This article by Stuart L. Adams, Jr. appeared in the Louisville Computer News Avoiding Online Shopping Ripoffs December 1999 This year, many shoppers will be letting their mouse do the walking, as they shop online for the first time. That's three times the estimated purchases last year during this period. These numbers might indicate that online shopping must be safe and worry free. Case in point, Thomas Vertanian, chairman of the ABA cyberspace law committee found, on his first online purchase in 1997, that there are some dangers.
Revenge can be sweet.
The site, which is backed by a number of consumer groups, is one of several which have sprung up recently in response to exploding problems of online fraud, including identity theft, which I've talked about in greater depth in previous articles. There are a number of places online to report online fraud. The Center promises your report will be relayed to appropriate federal, state or local law enforcement agencies and transmitted to the National Fraud Database, which is maintained by the FTC and the National Association of Attorneys General. If you'd like to shop online this holiday season, or beyond, but not become a statistic in the National Fraud Database, read on. Remember that a slick Web site doesn't necessarily equate with an honest site.