CRI听力:Experts Stress Online Payment Security

Seven leading internet companies, including Baidu, Microsoft and Alibaba, have formed an Internet Security Working Group.

As CRI's Ding Lulu reports, it's hoped the new collaboration will help lead to the better safeguarding of users' and companies' online profiles.

While Consumers enjoy the ease and the financial benefits of online shopping, sometimes their financial security and personal information can be threatened during the online payment process.

Many so-called phishing scams and malicious websites try to cheat consumers by convincing them to transfer money to their accounts instead of online dealers' accounts.

Li Xiaoling is a product manager with Alipay, the largest third-party payment company in China.

"Phishing websites imitate a popular website, like taobao.com and some other shopping websites. Consumers have to tell from small details whether they are really the websites that they want to visit."

Ding Rui, a senior product manager with Microsoft, says no matter how strong systems become, phishing websites will never completely disappear.

"Driven by a strong financial interest, someone always wants to take the risk. And the word 'risk' is not so accurate, as there isn't too much risk as a result of a lack of supervision and difficulty in handing out punishment."

Alipay began fighting the problem of phishing sites at the end of 2007.

Li Qiushi is Alipay's leading expert on market security.

"Actually, merchants, payment platforms, banks and consumers online are all victims of such behavior. We joined together to prevent these problems from occurring in advance initially. That has yielded noticeable effects."

To be more alert, Alipay product manager Li Xiaoling suggests web users don't access the internet without some sort of internet protection, such as an anti-virus software program or other safe control programs.

"Firstly, we hope consumers do not use the same pass code for various accounts online. Secondly, do not input personal information like ID numbers into unfamiliar websites or into those websites that the browser reports as being dangerous. Thirdly, check clearly the usage of different verification codes and do not tell strangers the codes."

The internet companies taking part in the collaboration say it's their hope they can raise consumer awareness to try to bring down the number of cases of online fraud here in China.

For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu.