One of most invoked reasons by those who are scared to make online purchases is the lack of trust when sending their personal data to a virtual store.

And since phishing has become an increasing threat, the users' hesitation is perfectly understandable. The solution could come from a specialized search engine, TrustWatch, a company belonging to GeoTrust.

GeoTrust secures 30% of the online transactions involving credit cards.

The TrustWatch search works like any other search engine, the only difference residing in the algorithms that are programmed to return only results from virtual stores. The search engine will classify the results in three categories: Verified, Not verified and Warning.

TrustWatch will not only search, but also it will provide information on sites and the users will be able to see their status, traffic and other details from Alexa.com.

The sites rated as Verified are certified by third party companies and don't pose any threat. Those that are rated as Warning are not safe enough or they've been involved in phishing schemes.

TrustWatch, which can be accessed at www.trustwatch.com, also offers a toolbar for quick access to searches.