Holiday shoppers should use caution when shopping online
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Privacy issues, ID theft top concerns for online shoppers

A new Better Business Bureau (BBB) survey conducted by Kelton Research finds that six in 10 (60 percent) American adult online shoppers are worried about their personal information being sold or reused when asked what has ever made them hesitant about completing a transaction online. Nearly the same amount (59 percent), admit they've had anxiety about their credit card information being stolen.

Despite concerns, consumers are increasingly turning to the convenience of online shopping during the holiday season. In a recent 2007 holiday spending forecast, Forrester Research, Inc. estimated online shoppers would increase seasonal spending nearly 20 percent, to $33 billion, this year.

"Even though increasingly more holiday shoppers have confidence in making online purchases, basic trust in business issues such as privacy and ID theft are clearly still top concerns for many consumers," said Norman Wright, President/CEO of the BBB serving Northwest Florida. "Survey results show that fears over the use and safety of personal information including credit card numbers, telephone numbers, and home and e-mail addresses are the main reasons online shoppers second-guess their decisions when making online purchases."

In addition to privacy and identity theft concerns, many online shoppers also indicated that they have hesitated shopping online over the concern of receiving spam and/or junk emails (45 percent). Less online shoppers were concerned about the difficulty of navigating the site (26 percent) and the amount of time it takes to ship the item (25 percent).

"Although online shopping is fast and convenient, unfortunately, you can't tell just by looking at a Web site whether a company is trustworthy and dependable, much less even legitimate. Consumers want a safe online environment, and they can help themselves by being a savvy online shopper this holiday season with a little research and by taking a few safety precautions," added Wright.

BBB offers the following advice to help make your online shopping a safe and easy experience this holiday season:

Protect your computer - Update your computer system with the latest spam filters, antivirus and anti-spyware software, and a secure firewall.

Protect your personal information - Read the site's privacy policy to understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used. If there isn't one posted, consider that a warning that personal information may be sold to others without your permission.

Trust your gut - Offers on websites and in unsolicited emails can often sound too 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. Pick up the phone and call the contact number on the website to ask if there was a problem with the transaction.

Confirm your online purchase is secure - Look in the address box for the "s" in https:// and in the lower-right corner for the "lock" symbol before paying. If there are doubts about a site, right-click anywhere on the page and select "Properties." This will show the real website address and the dialog box will reveal if the site is not encrypted.

Pay with a credit card - It's best to use a credit card because it is possible under federal law to dispute the charges if the vendor does not satisfy the transaction. There are also dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on credit cards, and many card issuers have "zero liability" policies under which customers pay nothing if someone steals a credit card number and uses it.

Keep documentation of your order. After completing the online order process, there may be a final confirmation page or an email confirmation - don't delete these, save them!

Check your credit card statement often - Don't wait for a paper statement; check credit card statements for suspicious activity by either calling the credit card company or by checking your statement online.

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 goods aren't shipped on time, customers can cancel and demand a refund. There is no general three-day cancellation right, but customers do have the right to reject merchandise if it's defective or was misrepresented. Otherwise, it's the company's policies that determine if customers can cancel the purchase and whether they can get a refund or credit.

For additional reliable advice from BBB on staying safe this holiday season - online and otherwise - start with bbb.org.