Online identity theft is an important consideration but there are easy steps to follow to protect your identity.

Before the internet we were constrained by the hours of operation and the style and selections offered by our local merchants. But no more! The internet has brought international shopping right into our home office. We can look online for any type of product at any time of the day or night.

However, the internet also brought risks and challenges to our shopping experience. The scariest is probably the possibility of identity theft and unauthorized use of our credit cards. Although most identity theft crimes take place in real life, the possibility of online fraud is widespread.

Here are some suggestions to help keep you safe from online identity theft…

• Shop at home: A lot of us take our laptop to the coffee shop and we browse and shop online while we enjoy our caramel macchiato. That leaves us vulnerable to others who are stealing bandwidth and opens our computers to hackers who are sharing the same Wi-Fi connection. Even worse would be using a computer at a cyber café or library where someone else has unlimited access to the computer you were using and its history of where you have been shopping. So just to be safe do your shopping in the privacy of your own home.

• Shop only on secure websites: There are a lot of vendors in our global market and a lot of choices to be made. One of the most primary choices is only log your information into websites that are secure. Secure websites have two distinguishing features – it starts with HTTPS:// (See the ‘S’ at the end of HTTP?) as opposed to HTTP:// and there is a padlock icon at the bottom of the screen. It is perfectly safe to click over from a non-secure site (HTTP:) as long as the site that you are entering your personal credit card information has a HTTPS: url. If you don’t see them, move on to another merchant. When you type your information into a form on a non-secure website it becomes available to any internet predator and hackers of any skill level.

• Protect your private information: Don’t store your credit card information with the vendor. Even if it a site that you frequently visit, the risk is too great that someone will steal your information directly from their server. The few minutes that you will spend re-entering your information is much quicker than the time you would spend restoring your stolen identity should the unthinkable occur.

• Don’t use a debit card: Be sure to use your credit card when shopping online so that you have someone watching your back. Often credit card companies will contact you if they see unusual activity on your card. They also offer liability against fraudulent charges. As long as you report it within their time frame (varies with the company) you are responsible for only $50.00 of the charges incurred. However, when you shop with a credit card, please remember to use credit wisely. Try to pay the balance off monthly.

• Shop with a gift card: It may seem crazy to buy yourself a gift card, but gift cards are ultimately disposable credit cards. They have only a certain amount of money that can be used. They can be refilled if needed. And if it is stolen, there is no way for the predator to trace the card back to you. So while you might lose the money on the card, your identity remains anonymous to the thief and you are protected from online identity theft.

Shopping online is fun and convenient and offers a global selection of merchandise at multiple price points. With such convenience at our fingertips it is easy to forget about the dangers that lurk on the internet. Use these tips to keep your information safe from identity theft and you will be okay.