When entering personal information over the Internet, how do you know if what you are providing is confidential? A web site may make false claims about its security.

However, your web browser will indicate to you if the site is secure. When a site is secure, both Internet Explorer and Netscape will display a closed padlock in the status bar, which is located on the very bottom of your web browser.

Internet Explorer’s padlock icon is located towards the right side of the browser when a web site is secure. When the site is not secure there will be no padlock.

On Netscape’s browser, the padlock is located on the far left side and is closed if the site is secure. If the web site is not secure, the padlock will be open.

Another way to check a web site’s security is by looking at its web address. If it is secure it will start with “https” rather than “http.” The “s” after the “http” signifies that the connection is secure.

And remember, just because it is secure doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. Be sure the site you’re using is reputable. In one famous scam, a crook created a web site that looked like a legitimate site from VISA, including use of the VISA logo. The site asked users to confirm their credit card numbers for “security” purposes.

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