Secure Internet Connections
How do you tell if the Internet connections are secure?
"Identity Theft" sometimes occurs when someone gets your credit card, bank account or social security number and buys goods or gets credit cards or loans in your name. This is a growing problem, so you should carefully guard personal information that might allow a thief to impersonate you or use your credit.
Industry has developed technology that can scramble sensitive information, such as your credit card number, so that it can be read only by the merchant you are dealing with and your credit card issuer. This ensures that your payment information cannot be read by anyone else or changed along the way. There are several ways to determine if you have that protection when you are sending payment information on the web. Look for the picture of the unbroken key or closed lock in your browser window. Either one indicates that the security is operative. A broken key or any open lock indicates it is not.
Look to see if the web address on the page that asks for your credit card information begins with "https:" instead of "http."
Some web sites use the words "Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)" or a pop up box that says you are entering a secure area.
These security protections do not work in e-mail. So, make sure you send personal and payment information in a secure web transaction.

Passwords
Do you use different passwords?
Passwords are required at various stages of computer use and web shopping to help assure that someone is not misusing your computer or personal information. If you use a password to log on to your network or computer, use a different password for orders. Some web sites may require you to create a password for future orders. You may want to create a special password for particularly sensitive sites, such as your home banking site.
How did you choose your password?
The best passwords are not your address, birth date, phone number, recognizable words, or even your pet's name (which might be guessed by someone who has other information about you.). Choose a string of at least five letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. One easy way to create a memorable password is to take the first letter of each word in an expression or song lyric, and add some numbers and punctuation marks. For example, "tmottobg!5" is derived from a line in "Take Me Out To The Old Ball Game."
How should you record your password?
Don't write down any password near your computer where someone could see it or carry it in your purse or billfold. If you do record it somewhere, reverse the order of the characters or transpose some letters or numbers. That way, someone finding it won't have discovered your true password. Click Here For More...