Non-Delivery of Merchandise and/or Payment is the Most Common Form of Internet Fraud
Is there a "security patch" available for the significant rise in online crime?
(PRWEB) May 16, 2009 -- The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), recently reported that Internet crime increased 33 percent over the past year. A variety of complaints were registered, but the category receiving the highest percentage was non-delivery of merchandise and/or payment.
While this news may be discouraging for people who are searching for service providers and vendors online, it's important to know there are still a vast number of legitimate businesses operating on the World Wide Web. The best way consumers can protect themselves is knowing how to separate the sediment from the good stuff.
Russell Khaimov, Founder and President of PartyPages.com, believes that online shopping is just as safe as making a purchase in the mall or ordering from a catalog; however, he encourages buyers to be aware of their consumer rights. "The same laws apply to everyone whether they order online, by phone, or through the mail," he says. "Plus, when you pay by credit or charge card your transactions are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act."
Although business directories such as PartyPages.com cannot make warranties about the companies listed on their sites, there are steps you can - and should - take to protect yourself from unethical online business dealings. Khaimov offers these three important tips to kick the tires of any online vendor or service provider before taking the plunge:
| | - Don't judge a website by its colors. Although it may have a professional look, those bells and whistles could be a camouflage to seedier activity. Look for a physical location that includes a street address (not a PO Box) and phone number. Then take a few minutes and check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see how reliable it is.
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| | - Satisfaction guaranteed. Or is it? Before hiring a service provider or purchasing a product, make sure you understand the company's refund and return policies. If they are not available on their website, then ask them to provide you with assurances on how they handle potential problems in writing.
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| | - Keep your information secure. Never email sensitive financial information to anyone such as credit card, checking account, or Social Security numbers. This data should be transmitted in a secure online environment using a digital SSL certificate or Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) that encrypts personal and financial information.
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If you feel you have been a victim of Internet fraud and have been unable to work the problem out with the vendor or website owner, you can take action by filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and/or your state's attorney general's office.
About PartyPages.com
As the Internet's premiere party and event planning site with more than 550,000 vendors listed in their directory, this is one of the first stops people make when planning an event or looking for a specialty service. Browsers can quickly narrow their search for business listings using PartyPage.com's huge, search-friendly database. And vendors will find an affordable menu of promotional services - including free options.
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