For Your Shopping Safety and concerns the Online Merchants listed here are members of TRUSTe (www.truste.org), Verisign (www.verisign.com), or BBBonline (www.bbbonline.org)

Shopping Online Bulletin

Six Tips for Shopping Online Safely Use a credit card.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers incorrectly answered that it’s safer to pay for an online order by check or money order than by credit card. Credit cards are the safest way to pay because you have the legal right to dispute charges for goods or services that were never ordered, never received, or misrepresented.

Ask about "substitute" or "single-use" credit card numbers.

Some credit cards now provide "substitute" or "single-use" numbers, linked to your account, that you can use for one purchase only (sometimes they can also be used for regular payments to the same company). Since you never put your real account number online, your financial information is safe from abuse by "hackers" or dishonest company employees. Look for clues about security.

When you provide payment information, the "http" at the beginning of the address bar should change to "https" or "shttp." Your browser may use a symbol to show whether the information is being encrypted, or scrambled, as it is being sent. See what Web sites say about how they safeguard your information in transmission and storage. Don’t provide sensitive information by email.

Know the real deal.

More than half of the consumers surveyed thought they have three days to cancel an online purchase. There is no automatic cancellation right, so get all the details before you buy: a complete description of the items; the total price, including shipping; the delivery time; warranty information; the return policy; and what to do if you have problems.

Keep proof handy. Print and file the information in case you need proof later.

Federal Trade Commission-Consumer Information to Online Shopping http://www.ftc.gov/onlineshopping/.