|
|
01/10/2013
Gone are the days of having to rely on your “brick and mortar” store to drive shoppers to your business. These days, traveling retailers can make a sale with just the touch of a button and the swipe of a credit card via their smartphone.
|
|
|
|
11/02/2012
Looking forward to the holidays? So are the scammers. As many begin to make their holiday gift list and charity donations, unscrupulous scammers are gearing up.
|
|
|
10/24/2012
According to the National Retail Federation, 170 million Americans will spend approximately $8 billion this year on Halloween candy, pumpkins, decorations and costumes. Better Business Bureau advises consumers to be cautious when shopping for Halloween goodies and be wary of fly-by-night costume vendors.
|
|
|
06/03/2010
Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committeeon Commerce, Science, and Transportation, launched an investigation into misleading online sales tactics.
|
|
|
01/05/2010
The BBB warns consumers that Peel, Inc., of Evanston, Ill., an operator of multiple websites, has sparked 1,300 complaints in the last year from consumers nationwide.
|
|
|
|
05/01/2007
Whether you’re shopping for appliances or automobiles, groceries or gadgets, travel services or tax preparers, the Internet has changed the way most people gather information about products and services.
|
|
|
|
08/01/2006
Voice over Internet Protocol — VoIP — is one way people are making and receiving telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection rather than a regular phone line. VoIP converts your phone call — actually, the voice signal from your phone — into a digital signal that travels through the Internet to the person you are calling. If you are calling a plain old telephone number, the signal is converted back at the other end. If you’re comfortable with new technology, you may want to learn more about VoIP. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, suggests that it’s smart to do some research on this technology before signing up for it.
|
|
|
|
03/01/2006
Internet auction sites give buyers a “virtual” flea market with new and used merchandise from around the world; they give sellers a global storefront from which to market their goods. But the online auction business can be risky business. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to help buyers and sellers stay safe on Internet auction websites. Among the thousands of consumer fraud complaints the FTC receives every year, those dealing with online auction fraud consistently rank near the top of the list. The complaints generally deal with late shipments, no shipments, or shipments of products that aren’t the same quality as advertised; bogus online payment or escrow services; and fraudulent dealers who lure bidders from legitimate auction sites with seemingly better deals. Most complaints involve sellers, but in some cases, the buyers are the subject.
|
|
|
|
09/01/2005
Protect your personal information. It's valuable.
Know who you're dealing with. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Be sure to set up your operating system and Web browser software properly, and update them regularly.
|
|
|
|
01/01/2004
Your organization probably handles lots of Internet traffic every day — both to and from your clients and customers. The settings of your network servers may open your system to misuse.
|
|
|
|
03/01/2003
The Internet has taken its place beside the telephone and television as an important part of people’s lives. Consumers use the Internet to shop, bank and invest online. Most consumers use credit or debit cards to pay for online purchases, but other payment methods, like “e-wallets,” are becoming more common.
|
|
|
|
12/01/2002
Whether playing, shopping, studying or just surfing, today's kids are taking advantage of all that the web has to offer. But when it comes to their personal information, who's in charge? The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, requires commercial website operators to get parental consent before collecting any personal information from kids under 13. COPPA allows teachers to act on behalf of a parent during school activities online, but does not require them to do so. That is, the law does not require teachers to make decisions about the collection of their students' personal information. Check to see whether your school district has a policy about disclosing student information.
|
|
|
|
11/01/2002
Consider “masking” your email address.
|
|
|
|
06/01/2002
Whether it's recruiting people to sell so-called Internet-access devices, placing kiosks with Internet access in public places, or dealing in other Internet-related activities, consumers are being lured to the vast commercial potential of the Web by business promoters.
|
|
|
|
04/01/2002
Do you receive lots of junk email messages from people you don't know? It's no surprise if you do. As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers find unsolicited commercial email - also known as "spam" - annoying and time consuming; others have lost money to bogus offers that arrived in their email in-box.
|
|
