At www.WhataPair.com we want to make sure our customers feel safe and secure while inviting a new pair of shoes or fashion accessory to their closet. With www.WhataPair.com continuing to grow, we are excited to achieve new customers on a daily basis; some of these customers actually give us a call to confirm we are a secure and authentic website. We want to give all of our customers the same information that we give to any one of our potential customers that call in this same question: Is What a Pair a secure website? Here is how you can tell: while you are in the check out process, check the beginning of the URL which should start with “http”. In the check out process (the page in which you enter personal or secure information), the “http” should have an “s” at the end (ie: https://www.whatapair.com/checkout.aspx). The “s” signifies the word SECURE, giving the customer reassurance. You will find the “s” in other secure sites such as online bill pay or online banking. In addition to the “s”, there should be a little lock located at the top of your browser. The lock indicates that the current page you are on is locked, blocking hackers. You also want to make sure the website that you would be purchasing from has an SSL certificate. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, which enables encryption of sensitive information while making purchases online. When an online retailer has an SSL certificate, you will notice the certificate located somewhere on the website. Here at WhataPair.com we use VeriSign.
With fraud being so common now a days, consumers are more cautious to release personal information while making an online purchase. However, more statistics are showing that it is safer to purchase online rather than in a store. More fraud is occurring while pumping gas, shopping at your favorite retail store or even grocery shopping. The employees at these types of locations are the actual ones committing fraud against the credit card holder. We do everything in our power to protect user information off-line. All of our users' information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, our billing clerk or a customer service representative) are granted access to personally identifiable information. Furthermore, all employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices. Our employees are regularly notified and reminded about the importance we place on privacy, and what they can do to ensure our customers' information is protected. Finally, the servers on which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.
Here are some security tips that came from an attorney that we found interesting and feel will be helpful to everyone so we at WhataPair.com would like to pass them on to you.
1. Instead of signing the back of your credit card, write “PHOTO ID” on the back of the credit card, with doing this if your credit card is stolen the thief has to show photo ID and can’t forge your signature.
2. If you are paying your credit card bills with a check do not write your entire credit card number on the for line, instead write only the last four (4) numbers of the credit card. Your credit card company knows the rest of your card number and will be able to access your account.
3. Make copies of the contents of your wallet, copying both sides of all your documents. This way should your wallet be stolen you will know exactly what was in it, along with all account numbers and phone numbers. Remember to keep the photocopy in a safe place.
4. File a police report immediately in the area where your purse or wallet was stolen, this shows the credit providers that you were diligent. This is also the first step toward an investigation, should there be one.
5. I never realized this, but this next step is probably one of the most important to protect your name and your credit. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations and the Social Security Fraud line number, and motor vehicle department this will place a fraud alert on your name. These alerts mean that any company that checks your credit will know that your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
Below are the numbers you always need to contact should your wallet be stolen.
1. Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2. Experian (formerly TRW) 1-888-397-3742
3. Trans Union 1-800-680-7289
4. Social Security Administration (fraud line) 1-800-269-0271
Having your personal items stolen can hurt and change your life, perhaps following the above steps will help with this unfortunate situation should it happen to you!