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>>>Internet is probably the safest place to use your credit card...if it is a secure connection.
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>>Most problems with security DON'T come during the transmission of data (a secure web-site). The biggest problem comes with hacking into a site, and viewing their stored data. That's an entirely different problem of security.
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>But the chances of that happening are pretty slim. I look at it this way. People think nothing of going into a restaurant, eating the meal, then handing their credit card to the waiter, who runs into the backroom to run the card through a verifone machine. Who know what else is happening to that card or who else has access to it. IMO, the chances of fraud are much higher here than on the web.

Don't get me wrong, I agree completely with the handing a credit card over and out of site scenario, is infinitely more dangerous than a transaction on the web. My point is that just because you have a secure connection does NOT mean your financial information is "secure". It just greatly reduces the chances of someone being able to use a "data slurper" and get anything meaningful out of the transaction. A much improved security level, no doubt about it.