Are my credit card details safe?

The two most obvious worries about possible credit card fraud on the Internet concern misuse of the card by the seller or interception of credit card details in transit between the buyer and the seller. In both cases the risks involved in buying and selling on the Internet are not significantly different from those involved in the traditional alternatives.

       Misuse by the Seller

This is purely a question of the reputation of the seller not the mode of transmission of the data or the security of the Internet. A transaction over the Internet in this respect is no different from any other purchasing transaction. Misuse of credit card details is much more likely to come from unscrupulous traders than from interception of the information in transit. As with mail order your suspicions should be aroused if the seller remains anonymous and does not provide a satisfactory contact address.

       Interception

The second concern stems from the fact that in passing credit card details over the Internet, the information may be held temporarily on a computer somewhere between the buyer and the seller and hence vulnerable to interception. These computers or "servers" are generally held in secure environments and interception is difficult,  requiring a high degree of technical skill. Reported instances  are rare indeed. Someone determined to steal credit card information would have a much easier task to intercept the alternative methods of transmitting the information such as the mail, faxes or telephone calls. Just think of all the letters piled up in a sorting office and all the people with access to them en route.

       Safeguards

In answer to these legitimate concerns various encryption schemes have been devised to protect both the buyer and the seller. Gourmet Cookware use PGP encryption to encode your credit card details separately from your order for secure transmission to our offices in Frodsham. It is claimed that even the CIA are unable to crack the PGP encryption, at least within a reasonable number of years for each message. We make every effort to keep our customer files secure and we do not pass on your credit card details to third parties other than to seek authorisation for payment from your credit card company. If you still have any concerns about the security of your transactions, please feel free to contact us here in Frodsham. Contact details are on the About Us page of this site.

        Alternatives

You can always use the Gourmet Cookware Web site as a catalogue and make your purchases in one of the traditional ways. We accept credit card orders by Fax and we also accept payment by cheque using regular mail.

        Privacy

Apart from the security issues, we are conscious of how annoying it can be to receive unsolicited e-mail from people you do not know. Gourmet Cookware does not under any circumstances pass on customer details to third parties.

        Who is Responsible?

You will find details of the ownership of the Gourmet Cookware company and contact information on the About Us page.