Online Transaction Saftey

Look for SSL Use
Many online transactions are now protected by what's called SSL, which is short for Secure Sockets Layer.

SSL provides you with sound privacy protection by encrypting the channel of communication between you and the consumer. Using a mathematical formula, SSL puts the information you exchange into a complex code. Think of it as a kind of armor over the information. Even if intercepted, your data would be extremely difficult to read.

In plain English, SSL helps the consumer's browser automatically scramble his information—such as a credit card number—before it gets sent to the merchant. After that, SSL allows only the merchant's software to unscramble this data. Through SSL, you and your customers can complete transactions with the confidence that no one else can read, change, or fool with their payment information as it travels over the Internet.

Since the data sent is secure, SSL is now considered more than enough security for consumers to do business with merchants they know and trust.

To find out if your transaction is guarded by SSL, look for the picture of the unbroken key or closed lock in your browser window (both the Netscape Navigator/Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers use SSL). Either indicator means SSL is hard at work. (If you don't see either one, or if you see a broken key or an open lock, that means SSL is definitely not hard at work protecting your transaction.)

The easy way you can tell if SSL is guarding your transaction, though, is to check the URL of the site you are visiting. It should change from "http" to "https" when processing secure transactions.

Don't Send or Accept Payment Info Via E-mail
E-mail works independently of any security software, such as SSL or SET, and is not protected by them. E-mail is vulnerable and should probably never be used to send or receive sensitive personal information. When accepting payment information from a customer, always make sure to use a secure browser, such as Netscape Navigator (2.0 or higher), Microsoft Internet Explorer, or AOL. Also make sure the that your site uses a secure Internet technology such as SSL or SET