elemint@theriver.com wrote:
> When you access a site that is https what is the best way to check their
> certificate to confirm that the site is secure and one should be willing
> to do business with that site.
Well, I worry less about the certificate and more about the honesty and
integrity of the person behind the certificate. Anyone with $90 can
have a valid certificate. And while we are on the subject following
Craig's advice about checking the lock.
However, I address the problem on the web and in real life with a series
of bank accounts and a policy of not using debit cards with potentially
untrustworthy merchants. Using a credit card (rather than an ATM/debit
card) will prevent the merchant from actually taking money directly from
your account. So if there is a problem you just contest the charge and
don't pay the CC back. If you have to contest a charge on a debit card
you may be given your money back, but it may take several weeks. The
goal is to not allow someone access to your cash.
I actually even go one step further and have two sets of
checking/savings accounts that are not linked. One set of accounts is
the account where I really save money and keep a bulk of my cash, and
the other set is the account I perform transactions with (ATM, checks
and occasionally debit card). They are only linked for manual
electronic transfers and there is no automatic transfers (for overdraft
protection) between the two sets. Thus the place where I store my cash
is never exposed to theft via a stolen debit card or check.
So, I am a little paranoid. But not really, because the effort was not
that much ... and I was going to use paypal for electronic bill pay and
I don't trust them in particular.
Austin
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