Secure servers, how secure are online shops?

The majority of UK online shops use a secure server for credit card / payment transactions and therefore should be secure, however this is no guarantee. You should always check the shop you are buying from has some kind of payment security (the shop should advertise this on their web site, otherwise email them asking for their security procedures). There are two ways to detect whether a shop uses a secure server,

• 1. Check the web site to see if it has any security certificates and read its secuity statement. On the previous page is a link to a page showing examples of security certificates.
• 2. Otherwise it should be apparent from your browser's display that you have entered a secure server. You should get an alert, informing you of the site's status, and your key or lock in the bottom left hand corner of your browser will appear locked of highlighted. You should also get a blue line across the top of the browser window. An example of a security alert is below,

Internet Explorer Symbol

Netscape Symbol

If neither of these two things occur, then do not proceed to enter your credit card details.