Many online websites offer potential members a 100% free to join membership without detailing extent of certain membership offered. The theory here is sometimes clear in label free to join only means making you a member with a profile. However, other features will be accessible only if you become an upgraded (paying member).

In alternative, you have those offering a free full membership or trial membership. Free full membership offers provides you with a chance to use all of sites features to interact with other members. The trial membership that let’s you interact with others but this may have some time period or limitations of use (for example: you could only contact so many members a day)!

100% free to join memberships have been very troublesome for new members that find themselves filling out numerous online forms to join these relationship, sex, dating, love and matchmaking type sites only to later find out they cannot send and/ or reply to other members’ profiles, enter chat rooms, send instant messages, view profiles, etc.

Well, nowadays there’s still a few major mail order catalogs floating around and we all still visit our local retail outlets, but time has also introduced internet as one of our options to shop from comforts of home.

The internet has made shopping at home a breeze and along with it has unfortunately brought so called ”Evil Doers” who I believe have such little happiness in their own lives that they must leech pleasure from hardworking and innocent individuals of our wonderful and surrounding nations.

And yes, I am speaking of ever growing problem known as Identity and Credit Card Theft.

As an online and offline consumer it is in my best interest to protect myself while at same time wanting to help others protect themselves as well.

Below is a short yet thorough list of ways that you can follow to help yourself stay safe and be a happy consumer and keep “Evil Doers” at bay.

1) Always shred sensitive materials such as bank statements before throwing them away in regular trash. Just because paper documents are in garbage doesn’t mean they are safe from peeping eyes.

2) Contact your local bank or credit card provider to request a card with a low limit. This can make you feel more at ease about shopping at those not so familiar places and can reduce damages caused by such an ill intended individual if they get hold of your number.

Also never give out 3-letter Card Identification Number found on back of credit card unless you absolutely trust merchant you are dealing with.

3) NEVER give out your social security card number for any reason! If capable you are best to obtain a tax I.D. number from Internal Revenue Service or local tax agency.

If any “Evil Doer” gets hold of your personal information such as home address, birth date, and Social Security Number you are at great risk of being victimized.