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The
Internet provides an easy and convenient way to shop. It
can also be very safe. There are several things you should
know about Internet security:
SITE SECURITY
E-commerce site security is
provided by companies like Verisign, who provide special
encryption systems to protect information, such as the
customer's name, address, and credit card information.
These system are highly effective and virtually impossible to
break. Most E-commerce customers have their browsers set
so that a window pops up telling them when they enter or leave a
secure area. Since this slows down browsing, most
E-commerce sites only place their checkout page in the secure
area, as it is the only one which contains information.
All of the Web-Shops stores share the same secure area on the
Web-Shops site as this simplifies site maintenance.
INFORMATION STORAGE
Many E-commerce sites use on-line data
base systems that maintain customer information. This
makes it easy for the customer to review past purchases and
enter reorders. However such systems are vulnerable to
hackers. Because of this, Web-Shops does not maintain
any customer information on line. Orders are
transmitted to our office via secure file transfers
systems. They are then imported into our in-house data
base system. All of our E-store are hosted on remote
servers. This means that none of our in-house computers
are linked to the Internet. This is the ultimate firewall,
as it precludes the possibility of our data being stolen..
STOLEN CREDIT CARD INFORMATION
A brick and mortar store
physically swipes a credit card which establishes that it is in
the customer's possession. Many also require
identification. These things are not available to
the E-Merchant and the lack of them is the biggest problem
confronting E-commerce sites and the source of most credit card
problems. Some people fail to take their credit card
receipts. They either leave them on the counter or throw
them into a trash can. This can result in dishonest people
obtaining them and trying to place orders online.
The credit card companies have responded with very tight
authorization procedures. These include additional
security codes.
On large purchases,
we require the customer to provide a fax of their credit card
(both sides) to insure that they physically have it and a form
of identification. Although this can sometimes be
inconvenient, it protects both us and you. |
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