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With the explosion of e-commerce, the potential for a buyer to be taken advantage of has increased. Here are a few tips that might help to reduce this risk:

• Know your seller. Is the seller a national chain or otherwise a well known company? If the seller's website indicates a phone number, call the number to obtain more information about it.

• Know where your seller is located. If your seller is located in a different part of the country or in a foreign country, your ability to return defective goods and to recover amounts paid will be difficult. As well, sellers in different countries are bound by different laws. There might not be any consumer protection legislation which could otherwise assist you.

• Don't be fooled by a professional looking website. Well designed websites can be created easily and inexpensively.

• Determine whether the seller has a long and spotless track record. By querying the Complaint Database at this Fraud Bureau website and other websites, you might be able to determine whether any complaints have been lodged against the seller. Further, contact your local Better Business Bureau to see if any prior complaints exist. Since fraudulent companies can appear and disappear quickly, prior complaints may not yet exist.

• Know the terms of offer. Read all the small print and ensure that all essential terms are indicated at the website including guarantee and return policies. Print those terms out for documentary proof of the offer. If you have any additional questions, ask the seller and ensure that such terms are in writing.

• Know the terms of delivery including cost and timing. If your purchased item has not be delivered on time, act quickly to determine the root of the problem.

• Consider method of payment. When you pay by credit card, you might be able to stop payment by notifying your card provider that you are disputing the purchase. Payment by cash, cheque or money order will not afford you the ability to delay payment while you investigate any problem that you have with the goods.

Online Payment Tips

The internet is being used more and more to buy items and services online. Increased online purchases have resulted in more payments being made online. While credit cards are quite popular for paying for items online, debit cards are also gaining popularity. Debit cards automatically debit your bank account at the point of sale. Usually your debit card is your automated teller machine (ATM) card and frequently requires the use of a personal identification number (PIN).

Besides paying online for items or services, some banks and trust companies allow their customers to pay their monthly bills online such as a phone bill or credit card bill. This is done by permitting you to transfer funds directly from your account to pay for these bills.

In making any online payments, you should be mindful of some of these tips:

• Ensure that your transactions are secure and your personal information is protected. This can be achieved in two respects. When purchasing online, use a secure browser that encrypts or encodes your personal information you send over the Internet. Most browser permit the encryption of information. If your browser does not permit encryption, certain secure browsers can be obtain over the internet.

• If you use online banking services, ensure that your bank's site is secure. Once you link to your bank site and use your passwords, certain secure sites will create a secure line between the bank site and your computer, over which all information exchanged is automatically encrypted. If you are not dealing with secure site, then it is wise not to do banking online. Your sites FAQ's or Privacy Policy should indicate the security measures that it has taken.

• Keep written statements of all your online transactions. These records are necessary in case an error is made.

• Read all your correspondence you might receive either by mail or via your e-mail. Information about your transaction may be sent to you.

Contract Tips

Any kind of legal arrangement that you will enter into should involve a contract. Whether its purchasing items from an online auction or subscribing online to a magazine subscription, you should know what you need before entering into a contract.

Here are some general tips on what to do before signing any contract:

• Ensure that you will be signing a contract or that terms of an agreement are to be agreed upon whether these terms are in a written contract or posted online. If anyone suggests that you don't need a contract be suspicious.

• Don't rely on representations advertised on a website only. The business situated at a website might disappear the day after you pay for goods that are never delivered. Websites can be set up and disappear quickly without a trace.

• Only do business with reputable companies. You can search any database maintained by your local Better Business Bureau to determine whether there have been any prior complaints.

• Identify the name and address of the other party. You will need to ascertain the legal name and address of the other party so that you know where to locate the other party in the event of a dispute.

• Read the terms of your contract carefully. If you don't understand any term then ask to have the term clarified and reworded so that you do understand it.

• Make sure that all essential terms are contained in the contract. Without all essential terms your contract might not be enforceable.

• Ensure that all the terms of the contract are specific and not vague. Disagreements arise because vague terms or ambiguous wording is used.