Most companies with a physical place of business are easy to make judgments about. You can walk in their front door, greet the clerk, touch, feel, and see merchandise, and return a defective product to the store. Online, you don't have the luxury of walking into a physical place, so it is more difficult to tell if a web business is legitimate. Some web-based stores may actually use logos that resemble a trusted name brand but are not associated with that company at all. The Internet is a vast space and putting up a web site is relatively easy. Consumers who use online businesses need to research before turning over their credit card number.
Instructions
1. Get to know the website. The more you know, the safer it is to search and buy in cyberspace. OnGuardOnline.gov recommends when you find a website you want to do business with you should get to know the company by confirming its physical address and telephone number. Be sure to look at the returns policies and delivery times. Also, look at the description--especially the fine print--and get a total price that includes shipping. OnGuardOnline also recommends using a credit card for your purchases and keeping the records of your transactions.
2. Research a company's website address. Spoof websites often have a website address that looks similar to a legitimate address, but might have additional letters or be misspelled. Go to InterNIC.net, which assigns Internet Provider addresses and domain names, and do a "Search Whois?" Type in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) into the dialog box and click "Submit." Do not include http://www. Here you can find information about who registered the website and see if it matches the information on the contact page for the website. The dates the site was registered and updated are also available.
3. Look for stamps of approval from other businesses and other consumers. Search for the company and read reviews of the product or service you are thinking of buying. Check to see if there is a Better Business Bureau's Reliability Seal, or the Good Housekeeping Seal, or other Internet trust organizations. Before you purchase your product and enter in your credit card information, a locked padlock should appear next to the URL line. This indicates the company is using VeriSign, which encrypts your financial information so it is not sent out as text over the Internet. It also certifies that the company is who they say they are. If there is a warning after you click on the padlock, the site might be a scam. Never give out your financial information over email.
Tags: credit card, financial information, physical place, that company, website address, your financial