So don't get the wrong people sore at you. You could even find yourself on the wrong end of a harassment lawsuit. It is remarkably easy to put up a slick website that has nothing real, or nothing legitimate, behind it. Do not assume that because a merchant displays an authentic trademark or accepts credit cards that it is what it seems to be. Nothing could be easier than copying these marks or arranging for a third party to act as a credit card clearing house with little or no accountability.
Chances are they are counterfeits.
Then there's the whole question of transmitting your credit-card information over the wires. If you use a high speed line that does not require dialing in, you are very vulnerable to hacking. The same goes for data sent by electronic mail. In the latter case, even if no one is snooping on the line, a typing error in your e-mail address can result in sensitive or confidential information hurling through cyberspace to someone who never heard of you until just now. Your best protection in this regard is that the sheer volume of Internet traffic makes it unlikely that you in particular are in danger of being hacked.