Making online purchases with your credit card puts you at risk. And, there are some who choose not to use their credit 
card in this manner just because of this reason. But using your credit card at local merchants also has its risks, so the overriding stand should be one of cautiousness and protection. If you choose to use your cards in online transactions, be sure to use these tips to help protect yourself from becoming a victim.
Above all, you should make sure that your purchases are from secure websites only. This means looking for a padlock in the address bar on the website page from which you are considering making a purchase. Also, you can check to make sure that the page is secure by looking in the address bar to make sure that you see ‘https’ instead of ‘http’ at the beginning of the address or Url. An ‘https:’ in the address bar indicates a “Secure Socket Layer” or SSL that guarantees an encrypted transaction online that is safe and secure. Checking for an https: in the address bar should be your starting point for making sure that you’re conducting secured transactions online.
You will find three added security measures that have been enacted by credit card companies to help prevent fraud. These include programs by these credit card brands:
1. Verified by Visa. Visa provides an added layer of security for online shopping with your Visa card by requiring an additional password that is known only to the card holder and is requested at the time of ordering. You will see a pop-up window in the middle of your transaction that requests this password. You can get Verified by Visa by contacting your card company or clicking on the logo at your favorite online merchant.
2. Secure Online Account Number by Discover. Discover Card takes a different approach in that they use what is called ‘encryption’ to disguise your card number at the time of the transaction. Encryption is nothing new in computers but it is finding its way into more and more applications as the need for superior security comes to the forefront of online merchandising practices.
3. SecureCode by MasterCard. MasterCard also issues a secret code that protects against unauthorized use of credit cards. They supply a private code that is known only by the bank and you which will be requested at the time of an online transaction.
These three measures are the latest in helping make sure your online shopping experience is the most secure that it can be. The one that appears to be most engaging because of how it handles this task is Discover’s. The Visa and MasterCard programs both have one flaw in that not every online retailer offers their program. This means that some transactions are going to go without this added layer of protection that is so important. The other benefit that the Discover program has is that the encryption that they offer is not limited by participating members.
The tools provided to help keep your transactions secure online are a necessary defense to add to your arsenal in helping insure that you are not a victim. The other tools that you have are your own common sense and awareness of what is going on around you. With all of this, you should be able to ward off almost all security breaches that will leave you with a more serious problem.
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