Vive y Goza

Shopping online is fun and rewarding, saving us time and money when done right. However, buyer beware, for just as in the real world there are charlatans and thieves they exist on the internet as well.

Latinos are becoming internet savvy at a faster rate than any other group, with millions of Latinos getting online for the first time this year. As a result 2008 will mark the first time many Latinos will pull out their credit cards and entrust their personal and financial information to a website they may know little about. Horror stories about identity theft and internet rip-offs fill the press; however, armed with a little knowledge and common sense you can safely reap the benefits of shopping online. Below are some tips for making sure that your online shopping experience is a good one.

Easy rules to follow:

1. The first rule of safe online shopping is to use common sense. If something looks too good to be true it probably is not true.

2. The second rule of safe online shopping says “do your research”. Do a Google search using the name of the business or site and read what comes up. How many Personalize results come up (in the upper right side of the Google page)? Was it thousands or just a few? Thousands mean that there are many places on the web where this company appears usually a result of many relationships and on going business within the community. Click on the search results links and see what they say about the company. Are there positive or negative statements? Are there news stories about the company, brand or site? What do they say? You will learn a great deal about a company in a few moments just by searching the internet. Best of all it is completely free.

3. Only buy from a site whose encryption certificate is verified.

Verisign is recognized as the most popular and safe service. If there is not a verifiable certificate seal on the site don’t buy from them. The certificate says that the site properly uses strong SSL encryption to scramble and hide its customers’ personal information when transferring it on the web. Search the site for the certificate seal or icon usually found at the bottom of the web page or checkout area where you put in your credit card information. And MOST IMPORTANT click on the seal to verify that it is valid and for the company or website you are buying from. Some thieves will use a counterfeit certificate that will not be verifiable when pressed. See the example of a verified certificate below. Make sure when you view the certificate it is from https://seal.verisign.com.

4. Does the website show customer reviews, if so, what do they say? Websites that let their customers write reviews about them and their products say they care about what you think. Read the reviews to get a good idea about what others have experienced and think about the website. Of course many positive reviews mean others have had a good experience.

5. Does the website scan for breaches in its online security using McAfee Secure?

McAfee, the same people who developed popular virus protection software, have a service called McAfee Secure. McAfee secure scans the company’s website every day and tests it for security holes used by internet hackers to gain access to personal data. If a hole is found McAfee informs the subscribing company and guides them to fix the problem. If the company does not fix the problem their certificate is turned off and is not visible to customers. A missing McAfee certificate is a potential sign that there is a breach in the websites security. It is probably not a good idea to buy from someone who does not have this certificate or icon. Again it is usually on the bottom of the webpage or checkout page of the site. It looks like this when verified.

6. Does the website give a phone number to call? Most reputable businesses offer a phone number that you can call and speak to a company representative. If you want your questions answered directly don’t hesitate to call the number to get your questions resolved.

7. PayPal is a secure payment system owned by Ebay that lets you pay for something on a website without having to give your credit card information to that website.

Instead you register and create an account with PayPal and deal directly with them. PayPal in turn accepts your bank account or credit card payment and pays the website. PayPal retains and protects your financial information while you shop online. PayPal is also an easy and inexpensive way to wire money to other countries. PayPal works with many different currencies and is growing in popularity for doing money transfers. Companies that offer PayPal must become verified by PayPal as a PayPal merchant, thus are more likely to be legitimate businesses. You can get more information and sign-up for PayPal here More about PayPal

8. Google Checkout is payment system much like PayPal but is owned by Google.

Google Checkout has some extra benefits for those who want to remain anonymous when shopping online. With Google Checkout your personal information is enter through Google Checkout and not the website where you are making the purchase. The whole transaction is made through Google and only the necessary order information is passed on to the website. You can register and create an account with Google Checkout in much the same way you do with PayPal. Merchants who accept Google Checkout must go through a verification process and be approved by Google, thus giving buyers an extra level of confidence that are buying from a safe and secure merchant. You can sign-up for Google Checkout here More about Google Checkout.

There are risks to shopping online, but with some knowledge and common sense you will reap the benefits and rewards the internet has to offer.

About the author - Fred Ackourey is the CEO of Telegaleria, LLC a retail network catering to the US Hispanic community. He can be reached via email at fackourey@telegaleria.com