Use of the web as a venue for commercial enterprise is growing daily; there are hundreds of places and ways and things upon which to spend your money. Money, however, always attracts crooks, and the Internet is no exception. Just as we provide tips on personal safety and security for real life money-handling, we submit the following for your consideration when using the net to conduct transactions:

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 enable 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 the link for any site where you intend to shop; <"http://www.uoknor.edu:80~tarot/gotcha/national.html"> is probably NOT the on-line catalog for "National Brand Name".

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 Joe-Don-Billy-Bob's Double-Secret Home Page & On-Line Mall. A link found on a message in a newsgroup should be verified via search engine before you use it to make purchases.

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.

6. Beware of "get-rich-quick" opportunities. The adage "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" applies to the Internet. Probably the only people who will "get-rich-quick" are those sponsoring the scheme or selling the plan/offering/program.

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!

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Page last updated on: 30 April, 2001
Sweet Briar College Department of Safety          http://www.police.sbc.edu