To read about how to tell the difference between types of online seals, click here.

Online retail sites display multiple endorsements, from Visa and Mastercard logos for payment to reliability, security, privacy, and consumer rating seals authenticated by third parties such as TRUSTe or BBBOnline. Third-party seals demonstrate that a business to which you entrust your information takes that trust seriously. But how do you make sure the seals are valid?

All of the major authentication seals, regardless of type, offer a link to a page on the seal provider’s site. If the retailer claims to have earned a seal, but that seal is not connected back to the appropriate seal provider’s site, move on -- even if you can’t beat the price.

On the seal authentication page, each of the different seal providers offers a package of information that may include the following:

• Name, address, and phone number of the company
• Seal activation and expiration dates
• Ratings and reviews
• A customer service contact
• A link for complaints to the company or to the seal provider

The content on the seal authentication page will vary, but there are several ways to confirm the seal is valid:

First, check the address bar: If you clicked on a TRUSTe seal and the site that pops up begins with anything other than “http://www.truste.org/,” you will know it’s a fake. Sometimes the authentication appears as a pop-up window, and if that window doesn’t show the seal provider’s Web address, go directly to its site and search for the retailer’s name.

Next, confirm that the authentication site makes reference to the retail site you are shopping or to the owner of the site. If you came from “www.ninety-nine-cent-art.com,” and the authentication seal site refers to “www.washing-machines.unlimited.ru,” the link has been misused.

If you think a TRUSTe-certified Web site has violated your privacy by sharing information without permission or by sending unwanted email, you can file a complaint via its online dispute resolution service. If you encounter a suspicious Web site, you can check for known seal violators or request an investigation at www.truste.org/consumers/privacy_alert. TRUSTe’s compliance team investigates every customer complaint.