Vision Credit Education, Inc.

Each holiday season we hear that more and more people are doing their holiday shopping online. Americans aren’t just using the internet to purchase items during the holidays, but all year long. The wider selection and convenience makes online shopping a draw, but if you are using your credit card while making purchases online, you should take steps to keep you and your credit card safe and secure.

Before purchasing items from an online company, do your homework. If they are a company that you are familiar with, make sure that you entered their web address rather than following a link from an obscure website or from an email. If it’s a company you are unfamiliar with, you should check for a physical address on their website and look them up with the Better Business Bureau. Also check review websites to see what others have said about them.

When entering credit card information, make sure that the site is secure. Simply check that the web address in the address bar begins with “https.” You should not be required to enter unnecessary and unrelated personal information such as your bank account number and Social Security number. If the site is asking for this information, don’t enter any information and find another site.

Credit card companies have started offering temporary credit card numbers that you can give online vendors. This will allow you to make purchases safely and securely by not endangering your regular credit card number. The temporary number will only be available for use for a short time period, preventing unauthorized charges to be made.

Each month when you receive your credit card statement, check it for any suspicious activity. Some credit card fraud could be incredibly obvious, but perhaps there is only one additional charge or a charge for the wrong amount. Print and keep online credit card receipts to compare with your statement. Report any fraudulent activity to your credit card company.

If you follow these steps, you can be reasonably assured that you will be able to make safe online purchases. While no amount of care online or in person can assure you that won’t encounter problems, these steps will decrease the likelihood of fraudulent activity.

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For disputed charges, you are protected under the Fair Credit Billing Act.