How Secure Is Your Bank's Web Site?

Before you place any financial information into a banking Web site, you should look for a number of visual clues, according to Tim Callan of Verisign (VRSN Quote), to make sure that you are on the actual Web page that you think you are. These visual clues will help you avoid giving sensitive personal finance information when the page is not deemed safe and secure:

Green address bar: If you are on a secure page, the Web address bar and the company's name should be highlighted in green (as opposed to the standard white) at the top of the browser. The green highlights are confirmation that the Web site has undergone extensive identity authentication so that you can be confident you are on the correct Web site and not a fraudulent Web site made to look like the real one.

URL starting with https://: Most Web addresses (or URLs) begin with "http://." If the site's Web address begins with an "s" after the "p" (https://), that means that the information you share on that page is encrypted, making it difficult for anyone to see what has been entered into the page. If the URL doesn't have the extra "s," it means that the page is not encrypted, and it's quite easy for someone with the know-how to gain access to the information.

You want to avoid entering any information that could be used to steal your identity (such as credit card numbers, your Social Security number or your mother's maiden name) into any Web page that doesn't begin with "https."