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Protecting yourself online
is one of the most important things you can do. That's why we created this page.
We hope to give you the information you need to keep yourself safe.
PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY
Be sure to read the Privacy
Statement located on the site that is requesting your information. This Privacy
Statement should disclose what information is being collected on the website
and how that information is being used. Before you provide any personal information,
check their privacy statement to be sure your information is not being sold
and shared. You can access our privacy notice via the information box on the
left.
PAYPAL
Recently, PayPal members
have reported suspicious-looking emails (click HERE
for an actual fake email) and fake websites. These fraudulent emails may address
you with the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or Dear PayPal Member."
These emails are not from PayPal. PayPal will only address you by your first
and last name, or the business name associated with the account.
Use the following tips
to protect your PayPal account:
- Safely access the PayPal
website or your PayPal account by opening up a
new web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the
following: https://www.paypal.com/
- Never give out the following
information in an email:
- First name, last
name, business name
- Email and password
combination
- Credit card, bank
account, and PIN number
- Social security and
driver's license number
- Do not download attachments,
software updates, or any application to
your computer via a link you received in an email. PayPal will not ask
you to download anything for your account to work.
- Choose a unique password
and change it every 30-60 days.
If you think you have received a fraudulent email, please forward the
entire email to spoof@paypal.com and then delete it.
PASSWORD PROTECTION
- Never share your passwords
with anyone.
- Never write your passwords
down where they can be found easily.
- When creating passwords,
don't use information that can be easily guessed (birthdays, phone number,
address, etc).
- When creating passwords,
try to use a random combination of letters and numbers. Do not use words.
A good password would be something like 3htRag02 (notice the letters, numbers,
and upper case). Software used to crack passwords usually will go through
the words in the dictionary to guess the password.
- Change your password
every 30 days.
CHECK FOR ENCRYPTION
When placing orders online, especially
when credit card information is being given, look for https:// (notice the s) in the url which tells you
that the site is secure. The https:// or the "closed padlock"
indicates that the site is using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which uses either
a 40bit or 128bit encryption key. This key cannot be intercepted and decoded
by anyone except for the receiving server. Any secure address will begin with https:// instead
of the regular http://.
Never provide your credit
card information to a site that doesn't use SSL.
Note: Regalit.com uses SSL on all
areas that your personal and/or order information is displayed/transmitted (account update,
checkout, credit card processing, etc).
KEEP YOUR BROWSER UP
TO DATE
Always keep your browser
updated. Newer versions have the latest security patches included. Also many
bugs and holes within the browser that could allow hackers to gain control of
your computer are fixed with each update.
Keeping the browser
updated will help to ensure the website you are visiting is displayed properly.
Many sites use features only available within the newer browsers.
EMAIL
- Email is not generally
considered secure.
- Never provide your credit
card information through email.
- Never enter your username
or password into an email, even if the email appears to be legitimate. Click
HERE to see an example of a fake email asking for a username and password
for PayPal.
- Never open attachments
within suspicious emails. If unsure, email the person who sent it to confirm it
was legitimately sent and safe to open.
BOOKS AVAILABLE
There are books available
that you can purchase at your local book store or via www.amazon.ca
that will help you protect yourself while online. Here are a couple that we
recommend:
SOFTWARE/HARDWARE
There is a vast selection
of hardware and software is available online to protect yourself. We have compiled
a collection of both free and paid software that you can download and/or purchase.
All software listed are used to help protect yourself online.
- Virus Scanner:
A good virus scanner will scan your computer for known virus' and clean the
infected file or store it in a safe place. The software should be able to
update it's database of known virus regularly to keep you protected. Below
are two that we recommended.
- Firewall Protection:
There are two types of Firewalls. Hardware Firewall and Software Firewall.
A hardware firewall is usually in the format of a router. There are many different
brand names available, we recommended Netgear or D-Link. A software Firewall
is just a program that is running on your computer, much like a virus scanner,
that monitors activity on the computer. The firewall will either allow or
block the activity based on the settings, it will also notify you of any activity
that it doesn't recognize and ask for your input to allow or block the activity
detected. Below are links to both hardware and software firewalls.
-
Spyware/Trojans/Adware/KeyLoggers:
There are a lot of programs out there that can can be installed without
your knowledge. These programs range in the sort of functions that have.
Some programs may steal your personal information, some may track your online
activity, some may log your usernames and passwords, and some may even turn
your computer into a gateway to send millions of SPAM messages to other
people online. Never fear though, there is help. An excellent website to
visit is www.spywareinfo.com.
They have a lot of information, links, and free programs to download.
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