Nov 26, 2008 10:45 am US/Central
Shop Online While Avoiding Credit Card Scams
CORAL GABLES, Fla.
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Many people will turn to the Internet for holiday shopping this year; are you prepared to get through a scam-free season?
As you get ready for "Cyber Monday," the busiest day of the year for online shopping, you may want to consider cyber crimes. This year could be even more dangerous if you solely rely on using credit cards to buy presents, reports CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.
"It's convenient and quick, and things just show up to your door step," said Kimberly Bobson, who works so much in her Coral Gables office that she does half her shopping online.
She buys clothes, shoes, books and movies. "Pretty much anything," Bobson told WFOR.
The fun ended when cyber criminals attacked Bobson not once, but twice in less than three months. Unlike a home break in, with cyber crime it's difficult to figure out how the thieves got in. Worse, during these tough economic times, experts say you are more at risk.
"You never know what steps to take to prevent it from happening again because there are so many ways," warned Professor David Sabot of Johnson and Wales University. "You have to be aware of where that information is going unfortunately most people don't," said Sabot.
In order to prevent from becoming a victim, make sure you shop from a secure website. Try to have just one credit card with a low limit for online purchases; make sure to keep receipts for purchases and verify your credit card balances often. Once a day isn't too often, as the internet is always moving.
"The longer the delay, the less chance of any kind of arrest or solving of the crime," said Sabot, who admitted the key to not getting taken for a ride is early detection.
The information came too late for Bobson, who had a total of $6 thousand worth of charges. "It made me feel unsafe; maybe that I shouldn't be using my credit card online so much," said Bobson. Luckily, she was never asked to pay for any of the charges.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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