Many websites sport seals of approval to convey legitimacy or as a way to let consumers know that their data is secure.
However, experts say you can't always rely on them.
Take the seal from the Online Business Bureau. The company claims it's better at protecting online consumers than the Better Business Bureau.
But all companies have to do to get a seal from the Online Business Bureau is to pay $14.97 a month, a onetime initiation fee, and they get a green rating indicating they're a recommended business, said Tony Giorgianni of Consumer Reports.
And companies that don't pay -- even the venerable American Red Cross -- get a yellow warning, telling consumers that their status cannot be verified and to proceed with caution.
Just because a site has a lot of seals, doesn't mean it's necessarily good business.
Consumer Reports cited the company Freedom Debt Relief.
"We checked the company at the Better Business Bureau, and it had more than 200 complaints and an 'F' rating," Giorgianni said.
It turns out there's even a potential problem with the Better Business Bureau's own BBB seal of accredited businesses.
When you click on the seal, you're supposed to get the company's BBB report. But they can be faked.
"We're dealing with 50 cases just here with logo misuse and it's a company that typically has a lower rating," said Linda Pasacreta of the Better Business Bureau of the Lower Mainland.
Consumer Reports recommends going directly to the Better Business Bureau's website at bbb.org to pull up a company report.
Phony BBB seals of approval should be reported to the Better Business Bureau.
Besides checking out a company through the Better Business Bureau, consumers can search the Web by simply typing in the company's name along with words such as "complaints" or "rip-off" to see if anything comes up.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen.
