Does anyone shop, bank, pay bills, invest in stocks or mutual funds, or manage an IRA online?
While you need to be wary of fly-by-night Web merchants with too-good-too-be-true offers, online electronic security protocols and practices can be safer than reading your credit card information over the phone. To verify the site is legitimate and transactions will be secure: • Click on the seals of approval links to verify their authenticity: TrustE , BBBOnline (the online version of the Better Business Bureau), and BizRate.com which uses a 10-point rating system to evaluate online retailers. • Call the company on the phone and judge whether they sound legitimate. • Read the privacy policy: what will they do with your personal information? If it’s difficult to understand, move on. • Verify that transactions are encrypted, before you enter your credit card or personal information: check for “https” instead of “http” in the Address bar and for the secure “lock” icon at the bottom of your browser’s screen on the taskbar. • Check your monthly statements, watch for unrecognized transactio
