:08 Introduction

:17 How Big Is Cyber-Monday?

:37 The Risks Of Online Shopping

1:05 The Reality

1:36 Beware Of Email Scams

1:58 Your SSN

2:11 Your Password

2:57 Private Surfing

3:14 Purchase in Public?

4:03 Poorly Designed Sites

4:18 Contact Details

4:48 Company Reputation

5:17 Billing, Shipping and Guarantees

5:36 Privacy Policy

6:09 Using Secure Sites

7:27 Correct Information Entered

7:59 Using The Correct Card

8:09 Using Paypal

8:34 Record Purchase Details

9:02 Logging Out

9:15 Final Ideas

This is Tim with I Didn’t Wrap My Gift and this is the news.

style="text-align: center;">Introduction

We are now in the midst of the busiest shopping time of the year with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner.

How big is cyber monday?

Last year in 2012 online sales reached almost 1.5 Billion Dollars on cyber-Monday alone.

Using the internet to purchase goods or services saves considerable time and effort – and also presents you with the widest choice. There are, however, risks associated with online shopping and you need to take care with what you are buying, from whom, and how you pay for your purchases.

style="text-align: center;">Our Fears

 There is always a fear that when we give our personal financial information out online, we might be giving it to the wrong person and this person might do their best to take advantage of us.

Not only do we have to worry about mere fraud, but fake web sites, fake goods, lack of quality in goods.

Despite this fear, we have to face reality- Online shopping is not going away.

Never fear, online security continues to advance and there are valid arguments that online shopping might be the safest form of shopping if you approach it in an intelligent way.

We are going to look at how we can safely shop online this holiday season.

 

style="text-align: center;">17 Things You Need To Know To Stay Secure This Shopping Season

 

style="text-align: center;">GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Beware of email scams and avoid clicking on hyperlinks in emails you are not familiar with

Never give out financial information based off an email requesting your financial info

Any reputable entity- your bank included- will NEVER send an e-mail asking for login, password or credit card information.

2. NEVER give out your Social Security Number

…EVER

Your trusted institutions, such as your bank will never ask for it; especially through e-mail.

3. Use a strong password whenever you do anything online

Do not use your Username or part of your username in your password.

The ideal password length should be more than 12 characters.

Include Uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols in your password.

Do not use something common such as birthdays, phone numbers or friends names in your password.

style="text-align: center;">GOING ONLINE

4. Privatize your wi-fi

If you can get a Virtual Private Network, or VPN set up on your laptop, then you will be better prepared because you will be surfing on a secure connection.

Anyone who may use digital equipment to intercept your information will find it difficult to do so.

5. Do not make a purchase in a public place

If you are going to make a purchase, make it at home

If you do make a purchase in a public place, make sure it is on a terminal you own.

Try not to use public terminals such as in internet cafes or in the public library.

If you do use one of these, then make sure you log out after using them

Stick to places with free wi-fi, like Panera bread or Starbucks. Now is not the time to look for untested hotspots.

When surfing online, make sure you are in a position where someone cannot look over your shoulder

style="text-align: center;">ONSITE

6. Stay away from sites that look like they are poorly designed

If a site is poorly designed, then it might be a clue that the merchant is not planning on making a long term commitment.

7. Ensure you know the contact details of the online retailer

Most of the time when you are shopping online, this is not really an issue because you are dealing with a big company such as Amazon or overstock

For lesser known companies- look for the Contact details that show phone numbers and physical locations; not just an email.

If the only way to contact someone is by an email contact form, then you might want to dig in a little further until you get some better answers on how to contact someone if something comes up.

8. Find out more about the company’s reputation

If you are not sure about the company, it might be wise to do a google search for the company to ensure that there is nothing too crazy written about them.

You should have, if the site is established enough, opportunities to read reviews from fellow consumers or see if there are any negative complaints to be found on a Better Business Bureau website.

If there are any questions, then you may want to use the phone number found at the company contact information section to call and find out some answers.

9. Find out about the guarantees, the billing and shipping costs before you buy

Take a good look before sending out your credit card information to ensure that there are no hidden fees or difficult payment details.

Pay attention to shipping costs. Carriers such as UPS and FEDEX are moderately priced, but some options for shipping might be too expensive.; especially if you live in Alaska or Hawaii. Make sure the shipping does not break your budget.

You might want to see if there is a flat rate or if there are free shipping deals available.

10. Make sure you understand the site Privacy Policy

The privacy policy is the place where you find out how a company will use your information once you are past the initial purchase transaction.

Such future plans more than likely include contacting you with information regarding sales, news updates or something educational that may add some value or entertainment.

Some companies will pass on your information on to 3rd party merchants- this is how you end up getting SPAM’d.

You have to decide how you are going to give out your information.

11. Only use a secure website when you do decide to purchase

Once you have decided that you can trust a company, make sure that your financial information is not compromised along the way

The best way to do this is to ensure that the online site is using a secure connection

The most common form of secure encryption is known as Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL. SSL will take your information and break i into fragments so that if someone were to try to intercept the message, they would only get small bits- nothing of real use.

To see if there is a SSL Connection, there are a few things you want to look out for:

Depending on which browser you are using, you may get a message stating that you are going to a secure connection

When you look on to your address bar, you will see the address make a change from http to https, with the additional “S†meaning secure

There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window. If there is no padlock, don’t make a purchase. If there is a padlock but it is not on the main page, it may be a fraudulent  website.

Depending upon what browser you are using, the address bar or the name of the site owner may turn green.

 

style="text-align: center;">DURING PURCHASE

12. Make sure you are careful to enter in the correct information- especially if you are ordering personalized stuff

Some of the biggest challenges come from when someone mistypes the wrong shipping or billing information, product code or quantity.

If you are ordering something that is personalized, then make sure that the information you want on the product is clearly labeled so that there is no dissatisfaction once you get the product. most of the time customer error is enough to void any guarantees.

style="text-align: left;">13. Use a credit card with fraud protection

Make sure to use a credit card that offers fraud protection so that in the unlikely case your card number becomes compromised, then you will be covered.

14. Use a secure means of transferring money such as Paypal rather than transferring money to an individual

Use services such as Paypal when the website is unfamiliar. Paypal allows you to pay for services without giving the online merchant any of your financial information.

 

style="text-align: center;">AFTER PURCHASE

15. Record purchase details

Make sure that once the transaction is complete, you make a copy of the online receipt. If no receipt or record is sent to you, then write it down.

If you can, take a screen shot of your purchase so that you will have a record.

Once your card is charged then you can look back to ensure that you were not charged something that was not previously agreed upon.

16. Always log out of the site when you are finished

Simply closing out your browser is not enough to make sure your information remains private.

If a website required you to log-in, then make it a practice to log out.

 

style="text-align: center;">17. SOME FINAL IDEAS

When shopping on mobile, use in-house Apps for purchases whenever possible.

If you are purchasing items from another country, then make sure that you are knowledgeable about possible taxes or sales duties, currency exchanges or even the legality of the purchase.

 

I hope you have found these to be useful

You will be able to find me, some unique gift ideas and some useful information at our main site at href="http://www.ididntwrapmygift.com">www.ididntwrapmygift.com

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ATTRIBUTIONS:

Online Shopping by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/intelfreepress/">Intel Free Press  Link to Photo:href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54450095@N05/6983545613/in/photolist-bD7uNR-aGGa3X-aGGqzv-aGG6ZK-bH4iGn-aGFXiH-95RMUP-aGGcek-aR6TdP-arpovv-8Fuvx7-9Bvyxw-9PSGT6-eJE2id-eJE2hN-eJE2fQ-b9H8MD-dE5i5s-dYpRMT-geCVaa-h8cTKh-fTBzeD-dSrZC2-h8A9ea-efwdps-93nMnq-8idDi8-8WeRWs-9h79G7-84dS7k-fo4nBn-dnd4f9-eRUwuN-8XC2VK-8XC2Nn-84hM8y-7JiECT-7JiCh8-7JntEd-7JiEXH-7Jnsmm-8V4AMp-dSSNRJ-dSMdLF-dSMeXr-dSSNJf-dSMePT-dSSPVo-dSMdhF-7K9Wbi-7JiwmH"> Here

Fake Goods By href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eprater/">Ethan Prater Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21729155@N00/5311120951/in/photolist-96jTdT-axwR6R-8cAGxf-8zuDyp-89iMqf-89fzXn-ccCAgJ-8zxMHU-8pPA7F-7Xxf6F-dxcF6R-dxcF9e-dxi8xJ-dyMuUm-dz8VYV-dz8ZgK-dzeq1s-dxcFeP-dzet2S-dzepZ9-dxcFbz-dz8ZjV-dz8W1t-dzexzA-dzepVh-dzeyRo-dzeSbw-bzepws-9Ej1qZ-8kT9Xk-dHUqBt-8cbBWM-ehkK4F-8Mw8ou-bTiYze-95VrSj-dz94zX-dz94Rt-dzesYY-dxi8Bu-95FjgF-87DQQ3-a1PdKc-buh5BT-dzepYw-aqRcCR-9Ek5x7-7Kiaxh-7Hj9RB-bu2pot-ajJvv3">Here

Email Scam by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/git/">Steve R  Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98621709@N00/393235816/in/photolist-AKriS-2WLSwU-4487BY-47dqF7-4aa25h-5LzYxq-5ZYD3p-5ZYGBH-613MZs-72iABW-7gZCzX-dAPegg-7L67LB-cfwA2u-8JYkSd-9fcJmP-9fcJsT-9fcJtZ-9fcJBt-9fcJxr-9ffSDN-9ffSxQ-9ffSjs-8Lj5zT-9vjZPE-etz6n9-8gRECF-9Fki5w">Here

Password By href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewcalcara/">MCalcara1 Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/76357607@N03/9714617246/in/photolist-fNrXfN-buqKKe-9ipewH-bxgGVo-bQuTP8-bMWDRK-8Nmg6y-bLMVaa-bq2E8b-83fnz2-cLoMtW-99NMAh-8cG4Xs-8cG4Zm-8cCKGZ-8cG52q-8cG513-bqurwA-bqun1Y-bDph3a-bDpjtZ-bDpk2a-bDphFc-bDpfXp-bDpg18-bDpiDP-bqur65-bqur2Y-bDpkgH-bqunBS-bqumK9-bquojw-bDphZX-bqupEL-bDpgtg-bquoTu-bqumYU-bDpi4g-bqunV5-bqupss-bquqTN-bquqaN-bqurbS-bDpmMi-bquo2J-bqunXC-bqupfo-bDpkqK-bqupiw-bDpiGe-bDpmdk">Here

Wifi by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/imeall/">Imeallach Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45709090@N00/52501323/in/photolist-5D5Pe-5MWTX-6pWSA-6pWSB-6pWSC-6XWDY-7SSmR-82isf-8QGQn-e75u6-ePtF5-fHmj2-fHs5c-hMP1k-kWf8K-mGtR3-nrKT7-pr2JL-qAgRT-qAgVZ-qAh3m-qAh9a-BSNkV-CpPQ4-DCrzj-EHCCQ-P97R2-Pn2do-Shjfb-2bkdQQ-2VXBRE-34ziF6-3d4ghg-3dk6hX-3iYn5F-4cSMLj-4f3QMh-4fEzoe-4iUdrL-4EWeip-4FSjuv-52ne8U-5rz85r-5s3wqh-5u2Fqa-5wypVR-5VwWqR-6bVFrd-6c8mn9-6dFqq9-6mxZGX">Here

Public Internet Terminals by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksulib/">KSULib Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23583205@N05/5643641653/in/photolist-9AH93r-9AL3ju-9AL4a1-9AH2eX-9AKW6d-9AL4os-9AL4gS-9AL43y-9AH1Ti-cH82XN-7CJuY7-7WVmA2-dvbQ7L-7VpP9r-dYJ9uz-dYPRsS-dYJ9un-fUEN1a-daNP1n-cGs8Lb-djZuCw-8JsL6W-8JpGRX-axcW5J-8X5ep3-bEicbQ-9AxaWU-a5wYy7-8Y5RRx-7TX6rr-gh7Buy-fjxPNa-8JYMz8-7W2iBK-8zxyLQ-9Zb6qn">Here

Shipping by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erik-leenaars/">erikleenaars Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erik-leenaars/4683415185/sizes/m/in/photolist-88RJaF-a2fcFK-7EXK1C-be9sRM-8EQYsp-95uCo9-a4dmGa-caUJUA-8Xsjfk-bswndn-eDFvhk-eEyHQV-8Aag9R-eE2hvu-7WHxvQ-bXzTqJ-8z545V-a4gd11-8oLYsD-agBcWN-95rzAt-95rzBe-85ckwP-fL9Bqb-axqDhC-bsTkn9-axqFzu-aF6zZd-ax8XGs-ax8Wzf-aCQYKs-aCQYKo-ehyAEf-9ypNqH-axnPYA-cAwTjG-aCuCnq-8ezDVL-aD56yn-aD9gC9-axkcaT-aCQYKy-aCQwC7-aDkso8-ch81yu-ch81xG-aD5kDk-cCz3Fb-8fj5VP-8JBzsE-aSBvB2/">Here

Secure Sockets Layer By href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99658954@N06/">Roger Grant Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/99658954@N06/9457559530/in/photolist-fpJsXd-e3nUWG-e2W4dA-dLR5pE-dry419-84NrFr-7QuSmi-9851h4-9851un-dcGc1h-c2R13L-7LefiW">Here

SSL Padlock by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hebergersite/">Aymane Remmal Link to Photo: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38675383@N06/3555838037/in/photolist-6qdALn-6RqaE3-6Rqbpy-6RqbGo-7aT5LN-7nTivQ-a5KGQ4-bjFP7a-dCQGZ6-bn6UHR-dxdaHW-aTQbQX-84Fmim-fpJsXd-e3nUWG-e2W4dA-dLR5pE-dry419-dcGc1h-c2R13L-84NrFr-7QuSmi-7LefiW-9851h4-9851un">Here

Customer Error Frustration by href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/centermez/">Creative Ignition Link to Photo href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/72087499@N05/7104203797/in/photolist-bPLUhn-bvH8Dv-7WepXX-eETBiA-7HQ5oB-91G5LG-9y23Bn-7zG6JH-a5DhK6-dad6Yc-85jxSX-9qdw4t-9qdvDe-foL6AD-9WkGd7-8CXEzR-duwmUQ-85yPya-df85XL-8bgkCP-87vyfz-7xJ3iC-8Jph1S-9zfQLF-bow9bZ-9nVZ2D-h8TDkn-ekcbCY-bPLUcT-8L8Cgn-9oBiuw-hfQn9S-7L4M17-dTCXUL-foRbxn-h1oHfi-8X4aBQ-gJX5xm-7AhpY2-7PjREN-8Rixjy-7UsPK1-aAfXxx-dyR1st-bThywe-dGFRhU-9zAAce-ei31f4-aa1DXz">Here

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