Media contact: Janet C. Hart, APR, CFEE (704) 927-9617 office
CHARLOTTE,
N.C. -- Identity theft claimed 10 million victims in 2008, a 22 percent
increase over 2007, according to a report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The
Better Business Bureau warns that the holiday season provides many
opportunities for scammers to steal your identity when you’re shopping online.
“Identity
theft can happen to you whether you’re shopping online or shopping at the mall,”
said BBB President Tom Bartholomy. “However,
it is critical for you to take specific steps to protect yourself from
high-tech, identity thieves.”
Forty-four
percent of holiday shoppers make purchases online. Every year, scammers devise
online schemes to trick online shoppers into divulging personal information
such as credit card numbers. If you are shopping online, the BBB recommends
that you:
- Protect
your computer – Your computer should have the most recent updates
installed for spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a
secure firewall.
- Use
trustworthy Web sites – You can check online retailers out at www.bbb.org.
- Protect
your personal information – The BBB recommends
reading the web site’s privacy policy so that you understand how your personal
information will be used. If the site does not have a privacy policy, the
site may sell your personal information without your permission.
- Trust
your instincts – Offers on Web sites and in unsolicited
e-mails can often sound too good to be true. You should always go with your
instinct about whether a deal sounds to good to be true.
- Beware of
phishing – Legitimate businesses do not send e-mails
claiming problems with an order or an account to lure the “buyer” into
revealing financial information. If you receive this type of e-mail, the
BBB recommends that you call the contact number on the Web site where the
purchase was made to confirm that there really is a problem with the
transaction.
- Confirm
your online purchase is secure – You should only
enter personal information such as credit card numbers in secure,
encrypted web sites. Look in the address box for the “s” in https:// and
in the lower-right corner for the “lock” symbol before paying.
- Pay with
a credit card – When you are shopping online, you should pay
with a credit card because credit cards offer you the most buyer
protections. Under federal law, you can dispute the charges if you do not
receive the item. You also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized
charges on your credit card. Many card issuers have “zero liability”
policies which will protect you if your credit card number is stolen.
- Keep
documentation of your order. After
completing the online order process, you should get a confirmation of your
order. The BBB recommends saving the confirmation for future reference and
as a record of the purchase.
- Check
your credit card statements often – Don’t wait for
paper statements to arrive in the mail a month later. The BBB recommends
that you check your credit card statements and banking account online for
suspicious activity at least once a week.
- Know your
rights – Federal law requires that orders made by mail,
phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery time
was stated, within 30 days. If the products you ordered aren’t shipped on
time, you can cancel your order and demand a refund. There is no general
three-day cancellation right, but you do have the right to reject
merchandise if it’s defective or was misrepresented. Otherwise, it’s the
company’s policies that determine if you can cancel the purchase and
receive a refund or credit.
For
more information, please visit www.bbb.org or
call the BBB at (704) 927-8617 or toll-free in N.C. and S.C. at
1-877-317-7236.
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