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" Shopping online is faster, easier, and sometimes cheaper than buying at a store. However, make sure you follow these suggestions to protect yourself\u2014and your accounts: 1. Check website safety Before hitting the checkout button, make sure the website protects your information. Step one: Refresh your browser. Web browsers like Internet Explorer 7 and 8 will turn your address bar green if the site is safe. Look for encryption, which means the site will protect your info by scrambling data when it travels over the Internet. If the address begins with https rather than just http, the site uses encryption. On smaller sites, it&amp;#039;s also a good idea to search previous customer responses and feedback to ensure privacy.  2. Designate a credit card for online purchases Using a credit card is the safest way to go because there&amp;#039;s no risk you&amp;#039;ll have to pay for unauthorized charges. The Truth in Lending Act states that consumers&amp;#039; maximum liability for unauthorized use of a credit card is zero, so if you&amp;#039;re speedy at reporting a fraud, banks should quickly reverse charges and you won&amp;#039;t have to pay. That being said, it&amp;#039;s a good idea to designate one credit card for all your online purchases. If you&amp;#039;re still hesitant, set up a one-time credit card with your card provider. This is a one-time use number that your bank (usually on its website) will generate for you so that you never have to give away your actual number.  3. Keep a paper trail It&amp;#039;s always a good idea to print (or archive) all receipts, shipping numbers, and confirmation emails. Keeping a file for online purchase printouts is easy and you can also set up a &amp;quot;shopping&amp;quot; folder in your email inbox to store messages confirming your purchases. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a22602/three-tips-for-shopping-safely/>