Seven tips to safely shop online this holiday season

Black Friday and the ensuing holiday shopping season have become stressful times in every consumer's year. Standing in line for six hours in the freezing cold outside the local big-box store and battling ravenous hordes of deal-seekers is not the ideal. That is why many shoppers have been driven to seek the convenience and lower prices of cyber storefronts. But online shopping comes at a risk, especially for those who don't take simple precautions.

According to Ken Desforges, Excelsior College faculty member and cybersecurity industry advisor, these seven tips can help protect you this holiday shopping season.

1. Put away that debit card, credit is your best bet. Credit cards are safer than debit cards, checks or cash. Under federal law, your liability on unauthorized charges on credit cards is limited to $50.

2. Identify the knock-offs. Before "clicking" on that payment button, determine the seller's physical address and phone number and run a check through the Better Business Bureau. A few extra seconds can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Remember, you are protected by federal consumer laws when you buy American.

3. Consider single-use credit cards. Many credit institutions are adopting a new technology that protects you from additional fraudulent charges by issuing a unique credit card number for each purchase.

4. Secure transactions only, please. The most reputable online sellers utilize state-of-the-art encryption technology such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Secure Electronic Transaction (SET). Your browser should provide indication that a site is secure in the form of a padlock icon on your screen. Also, the web address will change from "http" to "https." See the "s" and you'll know you are safe to spend $80 dollars on a new football jersey - that is, until your spouse finds out.

5. Read the fine print: Before purchasing anything, read the seller's privacy policy to determine if your information is disseminated in any way to third parties or used for any specific purpose other than completing the transaction. No privacy policy? Don't buy!

6. Only the facts, ma'am. Some information is pertinent to completing an online transaction, specifically a name and physical address to send the products. Of course, Social Security numbers are not. If someone asks you for one, move along. And, if they begin asking "lifestyle" questions, feel free to answer - if you don't mind being spammed. Those types of questions are a clear indication that a seller is using your information for marketing purposes.

7. Be cautious with electronic signatures. Recent law allows for the verification of online purchases using an "electronic signature," often nothing more than clicking a box agreeing to the privacy policy and purchasing terms. In addition, the same law doesn't require much else from the seller in regards to consumer protection, including privacy with customer data.

Excelsior College's Desforges adds that the best advice anyone can be given is to use their "shopper's intuition." If the merchant's website looks amateurish, is riddled with spelling errors, makes outrageous claims, has a price that seems too good to be true, or the customer service line goes unanswered, then you are probably placing your identity at risk by doing business with them.

Remember, if something seems too good to be true then it probably is. Nothing is worth the pain, frustration and cost of having your identity stolen - not even that "must have" toy or holiday gift.