3 Tips for Safer Online Shopping

The Holiday season is upon us once again and that means you might be thinking of doing some online shopping--if you haven't started already. With that in mind, here are three quick tips to make it safer:

• Stick with reputable or brand name sites. Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com are two good examples. I personally would feel safer shopping there than say, Joe Justrustme's site that no one's ever heard of.

• Keep Good Records Of All Your Online Transactions. Print them out and store them in a safe place, that way should a problem arise you'll be prepared.

• Make Sure The Site You're Shopping At Is Secure. At the checkout screen of the site you're shopping at, look for a padlock icon in your browser toolbar or https// in front of the web site address in the address field of your browser. If you don't see either one of these, it's time to shop elsewhere!