MOUNT VERNON — For many people, online shopping is as tied to Christmas as the ribbon around the packages. And while shoppers find sales, the ease of comparing prices, and relief from heavy retail traffic, the fear of identity theft can taint the convenience of online shopping. But there are steps online shoppers can take to alleviate those fears.
Many measures online shoppers can take to protect themselves are the ones they should be practicing while just reading their email. For example, do not click on links in emails you receive and keep your computer’s web browser up to date with the latest versions to maintain the latest security protection. Also, anti-malware programs provide baseline protection.
Shopping safeguards include shopping only with familiar stores and companies. The Better Business Bureau Online approves sites that meet their security standards.
To further protect your purchases, only enter your credit card information on a secure server. Shoppers can tell if a website is secure by looking at the address at the top of the browser. All websites begin with http://. If the address begins https://, the ‘s’ means the site is secure.
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