DesktopMates.com - About Credit Card Safety



	Worried about using your credit card on-line? Using your credit card online can actually be safer than using it at your local store or restaurant. In an article by Rob Pegoraro in The Washington Post's "Fast Forward" magazine (May 1996), spokesmen for MasterCard International and AT&T's Universal Card acknowledged that to date, they knew of no cases of Internet credit card fraud. Statistically, it's much safer to use you credit card on the Web than to use it in a restaurant or department store. Ever wonder who sees or has access to those triplicate credit card receipts you sign? When making a purchase through a secure online credit card server, a human never sees your credit card information and is seen only by the computers. When you buy on-line with a credit card, most transaction servers take the following precautions: They instantly check with your credit card company's computers to see if the credit card has been stolen. They ask for the card's Billing Address, and instantly check with your credit card company's computers to see if it is correct. This is the equivalent of asking to see your Driver's License. When was the last time you had a store or restaurant did that? It is actually better to pay by credit card, because your transaction is protected through the Fair Credit Billing Act. Check out the credit company's consumer protection policies below. American Express, VISA, MasterCard and Discover Card give you 100% on-line protection! Click here to see the American Express on-line shopping guarantee Click here to see the VISA on-line shopping guarantee Click here to see the MasterCard on-line shopping guarantee Click here to see the Discover Card on-line shopping guarantee Online credit card safety tips. Only deal with sites that offer a secure server for your transaction. Use only one credit card online to make it easier to identify fraudulent charges. Print a copy of your purchase order and confirmation or ticket number for your records. Check your bills carefully each month and cancel the card immediately if you find any bogus charges. Use caution when using smaller online retail sites, which tend to use off-the-shelf e-commerce software and have fewer resources to devote to security. Instead choose ones that use reputable third party credit card online processing companies to handle their transactions. NEVER provide credit card information through email. USE CAUTION providing credit card information over the phone, this should only be done with companies you know and trust. Ask if your credit card information is stored by the company, if so, you should ask the company to remove your information from its database. If you should fall victim to credit card fraud, contact your credit card company IMMEDIATELY and report what has happened. Report the company to the Internet Fraud Prevention Bureau: http://www.internetfraudpatrol.com/ifp/index.shtml So go ahead, make a purchase with confidence and join the millions of other people already enjoying the convenience of using their credit cards on-line! If you have any questions regarding the safety of using your credit card with this site you can email us by going to the "Contact" section of the menu at the top of the page.