Federal Trade Commission - ID Theft
A growing problem facing both businesses and consumers is ID Theft. If you do a lot of shopping online (like I do) than this site will be priceless to you. First I would check out the "What is Identity Theft" Section. You can view it text or pdf—it's your choice. This guide goes through and explains how these thieves can get your information and use it. It also explains some things you should do if you think your identity has been stolen.
If you do think your identity has been stolen, you should read the home page of this site and follow the four steps on it. It is very important to get things taken care of as soon as you think your identity has been stolen because the quicker you can get these steps into action the less time the thief has to ruin your good name.
Now I'm going to recommend reading the following guides:
ID Theft - When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name
2003 Identity Theft Trends
Information Compromise - Business Guidance (this is great for business owners)
I suggest you read through this site thoroughly and make note of the things you can do to protect yourself. I do still believe that it is safe to buy online, so long as you do it wisely. Shop at places that have secure shopping carts (like WorldStart). You can tell if they are secure if the little lock comes up at the bottom of your browser. If you do your banking online make sure you change your password every three to six months. If you're buying off of Ebay or Amazon make sure that you read user feedback on the person you are buying from. If it says they aren't a good seller, or there are complaints of people being cheated by them, don't buy from them. Just be Safe.
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
A growing problem facing both businesses and consumers is ID Theft. If you do a lot of shopping online (like I do) than this site will be priceless to you. First I would check out the "What is Identity Theft" Section. You can view it text or pdf—it's your choice. This guide goes through and explains how these thieves can get your information and use it. It also explains some things you should do if you think your identity has been stolen.
If you do think your identity has been stolen, you should read the home page of this site and follow the four steps on it. It is very important to get things taken care of as soon as you think your identity has been stolen because the quicker you can get these steps into action the less time the thief has to ruin your good name.
Now I'm going to recommend reading the following guides:
ID Theft - When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name
2003 Identity Theft Trends
Information Compromise - Business Guidance (this is great for business owners)
I suggest you read through this site thoroughly and make note of the things you can do to protect yourself. I do still believe that it is safe to buy online, so long as you do it wisely. Shop at places that have secure shopping carts (like WorldStart). You can tell if they are secure if the little lock comes up at the bottom of your browser. If you do your banking online make sure you change your password every three to six months. If you're buying off of Ebay or Amazon make sure that you read user feedback on the person you are buying from. If it says they aren't a good seller, or there are complaints of people being cheated by them, don't buy from them. Just be Safe.
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/