Thousands of online stores await your visit. You're probably a little hesitant - and rightly so - about actually buying something online. How safe is your credit card? How can you make sure you're ordering from a legitimate business? Who will have access to your personal information when you send in your order?

Shopping online can be safe - much safer, in fact, than giving your credit card to a waiter in a restaurant or giving it to somebody over the telephone. When you shop over the Internet, you need to look out for many of the same things you would watch for in the shopping mall or when you order by mail or telephone from a catalogue. This guide will tell you what to watch for, so that you can relax and enjoy your online shopping trip.

Basic tips on surfing securely
E-mail security
Is it safe to use my credit card over the Internet?
How can I tell if I have a secure link?
How does a secure link work?
How hard is it for somebody else to decode the encryption protecting my personal information?
What is a Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)?
What is a digital certificate?
What is a certificate authority?
What are my liabilities if my credit card number is stolen over the Internet?

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