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[C667]Christmas Shopping On Line

by Tj Tierney, Tj

There are thousands of online stores selling everything, and giving you access to a wider range of goods and services than ever before at your finger tips - and at way lower prices than your corner store. But as the number of on-line shops grow - so does the number of people trying to make the “fast buck“.

While the majority of stores offer a great service, consumers should exercise care when shopping on-line with a new site for the first time. There are a few simple guidelines to follow which should make your shopping experience rewarding and profitable.

If you are dealing with a company for the first time make sure you read the terms and conditions of the on-line store.

Also check their web site for a postal address and a telephone number - most genuine companies have no problem publishing their postal address on their website and should have a contact page with their address and company details on it.

Also read their privacy policy carefully.

Within the European Union, customers are entitled to a full refund when shopping on-line, if the goods are returned within seven days of purchase and the seller must state this on their on-line store. If a company does not state this, a customer is entitled to a full refund if they return the goods within thirty days.

The safest way to buy on-line is by using your credit card or paying by cheque. Cheques must to be lodged into a bank account to clear, and credit card payments can only be made into a company’s bank account. If a company seeks payment by any other means, be wary - when you buy on-line you want your payment to be traceable.

Most reliable retail sites offer a ten to thirty day, full refund, but postal charges are normally not included in this. Standard practice is that the customer pays for the postal charges if they are returning an item.

When you do shop on-line, check your credit card statement. If you do notice unauthorised transactions, notify your credit card company. Credit card companies will follow-up your complaint and refund your card.Every day there seems to be new reports of shoppers getting ripped-off when shopping on-line. A common way is where someone transfers money through a cash transfer company to pay for an object; the seller receives the money but fails to send the buyer the item.

Be very wary of these rogue scams. A reliable shopping site will have a credit card billing system, such as Paypal built into their website.

Identity theft is a growing problem and as it continues to spread throughout the internet, investigators and software developers are gaining a better understanding of the practice of identity theft; how it works, how thieves conduct their practice, and how to stop the problem before it begins. Identity theft comes in many forms, like spam, phishing, e-mail scams, and personal information theft involving social security numbers, credit card numbers, and the like. Both shoppers and online merchants continue to find new ways to halt the instances of identity theft, but there are still some very sophisticated identity thieves who find ways to circumvent these and other anti- theft measures. Inside jobs account for 85% of all online identity theft and the roadblocks implemented by online services have only been marginally successful at preventing this form of theft.

For consumers who worry about shopping online and fear identity theft in its various forms, there are several new services designed to prevent this practice. One of them is Shop Shield; a new, comprehensive software product that allows consumers to shop online without worry. It works in a unique way, preventing identity theft by completely removing the consumer's personal information from the transaction. With no personal information to steal, identity theft via inside jobs becomes impossible.

What Can Shop Shield Protect?

With Shop Shield, consumers can shop online with greater peace of mind, knowing they are fully protected from:

* Theft of credit card numbers
* Theft of bank account information
* Theft of one's billing address
* Theft of e-mail address
* Theft of web site log-in information

How does Shop Shield work?

Shop Shield protects the consumer by substituting personal information with anonymous, temporary information each time a shopping transaction takes place. This includes both online shopping transactions and other communication that involve filling out an online registration. Shop Shield operates without using a centralized database, preventing any chance of identity theft from this large pool of data. Personal information is safe because it is stored in undecipherable, encrypted fragments that are then divided into multiple locations with varying sequences. Technology like this is even more advanced than the technological safety standards utilized by banks and it makes inside job identity theft nearly impossible.

Shop Shield further protects the consumer and averts identity thieves by substituting billing information in place of personal information, rendering it useless to identity thieves. Another plus of identity theft is that it basically prevents the common practice of selling personal information to other businesses. Online businesses can sell personal information if they want, but with Shop Shield in place, consumer information will be useless because it won't be accurate. There will be no way to trace the personal information back to a consumer who uses Shop Shield, protecting the consumer from unwanted marketing and phishing.

Who's behind Shop Shield?

Shop Shield is a product offered by Kemesa, which is a privately held company based in Salt Lake City, Utah with other offices, including its customer service office, located in southern Florida. The name “Kemesa” is actually an acronym for the company's mission: "Keeps Me Safe” and its Shop Shield product has already passed in-depth security evaluations from several important agencies, including the PCI standard for the Payment Card Industry.

Do I need Shop Shield if I am already using other secure measures?

Some consumers might feel they do not need the added protection from Shop Shield because many financial transaction service providers like PayPal, Master Card Secure Code, Google Check Out, Bank of America Shop Safe, and Discover Desk Top already offer protection because they never transmit real card information. However, this protection isn't comprehensive. Shop Shield offers added protection by safeguarding consumer billing and e-mail information. That's a big plus.

Shop Shield is available to the general public and it includes a free beta trial. Kemesa is so confident that Shop Shield will protect against identity theft that the company adds a impressive guarantee: If Shop Shield is activated and a consumer's personal information is compromised, Kemesa will reimburse the consumer up to $10,000 above and beyond any coverage offered by your bank or credit card company.

Identity thieves are always looking for a new way to steal personal information. Shop Shield offers a new, comprehensive technology that shields and protects the consumer from identity theft. With excellent protection like this and a generous guarantee to back it up, Shop Shield is certainly a product worth considering. It adds an extra layer of protection, providing the online shopper with greater peace of mind.

Article Source : online computer shopping

About Author

Both Tj Tierney & Lisa Carey are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Tj Tierney has sinced written about articles on various topics from Basketball, Hunting and Photography. TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. If you are looking for some photo tips visit the photography directory he frequently writes for:. Tj Tierney's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.

Lisa Carey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Shopping and Computer Virus. Lisa Carey is a contributing author for . You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitorin. Lisa Carey's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.