PREVENTIVE MEASURES - Online Commerce

Preventive measures for electronic commerce

There are some quick and easy controls you can do to feel safe when visiting a website. Security and safety are really two different things online. One implies trust and credibility, while the other maintains certain encryption standards for confidential data. We have to pay attention to both.

Website Security

An e-commerce website that accepts credit card payments must show the details of its security process and display a "trustmark"; as an SSL certificate or the certified Privacy icon of Google's trusted site. Look for this information to determine your safety.

Malicious software may be lurking in many outlets in the store and online. There are measures to protect yourself.

• New forms of payment, such as PayPal or Apple Pay and any technology that allows you to avoid having your credit card with you in a store.

• Cards or stored value applications such as those used in coffee chains that are prepaid do not expose the credit card information in the register.

• If you plan to pay with a debit card, process the card as a credit card to avoid having to enter your PIN on a keypad.

• If you are really worried, use cash. Security will be stronger, but hackers are resistant.

• Use a credit or debit card with chip technology (EMV), recently implemented to help deter fraud by preventing duplicate transactions. Shop at stores that use chip-enabled card processing machines. Some stores have not yet completed the update.

A secure website can be determined by using HTTPS instead of HTTP in the URL. Http means Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the addition of the 'S' means that it has a secure layer.
The site goes through a process to confirm your identity and make sure that any information you share with it is encrypted and that other people can not read the conversations, especially personal financial information. Once the identity of the site has been established, nobody else can falsely set up a website and claim that same identity in order to collect data. While viewing the HTTPS, you will have reached the appropriate domain.
Only a company that requires personal data and financial information must request this additional security. It is a difficult and long process to complete and there must be a valid reason to need a protected site. To make sure you are always arriving at the desired site, remember to practice the following:

• Do not click on pop-up advertisements that claim to redirect you to the website.

• Do not respond to an unsolicited email. A reliable company would only send an email if they have already visited the site and shared their email address with them.

Look for a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate that indicates that the site server is secure. SSL certificates explain the level of encryption between the website (server) and the browser computer (user). This connection protects the private information that involves your identity and the financial data that is exchanged during each visit to the site. Companies choose a level of security that works best depending on the number of domains and servers. The strength of the security layer in a site is the level of bit encryption.