Attention, Internet Shoppers! Seals of Approval May Mislead You

Shopping online can be scary. Many people just don't feel comfortable spending money over the Internet. So Web vendors­in their attempts to reassure consumers--are adorning their sites with safe-shopping seals reminiscent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

But do those colorful little emblems offer any real value to the consumers who rely on them or to the merchants who spend as much as $5000 to display them?

To find out, PC World interviewed or attempted to interview executives at ten companies that award the most frequently displayed seals. In addition, we spoke with dozens of businesspeople at Web sites that display these emblems. The findings are disturbing: Consumers can put their trust in a few of these Web site seals, but in many cases they aren't worth the pixels that they're painted with.