Major E-Retailers Are Taking Shoppers' Credit Card Security Very Seriously This Holiday Season, According to WhenU.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2000 11:13:00 AM EST

NEW YORK, Nov 30, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Many experts have been saying that consumer concerns about sending credit card information over the Internet has slowed the acceptance of online shopping. Now it appears as though the major e-retailers have gotten the message.

This holiday season, nearly all of the major online retailers will be using the most advanced security features to protect online shoppers from credit card fraud -- and many others are taking additional steps to make new shoppers feel comfortable spending in virtual stores. This is according to WhenU.com, the providers of WhenUShop, a free software tool for consumers that takes the headaches out of online shopping by making it easier to take advantage of special deals, avoid late deliveries, know critical site data up-front and basically shop online more quickly and effectively.

According to proprietary data from WhenU.com, the major online retailers have made credit card security a number one priority:

• 99% of online retailers are now using SSL technology (the most secure technology available for protecting the privacy of information sent over the Internet)
• 92% of online retailers are approved by Verisign (an independent third party which ensures that sites adhere to its stringent security standards)
• 82% of online retailers are allowing shoppers to "call in" their credit card information, if desired
• 37% of online retailers are offering consumers "safe shopping guarantees," (in the case of fraud, the site will refund the shopper's card $50 -- the maximum amount which the shopper can be held liable by the card company)
  

Said Avi Naider, CEO of WhenU.com, "If the Internet is to be accepted by the mainstream shopping public, consumers must be reassured that it is a safe and secure environment. This season, we're seeing the major online retailers take a number of steps, technological and otherwise, to do just that. However, online shoppers rarely know the security features and guarantees available on a particular retail site -- and they have a right to. It's time for a tool to help online shoppers make more informed decisions before shopping at a site, and this is exactly what the WhenUShop tool does."

When a shopper visits any one of the 350 top online retail sites (from Amazon.com to Wine.com) WhenUShop automatically launches and offers a checklist of the site's security features: presence of SSL technology, the option to give credit card data via the phone, whether the site is Verisign-approved and if there are any "safe shopping" guarantees. However, WhenUShop rates much more than just a site's security features: WhenUShop also provides instant snapshots of a site's shipping costs, sales tax policy, privacy policy, available coupons and rewards, rebate programs, gift services and special holiday deals.

WhenUShop is not a web site, but rather a free software tool for online consumers that loads in less than one minute at WhenU.com. This online shopping assistant standardizes and streamlines the online shopping experience, providing vital data immediately to the shopper on unexpected and "hidden costs" and other hard-to-find customer service information. WhenUShop appears next to the Web browser as a slim, unobtrusive toolbar that appears automatically when users visit online shopping sites -- and disappears when they go to non-retail sites.

For more information, go to WhenU.com, and download WhenUShop. Or contact Elizabeth Case at Sommerfield Communications, Inc. [Elizabeth@sommerfield.com or 212-255-8386] to talk to the creators of WhenU.com and WhenUShop.

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