Never give any information to anyone you don't know.
Never do business with anyone you don't know that doesn't have an established reputation. (for example, Amazon is an established business on the internet. George's fruitcakes is not. Never heard of them. They don't have any affiliate marketing links anywhere. They don't have a security certificate anywhere...etc.)
Never click links to make payments through Email, unless you have a heads up from someone you KNOW and TRUST that it is coming. (I have received emails from someone saying they are paypal and I owe this amount of money for something, and it asks me to put my password in the link they provide -- so they could steal it and take my money from my REAL paypal account! Thank goodness I am not that stupid!)
Never pay for anything over the phone. Make them send you a bill. ALWAYS have a paper trail.
ALWAYS know who you are talking to. Name, company they work for, position they hold and contact information in case you have questions BEFORE anything else is discussed.
Never offer information for anyone to verify. Make them give YOU what they know for you to verify.
Never give any information to anyone that isn't explicitly asked for, and then make sure that you trust them first.
Don't be scared to do business online. Everything you do, even if you are not doing it on the internet, goes online at some point. That credit or debit card you used? The information about what you bought, where you bought it, and who you gave the money to can be found online. Every time you bank, your information is put into a computer and that information can be accessed.
It isn't a matter of not giving information online. It is a matter of WHO you give the information to. Just like anywhere else. How secure is their website? What steps are they taking to keep your information safe? ON AND OFFLINE!
Never do business with anyone you don't know that doesn't have an established reputation. (for example, Amazon is an established business on the internet. George's fruitcakes is not. Never heard of them. They don't have any affiliate marketing links anywhere. They don't have a security certificate anywhere...etc.)
Never click links to make payments through Email, unless you have a heads up from someone you KNOW and TRUST that it is coming. (I have received emails from someone saying they are paypal and I owe this amount of money for something, and it asks me to put my password in the link they provide -- so they could steal it and take my money from my REAL paypal account! Thank goodness I am not that stupid!)
Never pay for anything over the phone. Make them send you a bill. ALWAYS have a paper trail.
ALWAYS know who you are talking to. Name, company they work for, position they hold and contact information in case you have questions BEFORE anything else is discussed.
Never offer information for anyone to verify. Make them give YOU what they know for you to verify.
Never give any information to anyone that isn't explicitly asked for, and then make sure that you trust them first.
Don't be scared to do business online. Everything you do, even if you are not doing it on the internet, goes online at some point. That credit or debit card you used? The information about what you bought, where you bought it, and who you gave the money to can be found online. Every time you bank, your information is put into a computer and that information can be accessed.
It isn't a matter of not giving information online. It is a matter of WHO you give the information to. Just like anywhere else. How secure is their website? What steps are they taking to keep your information safe? ON AND OFFLINE!
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