Better Business Bureau s<\/a>erving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington warns of malicious tricks aimed at stealing customer\u2019s identities and their money.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nSmartphone users are especially vulnerable. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, people who use smartphones are 33 percent more likely to be victims of identity fraud primarily because they are placing online orders over text and email. Fraudsters have even developed slick smartphone apps that can steal sensitive information stored in someone\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Cyber security experts also warn of \u201cskimming\u201d where credit cards used at bars or restaurants are scanned by readers, capturing and storing embedded data. Scammers will then use the data to produce new cards or run up the balance on the original one.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Federal Trade Commission and BBB recommend the following advice before dining out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pay in cash. While inconvenient, paying with cash prevents the chance of a credit card number from being stolen. Otherwise, request a mobile scanner allowing the server to process the payment in plain view.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Know the business. Anyone can open up a shop online under almost any name. Research the business first and read online Customer Reviews from a Brand You Trust. Confirm addresses and phone numbers in case there is a problem. Avoid online pop-up messages with too good to be true deals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Read the fine print. Understand delivery policies and refund options should the order be incorrect. Many sites offer tracking selections so that the customer knows what they ordered and when it will arrive.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Check the privacy policy. Understand what personal information the website is collecting and how it plans to use it. If the policy doesn\u2019t exist or it\u2019s too complicated to understand, consider ordering somewhere else.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Stay protected. Never text or email financial information like a credit card number, checking account or social security number. Use secure online websites that begin with https. Regularly check accounts and report any suspicious activity.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online dining can be both convenient and affordable if done correctly, but Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington warns of malicious tricks aimed at stealing customer\u2019s identities and their money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-18282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18282"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=18282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}