My cards are connected to my cell phone. Every time I use one (or South), I get an instantaneous SMS telling me how much was spent and where. I cannot get onto my online bank account unless I enter an SMS code number that is sent to my phone when I log on.

My bank uses Prevx v3.0 as its security and I use it as well. It gives the ip address of the site you log onto.

Card cloning is a big problem here, the machines are so small they fit in the palm of your hand. I watch my card like a hawk, and in restaurants they bring the card swiper to your table so that you can swipe it.

Even with all of these controls we are now on micro chipped cards that cannot be easily cloned.