In the old days bank robbers used to come into a bank, with a mask and a gun, and take off with the money. The money that they were stealing belonged to the people of the town, the bank was just holding it for them. Nowadays bank robbers can use the Internet and go right to those people and steal their money, many times without them even knowing it. All they need to do is to get your bank account number, Social Security number, or credit card number and suddenly you've become a victim of bank robbery identity theft. We need to be educated on how to protect ourselves in this ever-changing world of the Internet.
Protect Yourself...
Important Questions and Answers
How Do I Know If a Web Site Is Safe For Me To Give My Credit Card Number, Bank Account Number, Or Social Security Number to?
The first and most important thing to do when entering private information is to look for the little lock at the bottom of your Internet browser. Double click on the lock icon and make sure that the certificate is from a trusted source. Your computer should let you know if it is not from a trusted source. The secure Website should begin with https://, rather than just http://. It is also important to look for the words "Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)" or a pop-up window that indicates that you are about to enter a secure area.
Should I ever send my personal banking information through e-mail?
The simple answer is no. Since SSL does not work in an e-mail environment you should never send personal information through e-mail.
What about giving my personal banking information over the phone?
Giving your credit card number and other personal information over the phone is usually ok, as long as you make a note of who you are giving it to. Always jot down the name of the person you are giving it to, the company that they work for, the date and time, and the phone number.
Do you have any suggestions regarding passwords?
One suggestion is that you do not give out any information about yourself including passwords. When you are choosing a password use one that someone will not be able to figure out. For example your pet's name is not too difficult for anyone to figure out. In fact your mother's maiden name might also be easy to figure out, so be careful and choose wisely. I like to incorporate letters, numbers, and one or two capital letters as a habit when making a password. You might even want to consider punctuation marks. When asked a security question try to think of something that no one else would know. Roboform is one of the many great tools available on the Internet for storing and managing passwords securely. It can even generate a random password for you.
How do I verify the credibility and reliability of a business that I want to purchase products from?
The Internet is a very big place, and reaches out to the whole world. Therefore it is becoming more and more important for businesses to show some form of verification about who they are, their reputation, and who to contact if a complaint should occur. If the company you're dealing with is not a well-known and trusted business, you might want to check to see if they have a Better Business Bureau icon somewhere on their web site. You can go to bbb.org to check out a company's identity and reputation. You can also visit the Google Groups to see if that company has had any complaints, unhappy customers, or even fraud attached to their name. Just go to Google Groups Website and type in "Company name fraud" or "Company name scam" or "Company name feedback or review", you could even try "Company name sucks" and you might be surprised at what you find. Another way of determining a company's credibility is to contact the Office of the State Attorney General in the state where that seller is located. You can access this information at the website of the National Association of Attorneys General.
What do you suggest if I'm buying from a company that is outside the United States?
If the store you are buying from is located outside of the United States, the laws may be very different than what they are within the United States. You need to determine what your legal rights are in that country, and how they are enforced.
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