E-commerce has grown at exponential rates in the past decade, with consumers quickly recognizing the convenience of purchasing goods online. This growth in online purchases rests upon a foundation of trust. People trust that the websites they use to track finances and make online purchases are secure and legitimate largely because of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates.

SSL certificates verify that the provider is who they claim to be and also indicate secure connections between personal devices and company websites. There are three types of SSL certificates, each requiring a different level of authentication: DV, OV and EV.

Understanding the differences among each SSL certificate type is important to help prevent falling victim to scammers. For example, DV certificates are quick and easy to procure and don't require any type of information indicating the person trying to get the DV certificate actually represents a legitimate business. Fraudsters often use DV certificates to lure consumers to phishing websites that look authentic but are designed to steal sensitive information. For this reason, doing any type of ecommerce transaction on a DV-only site poses risk.

Online shopping isn't going away. Until the industry requires an OV or EV certificate for e-commerce sites or an easier way to identify the types of certificates, consumers will have to bear some of the burden of combating cyber risks. Knowing the risks ahead of time, however, is half the battle.