Guru Speak: How safe are we when shopping online?

Internet shopping has made shopping borderless. People enjoy Internet shopping for different reasons. First, it allows you to compare prices over and over again for as long as you like. By shopping on the Internet, no one will ever find out if you never buy the product, even after a million visits to the same website. And, of course, a couch potato loves to shop on the Internet for the "time-saving" reason.

In recent years, Internet shopping has broadened to cover a range of services like air tickets, hotel accommodation, tour packages, car rental and insurance. Consumers find booking and purchasing these services online very convenient and cost-effective. These activities have been advanced to the point where you get to choose your seats, see room availability and car model virtually.

However, in exchange for such convenience, you will have to give out your personal information, in this case, credit-card details. This is the point where security issues arise. While your online purchase is being made, is it securely transacted? Who else can access your personal information? What can (and will) they do with it?

If the credit-card details are stolen, you will usually end up with huge debts. Personal data attached to a credit card can also be used for other fraudulent crime. Is the trade-off between convenience and risks worth taking?

I would debate that the risks are the same between Internet shopping transactions and "card-present" transactions. Your visits to shops, restaurants or petrol stations can provide opportunities for thieves, because your credit card is usually taken away from your sight when they process the payment. There is enough time for your personal data and credit-card details to be duplicated and transferred. For an Internet shopping transaction, at least your credit card is still in your hands.

The key recommendation is to avoid disclosing your credit-card details too often on the Internet. This can be done simply by registering yourself with a reliable payment medium that is widely accepted by online shops. PayPal is a well-known paying agent with a good security record. PayPal only asks you to input your personal information along with your credit-card details at the registration point on one occasion. Then, after your PayPal account has been opened, your digital pocket will be created.

You can then charge your Internet shopping using the digital pocket, which requires just your password. Your future online purchases will be more secure, as you will no longer be asked to input your card number, expiry date, three-digit security code at the back of the card ever again. This digital pocket can put an end to your worries about online purchasing. So, don't tell anyone your password, ok?

Now, if your preferred website does not provide the digital-pocket option, how can you tell whether it is secure? Well, secured websites either have a locked-key icon, 'Verified by Visa', 'MasterCard Secure Code' or 'Verisign' at the bottom of their Web pages. In addition, the URL or Web address of protected websites should start with "https" instead of "http", indicating that information transmitted out of these sites to other parties will be encrypted.

Lastly, you should check your credit-card statement as soon as it arrives, so any unusual transactions can be reported immediately.

JANEJIT LADPLI, who works in the Leisure Marketing Division of Krungthai Card, can be contacted at janejit.l@ktc.co.th