Recent holiday shopping shot past even most optimistic predictions, surpassing $7 BILLION in sales mark at last count. Half of all North Americans use Internet to make a purchase.

While only 46% of Americans have a computer at home, most e-business sites get their biggest surge during middle of day when most people are at work. Internet sites let people do their shopping chores at their desk during a coffee break. Given busy lives most of us struggle with, amazing convenience and selection offered by Net is a powerful motivator.

Will a few giant corporations take over online selling way they've dominated regular retail sales? Not a chance.

Not to mention problems of credit card fraud, privacy invasion and other unseemly attacks on your money and good name. Some of dangers include:

- Your credit card numbers can be stolen by any number of means. These credit cards will then be charged up as high as they will go. You are legally protected from this kind of thing, but you have to report it quick and you will not be able to use disputed amount while it is being investigated.

- Spammers can get hold of your email address and send you undesired advertisements.

- Unauthorized people can get your personal information and use it against you in some way.

- In extreme cases, people may use your social security number (and other numbers) to gain credit in your name. This is called identity theft.

Here are some suggestions to help fight some of these things.