Take advantage of the great deals offered from your favorite retailers on the internet but take a few precautions to make sure your shopping experience is a pleasant one.

As the holiday season looms closer sometimes we see good deals on the internet but are a  little squeamish about shopping over the web. Here are some tips to keep yourself and your funds safe.

1). First trust who you’re shopping from. If it’s not from a site showing the Verisign security sticker then see if there are options for sending in a check or better yet money order.

2). If you need to put a card on the internet try buying one of those gift money cards. They’re not attached to your banking account and most places take them.

3). If the place you’re shopping from doesn’t take the money gift cards use Paypal. Paypal has several measures in place to keep you and your funds safe. Read their tips on keeping your account with them safe and never reply to emails “supposedly” Paypal in your email inbox.

4) Check for reviews from other shoppers if you’re unsure about who you’ve never purchased from the vendor before. If it’s a small online store you may not find reviews online at some of the popular rating sites but maybe they have posted testimonies from previous customers.

5) Don’t pass along credit card or banking information through your email.

When it gets time to enter in the credit card information

• Check for the “https” in the first part of your web address to signify you are in a secure area of the site when it’s time to enter credit and personal information.

• Check your web browser’s window for a little padlock or a key. A closed padlock and an unbroken key will be indications that you are in a secure section of the website.

• Also if you haven’t disabled it most browsers will let you know when you are entering the secure section of a website with a little pop up.

• When it comes down to and you’re still uncomfortable see if you can call in or mail in your order.

Happy Shopping!