Online shopping has got to be just about the most convenient Internet invention ever. With a few mouse-clicks, you can buy almost anything from anywhere in the world and have it shipped directly to you, without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Unfortunately, shopping online and the growing incidence of identity theft has raised a lot of concerns about shopping securely and protecting your privacy when shopping online. There are several things you can do to make sure that no one has access to your personal details when you shop online.

Only shop at trusted stores. Avoid shopping at Web sites whose details and owners you can’t verify. If you can’t find an easy way to contact the store owners, don’t shop with them.

Read the address in the address bar of your browser to be certain that you’re on the actual merchant’s Web site. Scammers and phishers will often send out mail that pretends to be from a trusted site to fool you into giving them your personal account information. Never enter any personal data in a page you reached by clicking on a link in an e-mail. Instead, open a new browser window and type the address into the address bar.

Be sure the page is secure before entering any payment details. Look for a padlock or unbroken key symbol in your browser’s status bar. Check the address in the address bar. Secure pages will begin with https:// instead of http://.

Use a third party payment processor like Paypal or Google Checkout to pay for online purchases. These services add a "buffer" between your private information and the merchants you shop by serving as a middleman. When you pay via Paypal or Google Checkout, the merchant never sees your credit card details at all. In addition, you’ll need to enter a password in order to pay for items with a third party payment processor. Anyone who doesn’t know your password won’t be able to use your account.

Keep one credit card with a low spending limit strictly for online shopping. That way, if your credit information does end up in the wrong hands, the thief won’t be able to charge up hundreds of dollars on your account.

Even better, pick up a prepaid credit card (a stored value credit card) at Walmart, CVS or another store. If your credit card information is compromised, the thief will only be able to use the amount of money that you have stored on the card–and it won’t affect your credit rating at all.

Remember that most online credit card fraud happens when someone steals credit card information in the real world and uses it online. Safeguard your credit card and bank account details in the real world to prevent thieves from accessing your accounts and using them online.

Keep your passwords for bank accounts and payment processors like Paypal safe. Never give them to anyone, including people who claim to be calling or writing from the bank. All banks have a standing policy that they will not ever ask you for your PIN number or passwords for your online account.

Change the passwords on your online bank accounts every few months, and use secure passwords that include both letters and numbers. The safest password is one that’s randomly generated, but those can be difficult to remember. Choose something that will be difficult for other people to guess, and don’t share them with anyone.