When Shopping Online, It's BuyerBeware.Com

Newswise — More people than ever will do at least part of their holiday shopping via the Internet, yet a large number of web surfers are still reluctant to make purchases online because of security concerns. But, says Anat Hovav, assistant professor of management information systems at Temple, there is no proof that Internet shopping is any less safe than shopping over the phone, via a catalogue or in person. "Many of us will give our credit card number over the phone without hesitation," she says. "We feel comfortable with hearing a voice on the other end and we feel that we have recourse in case of fraud. Yet, there are many phone-related commerce frauds." Hovav offers the following guidelines for shoppers making online purchases this holiday season: try to shop with reputable companies; choose sites that have privacy and a security certification; never provide personal information before browsing a site; never let a web site store remember your logon, password or credit card number; check for alternative payment methods; and finally, check your credit card company's policies. To reassure online shoppers, says Hovav, most secure web sites will have a security window prompt that states a secure message such as: 'You have requested a secure document. The document and any information you send back are encrypted for privacy while in transit.' But, she warns, if a site does not have such a window or if a site declares the transaction to be unsecured, shoppers should not input sensitive information.