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IS IT REALLY SAFE TO SEND CREDIT CARD INFORMATION OVER THE WEB? We are aware that many people are new to the Internet, and that most people who are surfing the WEB, have never ordered online. Some people refer to the WEB as the modern day "wild west" because it is a relatively new, unexplored territory. And you know what? We agree! People who are online today, such as you, are breaking new ground. Although it may seem like everyone is online (because of the hype and commercials you see on television), it is not true. The Internet is still in its infancy. Most people are not surfing the WEB. You really are a pioneer! And as a pioneer, you must be cautious! You must ask yourself, how safe is it to place an order online? Before we answer the question, we want to remind you who we are. Live And Learn is an online merchant who wants to sell you something. Therefore, take everything we say with a grain of salt. We do have an ulterior motive. Live And Learn has something to gain if you're convinced that online purchases are safer than the media claims. We mention all of this, because that is the type of company we are--upfront and honest! Yes, we want you to order from us. Yet, we don't want you doing anything which is not comfortable for you. If you don't feel comfortable conducting online transactions after reading this article, we will understand. That is why we provide a phone number for calling in orders and our postal address for mailing in orders. But we don't think you need to worry about online transactions. Oh, don't get us wrong. In time to come, we expect you will hear many horror stories from people conducting online business. The fact is, no one is safe from credit card fraud. Not online nor at the local mall. Even people who don't own a credit card are the victims of credit card fraud! (We'll explain later.) Our research has concluded that if you are afraid to make an online purchase, generally it is for one of two reasons. One concern is placing an order with a company you have never heard of before. And the second, more prevalant fear, is sending credit card information over the Internet. We will address the second fear first. To begin, you need to put things in perspective. Yes, someone who knows what he or she is doing can capture a credit card number as it travels in cyberspace. But to do that, they would have to know when and where the order is being placed and then break in at exactly the right moment! If there were any real reason to worry about using a credit card on the web, the major credit card companies would not allow us to do business this way. Afterall, if someone uses your number you are only liable for the first $50.00 and they (or we ) will have to pick up the rest of the tab. Do you think any of us could stay in business if this was a real threat or problem. If it were, we would not be accepting credit card transactions on the web! Fact is, it's a lot easier for a thief to buy your credit card number from an underground source or sift through garbage dumpsters for carbons, than to capture the information from an e-mail message. On the ABC News television program Prime Time Live they did a story on credit card fraud. They showed how a person, any person (even someone without a credit card) can become the victim of credit card fraud. The story was called True Name Fraud and the fraud is perpetrated like this... Someone gets hold of your name, address and social security number. They get it by finding the information in your trash, or they buy it from an unscrupulous merchant who has access to a credit bureau's records (on Prime Time Live the merchant was a car salesman), they look over your shoulder as you fill out a form in a doctor's office, or they simply steal your wallet! Once they have the information they begin. They make up a few phony picture ID cards with your vital information on it. Then, they go to major retailers which offer instant credit. And with the instant credit they start making purchases worth thousands upon thousands of dollars. On the Prime Time Live program they profiled a gang in Philadelphia who had a dozen people out on the streets everyday, making big ticket purchases under assumed identities! It was reported that True Name Fraud is a major problem in our country and is not going away. How does this relate to making purchases over the Internet? Well, MasterCard International's Director of Media Relations, Sean Healy, says that he doesn't know of any case where a computer cracker has intercepted a credit card number during an Internet transmission! So, when Christine Varney, a commissioner with the Federal Trade Commission, stated that no one can guarantee the security of any credit card transaction, she was absolutely right. No one can guarantee you won't be a victim of credit card fraud on the Internet or at your local mall. But we believe, online transactions are much safer than most people think they are! The bottom line is, whenever you make a credit card transaction you are vulnerable. When you hand your card to a waiter and he disappears with it for 5 minutes, you are at risk. When the store clerk takes your credit slip carbon and throws it in the trash, you are at risk. When you pick up a phone and relay the number to a catalog company, you are at risk. When you send in an order form by mail to a company, you are at risk. And when you send the information via e-mail, you are at risk too. We tend to agree with New York Times columnist, Peter H. Lewis, who once wrote "sending a credit card number to an electronic merchant over the Internet is probably the safest way to make such a transaction." We believe, on the NET, you should be more concerned that the company you choose to do business with is a reliable, legitimate company, rather than be concerned about sending credit information through cyberspace. If you become a victim of fraud over the Internet it will probably be due to the merchant being a criminal, rather than your number getting picked out of cyberspace by a computer cracker. Building a pretty WEB site is quite easy, and scam artists are here waiting for you to enter their site so they can bilk you of your hard earned money, or to get your credit information. And then, quickly disappear! Therefore, to really protect yourself, be careful with whom you conduct business! In fact, if you are going to purchase anything (on the WEB or in the local mall) you are best off using a credit card. Your risk is far greater if you don't. Think of your credit card as a type of consumer insurance. If your merchandise fails to arrive, or the merchant deals with you unfairly, your credit card company may be the only remedy you have. Credit card companies are required by law to investigate any disputed charge applied to your account. And they may even reverse the charges if you've been scammed. And remember, if your number is ever used fraudulently, your maximum liability for unauthorized use is limited to $50 whether your number was picked off the WEB or if your wallet was pickpocketed at the local mall! But if you are still concerned about sending your credit card number via e-mail, experts recommend you transmit the credit card number in two separate messages, or for good measure, three messages with the expiration date in the third. This way most sniffers (computer program used by crackers to search out transmissions with credit card numbers) won't be able to hunt down your number. Yes, it is scary to send your credit card information by e-mail, but it is probably one of the safest ways to transact business today. If you send cash, a personal check, money order, or a cashier's check you will have no recourse if something goes wrong or the company goes out of business without shipping your order. So, how safe are you when you transact business with Live And Learn? Because we know you probably never heard of us until today, let us tell you our Dunn And Bradstreet Number. It is 61-032-9567! But what is a Dunn And Bradstreet number you ask? When we seek to get a credit line from major manufacturers Dunn And Bradstreet is the organization they use to determine our legitimacy, reliability, longevity and credit worthiness. Dun And Bradstreet is the world's largest credit reporting agency, with a database covering more than 40 million businesses. Major manufacturers will not extend us a line of credit if Dunn And Bradstreet says we are a credit risk. And if you review our site, you will see that we deal with all the major manufacturers in the Specialty Toy field. Yes, we are considered an extremely good risk by Dunn And Bradstreet! Another point we make clear on our WEB site is how long we have been in business. We have been around since 1988, and conducting business online since the early 1990's (making us one of the oldest online stores). We have been around a long, long time and we intend to be here for many more years to come! Also, we allow ourselves to be rated by the independent, third party Bizrate. They rate companies doing business on the web by conducting surveys of each company's customers. Since we began to be rated we have always been at the top of our category in price, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and other categories. We are considered to be one of the best, most reliable toys stores on the web! In addition, we are a duly registered business in the State of Maryland and conduct business out of Baltimore County. Not only do we have many local residents, private schools and daycare centers as regular customers...the Baltimore County Public School System has been a customer of Live And Learn too! Yes, we have been here for many years. And we will be here tomorrow! If you are not ready to make the leap to online purchases, we understand. But we hope, when you are ready, you will remember Live And Learn. Yep, being a settler of the new "wild west" is tough, but just think of Live And Learn as your friendly, local merchant, pardner! |
