BETTER WATCH OUT; WHEN IT COMES TO EXPLORING THE INTERNET THIS SEASON, IT'S SURFERS BEWARE.Byline: Jason Z. Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Staff Writer Each year, the holiday season puts new computers on the desks of people who have never owned one before, and every year, millions of people try their hands at surfing this thing they call the Internet. For online merchants, the influx of new users means the potential for increased sales. For online crooks, it means the opportunity for easy pickings. Ken Cassar, an analyst with the Internet research This article is about using the Internet for research; for the field of research about the Internet, see Internet studies. Internet research is the practice of using the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, for research. firm Jupiter Communications, said Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f can protect themselves by taking simple precautions precautions Infectious disease The constellation of activities intended to minimize exposure to an infectious agent; precautions imply that the isolation of an infected Pt is optional, but not mandatory. such as shopping only at familiar outlets - the online version of your favorite mall store, for example. ``Online consumers should not concentrate on price and price alone. You tend to get what you pay for - merchants charging very little for products and they can't deliver an appropriate level of service.'' The giants such as Amazon.com, although they sometimes charge slightly more, can't afford not to give good service, Cassar said. ``If they upset a lot of their customers, their sales will suffer and Wall Street will kill them,'' he said. Credit card fraud Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. is less of a concern, Cassar said. Credit card companies offer fraud protection for any losses over $50, and merchants usually will absorb the loss of that $50, he said. Because of encryption The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format (the ciphertext) as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys. technology, credit card numbers are exceptionally safe in transit, he said. ``There is a very remote risk it will happen,'' Cassar said. ``There's more risk the waiter you give your credit card to in a restaurant will run off and buy something with it.'' But too much confidence can lead to carelessness. Below are some pointers to protect your privacy and security online, and save a buck or two: Use a ShopBot to find the best price. These search engines for products help online shoppers cast a wide net to find just the right product at the best price. Some of the more popular include www.mysimon.com and www.bottomdollar.com. Request that items from the same site be sent together. Even if it means waiting, having items shipped together eliminates the need to pay additional shipping charges. Don't pay a restocking fee. Some sites charge a fee if you return a computer - as much as 20 percent in some cases. Make sure you read the site's policy and avoid those that charge for returns. Look for hidden costs before buying. Don't forget to figure in shipping, taxes and other charges in your final tally. Only buy from sites that list their mailing address and telephone number. When you buy online, make sure you can contact the site and assure yourself it is legitimate. Check out return policies and warranties before buying. A good commercial Web site will clearly list its return policy and offer information about warranties. Try out software for free before shelling out money for it. Most major software is available online as a free trial version that expires after a certain amount of time. Try it out to make sure it meets your needs before you decide to buy it. Be careful when using auction sites. At online auctions, you're buying from individuals, not businesses. Some sites offer an escrow escrow Instrument, such as a deed, money, or property, that constitutes evidence of obligations between two or more parties and is held by a third party. It is delivered by the third party only upon fulfillment of some condition. service to ensure you get the right product before releasing your money to the seller. Print out your order confirmation. Keep it in a safe place - it's your receipt. Never give out your Social Security number online. It is the key to your identity and the main ingredient in identity theft. Check a Web site's privacy policy. It spells out what information is collected and what the site's operator plans to do with it. If you don't agree with the policy or if there isn't one, don't fill out the form. Get a second e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address . Services such as Hotmail or Yahoo offer them at no charge. Set up an account and use that address when you fill out online forms. The spam E-mail that is not requested. Also known as "unsolicited commercial e-mail" (UCE), "unsolicited bulk e-mail" (UBE), "gray mail" and just plain "junk mail," the term is both a noun (the e-mail message) and a verb (to send it). generated from filling out those forms will go to the phantom account. Never respond to unsolicited e-mail. Even if you click on the ``click to remove'' link, you're only verifying that your address is valid. You're actually setting yourself up to get more spam. Only give out your credit card number on a secure page. You should receive a notice that you're entering a secure site, and a picture of a locked padlock will appear on the bottom of your Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. . If you have a cable modem cable modem Modem used to convert analog data signals to digital form and vise versa, for transmission or receipt over cable television lines, especially for connecting to the Internet. , disable To turn off; deactivate. See disabled. the file sharing Copying files from one computer to another. See peer-to-peer network, file sharing protocol and file and printer sharing. and printer sharing functions. If you don't, hackers can access files on your computer. Never open or save attachments to e-mail unless you are sure who sent it. Even if it comes from someone you know, run the attachment through a virus scan virus scan Informatics A computer program that can ID code–geek speak for computer program subroutines–often found in computer viruses. See Computer virus. before you open it. Or just delete it. Fight back against spam. Find out your service provider's spam policy. Chances are it will offer an address to which you can forward unsolicited messages. Opt out of receiving mailings. Most registration forms allow users to check a box if they do not want to receive mailings or have their address sold to other mailers. PC World found that the vast majority of sites honor users' wishes. Sources: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Protecting Yourself Online, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping (Macmillan Publishing), PC World Magazine. Resolution Solution To help you make and fulfill your New Year's promises, we offer Resolution Solution, a continuing series of guides that provide advice on some of the more important financial questions facing readers today. TODAY: How to surf and shop online without getting ripped off. MONDAY: Kids learn about money in two ways: by what parents teach them and by what they observe from their parents. If parents never talk about money they learn it's a taboo subject but if parents talk about it openly and discuss budgets, kids learn that money is something to be managed. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to teach your children about money. For previous Resolution Solutions, check the Daily News Web site at www.DailyNews.com. Or call the back-issues department of the Daily News at (818) 713-3000. CAPTION(S): drawing; box DRAWING: no caption (Santa coming out of computer monitor) Jorge Irribarren/Daily News BOX: Resolution Solution |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion