Is Online Shopping or Banking Safe to do?

With the holiday season fast approaching, this is a pretty common question. The answer to this question is yes. It is safe to do Online Banking and Shopping. The percentage of people who do their shopping and banking online increases every year as millions more take advantage of the convenience called the Internet. Online Shopping and Banking, saves time, gas, money and has plenty of other advantages. It is the wave of the future.

Of course there is a risk associated with it such as Identity Theft, Credit Card theft and more. There is always a chance that you could be a victim but the chances are very small. There is risk in anything that we do in life but this is an certainly an acceptable risk. With all the transactions done online these days, the percentage of misfortune is quite small. If you are the unfortunate victim of one of the above crimes, you are in for a lot of work to fix the situation. However the chances are very small that this will happen to you.

One thing before you begin is to make sure your PC is clean of infections before beginning online bill paying or shopping. An infected PC could contain malicious software targeting your personal information, credit card information etc. It could already be installed on your PC without your knowledge. Do a Virus scan and be sure the PC is infection free.

On the topic of Security for the businesses that conduct Online Shopping/Banking etc., just about every website that does E-commerce has Security Measures in place to encrypt your information and protect your data. This Security makes it very difficult to intercept the data and decipher it. The majority of information thefts, credit card thefts and issues with online banking or shopping are usually done by an employee of the company who steals the the information and then in turn sells this data to people conspiring in Illegal activities. This could be Identity Theft, Credit Card theft, personal information theft. It requires a person on the inside.

It is up to the user to be sure that they trust the site where they are entering their information into. Banks, Amazon.com, Best Buy.com are more well known examples. Itunes is another site that is safe. These are popular, well known and can be trusted. Even pornography websites have Encrypted security to protect your information and are just as secure as other sites. If the site appears fake to you or suspicious DO NOT ENTER in any information. If there are misspellings on the page, that can be a warning sign.

It is in the companies best interest to make their sites as secure as possible so people will conduct their business online. This saves the companies money which equals profit. They have an incentive to make their online activities as secure and safe as possible. Unless the company is a scam website such as a Fake Antivirus website, the legitimate companies will have adequate security for you. You should not worry about entering in your information on legitimate websites.


Some sites make online activities very easy, while some do not. Some charge you a fee, while others charge you nothing. Online shopping/banking is convenient for the companies as well as the consumer. Transactions take place in the same business day usually up until 5 p.m. or so. This allows you to pay your bills online right at the due date without the worry of mailing it or having it lost via the post office. You can avoid those late fees, save yourself the stamp, and the annoying writing out of the return address. I personally find it very convenient and pay most of my bills online if allowed. I also do online shopping and find to be quite a time saver. There are plenty of online coupons etc. as well so plenty of bargains are to be had.

Many companies have an Auto-deduct system or Auto-pay every month option for monthly bills. For those people that have the money in their accounts this is an added convenience. This can work to your disadvantage though if finances are tight which is common in the current economy. Business really enjoy this one as it gives them the right to take the money out of your account every month. Before agreeing to this be sure that you will always have the money in your account.

Online Shopping and Online Banking are growing at a stronger rate right every year and this is only going to get bigger. The Convenience and Savings far outweigh the risks. Be careful about who and what sites you are giving your information too. As long as the institution is legitimate and can be trusted you can be pretty sure you will be safe doing transactions via the Internet. Again, be sure to make sure your PC is clean and infection free before beginning Online Shopping/Banking etc.

If your PC is clean and ready then take the plunge and enjoy the convenience that online
shopping and online banking can give you. No need to worry about the post office delaying your bills or losing your mail. No more teller lines at the bank and even no more holiday shopping chaos can all be yours if you do it Online. The benefits far outweigh the risks so start doing some online banking and shopping today.

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the week.

Steve
www.zolexpc.com