Holiday shoppers turning to the Internet to avoid long lines and other seasonal annoyances may not have found a problem-free solution.

As online shopping grows in popularity, consumers must be increasingly vigilant against electronic identity theft.

According to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission tracking complaints from January 1 to December 31 in 2003, people ages 18 to 29 reported more cases of identity theft than other age groups both in Iowa and nationwide.

Adam Brewer, freshman in pre-business, said he takes special care while making purchases online.

“I buy things online all the time, and I always make sure to do a few simple things,” he said.

An online consumer should always check to make sure that the retailer is reputable, Brewer said. This can be done by checking with the Better Business Bureau, or other similar organizations.

Secondly, Brewer said he always checks to make sure the Internet address is correct. He said sometimes people put up fake sites to intercept credit card information by changing one letter in the URL.

Finally, he said the online buyer should check to make sure he or she is buying products over a secure connection. A secure connection encrypts all the information exchanged between the users and the Web site.

This puts the information into a code that only the user’s computer and the Web site understands.

This can be verified by looking at the URL. If the site is encrypted, the address will begin with “https:” rather than “http:” Brewer said.

He said another method of checking this is as simple as looking at the bottom of the Web browser. Most browsers display a padlock if the computer is connected to a secure site.

Academic Information Technologies assistant director Mike Bowman said he also saw e-mail as a major threat to online purchasing.

“The most significant concern that I have seen are e-mails that promote phishing scams,” Bowman said, referring to spam e-mails that appear to be from banks requesting personal information.

Phishing scam e-mails usually request information to verify the account numbers.

No matter how careful an Internet user is, information can still leak out.

If a computer is infected with a program like a virus, adware or spyware, personal information may be exposed without the user knowing, said AIT systems analyst Frank Poduska.

This is the reason a computer should have updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software, Poduska said.

Installing the latest updates for a computer’s operating system is a good place to start in regard to overall computer security, said AIT systems analyst Wayne Hauber.

Antivirus software will catch viruses that infect a system if a malicious Web site is visited.

AIT offers free antivirus and anti-spyware software to ISU students.

“I definitely use anti-spyware software vigilantly,” Brewer said. “[They] have permanent homes on my computer, and I run them regularly.”

How to keep yourself safe

• Make sure the seller is reputable by checking it with the Better Business Bureau or similar organizations

• Make sure the URL is valid by making sure no extra letters or symbols are added to the main site address

• Make sure the site is secure — look for a closed padlock symbol or a URL that begins with https rather than http

• Never give your information out via e-mail

• Keep antivirus and anti-spyware software up to date

• Pick strong passwords that are difficult to crack

*Don’t leave mail in your mail box

*Review bank and credit card statements immediately