Robust shopping, robust fraud

I have used eBay many times over the past three years and have found it easy and fun. Not long ago, I ordered an item I had won in an online auction and filled out the necessary forms to have it delivered to my home.

A couple of days later, I received an e-mail from PayPal, the online credit company that processes the eBay orders.

The PayPal e-mail was notifying me that my account information was inaccurate and needed to be updated. In the body of the e-mail was a link to a page on the PayPal website to make it easy for me to update my information.

A click led me to the PayPal update page, where I was being asked for the usual information. I was entering this data but stopped when I noticed something peculiar.

Among the bits of information requested was a request for my PayPal password.

The page I was working on looked exactly like a page off of the PayPal website, but it was not. It was a fake, a very good fake, and had I entered my password, credit card number and other information, I stood a good chance of being ripped off in a very big way.

Throughout the country, even around the world, identity theft, “phishing” and other crimes are increasing. As fast as the online security folks figure out a new, secure code, the bad guys figure out a way to break it.

As you shop during the holidays, it is more important than ever to protect yourself against the theft of your financial information or your identity. Online, order only from secure sites.

Holiday shopping hasn’t changed much over the years, whether it is online or in a mall. We’re still looking for that elusive perfect gift, but as the big day draws near, those candlesticks are looking mighty good.

Or, we can do what Bill Murray did as the ruthless TV executive Frank Cross in the Christmas movie, “Scrooged.” There, Murray had two flavors of gifts to dole out to those on his shopping list. One was a towel with his network’s logo embroidered on one side, the other was a VHS video recorder (the movie is 20 years old). Murray’s movie brother got a VHS.

Having made several trips to South Coast Plaza already this season, it seems to me that business this year is -- to use a favorite term in Washington these days -- robust.

That may be because of discounting but is more likely because of the robust job market here in Orange County.

Some recent data revealed that the jobless figure in Orange County was below the national average.

So much of shopping is a head game, and the jobless rate is one of the factors. When people feel good, they eat out more, shop more and spend more money when they do. They feel robust.

Part of the fun of shopping during the holidays is the after-Christmas sales. That’s when you discover the true value of the cashmere scarf you bought Aunt Linda two weeks prior.

The after-Christmas sales are so robust that many stores now have a separate section dedicated just to processing merchandise returns. Other people who have not yet exchanged gifts with family or friends can get the deal of the century on Dec. 26.

As much as I enjoy shopping online, it will never replace the sensory overload of shopping during the holidays. Of course, one has to be in the mood or else it is drudgery.

So, consider yourself blessed or fortunate or both that you live in Orange County and particularly in either Newport Beach or Costa Mesa. The weather is great, there is much to do and the economy is robust.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to [email protected].

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