Charity Folks | Online Auction | Terms and Definitions

Safety Tips from Charity Folks

We want your online experience to be enjoyable and worry free. Bidding to Give, Shopping and Banking online can be convenient and secure -- if you take a few simple precautions. Many e-commerce websites utilize state-of-the-art encryption and other security procedures to safeguard you and your money.

Here are a few suggestions to help you have a secure online experience:

If you suspect a website is not what it purports to be, leave the site. Do not follow any of the instructions it may present you.

Ask yourself if the information you are asked to provide makes sense for the activity you are engaged in.

If a site or e-mail asks for information that does not feel right, do not respond.

If you believe that someone is trying to commit fraud by pretending to be Charity Folks, please contact us immediately.

Be alert for scam e-mails. These may appear to come from a trusted business or friend, but actually are designed to trick you into downloading a virus or jumping to a fraudulent website and disclosing sensitive information.

Open e-mails only when you know the sender. Be especially careful about opening an e-mail with an attachment. Even a friend may accidentally send an e-mail with a virus.

Be careful before you click on a link that is contained in an e-mail or other message. The link may not be trustworthy.

Do not send sensitive personal or financial information unless it is encrypted on a secure website. Regular e-mails are not encrypted.

Do business only with companies you know and trust.

Be aware! Phony "look alike" websites are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information. Make sure that websites on which you transact business post privacy and security statements and review them carefully.

Verify the address of every website, known as the URL. Make sure that the URL you want appears in the "address" or "location" box on your browser window. Some websites may appear to be legitimate but actually are counterfeits. Take a few extra seconds and type the URL yourself.

Look for the padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window to ensure the site is running in secure mode BEFORE you input sensitive information.

Use strong passwords for your accounts. Choose passwords that are difficult for others to guess, and use a different password for each of your accounts. Use both letters and numbers and a combination of lower case and capital letters as your password is case sensitive.

Make sure your home computer has the most current anti-virus software. Anti-virus software needs frequent updates to guard against new viruses. Make sure you download the anti-virus updates as soon as you are notified that a download is available.

Install a personal firewall to help prevent unauthorized access to your home computer, especially if you connect through a cable or DSL modem.

Log off. Do not just close your browser.

Monitor your transactions. Review your order confirmations, credit card, and bank statements as soon as you receive them to make sure that you are being charged only for transactions you made.

Immediately report any irregularities.

For additional tips on online security see the following websites:

http://www.bbb.org/alerts/Computer.asp
http://iisw.cerias.purdue.edu/home_computing/