Is purchasing online really safe & secure?

If they use Paypal for payment processing, you are generally very safe.

If somebody is asking you to send money via Western Union, etc. then I'd be very wary.

If you do get scammed, you can request a chargeback from your credit card provider. The website you bought from using a credit card will have a merchant processing the payment for them, your credit card company can raise a dispute with them if something goes wrong.

Hope that helps

Abul

Use Paypal wherever possible, it is the safest option.

Using a credit card is also fine considering you can make a claimback if you are somehow scammed out of your money. This does not mean you should not be cautious though, warning sign - If it sounds too god to be true, it probably is.

-Michael

Although using PayPal is probably the safest way to go when buying something online. I haven't had a problem when making a purchase online.

I think I'm more concerned about having Spyware on my own computer and allowing someone to see my credit card details than the actual person I am buying from.

With that said, PayPal is probably best, since most people with a PayPal account don't want to jeopardize their account being banned just to scam someone for a few dollars.

Also, PayPal is very good about protecting purchasers since they want to protect their reputation as a safe place to make a purchase, so don't hesitate to call them if you suspect fraud on your account.

There are tons of safe places to buy, however there are also places wherein it's a risk. Best thing to do is to do some simple background search on where you're buying from. As simple as searching google for reviews or feedback can be a big help.

Considering how popular the internet is to consumers, what's your gut feeling on this?

Actually you almost never hear anymore about credit scam altough try to see if the website has httpS//: and not just the http,
Try to look down in the page you would usually see logos of companies like MasterCard which means that it is secure.
The best way to make a paymeny thoug is with paypal,they have over 100million users and you NEVER hear them stealing [or they are planning somthing big think about it 1dollar from more then 100million people is 100million dollars! but it is not likely)

As a few people stated already, PayPal is a good way to purchase things via the internet. They are a trusted source by many and PayPal has a great reputation. I would NEVER use your debit card for an online purchase, but using a credit card is okay. I would always be wary of where you are purchasing something from and only trust sources with good reputations! Just be careful, and you should be okay!

Its safe with paypal but the way to buy online is by contacting your bank and ask them to give you the ability to create virtual credit cards. These cards can only be used for one time online for a specific amount and specific period. Once it is used it expires so as the card number and ccv.
You can create these cards easily by getting online banking. I hope this help.

It is said already I think. Best things to stay safe:
- Keep your anti-virus updated and do a weekly scan (I recommend Microsoft Essentials or Kaspersky)
- Put your Firewall on
- Put automatic updates on

On the web:
- Make sure when you want to buy something you connect through a secure page with a SSL certificate (httpS), Google the certificate if it's a legal certificate.
- Make sure the payment goes through a known provider like PayPal, Click and Buy, Clickbank etc.
- Don't visit strange looking websites, they can be infected with malware.
- Check your IP weekly on ip-score.com to check if you are a BOT

You better use a virtual creditcard or a debit card. This way you can only spend the amount that you funded on the card. For example the debit card from Moneybookers or Neteller. For virtual creditcard we got in the Netherlands 3vcard.nl, but in USA you can get one with every bank I think.

Most important:
Use your brains!

I personally only use paypal; I do NOT trust any internet marketer or other website with my credit card information.

I think Paypal is the safest way to pay and be paid you should link your credit card with Paypal and start buying securely

if it is paypal you are really safe but if you buy somewhere else I think not.
And if page where you buy isn't scam the risk is hacking, if page gets hacked all the information goes to the hackers. What happens next ?????????

always goto an authorised site or page, or any site which is not new in business. and it will be secure..

It is if you buy from me lol...

...it would be nice if the payment processor has SSL installed and has some form of MD5 hash encryption on their payment page. Are you skeptical of Paypal? That's one of the safest ways to pay online.

I never hesitate to buy online from established companies like Amazon, Sears, Lowes, etc. Giving out my credit card number to a cheesy looking site wouldn't happen but I have used Paypal extensively on lesser known sites.

From my experience, using Paypal to purchase online is not only easier it is more secure than using credit cards. I am just not comfortable using my credit card to purchase anything online.

I lost $400 once using Paypal but I was one of many. It was the only time I had a problem. The guy skipped to another country and fleeced a lot of people. Paypal would refund the money cause it was a digital purchase, fighting it didn't help.

But in 6 years it was the only bump in the road

Is it safe to get in your car each day?

Is it safe to walk home in the dark after midnight?

There is your answer.

With all the clauses and guarentees, how can any reputable company online tell you your credit card details are safe.

Just get over it, and know the pros and cons from your credit establishment, they tell you all the risks. There is nothing more you can do. From what I know the hackers and crackers are always 2 steps ahead, but there really is only a small window chance they will abuse you and your details.

Purchasing online is not always safe because there are so many scams around the web. You can never be so sure that you are going to get the product. That is why it is always the best to order products from companies with good reviews.

True story....My cousin came to visit us here in Toronto. He told me that his friends all shop on Ebay and he just does not trust that his credit card is safe with them. I told him that it is and they have secure servers. Still, he won't shop there and go to a store even though he can save on a lot of stuff that he buys in the store.

Not everyone trust the online world for shopping.

If you want to use a credit card, you can set up a special bank account for it and only keepa small amount of money in it, then if the worst happens you won't lose all your savings.
Only deal with websites that have the https on their urls and are reputable with a good returns policy.
Keep a check on your bank statements so that you will catch any fraudulent purchases that show up. contact the bank immediately if you suspect there is one.

Paypal is the safest and most payment method but its a pity that its not applicable to some countries. So what i do is that i have a different account i use for purchases online and my personal account that way i get to just load d online card whenever i want to make payment.

paypal is safe, all the others i wouldn't trust

I second the vote for PayPal. Never had a problem buying through them.

There are so many ways of online payments. Some of them are safe and some of them are not safe at all. PayPal is the best method of online payment.

I've been shopping online for about 15 years, and never had any problems with online payment security.

I've had a few problems with waitstaff at restaurants copying the card info and using it. I check my statements every month. But the card company took care of those problems and credited my account.

I've made hundreds of purchases online, to date, I haven't had any issues. I believe it's secure. Especially, if you use reputable/trusted payment processors and companies.

Just buy from the name brands if you are worried about security.

Over 10 years shopping online and only had problems about
twice in that period and the creditcard company took care
of my loss, so not a bad record. I don't think too much
about it at all maybe because of the insurance against
loss from the card company.

-Ray Edwards

I never had any problem buying online but if possible, I prefer paypal account to buy.

No, it is never completely safe. It can be fairly secure.

Pretty much any time you enter your credit card information on a page hosted by any company you are risking it.

Do not enter your card details into a page that does not begin with https://

Unfortunately after the card is entered you really have no clue whether a company follows PCI compliant practices. You can ask them if they are PCI compliant before purchasing but this in itself does not mean that they will follow their own practices or that they are impervious.

Pretty much any time you use a credit card offline and online you are opening your self up as a target. So make sure you monitor your accounts. Many card provides also insure you against fraudulent use of your card.

There are a lot of brands and companies that provide processing to make you feel more safe and secure... but lately it seems like more and more big companies are the ones getting hit.

Companies like PayPal can offer some protection in that when you pay with PayPal your credit card number is not being shared so your primary risks with PayPal are passwords and PayPal themselves.

Also its not just the websites and companies you own them that you have to worry about. You have to worry about your network connection as well. For example surfing public networks and wifi spots your data can easily be seen and captured by other users of those networks. There is also "man in the middle" scenarios where providers get hacked downstream and you possibly could be routed through a bad guy who can capture data as you do your business.

Using a credit card that insures you against fraud is one way to limit your risk but you can also use prepaid cards or secondary accounts that you do not keep all your cash in.