We at Search and Find Services value the security of our customers. To help with
this we have created this page, which will give you tips on how to keep yourself safe
and secure online.
Bank/Credit Cards
Before shopping online it is a good idea to check with your bank or credit card
company to see if your cards are covered against Internet fraud. You can do this
by speaking to your bank manager. If they are not, find out if you can change this
and get yourself and your cards covered.
Online Shopping
With busy lives and hectic schedules, more and more people are turning to
shopping online. But how can you keep yourself and your funds secure from online
criminals? The answer is simple, make sure you are shopping from a secure site.
How do I know if a site is secure?
This is where the difference between http:// and https:// comes in. Normally when
browsing a site the address will start with http:// for example
http://www.sitename.com
Now when it comes to paying and entering your card details you should be referred
to a payment page which should start with https://
What is the difference between http:// and https://?
HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol, which is a language, in a way, that
is used for information to be passed back and forth between web servers and
clients.. Now when you add the S (HTTPS) you will then be on a secure section of
the site. The S obviously stands for Secure. The difference is that in HTTP your
computer is communicating in a unsecure language this means that it is possible
for someone to eavesdrop on your computers conversation with the website.
Therefore if you fill out a form on the website (HTTP) someone might see the
information you send to that site. This is why you never enter you credit card
details on a HTTP site. Always check your address bar for https:// before entering
any sensitive details such as your credit card number.
Emails
We are all prone to getting emails requiring us to log into our bank accounts, paypal
accounts or ebay accounts. These normally tell you that your bank, paypal or ebay
account will be suspended or cancelled if you do not log in to confirm something or
other. My tip is that you never log into an account from an email. If you are not
sure you are better off going to the site as you know it (through your browser - not
the link in an email) and logging in as normal. Alternatively contact your bank to
clarify. Remember that banks will NEVER ask you to log in via an email link. This
normally applies to any site that holds card details on file.
Never be intimidated by what the person is threatening in the email. I remember
once being sent an email from somebody seemingly via eBay. This person
professed to have won an auction on an item that I was supposedly selling. They
went on to claim that they had paid for this item but had not received it and that if I
did not rectify or reply they would go to the police. To reply to this email would
require me to log into my eBay account via the link in the email. This would
normally galvanise a person into the immediate action of logging in via the link, after
all who wants to be reported for a crime they did not commit?
However, I found a few things suspect about this email. Firstly it was sent to one of
my email addresses that is not registered on eBay. Secondly after hovering my
cursor over the link it showed that it was hyper linked to a non eBay site. Thirdly, I
had not listed anything for sale. My thoughts on this email? Well mate, go to the
police the only person scamming here is you. What did I do about this email? I
reported it to eBay security center and promptly deleted it.
Internet Security
I advise that everybody using the Internet invest in a good security suite. With all
the viruses, spyware, popups, spam emails and hackers today this is an absolute
must for all Internet users. Why a security suite? Well you get value for money.
Rather than pay out individually for anti virus, anti spyware etc... You can get it all in
one package (more products for your money).
More on emails
How many of you have received emails claiming you have won a prize, or emails
asking you to have funds put into your bank account because some "poor soul"
cannot get the funds out of their country? What should you do about them? If the
email claims that you have won a prize, ask yourself this question. Did I enter any
competitions online recently? Your answer will normally be NO. Most of the emails
claiming that you have won a prize or won the lottery, are bogus. Upon replying you
will normally be asked to send money to cover some or other cost. This is the
scammers way of getting at your hard earned money and invariably there is nothing
for you at the end of it except frustration and loss of funds. Much the same can be
said about the "poor soul" who cannot get their inheritance out of the country.
Remember if it is too good to be true - it normally is!!! My advice - Delete and
Forget About It!!!
Shopping
Price comparison
Search and Find Services is not a price comparison site, however, all links open in
new windows, so please feel free to use this to your advantage and compare prices
on items you are interested in prior to purchasing.
Gifts
You may have friends and family in another country, so when purchasing gifts for
them why not try to purchase online in the country they live in and have it sent
directly to them. Some sites have options of delivering to a different address to
your billing address. Some gift sites also have gift wrapping and card services
which will be handy if you purchase your gifts in this way. This way your gift will be
wrapped and the recipient will know who it is from. **Please check with the site to
see if this is possible prior to purchase.** This will save you on shipping the item
yourself.
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