Becoming a victim of Internet fraud unfortunately is increasing in 2005 consumers spent more $65.1 billion. Everyday more and more people enjoy purchasing items online. The Internet National Fraud Centre Watch reported that the average loss to fraud victims for just the first six months of 2005 was $2,579.

This is compared to the $895 average for all of 2004. Complaints relating to general merchandise purchases (goods never received or misrepresented) accounted for 30% of Internet fraud complaints, and auction purchases (goods never received or misrepresented) topped the list at 44%.

There are many thousands of e-commerce websites which are reputable and have the necessary safety precautions in place, but it never hurts to always be on the look out, if you have decided to make an online purchase, just think about considering these easy steps:

1.Try and use only one credit card which has a very low credit limit attached to it, try not to use an ATM or debit card unless really necessary.

2.Be on your guard for unsolicited offers. The Internet National Fraud Information Centre Watch reported that email, as a method of contact by Internet fraudsters was up 22% in 2004. While the offer may be legitimate, fraudsters like to use this tactic to get round creditable sites that provide consumer protection for online purchases.

3.Use only legitimate e-commerce websites that give you there full address and even telephone number.

4.Check out the sites privacy policy. Some websites may reserve the right to sell/give your information to a third party. Check the document to see if you can "opt-out" of receiving special offers from third-party vendors or for permission to share any of your personal information.

5.Always make sure the website has a lock sign in the bottom right of your browser, don't give personal information out if the website does not start with https this is always a good sign to show that they are using a secure server

6.There are many third party sites like the Better Business Bureau or Verisign that help protect you when making a purchase, make sure the site is using these or something similar.

7.Always make sure the delivery times stated are reasonable around 7-10 days is a good average to work from.

8.Print out all necessary paperwork of the transaction you make and keep it somewhere safe.

9.Remember the old adage that if something sounds to good to be true, then it probably is, there are many get rich quick schemes out there that are just plain scams and full of false advertising

10. If your item never turns up and you get nowhere when trying to contact them by e-mail or phone contact your state's Department of Consumer Affairs for further help in the matter.