A recent study found that four out of five Internet users claim that their ability to trust the information on a website is the number one component in their decision to visit or make a purchase on a site. Establishing web credibility is very important to the success of an Internet business, and one of the best ways to do that is by using third party verification and privacy seals. A privacy seal will reassure your customers that their data is protected and that making a purchase with your company will be a positive and safe experience.

You might be wondering “Can’t anyone fake a privacy seal?” The answer is yes, and this is something you definitely need to be aware of.  It costs money to verify a website, and check out the business and its owners.  It costs money to review a privacy policy and to make sure that the website is actually secure.  As a business owner, look for good deals, but make sure that you are getting the real thing.  As a consumer, make sure that the privacy seal displayed on the website is current, meaning it will show the current date on the seal and that it has been verified as of that date. A legitimate company offering privacy seals will conduct a thorough examination of the website and its privacy policy to make sure that it meets its standards of trust and safety.

Truste offers several types of privacy seals.  These are: Web Privacy Seal, E-mail Privacy Seal, EU Safe Harbor Seal, Japan Privacy Seal and Children’s Privacy Seal.  If you want to learn more about any of these seals, check out their website.

Phishing – Phishing is a scheme where criminals use another person’s email or website to try and trick the visitor into divulging personal information such as passwords or financial information.

Spoofing – When a person pretends to be someone else by using their website or email.

Identity Theft – When a person steals another person’s personal info.

Credit/Debit Card Fraud – Unauthorized use of credit card or debit card to obtain money or items.

Non-Delivery of Goods/Services –  When goods or services that have been paid for, are never delivered to the person who paid for them.

Online Auction – Misrepresentation of a product advertised online or the failure of delivery of a product purchased online.

Advance Fee Schemes – When the victim of fraud must pay large fees before receiving money or merchandise, and then they receive nothing in return.

Trust seals, also known as web seals, trust marks, or verification seals are small images placed on a website to verify that they are a legitimate business.  They are designed to ease a consumer’s mind about online fraudulent activities.  They let consumers know that the business follows specific practices, and a detailed privacy policy.  It means that the website is willing to have its business verified by a third party, because in order to display legitimate trust seals, merchants go through an extensive verification process.

BBB online trust seals are awarded to businesses that meet the verification process that they have in place.  BBB online monitors compliance frequently.  When using the internet, consumers must be sure they are looking out for trust seals from companies like the BBB online.