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Shopping on the Net
Use of the web for
commercial enterprise is growing daily; there are hundreds of
places, ways and things upon which to spend your money. Money,
however, always attracts crooks, and the Internet is no exception.
Dealing on the net is not much different than dealing with
merchants in real life. Before doing business with ANYONE,
we suggest the following:
1. Never transmit
credit card numbers, financial institution data, or personally
identifiable account information via the net in "forms"
or by other means unless you are confident of the recipient's
ability to provide a secure link for the transaction.
2. Check your
statements for unauthorized transactions, and contact the account
holder promptly to report any you find.
3. The capabilities
of the net enables anyone to set up a site claiming affiliation
with a well known international or national merchant; do business
only with reputable vendors.
4. Look at, and
visit, the link for any site where you intend to shop.
5. Obtain links only
from dependable sources; links featured on major commercial
services or a long-standing link on multiple search engines is
probably more reputable than one you find on "My Home Page
& On-Line Used Car and Stuff Shop." A link found on a
message in a newsgroup should be verified via search engine before
you use it to make purchases.
6. Copy, copy to
disk, or screen-print the link of any link where you plan to or do
conduct a transaction; this will enable you to reconcile your bill
as well as providing a starting place if the transaction turns
sour.
7. Beware of
get-rich-quick opportunities. The saying, "If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is" applies to the Internet.
Probably the only people who will get rich are those sponsoring
the scheme or selling the plan. For every legitimate enterprise,
there is some scam artist with a way to subvert it for personal
gain. If you're always careful to collect and destroy your credit
card receipt carbons, then you should also be careful about
conducting business on the net.
Be a smart AND SAFE
shopper!
If you have any
questions or problems regarding the internet, please feel free to
contact us at the Police Department.
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