Be careful while you shop online this Christmas

I was reminded this morning on the radio about the importance of security while shopping online. Every year people are falling victim to identity theft, frequently because they don’t make a few simple checks when they shop online. Here are a few checks all internet users should understand in order to make to ensure the website you think is safe, actually is.

Check for two things before you type your personal information online:

• Make sure the address in the address bar at the top starts with “https:”, not just “http:”.
• This means that information sent from the website you are viewing is encrypted and won’t be easily read by others electronically.
• Note: most websites don’t present the “https” until you actually sign in but if you are signed in or about to sign in, it should be visible.
• Check the security certificate of the website.
• It’s real easy for me to create a website that just looks legit and collect personal information such as credit card numbers.
• If I’m a legitimate vendor such as amazon.com(below), I’ll pay a third party company, like VeriSign, to issue a security or validation certificate saying I am who I say I am. In Internet Explorer, you can check the certificate issued to the website you are viewing by clicking the padlock in the top right. If the pad lock doesn’t appear, there is no certificate and you should not trust the site. Shop somewhere else.
• Note: most websites don’t present the padlock until you actually sign in but if you are signed in or about to sign in, it should be visible.

Every browser is different. The Amazon.com screenshot was taken using Internet Explorer. If you use a different browser, you’ll have to research how to check the security/validation certificate on your own. Just because I found it already, here’s some documentation on how to check it in Safari from http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html

EV Certificates in Safari

Safari supports Extended Validation (EV) Certificates, allowing you to easily identify legitimate websites and businesses. For sites that have an EV Certificate, Safari displays the site’s name in green on the right side of the address field. Just click the name to learn more about the website’s security credentials.

A few more references and tips for secure online shopping:

• http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/finances/shopping_us.aspx
• http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/five-tips/?p=322

Disclaimer: I haven’t helped you mitigate ALL risk of using the internet with this simple post. You are responsible for your own risks and any damages you receive through them. Be advised.