Review your account daily to verify your transactions and check for suspicious activity If you notice any suspicious activity on your account, contact your bank or credit card provider right away
Make sure the company you are purchasing from is legitimate You should never reveal your personal or financial information to a company you do not know and trust
Be cautious of bogus sites Verify you are using the correct website address by checking your browser's address bar
Review the company's privacy policy before you shop online Make sure you understand what personal information is being collected, why and how it will be used
Make sure you are on a secure website Before you enter your personal information, ensure the website address starts with "https" ("s" means the website is secure)
Be wary of phishing emails Phishing is a way of attempting to obtain personal information by pretending to be a trustworthy source. Do not respond to emails asking you for information on your online purchases.
Keep a paper or electronic trail of your online transactions Maintain records of your online purchases for reference
Keep your passwords to yourself Don't share your personal information with anyone
Maintain your security software updates Make sure your security software is up-to-date before you shop online
Use a separate email account for your online shopping Keep a separate email for online purchases to avoid spam getting into your regular email account. Spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email, is an identical message sent to numerous recipients by email