Website Security: Protecting Youself from Internet Thieves


by Chris1203 - Date: 2007-08-03 - Word Count: 312 Share This!

Yes, cyber theft is BIG news these days. Internet thieves can easily steal your credit card information and go on big spending sprees, at your expense, if you give them the chance. At least, that's how the news makes it sound. But it's not quite that simple. The fact is, the chance of thieves stealing your credit card information online is no more risky than that fresh-faced store clerk at the local mall stealing it. For online shopping, you just need to take a few steps to insure that the website is secured.

Most ecommerce sites offer some form of security that makes it difficult for thieves to steal your information. Always look for this protection and, if the site does not have it, do not shop there. Period. Here's how to tell if the site offers this security:

The BEST, and most used, protection against cyber thieves is Secure Sockets Layer technology (SSL). SSL scrambles your credit card (and other personal information) so that computer hackers cannot steal it enroute. There are many ways to tell if the site you're using is secure:

All web addresses begin with http://. However, if the site is a secured one, this prefix should read: https://. The addition of the "s" means that the site is secured. Another indicator of a secured site is an icon of a closed padlock or an unbroken key at the bottom of the screen. (You may not actually see these icons until you come to a section where security is necessary, such as an order form.) Because some fraudulent websites try to imitate this feature, always click or double-click on the icon to see details of the site's security.

While checking for such security takes less than a minute, it is THE most important precaution you can take in fighting cyber thieves and keeping your money out of their pockets!

Related Tags: online shopping, ssl, website security, cyber thieves

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