Buying Things Over Interet..

[muTe]

hi guys, I know this a a very dumb question but it's just to prove to my mother somethin.... Is it dangerous to buy something over the internet ?? can someone take your credit card number and do some nasty things with it?? only a simple comment would be fine
thanks .. i really need her credit card # to buy my new comp

[HAL9000]

Yes, it is possible that could happen, but somebody working in a store could just as easily take a credit card number as well.

[sdkfz]

Think about the process for a moment,

1) Deal computer to computer and hope no one hacks into the database at 123.com

2) Give your credit card to some kid who can photo copy your reciept and signature to sell to support his/her drug habit, or the person in accounting who can do the same thing, or the person in record archival........ all those people PLUS the above issue of some database being hacked cause the information will end up there anyway.

Deal with places you or someone else you know trust and hope for the best cause any place can be hacked eventually either through human error or by sheer persistance.

Use a credit card NOT a debit card, that way at the most you will be liable for 50.00 in fraudalent charges should the worst ever come to be and watch your bills.

[highrisemech]

If you are dealing with a well known site and they have SSL.
Odds are your not going to have a problem. I've been buying and selling over the internet for years without any problems. I even access my credit card account and make payments to my account over the web it saves the .35 cents stamp. I access my mortgage account even pay bills. Also file my taxes.

[fred]

It is possible, but I have been shopping on the net for years and years and have only once been ripped off once and to the tune of $40 by some guy in Germany. Problem is that when it happens, there is very little you can do.

[Statica]

You know, its not credit card fraud that is going to be the root of your headaches with buying online. In fact most credit card companies will offer some acceptable level of protection for such kinds of transactions. Your source of worry should be with dealing with crooked firms who will rip you off in other ways .. not shipping on time, shipping wrong products, shipping products that are defective, bad return policies, restocking fees .. oh the list is endless. Be very careful whom you deal with... the good news is that, if you can find yourself a store who is recommended as being a good business (thru resellerratings.com or otherwise), you will find a store that will also not steal from ur CC.

[Gintaras]

Originally posted by Statica You know, its not credit card fraud that is going to be the root of your headaches with buying online. In fact most credit card companies will offer some acceptable level of protection for such kinds of transactions. Your source of worry should be with dealing with crooked firms who will rip you off in other ways .. not shipping on time, shipping wrong products, shipping products that are defective, bad return policies, restocking fees .. oh the list is endless. Be very careful whom you deal with... the good news is that, if you can find yourself a store who is recommended as being a good business (thru resellerratings.com or otherwise), you will find a store that will also not steal from ur CC.

It's called a CHARGEBACK, in case :

Originally posted by Statica You know, its not credit card fraud that is going to be the root of your headaches with buying online. In fact most credit card companies will offer some acceptable level of protection for such kinds of transactions. Your source of worry should be with dealing with crooked firms who will rip you off in other ways .. not shipping on time, shipping wrong products, shipping products that are defective, bad return policies, restocking fees .. oh the list is endless. Be very careful whom you deal with... the good news is that, if you can find yourself a store who is recommended as being a good business (thru resellerratings.com or otherwise), you will find a store that will also not steal from ur CC.

[Frey Grimrod]

Let me say that it is MUCH EASIER for someone to obtain your CC info if you use it at a regular store or call it in over the phone than over the internet. And also the days of sickeningly easy credit card fraud are loong over now.

[LawyerRon]

I'm always amazed at the person who will gladly hand his credit card to the waiter in a restaurant (who walks away with the card for several minutes) but considers internet CC shopping to be "too risky". If you deal with reputable vendors, you shouldn't have a problem.

[SARGE]

Lawman, imagine my shock when wifey pulled out a credit card at restaurant that was actually for checking/savings account. Now a credit card company can be negotiated with over charges not personally made, but some waiter could clean my bank account out. I'll put an end to that card pronto.

[highrisemech]

You ask me credit card is the way to go for large purchases and for travel.
In general I will use cash, check or money order for small purchases.
I also keep a Paypal account for Ebay wich hasserved me well.
LawerRon The thought of the waiter stealingmy numbers has never even crossed my mind thanks for the tip. Although I've never had a problem.
I'm sure there is a horror story out there somewhere.

[azscary]

I agree with highrisemech. I also do ALL of my bill paying, credit acct management and mortgage payments online. I have bought and sold on EBay and Yahoo auctions, and have made numerous purchases over the internet and have never had a problem. Some credit cards, such as American Express Blue, have a "SmartChip" built into the card and they will even send you a free card reader to hook up to the computer. When you make a purchase with the card, the only info sent to the merchant is an encrypted number that is tied to your account, and not the card number or exp date. If any fraud occurs, AMEX won't even charge the $50. In other words, as long as it is a reputable dealer that uses SSL you will have no problem.

[LawyerRon]

"Some credit cards, such as American Express Blue, have a "SmartChip" built into the card and they will even send you a free card reader to hook up to the computer."

azscary,
Thanks for the tip, sounds like a good idea to me.

[HackinCowboy]

Originally posted by LawyerRon I'm always amazed at the person who will gladly hand his credit card to the waiter in a restaurant (who walks away with the card for several minutes) but considers internet CC shopping to be "too risky".

The worse part about that is when they bring you your receipt and you fill in for the Tip and signature, the waiter usually just walks away and leaves your receipt (showing your CC number) sitting on the table. I always make sure to hand the copy directly to the person.

[alan]

I have a credit card exclusively for internet purchases set at a reasonable credit limit of $3000. That way if someone does get your number you will be
(1) Limited in the amount of money the crook can steal. Of course your credit card company offers some protection and the law limits some of the liability but at least the bank won't get left holding that big a bag and raising fees for everyone else.
(2) If you have other automatic payments like telephone bill, cable tv, etc. then you won't go through the hassle of changing all your bill payments. Simply cancel the internet card and you're done.
(3) I can hide all my purchases on the net from my nosy girlfriend!!

[Orcmonkey]

Over the years I (parents, for me... ) have bought many things on-line, Guitar stuff, Printer, RAM, scanner etc... The only problems I've ever encountered are because of user mistakes (not filling the form right etc...) I've never been "ripped off" or anything like that. All my purchases have been from semi-large retailers however, so I'm not sure about some of the smaller places.