(NC)—With the holiday season quickly approaching, Canadians are once again turning to the Internet for their gift-buying needs. Online shopping offers consumers convenient access to a vast selection of goods, to say nothing of avoiding endless mall crowds and bah-humbug moments in the parking lot.
Canadians are increasingly comfortable shopping online. In 2001, according to Visa Canada's annual Holiday Shopping Survey, only 16 percent of shoppers were likely to buy presents using the Internet. By 2007 that number had increased to 26 percent. For those who shy away from purchasing goods online, the inability to touch or see the product and concerns about security are prime reasons for choosing local shops over the World Wide Web.
To help secure the online payment process, shoppers and online retailers are turning to programs like Verified by Visa. The Verified by Visa service ensures purchases made online with a Visa card are made by the actual cardholder through the use of a personal password. Free for consumers, the Verified by Visa program has been adopted by more than 56,000 merchants and 350 million cardholders around the world. Canadians can sign up for this program at their card issuer's website, through visa.ca or when shopping at participating merchant websites.
To provide online shoppers with that extra peace of mind, Visa developed its E-Promise. The E-Promise assures cardholders that, in the event that they have tried to resolve a dispute regarding an online, telephone or mail order merchant, and have been unsuccessful, he or she may contact their Visa-issuing financial institution to assist them in resolving the credit card charge.
If you're planning to shop online this year, whether you're a novice or a seasoned online shopper, remember these fraud prevention tips:
• Keep user names and passwords secret.
• Use only secure Internet browsers that allow secure transmission of data.
• Only give your card details when you initiate a purchase.
• Keep a record of transactions, either through e-mail confirmations or by writing down confirmation numbers provided by the merchant.
• Review monthly statements thoroughly.
• Check the site for the merchant's delivery and return policies before making a purchase to ensure items can be returned if they are not in satisfactory condition.
• Never respond to an unsolicited e-mail request for personal or account information, even if it appears to be from a trusted source.
• Never send payment information via e-mail as it is not secure and outside parties can read information that travels over e-mail.
More information on how you can protect yourself when shopping online is available online at www.visa.ca/securewithvisa.
Source: www.newscanada.com
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