How to shop online more safely

Make sure the business is legitimate

• Buy from reputable stores and sellers. If you have doubts, choose another company.
• Find out what other shoppers say. Sites like Epinions.com or BizRate have customer evaluations which can help you determine a company's legitimacy.

Look for third-party seals of approval

• Companies can put these seals on their sites if they abide by a set of rigorous standards—such as how personal information can be used. Two seals to look for:
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau Online𔃀(BBBOnline)
  
  or
  
  TRUSTe
• If you see the seals, click them to make sure they link to the organization that created them. Some unscrupulous merchants will put these logos on their sites without permission.

Make sure the Web site uses encryption

• On the Web page where you enter your credit card or other personal information, look for an "s" after http in the Web address of that page. It should read: https://. (Encryption is a security measure that scrambles data as it traverses the Internet.)
• Also make sure there is a tiny closed padlock in the address bar, or at the lower right corner of the window.
  
  

Use a filter that warns you of suspicious Web sites

• Browser filters warn and block you from visiting reported phishing sites. For example, the SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8, or the Phishing Filter in Internet Explorer 7.

Keep your Web browser updated

• Internet Explorer 7 and 8 provide another layer of protection with sites that use Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates. An EV SSL certificate not only helps ensures that the communication with a Web site is secure, it also includes information about the owner of the Web site, which has been identified by the Certification Authority (CA) issuing the SSL Certificate. The address bar turns green and has both https and the closed padlock.
  
  For more information, see Internet Explorer and Extended Validation SSL certificates.