Tips: Shopping Safely Online

  • Oct 12, 2007

You can buy almost anything online. But not every Web site is a safe place to shop. Protect your credit card and identity by shopping on secure sites. Thebeehive.org offers tips for shopping safely.

Here’s how to tell if a site is secure:

  • Look for the lock symbol next to the url or in the lower-right corner.
  • Make sure the Web address begins with “https” rather than just “http.” The “s” stands for secure.
  • Do a background check. Look for a physical address (not a P.O. box), request a catalog by mail, or call and talk to a company representative.
  • Look for third party seal of approval. Look for either the Better Business Bureau Online logo or the Trust-e logo. Web sites can only use these seals on their site if they follow the standards set by these companies. If you do see these seals, click on them to be sure they go to that Web site.
  • Read the privacy policy and “terms and conditions.” Make sure the site has a policy that says they do not disclose your personal information to third parties.
  • Find out what other users have to say. If there are no user comments on the site, check Epinions or Bizrate.
  • Review the site’s shipping methods and policies. Be sure the site uses safe carriers with fair shipping rates. You may want to avoid sites that ship from international locations.
  • Trust your instincts. If you get a bad vibe about the site, shop at another one.

Featured

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.