Be especially careful about online communications with someone who conceals his true identity.
Use a secure browser.
Use inexpensive filtering software to filter programs to protect your family from inappropriate sites.
Pay your bills online with credit card instead of using personal checks.
Review your telephone bill and other bills and challenge any charges that you don’t recognize.
Conducting Business Online
Beware of offers that sound too good to be true.
Watch out for “advance fee” demands.
Take your time in making investment decisions, researching the potential investment opportunity thoroughly.
Have an attorney or accountant look at any proposed contracts.
Call every supplier or customer of the company and verify that they really do business with the company.
Check out the people running the company.
Contact your local consumer protection agency and the consumer protection agency in the city where the company is headquartered for more information about the company.
Interview business references in person at the place of business if possible and try and get a number of names to choose from. This will help you avoid talking with people who were paid to give favorable responses.
Get earnings claims in writing when considering Internet-related business opportunities.
Get references on any travel companies and get details about the trip in writing, including the cancellation policy.
Consult with health-care professionals before buying any “cure-all” that claims to cure an ailment quickly or offers easy solutions to a serious illness.
Shopping Online
Keep your password(s) private.
Don’t judge item by initial appearances posted online.
Check out the seller, especially when shopping online auction sites.
Shop with companies that you know or at least know who you are dealing with; make sure that the company is legitimate.
Get all the details involved before making an Internet transaction, such as complete descriptions, total price, return policy, etc.
Ask your credit card issuer about “substitute” or “single-use” credit card numbers that allow you to use your credit card without putting your real account number online.
Only share credit card information when buying from a company that you trust.
Pay by credit or charge card online, because you have a legal right to dispute charges for goods and services that were never ordered or received.
