Last year alone, more than US$3.2 million dollars of Internet fraud was reported to the National Consumer's League Internet Fraud Watch. This represents a 38 percent increase since 1998, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
If you're reading this online publication, you've probably already delved into the world of e-commerce. Once discovered, the convenience of ordering anything from that hard-to-find printer ribbon to roasted chiles straight from New Mexicoâ€"all from the comfort of your own homeâ€"is pretty hard to beat.
Whether you're buying goods from Web-based businesses or bidding and selling in the growing area of online auctions, there's plenty of opportunity to get ripped off. This article will cover the basics of online transactions, focusing on how to do it safely. We want to help you feel as comfortable as possible doing business over the Internet, but also to understand the risks.
To make sure you are aware of all the relevant issues of doing business online, we'll discuss the basic things you need to know about e-commerce today, like secure servers and auction feedback systems. We'll cover the safe practices you should follow if you're ordering goods and services online, as well as what pitfalls to avoid.
Of course we'll also include a selection of online resources to further your knowledge in how to keep from getting ripped off as you venture into an e-commerce world.
