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Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Information
you give to a Web site can be intercepted (sniffed) and stolen if it is not protected
properly. Never give personal information like account numbers, passwords or credit
card numbers to any Web site unless you know it's safe to do so. How do you know it's
safe? I wrote the following article to teach you the basics of how to insure your
safety and privacy when shopping, banking and paying bills online.
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You found this great Web site with just the thing you've been wanting to buy. You're ready
to checkout and place your order. What do you need to know to SAFELY place your
order? Responsible online merchants protect your personal and credit card information
with a technology called SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). SSL
encrypts/scrambles your information when it is transmitted
across the Internet between your computer and the online merchant.
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SSL should be used at the online merchants checkout page. This is the page you enter
your personal, credit card and shipping information. If an online merchant does not use
SSL or a similar technology your credit card and personal information can be intercepted
and stolen.
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Your Internet browser (what you use to view the Internet) must also support the use of
SSL. Most modern Internet browsers for example,
Microsoft's Internet Explorer,
Mozilla
or
Opera support the use of SSL to protect your
personal information as it travels across the Internet. How do you know if the Web site
you're shopping at protects you when you place an order?
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To ensure your personal information is protected:
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1) Verify the address (URL) of the Web site begins with the letters https://
NOT http://. The "s" in the address stands for secure. A normal Web page that does not
offer protection begins with http://. (see the image below)
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2) If you are using Microsoft's Internet Explorer verify that you see a small, closed,
gold/yellow lock at the bottom right corner. (see the image below)
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The two indicators to a secure Web page are standards used by most popular Internet
browsers. The gold/yellow lock may look different or be located in a different
position depending on the version of the Internet browser or the company that
created it.
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NEVER enter and submit passwords, usernames, credit card or any personal
or private information on a Web page that does not show the 2 security indicators
I've described. If you enter information on a Web site that does not offer
SSL protection your information traverses the Internet "in the clear" meaning it
can be read by anyone who intercepts it.
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Complete and perfect computer security does not exist.. For example,
malicious individuals have created Web sites that fraudulently display the gold/yellow
closed lock security icons. However, if you verify the Web sites address begins with
https:// NOT http:// and look for the closed lock icon you
dramatically increase the likelihood you are safe to shop or submit personal and
private information.
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NOTE: Certain types of computer Trojans, worms and other malware enable malicious
individuals to record each keystroke you type using what is referred to as a
"keylogger". The information the keylogger collects is then sent to the malicious
individual by e-mail or other methods. Even if the connection between your computer
and a Web site is secured using SSL any passwords, usernames, etc can be intercepted
as you type them.
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To protect yourself from this type of threat you need to install antivirus and
spyware protection software on your computer/s. Choose applications that
automatically update themselves to offer the most current protection. If you
can not afford to purchase antivirus or anti spyware products consider trying FREE
products like AVG Antivirus, Ad-Aware SE
and Spybot Search. These products have established a
good reputation for both effectiveness and reliability. Read my article
"Enhance Computer Safety" to learn more ways to protect
yourself if your computer/s are connected to the Internet.
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If you have any comments on how I might improve this information please offer your
suggestions. Thanks, Tom
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