Have you ever opted for a paperless, e-receipt? Some retailers and banks have started offering customers the option of receiving receipts from purchases and ATM transactions via email. While this is a convenient alternative to paper clutter, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota is reminding shoppers to protect their identity in the process.
Many retailers offer e-receipts for both our convenience and theirs. E-receipts save retailers money, and they make it easier for you to electronically file them away until they’re needed for returns, warranties or taxes.
E-receipts can often be tied to your store affinity card, but you can often opt for paperless simply by providing your email address to the clerk at the time of purchase.
There are also online companies that offer to organize and store digital receipts. You must create an account and provide your credit- or debit-card information, which the company uses to track transactions. After purchases, the company retrieves receipt information directly from retailers and stores it online. But be cautious! Obviously this kind of service is ripe for scammers to mimic in order to steal your information.
For shoppers who are interested in opting for the paperless e-receipt, BBB offers the following tips:
• Find out how the business plans to keep your information secure. You’ll want to check to see if the business plans on selling your information to third parties. If they do, be on the lookout for unsolicited emails requesting your personal information; they could be scams that download malware on your computer.
• Ask if you can opt-out of receiving promotional emails. Now the business has your email address, it’s possible you’ll start to receive coupons, newsletters and other promotional emails from them…and even from others if they’ve sold or shared your data. You may want to set up a separate email address to use for paperless receipts so you can easily monitor it for spam.
• Beware of scams! Having receipts emailed can also make you susceptible to phishing and other identity theft scams. Scammers pose as retailers or banks with realistic-looking emails that may claim there are problems with your purchase and request you click a link to fix it. The link may take you to a fraudulent site that asks for your personal information, or it might download malware on your computer that will search your hard drive for account numbers and passwords.
• Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. Whether or not you plan to increase your Internet and email use, it’s always a good idea to make sure your system’s security plan is updated regularly. Spammers feed off of online shoppers who fail to update their security patches.
For more BBB tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/betterbusinessbureau.
The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. We are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222.
