There are three main ways that you can protect yourself against credit card fraud online. All are easy to do and take very little time. The first is to make sure that you have adequate security software; the second is to make sure that you only use your card on secured websites; and the third is to never enter your cards details at the request of an email. If you follow these three simple guidelines then there is no reason why your card details should fall into the wrong hands. The easiest, and most common, form of card crime still occurs offline, over the counter in shops or other payment points.
Making sure that your PC is adequately protected is vital for anyone wanting to use the Internet. For PC users, there are many risks involved with everyday Internet use, above and beyond credit card usage, such as viruses or other malicious software trying to access your computer. Some of these threats can seriously damage your PC, or even render it completely useless; others can detect your passwords and communicate them to fraudsters.
The two types of software that can help protect a PC are anti-virus applications and firewalls. The firewall stops malicious software from accessing your computer, or your computer accessing the Internet without your permission, whereas the anti-virus software scans your hard-drive for viruses and removes them. Nowadays many computers have anti-virus and firewall software built into the operating systems. Whether this is the case or not largely depends on how new your computer is. Many computers also come with additional anti-virus software in order to add an even greater level of security. More often than not you will find that you have to pay a monthly subscription for this added software. If you are unsure as to your computer's level of protection, or if you are unwilling to pay for the additional software, you can always download free anti-virus and firewall software online.
The second major way to avoid credit card fraud is to make sure that you are only entering your card details on what is known as a secured website. When you move to a page that asks for your card details you should make sure that the 'http' before the web-address, in the bar at the top of the browser window, changes to 'https'. The 's' at the end of the http acronym simply means 'secured'. This 's' symbolises that you are now on a secured area of the Internet that no one else will be able to view at any point. If a website does not have this 's' then don't put in your card details.
Finally, you should never enter your card details at the request of an email, no matter how official looking that email may be. The most common way for criminals to catch people out is through a scam known as phishing. Phishing lures unsuspecting credit card users into entering their details on a fake website. For example, one of these scams involved a fake email being sent from a major bank asking for customers to login to their accounts using their card details. Of course this was a confidence trick. While they may send emails advertising goods and services, no major organisation is going to send you an email asking for your card details.
If you follow these three simple precautions then there is no reason why you should become the victim of Internet card fraud. It is still more risky to use you card in a shop than it is to use it online. The fact that Internet card use rose four-fold between 2002 and 2007 demonstrates how popular Internet card use has become and, to an extent, is a testament to its safety. - 15465
Making sure that your PC is adequately protected is vital for anyone wanting to use the Internet. For PC users, there are many risks involved with everyday Internet use, above and beyond credit card usage, such as viruses or other malicious software trying to access your computer. Some of these threats can seriously damage your PC, or even render it completely useless; others can detect your passwords and communicate them to fraudsters.
The two types of software that can help protect a PC are anti-virus applications and firewalls. The firewall stops malicious software from accessing your computer, or your computer accessing the Internet without your permission, whereas the anti-virus software scans your hard-drive for viruses and removes them. Nowadays many computers have anti-virus and firewall software built into the operating systems. Whether this is the case or not largely depends on how new your computer is. Many computers also come with additional anti-virus software in order to add an even greater level of security. More often than not you will find that you have to pay a monthly subscription for this added software. If you are unsure as to your computer's level of protection, or if you are unwilling to pay for the additional software, you can always download free anti-virus and firewall software online.
The second major way to avoid credit card fraud is to make sure that you are only entering your card details on what is known as a secured website. When you move to a page that asks for your card details you should make sure that the 'http' before the web-address, in the bar at the top of the browser window, changes to 'https'. The 's' at the end of the http acronym simply means 'secured'. This 's' symbolises that you are now on a secured area of the Internet that no one else will be able to view at any point. If a website does not have this 's' then don't put in your card details.
Finally, you should never enter your card details at the request of an email, no matter how official looking that email may be. The most common way for criminals to catch people out is through a scam known as phishing. Phishing lures unsuspecting credit card users into entering their details on a fake website. For example, one of these scams involved a fake email being sent from a major bank asking for customers to login to their accounts using their card details. Of course this was a confidence trick. While they may send emails advertising goods and services, no major organisation is going to send you an email asking for your card details.
If you follow these three simple precautions then there is no reason why you should become the victim of Internet card fraud. It is still more risky to use you card in a shop than it is to use it online. The fact that Internet card use rose four-fold between 2002 and 2007 demonstrates how popular Internet card use has become and, to an extent, is a testament to its safety. - 15465
About the Author:
John Webb is an experienced author of financial articles and regularly posts on popular websites. Read about Credit cards online and Credit card offers here.
