Wednesday, September 28, 2011

How To Pay Securely With Your Credit Card Online

The internet has not only made communication easier but it has made it possible for users to visit virtual online payless shoe store, online clothing store, online computer store, ovi store for download, online electronics store, android apps store, cell phone store, etc. for low cost and very cheap and affordable  products or pay for services online.


It is normal to find internet users paying for stuffs using their credit cards; however one thing has become a constant worry for shoppers, the security of their financial data or information. It is common to hear some friends comment about the convenience of using the internet to for researching about items they want to buy. They love the idea of purchasing bargain price stuff from an online shop using a credit card which means they have the advantage of buying now and pay later, also because it saves time and cost associate with your movement from home to the physical shop.

Your financial details or credit card information is as secured as you make it. The safety of your Visa Card or Master card depends on whether you are able to take some simple precaution. These steps include:

1. Do online shopping using your own personal computer:

Using your own computer is important instead of using a computer that is used by the several persons provides a level of financial safety because genuine as well as fraudulent websites store some light weight programs called cookies and these cookies are used to store some information on the computer, like information of your browsing history and other data, for example when you visit  an online computer store to buy low cost computer or its accessories these cookies take record of the IP address of the computer, the country the connection is coming from, how long the connection lasted and such technical information but excluding personal financial data. Think what a malicious person could do with this information if able to access this information. Using your own system ensures you enjoy a greater level of security.

2. Use a secure web browser:

When it comes to safety of credit details it could mean you should have not only internet explorer installed in your system but also have other browsers like Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Chrome. And when it’s time to shop switch to this other browsers, why, because most internet crimes were carried out through the popular browser; what does that mean, it means  most cyber crimes planning have been done with internet explorer in mind and using other browsers gives you an added advantage of better level of security. It worth knowing that presently modern browses have assumed artificial intelligence that it is able to sniff compromise  by malicious software if you are using explorer get the latest version; explorer 8 or above. The next time you visit an ovi store to download related software make sure you are using a modern browser.

3. Use one credit card for all your online transaction:

Get a credit card specifically for online transactions. Do you want to change your electronic and you want to shop at an online electronics store or Android apps store to download android apps for installation in your phone? You can use this card to complete this transaction. The card should have a spending limit and you can even request that any spending above that limit must get a personal confirmation from you. Or you could request that apart from the preset credit limit that you will want to confirm all purchases before it goes through.

4. Buy from a reputable organization:

You don’t send your money to any Tom, Dick and Harry, Find out the details of the merchant you are buying from. Is it reputable, does it have the good will of your other online shoppers, is it phone numbers working, does the organization have a physical address. If you cannot verify this entire thing then there is a possibility that you are not dealing with a genuine website. It is not because you want baseline price that online shop provide that you neglected to confirm this details before making payment with your card.

5. Don’t send credit card details through an email:

Email is not a much secured communication means, so it is not advisable to send your financial data via emails. Online vendors’ that sell items like shoe in their store most time give discounted price where you payless sometime request that you send scanned copy of your credit card via emails. You can send but ensure you mask all the digits except the last 4 digits.

6. Shop from a secured website:

Buy from a secure and trustworthy online store. Check the site to see if the vendor looks professional,
And if it has registered business name and is the name clearly visible on the site are the contact details clearly visible?

Also, see if the site is using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Websites that use SSL have website addresses starting with HTTPS: instead of HTTP: and if your browser and the store has the latest online website security, known as Extended Validation SSL Certificate, all or part of your address bar may turn green and there should be an unbroken padlock or key symbol at the bottom right hand corner of your browser window frame. The padlock means any private information you send over the Internet will be encrypted or scrambled. This symbol does not give full proof security, so be sure to check that the seller is who they say they are, their certificate is current and is registered to the right physical address.

7. Use a Virtual credit card:


If you still feel unsecured with using your credit card you can still shop using a virtual credit card. This is cards that have a pre defined credit and you are only required to give minimal personal details while acquiring it. These credit cards are for one time use only with 2 to 4 days validity.  A virtual card can be used not online in buying greeting cards but also in other ‘cyber’ stores such as online computer store, online home fitting store, online office accessories store or even online cell phone store.

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