We all say shopping online is safe, convenient and easier but how safe is safe, how safe are these sites? Every day we here of situations of how people fall into the hands of fraudsters and how private information is being made public. Many social networks have experienced scams, identity theft and privacy issues; not too long facebook faced some privacy issues. I have heard of cases when people close down their social pages to avoid the situation of identity theft. Is this now the solution to being safe? By staying off social networks or not shopping online or even saying the Lord’s Prayer several times before transacting online. Some of us even look at the security trust seals such as VeriSign Secured, a golden padlock on the web address link before purchasing an item or releasing personal details online, but is this enough?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124949972905908593.html
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/june/electronics-computers/social-insecurity/overview/index.htm
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I am not a huge online shopper, but that mostly has to do with the fact that I truly enjoy the actual in-store shopping experience over online shopping. I recognize that online shopping poses many security & privacy threats, but then again, so does the use of a credit card and/or debit card in any physical location. A few years ago, some fraudulent charges were processed against my debit card while I was vacationing in the Caribbean. Although minor, I had to contact my bank and write about 2 letters explaining the situation & this was a complete inconvenience. My point is that we run the risk of identity theft, fraudulent transactions, etc. whether we shop online or not. We can revert to pay with cash for everything, but we then run the risk of being robbed and not building a solid credit history. As alluded to in your posting, the key is to be smart, cautious, and ensure that you engage in online shopping with the "most" trusted sources. We will never be 100% risk free, as living in a bubble is not an option.
ReplyDeleteSafety and security are certainly a major issue when you go online to make a purchase. Social media is not always used for making new friends. Identity thieves scour social networking sites looking for any information they can use to steal someones identity. According to an article "Can Marketers Behave Themselves?" which can be accessed via this link, approximately
ReplyDelete154 million people can expect to
have their identities stolen by 2012. Something must be done to prevent these thieves from using this information for the wrong reasons. The problem is that many of these thieves operate in places like Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia and they are difficult to apprehend. I discuss the supposed greatest "heist" in the history of the Internet in my weekly blog entry which can be accessed via this link.
References:
Can Marketers Behave Themselves?
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2041531211&sid=1&Fmt=6&clientId=20175&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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ReplyDeleteAna, I totally agree that life was much simpler in the 90's! :) However the reality is that we do live in a world of online socializing; where we willingly choose to share tons of personal information about ourselves. And Social Networks do take advantage of that, however you should check out my post for details about how Facebook and other networks might be using your information and how you can prevent it!
ReplyDeleteWhile the net has become a double edged sword as far as shopping safely and revealing personal information, it is not as bad as it sounds. At least not yet.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this is the reality with what we have to live with. With every new development in technology or economic business development, there is always a downside that can potentially bring negative consequences. At the same time, if you take good and intelligent precautions you can also avoid being a victim.
For example, when you buy from a random site online, it is imperative that you do some due diligence on the company with who you are buying from. Make sure they have a customer service number and that it works. Read the about us section to learn about the business. Even google the word scam and the name of the business. Do they accept credit cards or paypal. If these things don't come to light, then there is something wrong with the picture. Furthermore, at the present time it is very secure to purchase almost anything online as the card holder almost always has the advantage when it comes to charges. Internet sites are the biggest risk to companies who are selling a product or service as far as credit card processing goes. In fact, anyone can just call up their credit card company and refuse to pay for the charge (charge back) and will 9/10 times have their way. Why that is? because to the associations (master card & visa) what is a guaranteed good transaction is one in which the card is physically present, physically swiped, and have a valid signature from the card holder. Internet website have none of these. Therefore, the card holder always has an upper hand.