 TITLE: How to Protect Your Identity While Shopping Online CONTENT: How to Prevent Fraud When Shopping Online\n-----------------------------------------\nWhile there's no way to guarantee that you won't become a victim of fraud or identity theft, there are many measures you can take to make it less likely. Next time you shop online, try these tips to help protect your identity and reduce the risks.\n*   **Only shop on private internet networks.** When you're browsing the internet on a public Wi-Fi network, you are more vulnerable to hacking. That's because public networks make it easier for hackers to intercept your data and nab your sensitive information. If you're going to enter your credit card information or other sensitive data on your phone or computer, do it at home on your own private network, or use a secure virtual private network (VPN) connection so others can't easily access your device. VPNs encrypt your data, meaning it can only be read at either end of the transmission and only with the right key.\n*   **Check to see if the website is secure.** Before you make a purchase online, check to see if the website's URL starts with \"https\" rather than \"http.\" Https indicates the website has a secured connection, which means your connection to that website is much harder to hack. Some browsers will show a lock icon or say \"secure\" in the web address bar to indicate a secure website.\n*   **Use your credit card.** While you may prefer to make purchases with a debit card that's linked to your checking account, your credit card offers much more protection for online purchases. Most credit cards have a zero-liability policy that protects you from any responsibility for fraudulent purchases made with your account. Debit cards are not required to have as much protection, and they require you to report the fraud by a certain date (though some issuers may extend their protections). Plus, until it's resolved, the money is gone from your checking account. If you use a credit card, on the other hand, you don't lose money—you may just have less available credit until the issue is resolved.\n*   **Utilize your card's security features.** Some credit cards have special features that give you additional levels of protection when you shop online. For example, some issuers provide virtual card numbers, which gives you a temporary card number for a purchase so that businesses (and hackers) can't access and misuse your real credit card number. If your virtual card number is compromised you'll simple cancel it and alert your issuer, instead of having to swap out your payment details on every account. Plus, many credit cards also let you set up account alerts, which can inform you if purchases are made that seem suspicious or are above a certain amount. END