FA: Welcome everybody! Those who don’t know me I’m FA.

Er …
professor in this particular school and have been helping the principal
investigator of this project with his work. Er … I’m running this focus
group as I must. Er … for those who don’t know what focus groups are.
Focus group can be used for many things. It’s quite often used in
marketing to test products. So, for example, for chocolate and the … um
… chip things … whatever they’re. If we’re doing this in marketing test,
you would probably be experimenting with them … that would take …
test these and then rate it out of seven or whatever. Er … they do that
but one more of doing focus groups. Another way’s to collect
information about something. They might ask everybody to read
something. Er … old student of mine actually was using information
trying to understand how information was represented in movies, and
the people who participated in his focus groups … er … actually had to
watch movies before they came to the focus group. And then the third
method which is this one where someone has done some previous
research and is actually testing out the ideas that came out of that
research. Er … the principal investigator of this project has done … er
… study … erm … using quantitative techniques … very sophisticated
quantitative techniques to come up with some ideas about the
relationship between trust and online shopping. Now, in a focus group
like this, what we are going to do is see what your opinions are of some
of the things that emerged from his study of other people’s views about
trust online … trust in online shopping. And, all we’re going to do is to
ask you questions and you just talk freely. Okay. You don’t have to
worry about whether you’re right or wrong. Er … you don’t have to
necessarily agree or allow to fight with each other during the focus
group. You’re allowed to tell daily jests or sensible jokes or you’re
allowed to do almost anything in the focus group as long as you give
your opinion. Okay. There’s no limitation. Er … there’s no prize for
saying the least or prize for saying the most. Er … just say as you … as
you want. My … my participation will purely be as a … as a questioner.
Or, I might call it an invigilator as a terrible word. Er … but … my … I
… my purpose is to actually stimulate the process and your purpose to
actually say what you think. Er … the principal investigator of this
project will pay no part in anything at all. He’ll just sit and write note
and what’s … what you’re about to say will be recorded. And, when he
reports it in his PhD thesis, you’ll be called B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6 …
B6: Banana …
FA: Banana … absolutely! Okay, and so, there’s no identification of who
you are, and this is a very useful technique so when you’re doing
research as well per retesting ideas … er … as more of a way you can
try triangulate the validity of data that you might collect. Okay. So,
before we start, any questions? Are you all happy to have it taped?
B3: Yes.
B2: Yes.
FA: That’s ok. Good! Then talk up loud so the little tape picks you up. This
is digital recorder in the middle of the table but it does work. We tried it
before. We’ve already done today so let’s see how it go. Okay! This is a
question for everybody and I’ll just go around the table first. How often
do you purchase anything online?
B2: Um …
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B7: Ah … once a month.
FA: Okay.
B6: Um … in total or how often do I purchase?
FA: How often do you …
B6: Yeah, says, a few times a month I suppose.
FA: Okay.
B5: Probably, once a month or once every two months.
FA: Aha.
B4: Um … probably but once a month.
FA: Okay.
B3: Once a month or once a … two months.
FA: Okay.
B2: About once every two months.
B1: Once every three months.
FA: Okay. If I … if I add it too that …
B6: So, can I just get clarification on that when we’re talking about the
purchase … er … online, are we looking at actually goods and services
or are we looking at any kind of transaction of money? From I’m paying
my bills online or …
FA: Paying your bills online is actually purchasing the service, yes.
B6: Yes, that would count as well.
FA: Yes. Then, I’ll revise my answer I’ll make that …
B2: Yeah.
B6: Probably …
B4: Yeah …
B6: Probably …
B7: Yeah …
B6: Ah … maybe, nowadays … several times a day.
B2: Yeah, several times …
FA: That’s lot, yes.
B2: Me, too! Yep.
FA: Okay. Cos that … that’s a … see … purchasing something. That’s fine.
So, what … what are some of the things that you … no … no each turn
per person. Anybody can just butt in when they like it. What would you
do normally buy off the Internet? What are some of the things that you
buy?
B5: Books.
FA: Books.
B2: Gifts.
FA: Gifts.
B6: Um … paying for … um … paying for services and so on paying all
your bills online or my bills online.
B2: Um, yep.
B6: Um … doing my banking and so on online … um … anything that you
buy … purchase books … items … um … junk on eBay … um … that’s
all.
B1: TV online for me … Thai TV online.
B2: I’m looking at a kitten online with … yes, I’m looking at Trading Post
and I’m looking at various website that I can get kittens local.
B6: So, it’s not an online kitten?
B2: Well, no, it’s a real life kitten. I’m looking at purchasing it online.
FA: Okay.
2
B7: It’s more of the entertainment park where I’m … um … getting
Supermart tickets … um … getting online games’ accounts as well …
um … probably … um … hotel and air tickets.
B3: Company airway tickets.
FA: Is there anything else?
B4: Er … I can get … er … software online.
FA: Okay. Alright.
B4: Yep.
FA: Let me give you a hypothetical example here. We wanna turn the
discussion to trust in an online environment. Suppose you’re about to
shop online an unknown website. Okay. So, this is not something that
you normally do. It’s not like going to the ANZ bank or whatever. This
is to a … a … an online … an unknown website. Based on your opinion,
what criteria would you use to judge that the website is trustworthy?
B5: Kay … when you say unknown websites …
FA: It’s a website you’re not used to before.
B5: Okay. So, it’s … um … well, look. I’ll say when you say you … you’re
not used before as in you’re not familiar it at all or …
FA: You never see it before but you know they sell the product you’re after
or service you’re after.
B4: Say … say, example, I may never use that website before but I heard
that other people have used it or …
FA: That … that means … that answers the question, isn’t it? It might …
what do … what do … if not … never seen it before or used it before …
er … what … what will make you trust about websites?
B2: Recommendation by someone else …
FA: That’s what you base on, yeah ... okay.
B7: For me, it stands from the technical point of view. Er … I’m looking at
… er … the protocol that they’ve implemented. As I said … eh …
whether they have actually incorporated any third parties … secure …
er … signature like Verisign.
B2: Um.
B7: Yeah, and … um … some websites that uses another third party to do
the transaction is also for me is pretty secure. From my point of view
like … er … PayPal …
B1: Yes.
B7: So, you don’t your … er … credit card descript to them.
B2: Um.
B1: I also do the same as you.
B7: So, I’ll just check for other … whether other necessary stuff.
B1: Just looking at the PayPal.
B7: Yeah.
B1: Is it there? Or, something like that.
B7: … if they have my security card … er … er … I mean credit card … um
… details they can … actually can abuse it. So, it’s better to hide the
details and let’s someone protect it.
FA: Alright! How important is in that process of forming trust online is
privacy? It’s your own privacy.
B2: Very very important. That’s one of the main things that I’ll be looking
at any websites. How is privacy being handled my personal information
like address or credit card details or any kind of information that I’m
putting in? How’s that being handled? And, also even e-mail addresses
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 because there’re so many spam going around to really ensure that it’s
not what one of the things that it’s not being like … no use … wrong
manners.
FA: Anybody else?
B6: I’m not a person … quite amplify about … um … being … being super
concerned about where my information is going, because as soon as you
hit the website, they already know where you come from. You know …
possible watch your … er … what such identity is going to be during
that session … um … And, they’re varied whether main firewall was
paranoid to the extend of not wanting a certain site or certain entity to
have my detail, I wouldn’t go there in the first place.
B2: Yep.
B6: And, if I did go there, there’s Googling of covering up that as well. So,
for instance, for websites ask for my information and … like … then
when you said … you did make a few certain criteria … so the look and
feel of the website suggests a certain level of professionality, and
you’ve got … er … canon … er … known trusted organisation behind
like Verisign or PayPal … some kind of escrow service …
B1: Um …
B6: … that handling the sensitive information like the credit card … and so
on. Um … things like my e-mail address and so on I’m not worried
about, but other information like my phone number … my address, I can
put in a secured one. I won’t actually put in … um … new one.
B7: … something else with …
B6: … especially like when you’re doing software and so on, a lot of sites
require you to register before they’ll give you access to a certain part of
the website.
B2: Yep.
B6: I have got e-mail account set up exclusively for that kind of purpose
where it’s … it’s full of junk when I never check and just log in once in
a while to send e-mail or keep it alive. So, I’m … I’m quite … I’m not
super concerned about where that … that it’s going because I’ve got
other way of countering I suppose.
B2: Yeah … but … that’s … that’s another thing that you look at when you
go to the website where … you know … certain information are … are
really important that you do provide. It’s basically you need to provide
and some information they don’t really … it doesn’t really matter you
provide it or not. That’s another thing that I look out for. Basically, for
ex … for example, you have asterisk instead of information that you
need to insert otherwise it’s not be quiet so that’s another thing I look
out for it.
B4: Yeah … I … I … get … I … I … get quite suspicious of the … um …
website that ask me for my information doesn’t need.
B2: Um.
B3: Um.
B2: … yep.
B4: Need to purchase something …
FA: I … I run a Hotmail account purely find viruses.
B2: Um.
B6: Yeah.
FA: It’s doing fine. Divert. It’s great.
B2: Um.
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FA: You got to know how to control the viruses. What about security? How
important security in forming trust?
B3: What means security? Because I don’t know about Internet shopping so
well. Because I only shop some trusted site. So I don’t know about …
um … every time I shop, it’s always … some like … the shopping is …
also it’s the product source in a shop … er … online shopping. It’s quite
very famous company or a very famous place or … so I … I never
imagine at all … I mean what kind of security. So, I … just wondering
what means the security.
FA: Well … er … secure connection.
B3: Secure connection?
B7: Er … um … secure connection is very important because … um … I’ve
read report survey … um … people tampering with the connection and
there actually is from one of their of connections so I reckon that … er
… so I guess … er … the connection was actually playing a big part in
especially they implement SSL but that itself like … er … ye know …
stage of … er … technology. It’s not … we’re not suffice. Yeah, you
know … like … um … every time secure company’s trying to get better
than those are crackers, then in the end, you’ll find that they’ll try to
outsmart them.
B2: I normally look out for the lock in the website as well that shows you’re
secure, but again, you’d never know … but … otherwise you’re trying
…
B7: Yes.
B2: … to get as cautious as possible from the back hand.
FA: What about the existence of the digital certificate?
B2: Yep.
B6: Depends again how important the purchase is and what the nature of the
purchase is, because a lot of times you go to the site and the … the
digital certificate is out of date, and you have to take the decision of
whether you actually make the purchase or not … um … and depend on
how badly you need the product.
B2: Yep.
B6: If you need the product badly enough and you can’t find it anywhere
else, we can take a gamble and … and go ahead with the purchase. But
again, you’re looking … you cannot hatch in your bets a bit or you’re
going high … um … so the actually transaction part of it … where is it
coming from? And again, is it from reliable source or escrow service?
Then, you can take a gamble … take a punt.
B2: And … and also individual … some individual websites they provide
information of previous … um … buyers that they bought stuff and they
keep like … ye know … recommendations or they basically but like …
B7: And, you don’t trust it …
B2: Yeah.
B7: … like it on eBay …
B2: Yes. That … that … that …
B7: … is … is …
B2: … yes, I understand where’re coming from. That’s one of the things I
used to be concerned about because they can have their own friends …
B7: Yeah, they can.
B2: … giving them feedback … stuff that. And, I … er … I had people who
tried to contact me to also find out … um … whether the … um …
5
 y’know … they’ve seen I’ve made a purchase and they … they’ve seen
my feedback comment. They’ve tried to contact me to see if I really
made the purchase so far … ye know … such … such people have come
across, but again, it’s very sort of vague to trust those things. But, I’ve
made purchases in the past based on that to certain point … um …
where … ye know … it … yeah … that’s one of the things that I’ve also
looked at. It provi … for example, how urgent my purchase is. If it
really urgent, um … that’s one of the things that I’ve a look at. That’d
be one of the choices that I’ve made.
FA: Okay. How important is your control … er … in forming trust to you?
By this, we mean your control to … er … receive or reject e-mails, your
ability to control by unsubscribing from mailing lists, or consent …
giving consent to use personal information, or to close an account. How
important is your control in the process of forming trust to shop online?
B6: By having the option inspires some kind of confidence. How far you
actually exercise that is debatable.
B2: Yeah.
B6: Um … but the … er … have … knowing … y’know … in the ethic
schema saying if you wish to be taken off the mailing list or you want to
close down the account, you do such and such. I can tell you … um …
that’d be some kind of transparency in the process, but I can’t remember
any time I actually gone back and close an account or … unsubscribing
from the mailing list I just add to my spam filter …
B2: Yeah …
B6: … and … I guess it’s differently but yeah … I suppose … yeah.
FA: Anyone else?
B1: Some website allow us to unsubscribe the e-mail or something like that
but not normally … y’know … Even have already … er …
unsubscribed but it still sends …
B6: That’s right! Yeah!
B2: And also …
B6: In fact, when you reply to unsubscribe, it a sign that it’s … it’s alive,
and that gives them adding incentive to send you more spam.
B1: Yeah.
FA: How important is web … web design to you in forming trust in online
shopping?
B2: Um.
B5: It’s not … not really a lot.
B2: Yeah.
B5: … usually, it depends on the impulse … er … whether you want to buy
that particular thing or use that particular service like this. Something
you really after and … and basically is it really good enough? More like
a … unknown access … something I don’t really look … what am I …
good web design … something like … um … I don’t really look at it …
purchasing stuff online.
B6: It’s … it’s a strong point that I need. As I mentioned before, I’m … I’m
picky about … ye know … how good is the sign … site look and feel,
which isn’t necessary mean is any more reliable than … than others but
it still give you some kind of parameter. But the … er … if you put the
product is bad enough, you kinda grit your teeth and kinda cross your
fingers and go ahead, but it does inspire the confidence it’s a good solid
looking site.
6
B7: Yeah.
B6: Yeah.
B7: Good websites mean that they’re willing to invest and there’s actually
professional developers for their website, and they are not really … er
… yeah … the … the willingniss … willingness to invest is actually a
proof of … er … how professional a company is.
B2: Um.
B7: And, ultimately … um … yeah … bring about trust. Yeah.
B6: And, it’s come out to be … er … like a scam and kiss them for some
effort.
B7: Yeah … that’s the …
B4: If you said design is a factor, then can I get scammed?
B6: Yeah.
B7: Yeah. At least, they made the effort and invested their time and money
to design.
B6: Yeah, that’s right! Yeah! And, I think … um … it’s also … suppose …
er … it’s come a crisp level of mine just then. A lot of time on move
only like a purchase online if I’m willing to lose that amount. It’s like I
think to myself if I lost 200 dollars, how badly how upset would I be.
And, if I would … I’m … I’m not super upset, I go ya … I’m willing to
take that punt. I witnessed the purchase on eBay about photographic
groups coming from Hong Kong, and the nature of the … the
description of the product seem too good to be true and I kinda went
‘ah, this is probably I’m throwing my money away.’ And, the product
arrived. I was … was shocked how good it was, and it was all exactly
how it’s described. And, so went back and now how to meet your trust
relationship. But initial first step was ‘if I lose these 200 dollars, how
upset would I be.’ I was like I … let’s go pinch a little bit. So, I think
with point mean that … that taking that step, you already … er …
prepare yourself in that manner. Um …
B3: Exactly.
B1: Yeah.
B4: You had it be … er … I never … never had that bad experience actually
… only on my mind.
B6: Same.
B2: Yeah, me neither.
B4: Um … yeah … parti … the … I guess the more worry to me is not
aware no product will arrive … that whether or not my information will
be used.
B6: Okay.
B4: It’s another way …
B6: Yeah.
B4: So … yeah … I … I take the cautions as a part from … just whether
about … about guy … in … in the account the … the credit card has …
has access to … I don’t have very much money.
B6: I…
B4: So, I only put minimal the amount that I need in purchasing. So, anyone
who has access can just take whatever’s in there. It’s not much.
B2: I normally just do direct transfer from bank accounts. That way I just
pay and that’s it.
B5: Yes. That’s another point that I give. If it’s … er … real credit card,
then would there’s five thousand dollar limit. And, there’s something to
7
 be worried about, but … um … I personally use it …
B4: Yeah.
B7: Yeah, yes.
B2: Yeah.
B5: … I know … I know that how much money there is in the reserve by
limited to a certain amount I know that nobody can make up … extra
cent for money.
B7: On … on … on the same issue, I … I have a … um … I have a friend
who actually have … bad experience because the debit card doesn’t
have any insurance against fraud and scam. So, what happen is any
party that got hold of the number actually does any online transaction
the money’s immediately deducted. So, unlike credit card companies
that actually insues … insures the users up to certain standard in the e-
bank that you don’t actually carry out the transaction that cuts directly
deducts the money and you lose the money for it.
B4: I guess … part … that part of the … then … the … then you have
deserve because of from one banking and stuff you can make really …
check money and see whether anybody else is accessing account and …
I guess I’m resigned to the back that you … someone gets what
information in there and they might take … um … got whatsoever in my
account.
FA: How do you react if you find the broken link?
B1: Just keep refresh.
B6: It’s annoying. It’s annoying. I think we’re talking about professionalism
in the site as well. A broken link suggests sloppiness or some kind of
unprofessional …
B2: … even trust it just … ye know …
B6: … um …
B2: … stricts your … a bit of trust.
FA: We change slightly the importance to safety. Again, you’re going to a
website that you never used before. Er … how do you insure it’s safe to
use?
B6: Doesn’t spawn a million pop-up window … which is safe.
B7: Probably … um … doesn’t … er … doesn’t download … er … adware
or spyware to a com … er … yeah … So, then company’s to … er …
preview the … as I said, yeah, you’re trying to … um … try to install
certain adware in a PC … after that, it uses that getting on web pop-up
for no reason.
B2: Um.
FA: Anything else?
B5: Hold on! Importance to safety suggest, again said to you, regarding
information and … like credit card information and bank account or
disaster safety with regard to … do you get a lot of the product you
don’t know …
FA: It’s all of those things.
B5: Honestly … um … something have to look after it is a particular
website has sorta online communi … community … Like a … can we
sort of something … er … might be banks … something we got in
sporting and that’s … website also has this online … community about
that particular sport than people just post here and there that … you
know that this is a secure site …
B6: That’s a good point.
8
B5: You … um … you know there’s functioning property from a particular
community … existence of that community.
B6: That’s a strong point, yeah.
FA: Does a level of security help you in feeling safe when you’re using …
um … a … a website?
B2: Definitely.
B1: Exactly.
B2: Very high level. That’s one of the main things we’re looking. Basically,
putting our trust on just something that we don’t know online on the
Internet, which is putting our trust on the Internet or a particular
website, and that whole transaction is gonna go through just based on
trust. So, this very important that … um … we develop the trust.
FA: If you see a trust seal on a website, does that give you make you feel …
er … safe to use?
B7: Nope.
FA: Why not?
B7: Er … um … anyone can just put the picture … bogus picture on the
website so it’s actually … yeah … do I can find out really they do
incorporate … yeah … a party trust?
B1: But actually, I think you can see from the issue date or the regist …
register number from those website.
B7: Yeah, you can but … um … most probably of time … er … they do
have like the third party’s certificate around provided you’ll be able to
see the pop-up in the …
B1: Oh …
B7: … in the secure transaction. It’ll ask whether you’ll do your cert and set
the cert in …
FA: Trust seals were very … er … consider very important in … in go initial
trust in … in online shopping back in the 90s. But, anybody can click on
the image and go to … to another image so they’ve … they’ve changed.
So, how … how do you feel it if you see … ye know … you quite often
see websites … seven-rank trust seals at the bottom.
B6: I think that … that kinda raises the question mark and why they’re
trying so hard …
B2: Yeah …
B6: … to come across to being trusted. And, I think the ponder made before
about having like another active community or kinda referrals that …
that support the site. I think it’s far more confidence that the whole
bunch of animated gifs that kinda scam … you say ‘trust me.’ It’s kind
of like the stranger in the … the kiddie park offering you candy. Yeah,
it’s … it’s … it’s a alarm bell … you go … hang on!
B2: Yep.
FA: One of the bit interesting research has been done and they’ve found that
porn sites on the Internet have more trust seals than any … any other
sites, which is interesting … little … considering the porn is the biggest
income generated on the Internet …
B2: Yep.
FA: … which is sort of quite amazing. Okay! Let’s tur … turn away from
safety to risk. Okay. What possible risks do you feel when you shop
online or use service online?
B2: It’s got … not getting the product.
FA: Yeah.
9
B2: All kinds of risk … losing the money …
B1: Financial risk.
B2: Yeah.
FA: What do you mean by financial risk?
B1: It’s losing the money without … er … getting the product.
B2: Yeah.
FA: Okay.
B4: Getting the product that isn’t really what you …
B2: Yep.
B6: Yeah.
B4: … think it would be.
FA: What other risks are there?
B2: What other risks … did you say or?
FA: What other risks do you think they are?
B2: Um …
FA: Are you concerned … for example, are you concerned about identity
theft?
B2: Yeah.
B6: I’m kind of … yeah, I’m not … bad it’s not that bad, that maybe
because I’ve got other extra steps to insure that … that’s not happen,
and I’m very careful about the sensitive information that’s go out. So,
I’m not … yeah … it … I am quite confident no one could just steal my
identity and run off for the … um …
FA: Is that because you’re experienced user?
B6: That’s … yeah possibly, because I think I used to have an observation
exactly of using … doing online shopping … say … for the last … since
say … 2000 … 2001 so that’s seven … eight years now.
FA: Yeah.
B6: Six … seven years … um … yeah and I used to be extremely paranoid
when to see movies and so on and you go … oh, they must get my
identity and I’m not gonna be me anymore … as you … you go along,
you care to find a bit more about it. Not with this was paranoid and I did
a lot of study about it and I found … hang on! It is not as extremely as
that.
B2: Yeah.
B6: Um … and especially when … like the credit card I’ve got … um … has
insurance it against … um ye know … fraud and hoax and all that … all
the rest of it. So, I know that if … if the transaction shows up and I did
not authorise … um … I have taken steps in the past … turns up I did
make a transaction and forgot about it … um … but the … the credit
card provider was extremely cooperative and was happy to strive from
wreck and so on. So, I have … my credit card provider which I suppose
… um … kind of outranks any fears I have about people out there. But
… yeah … I suppose again the fears I … purchasing have … ah …
again … non … non-delivery and them going missing.
B2: And even security PINs sometimes it can be a bit of … er … worry that
can be … ye know … one of the things that you wanna be really careful
about when you’re entering security PINs or anything like that.
FA: What about problems of phishing?
B7: Phishing …
B1: Phishing as …
B7: … such a big problem … or I have never subscribed to any … um …
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 mails from the bank itself so … any mail that I has been … um … sent
to me by any other banks … er … just … er … put in the spam. So it’s
not major problem.
B2: I would …
B4: What is … phishing? Is that like … when you … when people ask you
fill information or?
B6: Yes … and like an e-mail that says I’m from a Commonwealth bank and
your details need to be changed and click on this link.
B4: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
B6: And, click on the link and give you a page that looks and feels like
Commonwealth bank and they target all your details but they capture
into somewhere else.
FA: P, h, i, s … phishing.
B5: You probably … does all types of thing … you probably want to go and
confront with the actually institution first before you go ahead and
giving a information there.
B6: Yeah.
B2: I would never wanna communicate with banking institutions over the e-
mail. If there’s a need, they could contact me via post … via mail …
like ye know … or they could call on my contact number so …
B6: I mean again like I’m dump shielded from that as well because I use a
UNIX mail reader where links don’t show … show up as click here. So,
you get the URL for the link, and when you really a look at it and it
could show just an IP number … and … ah it’s rubbish!
B7: I believe now there’s … er … the Microsoft brought up a new IE
browser. They actually took step to incorporate certain designs in a little
push on … next to Explorer. So, you can do click the link that claims to
what it is by turns out not to be, they will warn … you’ll be fine. Yeah
so …
B4: Yeah, I can’t remember ever giving a bank my e-mail address.
B2: Yeah.
B4: When … like … oh sorry! The hell is possibly we sending information
to any …
B2: … and …
B4: … get like that is …
B6: Guy I’ll …
B2: And Internet banking also have a mail section when you go online. You
… doesn’t any … anything that they wanna
B6: … they’ll tell you …
B2: … any messages that’s leaving that … that website itself so there’s no
need to … ye know …
B6: I have relative and so on … ye know … aunty and so on who have
fallen that kind of thing so they get very alarm when an e-mail like that
arrive cos it looks authoritative. Um … and the other thing people who
have done it and then they’ve gone bummer, and the others kinda ring
me and go ‘should I?’ … ye know … and …
B7: … my dad sudden … sometimes … ‘Ah! The bill just give me call. Har
… my bank has need to be changed!’ He’s like ... panicking … you see.
I doubt so … that’s the proper … I just … so nowadays I just talk to any
… banking e-mail just discourage … anything just call up them to
verify … faster. I mean voice-to-voice is much better than e-mail.
B2: Um.
11
B3: Sometimes I found it’s strange. It’s … I read some kind of phishing
mail and I open. I read some message and some grammatical mistakes
so I … so that this is not ... trust, is it not? Because … it’s weird.
B2: I actually receive the letter from overseas that I want so much money
and to …
B4: My … my parent scam …
B2: I really thought I want!
FA: Do … do you … do you check the URLs? Do you check the URL? If …
is there anything in the URL that would be feeling risky? Is there any
way you can check that?
B2: Yes. Is .. is it’s a number in the air … no … any kind of unusual alpha ..
alphabetical … ye know … that just strikes me straight away and I
know that no … I wouldn’t wanna going there.
FA: What about the issue of fraud?
B6: In what sense?
FA: Fraud can be all sorts of things. Er … you can get wrong invoices …
you can get wrong product … you can get … um …
B2: Yep. I’ve experienced that just recently … er … try to get my wedding
dress online and had a beautiful picture, but it came back nothing like
the picture. So … but the great thing is I resold it … the same price …
B6: … yes … scam … you scam back! …
B2: No, I didn’t. I actually took a digital photograph …
B7: … alright …
B2: … of the dress …
B7: … alright …
B2: … and I post it. And so, it wasn’t a picture. That’s one of the things I
look at. If it’s a picture not a photograph, then I know it could be highly
likely a fraud. And then when I re-bought another wedding dress, I …
make sure that it was a picture. That’s another thing that I look at. It was
the photograph of the dress so … The … the second when I reordered,
when it came … arrived, it was exactly the same as what it was on … on
the photo …
B4: So, it didn’t …
B2: … that’s another thing …
B4: … it didn’t stop you …
B2: No! … Oh, that’s another thing if you’re looking at making order
savings, you like … you … you … tend to do a bit of the gamble. Ye
know … it … it’s again win … win all … win-lose … sort of things …
experience that you have to go through. That’s why one of the things in
eBay that I look even though sometimes the feedback comments can be
a risk.
B4: It can be …
B2: You can actually go back and track those users and just see whether
they’re local or whether from different countries and track what
purchases that they’ve made … whether they’re legitimate … whether
they comments or legitimate anything pinpoint … these things …
through that. You just got to do a bit of research and get into to look into
and …
B6: She’s kind of clearly knows what she’s doing.
B2: I mean … yeah, it’s come through experience so …
FA: Which … which risk worry you most? Identity theft or fraud?
B2: Fraud.
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B6: Fraud.
B3: Um.
B2: Definitely fraud.
FA: Kay. How important it is … um … dealing with spam … an issue in …
in forming trust in … in online shopping? I mean, for example, before I
came to RMIT, when I was working at Deakin University or at Monash
University, I would get 10 to 20 e-mails a week … spam e-mails a week
about erection problem, increasing the size and various things … um …
etc. And the … they put spam filters on … they … I don’t know why it
doesn’t happen in RMIT but it doesn’t.
B6: ITS is very good … spam filter …
FA: They must have.
B6: Yeah.
FA: Because the … the while I was in Monash or Deakin, I mean … er …
B7: ITS doesn’t allow … um … RMIT ITS doesn’t allow … er … those
major … um … free e-mail provider to come in … like Yahoo! and …
um … Hotmail …
FA: I know that it makes a big difference.
B7: Yeah. It makes a big difference.
B2: Yeah.
FA: But how is that … how is that affect your view of trust?
B2: Oh, that’s why I basically have also like two e-mail addresses, and there
is anything that I suspect of getting a spam I’ll just use that e-mail
address. And, if there is any reason that I really trust that, now then you
know that’s very highly unlikely of I’ll be getting spams. That’s when I
… Oh! Actually, I never really use my real e-mail that I have which is
more important to me. Sorry! Now that I thought about it … um … I
mainly, yeah, just use my the other e-mail address for … wanna kidding
… if I get anything … doesn’t matter … doesn’t really so … so I have a
spare one.
B6: I think you pretty much resigned to getting spam if you’re actively on
the web and you have your e-mail anywhere.
B2: Yeah.
B6: It’s been published and you’ve made the forum posting or you have a
web page or whatever you’re gonna get spams. That’s the given and
that’s a matter of how you deal it. Um, and then you’ve got spurious e-
mail accounts … e-mail accounts that you don’t ever read. Um, or just
having e-mail filtering at that your own mail client so you just … any
time you get repetitively from the same domain, you just keep adding it
on.
B2: Sometimes even with names, you can figure it out … like … sometimes
… ye know … I … a lot times just my first full name … sometimes I
just half of my first name or …
B6: … just first letter …
B2: Yep. And then when I get e-mail and stuff, most of the spam e-mails
have got your names on it and you can just tell … Ah! … ye know …
rings the bell … I know when I deliberately use that form of name. Ye
know, you’re getting a spams … sort of another way of learning from
experience whether … ye know … what kind of … you’ll be getting …
B7: … I recently like … I was … er … actually quite frustrated with one
Internet subscriber then … actually recently I subscribed to. It’s … um
… because I’m from Singapore so I subscribed to Signet. So, within 24
13
 hours of the initial of my e-mail account, I … I got like 50 of spam
mails. I was like ‘Oh man!’ and they’re not doing anything about it even
though they know that their … their … their e-mails … um … Their
users have been constantly bombarded with the … think … the
spammer uses a generator so they’re just generate e-mail accounts. So
every day I’m like … just … I just opening the Outlook Express and I
can look 20 to 50 mails just from the account. So, I … just shut it off
totally.
B2: Yep. And, sometimes … you know … you come to a point where
Yahoo! e-mail is giving about … you know … good amount of size of
inbox space, so you get spam you don’t really care cos you’ve got
enough space that just … you just don’t even bother looking at it. You
just look at the important one and you just disregard … Sometimes, I
just busy or I just can’t be bother. I just don’t even delete them. I just
leave them as it is. Just don’t touch them.
B3: Don’t you report them?
B2: Sorry?
B3: Don’t you report that … ?
B2: Sometimes … it’s just … it doesn’t matter even if you do or you don’t.
You just tend to like … sort of not worry about it at all. Even there …
B5: One time the problem with the spam filter’s on, I … um … I did once in
a while get proper e-mails and they were in the spam filter.
B6: Um.
B5: So, if you don’t check the spam filter, um … you might miss … miss
like … e-mail from the brand … website that e-mail … they can … got
permission from. That’s only catch.
B2: And yeah coming to that I do sometimes go into my bulk mails to see
there is anything that’s gone in there incidentally.
B7: I keep those disturbance. I require to spam filters on some my mail
accounts. So, one is the … from the ISP subscribing to the … so yeah
you have to pay extra ... um … them do the … filtering for you then …
then comes to my Outlook then there’s Norton Anti-Spam. So, it goes
through two checks. You’ll be surprised how much go through …
FA: Know!
B2: Yeah.
FA: So wha … what would assure you that your privacy would safe?
B7: I think I have resigned to a fit. My privacy’s no longer important.
B2: Yeah eventually on the World Wide Web.
B7: Yeah. Once …
B2: Anyone can have access to it except banking. For some reasons, I’ve
developed some kind of a better trust in a lot of ways. But even that …
B7: What you said earlier on, once you set up account to with some
companies, they could easily sell all the users’ account and the
company. And you …
B2: Yeah.
B7: … that’s now the telemarketing like …
B2: Yep … have access to …
B7: … Internet account is a prop … So, they just sell your accounts so …
B2: Yep … er … yeah telemarketing and …
FA: Do you … you guys know viral marketing?
B6: Yep.
FA: Viral marketing is an accepted technique now in … in marketing. Just
14
 simply act like a virus. I send you an e-mail. You send it to … to …
B2: Yeah.
FA: Pom, pom, pom, pom, pom, pom. It’s very famous from which is Coke
and Mentos …
B6: Yeah.
FA: … one which was sent via viral marketing to advertise Diet Coke and
Mentos. You got two-metre bottle of Diet Coke and four Mentos and
put it into the bottles. Just put the cap on and count to 10 and take the
top off it. It goes … phew! Shoot! But, they sell huge a number of
Mentos … huge amount of Diet Coke.
B6: Because people wanna try it …
B7: Try it …
FA: That’s viral marketing and … and you … you have no privacy …
B7: Yeah, yeah.
FA: … at all.
B7: Yeah. Ultimately, I mean, once you usually … once you commit to
using the Internet in some form of log in, you’re actually at risk. Yeah.
B2: That’s right! Any … and if you’re making purchases or any kind of
transaction in any way, you … you have to expect that your details are
gonna go end up in some way that they would like to do marketing
research on …
B7: Sometimes, I get weirdo calls from companies that I don’t even know
where they’re come from. Yeah, then they’re assume you wish to
subscribe to … I was like ‘How did you get … um … our outsource are
confidential’ That’s what the!
B2: Yeah.
B6: You show my contact detail. Yeah.
B2: I was like working co-even on behalf of banking institution, which I
don’t like to disperse. Um, and … and I was basically trying to sell
insurance telemarketing an independent company. And, I was basically I
had full … ye know … access to … um … banking personal details that
I can just … ye know … straight away … ye know … do a few lean up
the details or what kind of insurance that they want. And, I could
actually say ‘I want the information.’
B7: Yeah. That’s right.
B2: That’s … and yeah actually … and people do it on behalf of banking
institution … It’s still unsafe.
B7: Yes.
B6: I think you’re pretty much resigned that it is un … ye know … there’s
an element of risk to it. Um, you do various that we talked about to get
rid of that risk, but you acknowledge it is still there. It’s kind of like …
ye know … street is unsafe. The car’s there. You might get run of it but
doesn’t mean you’re not gonna use the street so ...
FA: That’s right …
B6: … … look both way before you cross.
B4: As I said I … I … I … I … like using Internet and I only use it if I need
to … I don’t have Internet at home. I only use it at work and the only
main reason is I just hate advertising. So, any sort of advertising that
comes up it’s automatically done. And yeah, I try to worry as much as I
can.
B2: Yep. It’s very annoying.
FA: Let me ask you a final question. Of all issues that we raised in the last
15
 three quarters of an hour, which one is the most important to you in
developing trust in online shopping? I give it you six and I want you to
tell me individually which one is the most important for you and then
which one is the least important. Okay? In the six, I’ll read them a
couple of times. Privacy, security, web design, control, warranty, and
fraud. I’ll read them again. Which one is the most important? Privacy,
security, web design, control, warranty, or fraud. Kay?
B7: Er … security will be the most important.
B1: Yes.
FA: Security is most important.
B7: The least important would …
B1: Yes, me too!
B2: For me is fraud.
FA: Fraud, okay.
B6: I can say fraud is most important.
FA: Fraud.
B5: Yep, fraud.
FA: Fraud.
B4: Fraud.
B3: Security but for me is most important on the list …
FA: Which the least important?
B1: Web design for me.
FA: Web design.
B2: For me is web design, too.
B1: It doesn’t show anything. It doesn’t tell me anything.
B2: Yeah. It depends on …
B6: Um.
B4: … because yeah … if you could tell … if you look at it, site is obviously
poor. Then, I think it … yeah … I think it’s more subconscious.
B7: Yeah, you’re probably find some …
B6: Um, I’m quite I’m very hesitant like a long list … user site that has poor
design. If I really really badly need the service and you can’t get it from
anywhere else but that’s desperate.
B2: Yeah.
B7: Desperates, yeah.
FA: Is there all any other issue that you think they’re important in
developing trust in online shopping that we haven’t talked about.
B7: Human factor.
FA: The wha?
B7: Human factor.
B2: Communication.
B6: Er … I think we touch upon that would … thing like communities and
referrals where I think that’s very strongly human presence that
collaborates … um … you know … whatever the … the claimed … um
… services are …
B2: And … and also the ability to be able to communicate with a person that
you make the transaction.
B7: Yeah.
B2: That’s the most important bit for me because if they don’t understand
what you want, you’re not gonna get what you really want. So, that’s
one of the most important. If you can’t develop that good
communication, then you …
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B6: That’s actually really good point. Man! I have heard the story. A lot of
time, before I make a transaction, I send a company an e-mail.
B2: Yep.
B6: And see how quickly the response … how well format the response is
…
B2: … and …
B6: … whether they actually know what they talking about … um … all
kind of information …
FA: What happen if they happen to lie … ?
B6: Ah … you can see through …
B7: Yeah um … um … I thought that … I’ll think that … that’s …
B6: He always laze your questions were technical … yeah … yep, sorry!
B7: Yeah, that’s alright. Um, I’m saying … um … the human factor was
like … um … the selling companies where I get hotel booking from,
they actually call you up within the next 12 hours to confirm your
booking. So, that actually incorporate … er … er … certain use of trust
… to see how fast they rush my end … they don’t send you by … They
do send me a confirmation e-mail, but they also wants to protect
interest. They call us up to ensure that the transaction we’re making. So,
ultimately, we, for human talking together, I think, is very important
factor in online transaction.
B4: I think the … well … is one of the scary things … I guess … to do the
Internet. Any … anything really … you can do the … Um, it’s just so
easy to … if say … if you a credit card and someone can just look at
your details and then buy … just so easy to do that.
B6: So, there’s very good find! You’re more at risk buying stuff at the
supermarket down the road than you are shopping online, because the
guy in another clock across the camper … like you said, he’s tugging a
magazine or whatever he’s in spite what regard. For at … at restaurant
where you hand them a credit card, and that goes away.
B2: Yeah. Even in taxi when they’re making payment using an EFTPOS
card, I got scam five hundred dollar off my access card from a taxi
driver.
B1: Oh, my god!
B7: So, they key in the value …
B2: … Well, yeah, because of the fact that I entered my PIN, and …
B7: Alright! They change the value after that …
B2: … he had … somehow he had access to the PIN. And, instead of giving
me back my card, he gave me back exactly same bank card but with
someone else’s …
B6: … except from mine …
B2: He went straight to my ATM and got the money out …
B7: Alright.
B2: … even before I was aware that I got a different card.
B7: But you’ll be …
B6: I think you got wrong. That’s not a scam. That’s a robbery.
B2: It is!
B6: But this is a scam that I’ve seen this happened before … raincheck the
amount … over the amount …
B7: But if you have receipts, you could trace back that guy.
B2: Well, the funny thing is it’s hard. Would they have a camera in a taxi
but … ye know … I don’t know whether how far it went, but the good
17
 thing is … er … out about thousand dollars that I lost, I got five hundred
dollars from the bank because they accepted some kind of
responsibility.
B7: Alright.
B2: Um …that was good. Er … that’s a good thing but still I’ve lose a lot
five dollars from … which is … yeah.
B4: I think some sort of actual physical personal identification when you
banking transaction on the Internet is necessary, which is sort of …
B2: Yep.
B6: Biometric scan or some sort.
B4: Yeah, retina scan.
B2: And also, if you need to get back some kind of receipt number or
transaction reference, if you don’t, if I don’t I’ll be really worried.
That’s one of the main thing that I’ll be looking at. That once you made
a transaction, you get some kind of response …
B7: I have something to add. Um, recently, I’m … the bank that I’m been
using from Singapore … they implemented the 2FA factor. That means
two-factor authentication. So, now, in order to use the net banking, I
have to bring my hand phone wherever I go so that … er … once I log
in, the hand phone receive SMS and that’s from the bank itself. Then,
you have to key another extra code. So, I think that’s actually …
B6: Um.
B7: … bring about, yeah. And so …um …
B4: … some place used to do that … I’m not actually where you do but you
… you have to put in the number on the back of your card …
FA: Yeah, yeah.
B4: … as well.
B6: Yep.
B4: Er … I don’t … yeah … I don’t see it very much these days.
Sometimes, it … you do … but it means if your card is copied … but I
think ... matter … doesn’t …
FA: It doesn’t worry …
B4: … doesn’t worry … yeah … which is … I think it’s quite …
B2: And … and also secret … um … code where … ye know … with the
password, you have to provide the secret code of something.
B7: Yeah, sometimes, they ask you for the two questions.
B2: Yeah.
B7: Nowadays, they do a few. Yeah. Even after you post log in screen, they
still require you to key in your two questions and the answers to the
questions.
B2: The password.
B7: Yeah.
B2: Yeah, that’s right.
FA: Okay! Any other things? On behalf of the principal investigator of this
project, thank you all for your participation. That’s taken about 46
minutes. That’s really good. Er, you’ll help his PhD now. Thank you all
for your time!

18