How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Online Fraud

Protect Yourself NOW and Save Yourself Headaches Later!

It can be harder to know how to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud than protecting your own home from thieves. Thieves you can see. Online predators are "invisible" threats who can attack you in more ways than one.

But, just like you can make your home more secure from thieves, there are certain steps you can take to help make your online experiences safer. 

1. Create Safe Passwords
A huge mistake many Internet users make is using a password that can easily be figured out by a hacker. Using your name, birthdate, social security number, address, or parts of this information doesn't make a secure password. According to VeriSign, your password should be at least six characters in length. The safest passwords are a combination of letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation marks.

For added security, create a new password for every account you have. Don't
give your password to friends or family members to use. And, don't make a list of your Internet passwords and leave it lying around in plain sight. Protecting your passwords can effectively help you from becoming a victim of online fraud.

2. Using the Safest Method of Payment
When you're shopping online, you may think that *not* using your credit card to
pay for your purchases is the safest method of payment. You may think that by paying with a personal check or a money order, you're protecting your credit card information. But, if you pay with anything but a credit card, if the merchant is a scammer, you have no legal recourse to get your money back.

On the other hand, use your credit card and the law will protect you so that you can only be held liable for a maximum of $50 of any fraudulent charges made on your account. If you use your debit card, your liability by law rises to $500 if you're slow at reporting the fraudulent charge. Let 60 days elapse, and you might as well kiss your claim that you didn't make the charge goodbye.