An ever increasing number of web surfers tend to make transaction on the Internet. While they were a minority half a decade ago, the number of web shoppers is growing at a fast pace. However, buying online requires some precaution especially regarding security matters. That’s why here you will find useful and simple security tips for secure online shopping.

First, you have to check if the online shops provide a secure Internet connection when you will make a payment. Most websites inform their customers that their sites use technology solution such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Secure Electronic Transaction to make the connection secure. You should also check if the web address on the page that asks for your credit card information begins with "https:” It means that the Internet connection is secure.

Second, you can also decide to give your personal credit card information over the phone instead of filling a form on the websites. Most websites offer this alternative. You should make a note of the phone number, company, the date and time of your call, and the name of the person who recorded your credit card number. This can allow checking on your credit card bills later. By all means, you should never give your password and credit card number in an e-mail.

Third, be careful when you choose a password. Your password should not your address, birth date, phone number, or recognizable words. You should choose a string of at least five letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Besides, make sure that you don’t write down your password near your computer or where someone could see it, the best being that you don’t write it down. But if you need to record your password, you should reverse the order of the characters or transpose some letters or numbers.

Eventually, beware to get viruses on your computer. If you receive an unsolicited commercial message, you should not open any attached files which are executable files. If you click on such files, you could activate a computer virus that might affect the operation of your computer or damage the information stored on your computer. You can also protect yourself against viruses carried by e-mail by purchasing and installing on your computer or network a virus-protection program.