Are Your Online Shopping Habits Safe?

Shoppers should be careful sharing personal information when shopping online.

Cyber Monday is one of the busiest shopping holidays of the year. Both avid online shoppers and Internet novices will be scouring the web trying to get the best deals, but if they aren’t careful with their information they could be paying for more than just that new sweater.

Hackers target online shoppers who aren’t careful with personal information. The threat of a security breach is often enough to turn many off online shopping, but some people say it’s worth the risks to avoid the hassles of the store.

“I just feel like it’s not safe,” says Janice Skipper. “I worry about it, I’ve had my credit card company call me before someone had tried to use my number, so I just don’t feel like it’s safe.”

“I think it is,” counters sometimes online shopper Anthony Pinkston. “As long as it’s a legitimate place I think it’s fine and just as safe as going into a store.”

Avid online shopper Leslie Moore has always felt safe shopping online, she says, because she thoroughly checks out the sites she visits. “If you stick with a company that you know, and you haven’t had any problem with, then it’s usually okay.”

There are a few ways to stay safe shopping online, such as only using credit cards and never a debit card. Hackers can’t get access to bank information through a credit card.

Researching the company and website might also save shoppers a lot of trouble. If the site and store are reputable, there will be online reviews from other shoppers. Another way to make sure the site is safe is to check for a tiny lock in the web address bar. The lock means it’s a secure site and the personal information is safe.

There might also be trouble after the purchases are delievered. Police say they see a lot of burglaries occuring during the holiday season when mail is dropped off, and some thieves will take packages right off the front porch.

“You’re ordering the package and you know it’s coming, you should take precaution not to leave it out in the open when they deliver it,” says Greenville Police Chief Justin Lovvorn. “And if that means making an extra trip to the post office to pick up your package, I think it’s well worth it so you, just to know that you’ll have it.”

Lovvorn also advises burning or destroying any boxes or packaging the purchases arrive in. He says some criminals go through the trash to find personal information that can be used to open credit cards or find home to burglarize.