‘Tis the season!

Ah yes, the holidays are upon us again: a time to rekindle bonds with friends and family, to count our blessings, and give thanks. It’s also the season for parking lot nightmares, long lines to the cash register and bruised bank accounts. Most of this can be avoided by shopping online, but here are some helpful tips to keep your checking account from further damage.

1. Shop with reputable on-line retailers. If you have any doubts, find another retailer. Check out what others say about their on-line experience with sites like bizrate.com and epinions.com. These sites offer consumer ratings on products and services offered through online retailers.
2. Look for third party endorsements. Companies that meet the rigorous standards set by groups such as the Better Business Bureau Online or TRUSTe will display their seal of approval. Click on them to insure that these links connect to the organization. Recently, there have been scams where fraudulent websites were set up displaying counterfeit seals of approval. Use common sense and watch out for the following red flags as recommended by the BBB:
   • Prices that are too good to be true most likely are.
   • Avoid retailers that will only communicate through e-mail or chat.
   • Avoid retailers that only accept payment via wire transfer.
3. Does the site encrypt your data? Before providing any payment information make sure the site uses encryption for the transfer of data. The web address should include an “s” after the http, so it should look like https://sitename.com. Look for a closed padlock in the address bar.
4. Keep your web browser up to date. Browsers have built in filters to warn you of possible dangers and block you from visiting those sites.
5. Protect your information with a software suite such as McAfee, Norton or Kaspersky. They provide firewall, antivirus and anti-spy ware, and are updated automatically on a regular basis. This type of software will warn you of possible unwanted activity.
6. Use strong passwords. In my previous article I explained the why and how behind building strong passwords.
7. Keep it at home. Financial transactions should only be processed on your home computer, not a public or shared computer. Don’t buy online while you are at work or on the computer at the local library. Avoid completing transactions on public wireless networks using your laptop or mobile device since security on a public network is unreliable.

Finally, if you do have a problem and the seller does not make it right, report it. Start with the web service, local police and the financial institution you used in the transaction. In the case of identity theft, fraud or scams, contact the US Federal Trade Commission toll free at 877-438-4338.

Be safe when shopping on the internet and you will reap the rewards of a relaxed, stress-free holiday season.

Almost every day, it seems you hear one of those awful stories… and if it hasn’t happened to you already, chances are you know someone – a friend, family member or co-worker – who has had their e-mail hacked, some sort of private information compromised or even their identity stolen or as a result of using the internet. It’s scary. I put it right up there with getting your wallet stolen with all your credit cards and driver’s license inside. Not only is it a real hassle to deal with, but you also feel invaded and vulnerable. We all need better protection. To that end, creating strong passwords for the websites you visit is very important.

Here are 3 tips so easy to remember that you don’t have to keep your password on a sticky note in your desk drawer.

1. A strong password is a minimum of 8 characters in length. Most secure websites will accept at least eight. Use more when possible.
2. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and characters when possible (not all sites accept characters). A seminar I attended noted how easy it is to include characters in password just by using “shift” when typing a number or special date.
3. A great tip I found in a recent Microsoft article was to use a short sentence or your favorite phrase and then to trick it up a bit. Remove the spaces. Intentionally misspell a word in the phrase by replacing a letter or two. Use some sort of shorthand for example “ur” for “your” or “R” for are. Add numbers as part of the sentence. ItsPrettyEZ2Do!

Once you have devised your password, see how strong it is using a secure password checker. I like passwordmeter.com as it provides a easily understood graphic representation, a percentage score and additional tips for improving your password strength. Another cool password checker is howsecureismypassword.net. It tells you how long it would take a desktop PC to hack your password, then provides a tip on improving the strength of the password you entered.

These tips of course don’t guarantee your password strength, but will definitely improve your browsing safety and increase your peace of mind as you surf the web.