As more of our daily lives takes place on the Internet, security is certainly an issue to consider.  Unfortunately, thieves follow the money, and with e-commerce markets literally dominating the economy these days, due diligence when making online purchases is a must.  Identity theft and financial theft, among other devastating crimes, happens daily on the Web, and there are a few simple steps you can take to minimize your vulnerability to these risks.  We’ve listed a few of them here.

1. Secure Connection: Having reliable and effective security software installed on your computer is imperative.  There are a variety of options available out there, and they greatly reduce the risks of hackers, viruses, spyware, malware, and other threats that can collect your financial data and password information without you knowing.  An unprotected computer is like advertising to online criminals that you’re available. It is also wise to implement security on your Internet connection.  Most quality ISPs provide options for this, and ensure that others cannot access your Internet connection via wi-fi capabilities.

2. Difficult Passwords:  If you use the same password for all your online shopping accounts and/or financial records, then a hacker only really has to figure out one password to really devastate your finances.  You’d be surprised how many people use only one password for everything, and have paid dearly for it.  Your passwords should not be your birthday, address, or related to any information about you that can be obtained online.  They should be formulated using very difficult combinations of letters, numbers, and special characters when applicable.

3. Where You Spend Your Money:  Sticking with reputable, authorized online retailers is a key component to protecting your purchases, transactions, and investments.  A comprehensive online shopping guide, such as WhereToPurchase, only recommends the most trusted online retailers.  They will most often be names that you’re familiar with, and will have a proven track record that can be substantiated by user reviews at the retailer’s website.  Choosing to make purchases at online retailers whom you’ve never heard of, or who have negative feedback or a ‘shady’ history and lots of customer complaints is not a safe way to make online purchases.  This is one component of an online buying guide that is extremely valuable.  For example, we have spent a great deal of money and time shopping at each of the retailers that we’ve recommended on our site to ensure that we have had first hand experience and can feature them each with confidence.  We would not consider promoting any retailer that we have not had extensive, first hand experiences with.

4. Idetity Theft Protection Services:  Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you still become a victim to online cyber crimes.  It is times like these that an Identity Theft Protection service can save the day.  Not only do they stop a great deal of fraud and theft, but they also take the reigns to correct any identity theft related crimes against you, saving you immeasurable time, effort, money, and frustration.  Subscribing to this type of service can keep an incident from ruining your credit or devastating your finances.

While there is no fail safe guarantee that you will never fall victim to any online crimes, taking these types of precautions will certainly reduce, and in most cases eliminate your risks and vulnerability.  If you don’t currently have any security software on your computer, we recommend you visit the Security Solutions Store at Amazon for the widest variety of trusted computer security solutions at the lowest prices.