Search:

Avoiding online credit card fraud

Online credit card fraud is often an area of concern for those using their cards online. With the amount of people using their cards online growing at a phenomenal rate it is obvious why Internet safety is become a major concern. Between 2005 and 2007 Internet card use grew four-fold, and there is no sign of this growth stopping. Internet fraud has also grown proportionately but is still less common than offline "across the counter" credit card fraud. This means that even though credit card use online appears high risk it is in fact a relatively safe way to shop.
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 second thing that you should do is to avoid emails asking for your card details at all costs. There is a scam known as phishing, where criminals send legitimate looking emails asking you to visit a site and enter your card details. Both of the emails and websites can appear to be official, perhaps from a bank, but are in fact clever fakes. There are so many of these scams that giving details of every single one is impossible; some of these scams are also extremely clever and can be difficult to detect. The safest thing to do is never enter your card details at the request of someone else. No legitimate organisation is going to ask for your details in this way.
The third thing that you need to do is to make sure that your computer is adequately protected against viruses and unofficial access. There are two pieces of software that can help do this. The first is anti-virus software. Anti-virus software often comes with your computer or can be downloaded from the Internet itself. Some anti-virus software is free, others you need to pay for. As the name suggests this software protects against harmful software that can damage or destroy your PC, or even acquire your card details.
The other piece of software is known as a firewall and this stops programs from accessing your computer without your knowledge; it also stops applications on your computer from accessing the Internet against your will. One way that a criminal could get access to your card details is through accessing your PC while you enter your details, or by placing certain software on your computer. This is extremely rare, highly unlikely, and a firewall negates this problem completely.
The most common way of collecting card details is through the phishing scam mentioned above and it is surprising how many people fall for this type of crime. Perhaps the simplest way to look at it is to only enter your details online when you want and never when anyone else tells you. However, as mentioned above the most common form of credit card crime is still committed face-to-face in a shop, restaurant or other similar payment point. If you stick to these simple guidelines then using a credit card online is extremely safe.

Article Source: http://www.articleadventure.com

John Webb writes about finance and money related matters for a number of popular websites. Read about Credit cards online and Credit card offers here.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated