Banks, merchants, and payment processors work hard to ensure that online shopping is safe. Yes, there are identity theft statistics that show an increase in identity theft over the years, but there are really simple ways to protect yourself against identity theft including:
- Only provide the minimum information required to complete an online purchase. Chances are you only need to provide your name, mailing address and phone number to complete an order. Why would that company need your date of birth, social security number, or bank account information?
- Use a third party company like eBillme to pay cash online. When you use these methods, you don’t have to provide any personal or financial information to a merchant you don’t know. It’s a bit like a more secure form of online debit.
- Never give out your computer password to anybody.
