Five Tips For Safer Online Shopping (NAPSA)—According to Forrester Research, online shoppers in the United States will spend $327 billion in 2016, up 45 percent from $226 billion in 2012. Online Shopping Research Even consumers who maketheir purchases in stores start with online research. Nearly 70 percent of online shoppers who shopped instore during the 2011 season said online research influenced the brands they bought, the retailers they shopped and the gifts they selected, according to a Google/OTX Post-Holiday Survey. As people spend more time shopping online, there is more potential for hacker attacks, compromised passwords and stolen identities. What can consumers do to protect themselves? Mozilla— the mission-based organization that aims to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web—put together this checklist for keeping consumerssafe while shopping online. Safe Online Shopping: The Mozilla Firefox Checklist 1.) Download a secure browser: Download a Web browser like Mozilla’s Firefox, www.mozilla.org/ firefox, that supports anti-phishing and anti-malwareto protect you from spyware and warn you about potentially fraudulentsites. 2.)Keep your software up- dated: Make sure any software you download to your desktop or your mobile phone—including apps and add-ons—stays up to date. Manufacturers regularly release security updates to protect customersfrom evolving threats. 3.)Secure your passwords: Using a variety of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation, create a unique password for each account you log into. The Firefox Password Managersecurely stores user names and passwords. we, Talk to your family about online safety. 4.) Look for the S: Never buy anything online from a site that doesn’t have SSL encryption. You'll know becausethesite’s address will start with https:// instead of http://, and make sure not to provide your credit card information via e-mail. 5.)Don’t sacrifice security for mobility: Don’t just stop at your home computer. Extend your security to shopping from your mobile phone by making sure you’re always connected to a secure wireless network or your mobile provider’s 3G network before you enter any personal information or passwords. Talk To The Entire Family About Online Safety If your kids are active on the Web, get smart about privacy settings and set parental controls: http://support.mozilla.org/enUS/kb/block-and-unblock-web sites-with-parental-controls. Just like in “the real world,” there is no better way to protect your chil- dren than giving them the knowledge and tools to make smart decisions. The FBI—http://www. fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/ parent-guide/—and American Academy of Pediatrics—http:// safetynet.aap.org/—both have comprehensive guides to Internet safety for parents. Find further facts online at www.mozilla.com.
