Member Education

Online Shopping Safety Tips

Before shopping online, please keep the following tips in mind:

• Use anti-virus software and a personal firewall to help safeguard your information.
• Keep your web browser and operating system up-to-date to ensure you’re protected against the latest viruses.
• While you may be required to enter sensitive information in order to make purchases online (such as credit card numbers, expiration dates, etc.) never email this information to anyone.

Investigate the Seller

Anyone can sell things online, so it is a good habit to check out the online seller before you make a purchase. Make sure the Web site gives the business' name, mailing address (more than a post office box) and telephone number. You need to know how to reach the seller so if you can't find a working phone number, go somewhere else. Type the site's name into a search engine. If you find unfavorable reviews, you may be better off doing business with someone else.

Check the Site's Security

If the site is secure, the "http" in the address bar at the top of your screen will change to "https" or "shttp" at the page where you are asked to type in payment information. You can also look for other signs that the site is secure such as a closed padlock on the browser's status bar.