MAGNOLIA
CLIPPING SERVICE
(601) 856·0!i~ f
SPIRiT OF MORTON
MORTON, MS
Circuiatloo =1500
WEEKCY
1210912009
11111111111111111111: II III 1Ii, 1I11
BBB Offers Advice for
,~e Online Shopping
- "Ridgeland.
cember 7 _ During the holi­
days bargain hunters will
undoubtedly be flocking to
the Interne! to purchase
gifts. The Better _B.Y.§jness
Bll!£811 (IilBB) Serviog Mis­
sissippi cautions consumers
that, once again, scammers
"ill be present io the online
shopping arena, Scammers
often use low prices to en­
tice shoppers and then ulti­
mately do not deliver the
items purchased,
Tips to help pre­
vent beiog victimized by un­
scrupulous online retailers.
scammers and hackers:
Protect your com­
puter. Be sure to install up­
dates for spam fiiters, anti­
virus software and anti­
spyware software, Make
c.rtaio that your firewall is
seeure.
Use trustworthy
web sites that are secure.
Protect your per­
sonal information. Check
web site privacy policies to
understand what personal
information is requested and
how it will be used, The ab­
sence of a privacy policy
should be a red flag,
, Trust your gut If
It sounds too good to be
true, it probably is.
Beware of
Phishiug. Legitima!e busi­
nesses do not send email
messages to Jure vau into
revealiog financial Informa­
tion.
Confirm your
online purchases are
! tLilli) 7!jg4!610
De­ made on a secure webl
site,
Pay with a credit
card. This will allow vou
certain dispute rights' as:
well as the "zero liability'"
protection offered by many
card companies.
Keep documenta­
tion of orders, Save cop­
ies of order confirmations
and related email messages,
Know your
rights. Federal law re­
quires shipment of online
purchases by the promised
date or, if no delivery time
is specified, within 30 dayS
of the order placeme~t,
There is no general tbree­
day cancellation right; how­
ever, consumers do have the
right to reject merchandise
if it is defective or \Vas mis­
represented at the time of
sale.
Bill Moak, Presi­
dent/CEO ofthe Mississippi
BBB, cautions, "Manv con-I
sumers have come t~ feel
comfortable shopping
online as part of their ev­
eryday lives and simply
don't consider the increased
threat of identity theft or un­
scrupulous retailers during
the holiday season."
The BBB has been
serving Mississippi since
1964 by fostering an ethi­
cal marketplace for con­
sumers and businesses_
Contact the BBB to receive
a Reliability Report on busi­
nesses online at
www.ms.bbb.org or by
calling 800-987-8280.