Is it safe online?

You, I and probably everyone we know under the age of 70 is now shopping online (no slight intended to those over 70 - they're just not well represented in the online shopping world).

Is it safe?

You hear of 'Phishing' and 'Pfarming', ploys designed to collect your personal information for various nefarious purposes, but how do you know it's not happening to you when you're online?

Well, there's plenty of literature out there to help out on the topic, but here's a quick list of tips:

1. Never respond to a link in an email that purports to come from the website you are interested in. Always type in the address manually or used a saved bookmark. This applies to banks, PayPal, eBay and any ecommerce site you may wish to buy from.
2. When you get to the website before you enter any personal information, ensure the site says it is 'Secure' or uses a 'SSL Certificate' to authenticate the site is genuine.
3. If the site is secure, there will be an icon of a locked padlock in your web browser, usually down in the lower right corner, that indicates your transaction and information is safe to transmit.
4. Always keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date and run regular checks of your computer if the software is not automatic.