Identity theft, electronic break-ins, and online fraud are fairly common themes in news stories these days. Common enough that everyone should know they need to be cautious when using their credit card - online or offline. Nevertheless, business owners and their employees are sometimes surprisingly careless when they make purchases online.

Here, based on some of the things we've seen on the ecommerce side of our business (we sell labor law posters and safety posters), are some steps you can take to make sure you get what you really want (and get satisfaction if you aren't happy with your purchase) when you shop online.

• Pay attention to and record the name of the site from which you are making a purchase. (We get calls several times a year from customers asking about their order, and on further investigation we discover they actually ordered from someone else.)
• Read the product descriptions, noting size, and other pertinent details.
• Print out and save receipts. That way, if you have to call about your order, you can give the company your order number, and other information about your order. Orders can be difficult to locate in a database if your don't have the order number or other key information.
• Look at your receipt after placing an online order. Be sure that all the information is correct. If you've made a typo entering shipping information contact the store you purchased from immediately so they can make changes in the shipping address before the product ships.
• Never, ever send credit card information in email.
• If you are going to fax credit card information, ask who has access to the fax you will be sending the information to.
• If you mail a check, be sure to include an order form stating what you are purchasing. Be sure your name, address and phone number are legible in case the company has any questions they need to ask you before filling your order.
• If you are making a payment on a purchase you've been invoiced for, show the invoice number on your check stub so you get proper credit.
• Using a wireless network in your office? Make sure it's secure and that data you transmit can't be "sniffed."
• If you plan to buy from a company you are unfamiliar with, check for a street address and phone number to contact them on their website. Call the number to be sure it is real, too.
• Be sure to have up to date virus software on your computer.

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