Shopping
on the Internet can be a worrying experience. Not a day goes by without hearing
one horror story or another. Hackers, rogue traders, the DotCom bubble bursting..
However, online shopping or e-commerce is here to stay and if you use some common
sense you'll never be at the receiving end of a fraudster's attention.
Rule number one, use respectable companies of a known pedigree or a good
High Street name.
Rule number two, never part with your credit card details unless the
trader guarantees that the transaction is secure through what is known as
SSL encryption. The tell-tale that SSL is on is the little 'locked' padlock
on the bottom border of Internet Explorer. Other Browsers such as Netscape,
FireFox and Opera use similar 'signs' to tell you that it is safe to proceed.
Rule number three, make sure that your computer is well protected against
viruses, Trojans, Worms and such-like. Even if you don't understand what these
are, an up-to-date Anti-Virus
program will take care of all that. The relevance of this to online shopping
is that however well protected the communication between your PC and the trader's
system is, if your computer has been broken into -so to speak- your activities
could be relayed to a hacker using a 'back-door' (a communications channel
between your PC and a hacker's computer that you are not aware of).
The Arkesini portal provides you with an One-Stop Shop from which you can access the UK's most well-known stores. From Electical goods, to Mobile phones, to Wines, to Books, GPS, Insurance, credit cards to Travel and Finance, it's all here, one mouse button click away!
Happy Shopping!