Security and Privacy Statement |
   |
This site uses a thawte SSL123 Certificate to offer secure communications by encrypting all sensitive data to and from the site. thawte has checked and verified the site's registered domain name.
This information is included in the SSL 123 Certificate that we issue. This enables you to check the site's validity yourself.
Computerwebstore takes the issues of customer Security and Privacy very seriously and so we have teamed up with one of the World’s longest established and most trusted eCommerce payment providers Protx to handle all our credit card transactions.
Shopper Information
If you've never purchased online before it's understandable that you may
feel uncertain about parting with your card details. We have tried to
summarise the main concerns about purchasing online and give you a realistic
perspective regarding the risk to customers:
'card not present' (CNP) fraud
Internet, telephone and mail order transactions are all classified as
'Card not present' transactions because the card-holder and card are not
physically present for signatures. According to the Association for Payment
Clearing Services (APACS), 'Card not present' fraud accounts for around
2% of all card fraud in the UK. APACS have also found that:
- Most cases of internet fraud result when card details obtained fraudulently in the real world are then used to purchase online.
- The incidence of hackers obtaining card details through merchant databases is very low.
- The risk to customers is further reduced if they use a certified organisation to encrypt data.
customer protection in the real world
Your best defence against fraudsters in the real world is to be vigilant with your card; don't carelessly discard receipts with your card number on it; and always check your credit or debit card statements.
unauthorised access to your card details
There are a number of ways online purchasing can cause your credit or
debit card details to fall into the wrong hands:
- Your details are passed over the internet through an unsecured pathway.
- The merchant knowingly deceives the customer with no intention of supplying the goods or services.
- The merchant does not have adequate internal security.
- If hackers access merchant databases for credit/debit card details.
In each of these cases it is possible for someone to obtain and use your credit/debit card fraudulently.
online protection from fraud
Fortunately, there are simple ways for customers to gain protection:
- By using merchants who accept payment through a secure payment service provider (PSP), like Protx.
- Through their credit/debit card acquirer.
Before a merchant can use a PSP they require merchant status from an acquiring bank, in order to obtain this they must meet certain criteria as set out by the bank.
PSP's like protx act as a third party, so vendors never obtain their customers card details - therefore eliminating the merchants liability for transaction related security issues. The PSP is designed to have very high levels of security so credit and debit card details are protected from hackers.
In addition customers are protected from misuse of their card details through their credit/debit card issuer. If customers find a fraudulent transaction they can issue a 'notice of dispute' with their card provider who will reverse the transaction - this is known as a chargeback.
the protx privacy policy
Protx's highest priority is to keep sensitive information safe and private
while making the online shopping experience as simple as possible.
You have the option to store your credit or debit card details in a secure e-wallet, so when shopping with us in future you need only provide your username, password and preferred payment method. The transaction process is simple and there is a full audit trail of where and how much has been spent. Customers also have the option to shop with complete anonymity.
security
Protx provides very high levels of internet and physical security to ensure
sensitive information is never compromised.
Protx security measures
- credit/debit card details are secured within 128-bit encrypted sessions.
- sensitive information is stored on a heavily encrypted database that is protected by multiple government approved firewalls.
- additional security measures include a security key that is used to produce an MD5 hash value. Hash values are often used as digital signatures as they cannot be reversed to obtain the original information. They allow the receiver to validate that the information received is identical to that sent.
Protx VSP is designed so the vendor doesn't have to hold sensitive information on their site, should anyone gain unauthorised access to their database the information they obtain will not allow them to recover credit card details or other sensitive information.
The possibility of obtaining sensitive information from the Protx VSP database is minimised due to high levels of encryption; firewall security and the measures taken to ensure the information is indecipherable.
physical security and resilience
Several forms of physical security and multiple levels of system backup
protect the Protx VSP and database. This makes transaction processing
highly reliable and resilient to events such as security breach or power
failure.
- Only authorised personnel can gain access to the VSP Server and fingerprint identification is required.
- Multiple servers are dedicated to particular roles.
- The VSP Servers are fed by multiple power supplies and backup generators.
- Secondary network connections will activate should the primary network fail.
- VSP Servers have multiple connections to banking authorisation and settlement systems.
privacy
Your identity is valuable, to you and to us. Information about you, be
it personal details or financial data, needs protection.
In order to guarantee your privacy we can assure you that:
- We will never pass your financial details to a third party.
- We will never pass your personal data to a third party. The only information a vendor ever receives about you is a shipping address and this only with your express permission.
- We will never sell our mailing list. You will receive no junk mail as a result of registering with Protx.
- We will never exploit your personal details in any manner.
We are so committed to your privacy that by registering with Protx it is possible to purchase goods on the internet completely anonymously.
