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Internet shopping is only as safe as the user practices and current state of the computer being used. In general there are three things that every user must be aware of when shopping online. The overall health of the system, the source of the purchase, and the payment method being used.

The health of the system takes into account system updates, spyware, virus infection, and user access. The system should be updated regularly to stay current on security patches. It should also maintain at least two anti-spyware applications that are updated and run at least once a week, or (at minimum) after any new program is added. On PC's, I recommend adaware from http://www.lavasoftusa.com and spybot search and destroy from http://www.spybot.info . Both are really easy to install and are free to home users. An anti-virus program; whether AVG (http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1) , Norton (http://www.symantecstore.com/ ), McAfee (http://www.mcafee.com ), panda (http://www.pandasecurity.com ), or Sophos (http://www.sophos.com ); is the best investment you can make in software to maintain the health of your system. It is, unfortunately, only as good as the last time it was updated and how regularly you have it set to scan for threats. Finally, user access is extremely important -especially in a multi-user (read family) system. Anyone with administration privileges or administrator accounts (Default state on creation of new accounts in windows) has the ability to install any software on the system. In the case of running windows under any administrator account, the use of internet explorer allows websites to install programs without consent. This is a common route that home systems get infected by as children's games sometimes require administrative access in order to function properly.

We have verified the health of the system and are online and ready to shop. First, a window should be open to http://www.bbb.org . This is your quick access to the better business bureau. You can select 'URL' and copy the address of the e-tailer in to find out what kind of record he or she has. You can also perform a search for additional facts about the site before placing an order. Just put the name of the site in your favorite search engine and scan the results for positives, negatives, and concrete references to specific cases. When you are ready to place your order and are taken to the checkout, look to the address bar. If the http:// has not changed to https://, your transaction is not encrypted and could be caught by a snooping wireless connection. Paying by credit card or giving *ANY* private data over anything other than https:// is to be shunned unless you don't mind giving identity thieves a free ride on your dime.

Finally, your payment method should include some sort of buyer's insurance. Credit cards such as Capital one offer built in online purchase protection. Review your cards' terms and make sure to use only those that do. While I have not had a bad experience with PayPal myself, please use caution and check their terms of service at least monthly as they tend to change.

To summarize :
1) Use only systems that you know to be virus and spyware free.
2) No one else should have administrative access to the system.
3) You should only purchase from sites that have a secure (https://) checkout system.
4) The site has no blemishes on record through the BBB or other consumer rights website.
5) You make your purchase from a credit or checking source that has online purchase protection.

Learn more about this author, Edward Raymond.
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