When giving account information or confidential personal information to a web site, there are some things you can do to protect yourself.  If you follow the tips on this page, it will go a long way towards worry-free Internet use.

1. If you receive a security alert from your web browser, don't just ignore it.  Unfortunately Internet explorer often warns you about things that are not that important.  If you see one of these alerts, however, you really shouldn't do business with the site in question.
   Internet Explorer:
   
   Mozilla Firebird:
   
   
2. Look for a padlock and a web addresses which begin with https:// 
   Any page where you are asked to provide account information or confidential personal information (your SSN, etc.) should have an address that starts with https:// and you should see a padlock similar to one of these in the bottom status bar of your web browser.
   Padlock in Internet Explorer:
   
   Padlock in Mozilla Firebird:
   
   (If the padlock is on the page itself, it does not count.  You want to see it in a part of the browser window which does not change from page to page.)
3. Look at the site name in the address bar in your browser.  Make sure it matches.  For example, if buying on eBay the site name had better end in ebay.com.  See the the page on URL Spoofing for information about some things to watch out for.
4. Double check the security for the site.  If you double-click on the padlock, you should get a window showing some security information for the web site.
   For Internet Explorer:
   
   For Mozilla Firebird:
   
   (Clicking View should give you a window like this:)
   
   
5. Watch out for windows without a status bar.  If you are being asked to fill out information in a pop-up or extra window which does not have an address bar and does not have a status bar.. BEWARE.  Very few legitimate sites will do this and it is a favorite trick of online criminals to steal your account information.
   Click this image for a screen shot of an actual attempt at stealing account information.  the page in the background is the real CitiBank web site.  The small window in the foreground is NOT a legitimate CitiBank page.
     (click for full-size screenshot)
   If you fill out the small form, your card info is sent to Russia!
6. So, how can you check on a page without a status bar?
   In Internet Explorer, right-click on a blank part of the page which is in the window you are being asked to enter information in then select Properties from the menu:
   
   You will get a window like the following.  Then you should click the "Certificate" button.
   
   Then go back to step 4 to verify the security info.  If you don't get a security certificate window, don't fill anything out in the this browser window.
   For Mozilla Firebird, you will want to right-click on an empty part of the small window and choose "View Page Info" from the menu:
   
   Click on the "Security" tab of the window that appears.
   
   Now you can go back to step 4 to check the security info.  If the page looks like this (Not Encrypted) then DON'T use it.
7. Here are a couple example pages.  Click the small image for a full-size screenshot.
   
   This page has several things wrong that should tip you off.
   
   
   This page looks legitimate.

I hope the information on this page helps you stay safe when doing business online.