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A major concern people have about shopping on the Web is privacy. Will crooks
learn about our personal choices through our involvement in Web commerce? Will our
personal data be swiped and used to make fraudulent purchases?
There is no law that protects the privacy of people who shop on the Internet. The
information vendors collect about you can be sold to other companies. If a company does
give away or sell information to another company, you may find a whole host of
unsolicited ads coming your way.
Changes to protect your privacy are in the works, however. Seven Internet and
electronic commerce companies have proposed a set of guidelines to protect online
shoppers. These guidelines also cover how to resolve disputes. The companies are
America Online, AT&T, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Network Solutions and Time Warner. It
is certainly in the best interests of legitimate companies to protect the privacy and buying
rights of their customers.
While online fraud protection develops, do what you can to protect yourself. Use
this list of tips from the American Bar Association before making an online purchase:
- Trust your instincts. Don't buy if something seems suspicious.
- Be knowledgeable about Web-based auctions. Learn about rules, policies and
legal terms of an auction purchase.
- Comparison shop before you buy.
- Read the privacy policy. If the site does not have a privacy policy, you may
not want to do business with them.
- Review the return, refund, shipping and handling policies before making a
purchase. Think about what you can do to resolve a problem before you order.
- Check to see if the site has security protection.
- Use the safest way to pay for your purchase: your credit card.
- Avoid having your credit card information kept on file for future use. Most
problems occur when hackers break into the database of a company.
- Print and keep good records. Make sure you have the company name, mailing
address and telephone number. Copy warranty and return information. Print a
copy of your order before logging off.
Check the following web sites for more information about Internet fraud:
- National Consumers League: www.fraud.org;
- Consumer Information Center: www.Consumer.gov;
- Consumer's Resource Handbook (where to complain): www.pueblo.gsa.gov;
- Better Business reliability program: www.BBBOnLine.org; and
- Internet Fraud Watch: www.fraud.org.
For more information, contact your local
Colorado State University Extension office.
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