Genealogy Chat

Hi I have never used my debit card on line before is it save only I had it cleaned of money last year although I got it back I never knew how someone got details and am now a bit frightened to use it on site Margaret

i use a separate credit card with a tiny limit on the web- that way anyone trying to clone it won't get very far. you do have to keep a check on the limit tho, as CC companies like to increase it without telling you first! HTH Julie T:)

You should be OK to use it on a secure site (one showing a padlock symbol and with an address starting https <the "s" stands for "secure">). You are probably more at risk through discarding old statements and credit card slips than using it online. Anything like that which bears a card number ,and maybe a signature, should be burnt or shredded on disposal. And don't let a card out of sight e.g. in a restaurant, it can be scanned and cloned very quickly. Also if you are burgled and nothing appears to have been taken check for missing financial documentation. Good advice from Julie about keeping the credit limit low.

Carol Probably not... However you should make sure that you have all the latest updates from Microsoft as this message can be generated by a fault which has now been rectified. I have printed below some useful info from Microsoft on shopping on the web: Unfortunately this year, the holiday shopping season is coinciding with a rise in Internet crime. One particularly disturbing trend involves an increase in fraudulent phisher websites. In a phishing scam, a malicious attacker sets up a convincing-looking spoof of a legitimate website, then tries to trick people into revealing personal information, such as credit card numbers. There are several easy steps you can take to help protect yourself from this and other types of attack. What Can Happen—And How to Avoid It Several types of attacks are used to steal information and other assets on the Web. The most common ones include: Phishing attacks. Spoofing attacks. Viruses. Phishing Attacks Phishing is the act of luring someone to a spoofed website. One common method is to send an e-mail that looks like it came from a trusted source but that contains a link to a malicious site. The malicious site is designed to look like the legitimate site in an effort to trick you into revealing personal information or downloading a virus. Spoofing Attacks Spoofing attacks are commonly used in conjunction with phishing. The spoofed site is usually designed to look like the legitimate site, sometimes using components from the legitimate site. The best way to verify whether you are at a spoofed site is to verify the certificate. Keep in mind that there are several ways to get the address bar in a browser to display something other than the site you are on. Therefore, do not rely on the text in the address bar as an indication that you are at the site you think you are. Always verify the security certificate issued to a site before submitting any personal information. Before submitting any personal information, ensure that you are indeed on the website you intend to be on. In Microsoft® Internet Explorer, you can do this by checking the yellow lock icon on the status bar. This symbol signifies that the website uses encryption to help protect any sensitive personal information—credit card number, Social Security number, payment details—that you enter. Secure site lock icon. If the lock is closed, then the site uses encryption. Double-click the lock icon to display the security certificate for the site. This certificate is proof of the identity for the site. When you check the certificate, the name following Issued to should match the site you think you are on. If the name differs, you may be on a spoofed site. If you are not sure whether a certificate is legitimate, do not enter any personal information. Play it safe and leave the website.

Hi thank you all Margaret