Shopping Experience

Shopping Experience

1. Is online shopping a good thing?

   • Advantages
     • Availability, you can shop all day every day
     • Selection available, far greater choice online than on the high street
     • Compare prices , can easily find the best priced item by using comparison websites
     • Convenience, some people can not get to the shops easily
   • Disadvantages
     • Items have to be delivered which you frequently have to pay for and it may be delivered when you are out
     • Try before buying, can not be done, only have images and descriptions
     • Payment methods, must have a credit/ debit card or use a third party payment processor such as Paypal or vouchers
     • Not everyone has internet access
   • How to decide on the trustworthiness of a website
     • Secure website address that starts https
     • Padlock icon in the address bar
     • Owned by a company that you know well
     • Postal address and landline number
   • Suspicious websites may
     • Offers on the site are too good to be true
     • Asked for unnecessary information
     • Asked for credit card info without proof the site is secure
   • Online customer rights
     • As long as you are buying from a UK based seller you have the same rights as if you were shopping on the high street
     • If you buy online you have a 7 day cooling off period, meaning you can change your mind and get a full refund
     • If you buy on the high street and you change your mind you are not entitled to a refund. You are only entitled to a refund if item is faulty

2. Setting up an online account

   • Internet forms have to be completed and many have required fields that you have to type in or combo boxes that you have to choose from the list
     • Validation is a way of ensuring only valid data is entered, i.e. combo boxes/ required fields
       • Cannot ensure data is correct
     • Verification is the process of checking that the data entered is accurate, i.e. double data entry
   • Secret answers are sometimes used to verify that you are you. You are asked a question and are asked to provide an answer
   • Captcha test is used to prevent automated software from filing in the form. Sometimes even humans find the letters hard to read nd have to request a new sequence
   • Activating the account is when a link is sent to your email address to confirm details and ensure that the details belong to a real person
   • Remember my password is a feature of windows to rmember passwords for you for particular websites. Can be useful but also dangerous

3. Is it safe to pay online?

   • A popular method to pay for goods is credit or debit card
     • Credit card validation (CCV) often called the security code and is on the back of the card. It is not in the magnetic strip so can not be copied by dishonest merchants
     • Credit cards is a method of payment not requiring cash. the holder agrees to pay the money borrowed back at a later date with interest
     • A debit card is similar to a credit card but the money is taken directly from the account holders bank
   • The URL should change from http to https and have a padlock displayed in the address bar
     • Secure socket layer (SSL) is a method of encrypting data to provide security for communications being sent over networks such as the internet. Transport Layer security (TLS) is a later version
   • Online banking is a service offered by banks for account holders to view their accounts and complete various financial transactions
     • Advantages
       • Can check how much is in account easily
       • Can access account 24/7
       • Can make payment directly without having to use cheques/ debit cards
       • If account holder has more than one account, they can transfer money between them
       • Will not need paper statements
   • Third party payment processors such as Paypal. The user opens an account, transfers money into it so that they can pay for goods online
   • Gift vouchers are often given as gifts

4. Avoiding online fraud

   • Defrauding money methods
     • before chip and pin criminals could use lost or stolen cards by copying the signature
     • Criminals can make a copy of your card this is called skimming. It happens in bars, restaurants and petrol stations where corrupt employees put the card through a reader which copies the data from the magnetic strip
     • Skimming can take place at cash machines where criminals have fitted a skimming device. They also fit a small camera to gather pin number sequences
     • Bin raids are when criminals coilect old receipts to find out card details
   • Card not present (CNP) fraud is when items are bought over the phone. the criminal only needs the card number and security number and expiry date
   • Hackers can install software called Trojans to spy on your computer. They record your key presses and then send your information to criminals. Some Trojans even taken photos of the screen on sites that require you to use the mouse. Trojans may be included in emails
   • Phishing is when fraudsters spam the internet with an email claiming to be from a reputable bank. It can also be done via text message. The email or text will make you click a link to update your personal profile or carry out a transaction