The holiday season's traditionally long lines and crowded stores have led more people to do their holiday shopping online. But if you're among them, how can you be sure your personal information is safe?

Buying gifts online appeals to many holiday shoppers because it often involves less hassle than shopping in stores. In fact, cyber-shopping has more than quadrupled in the past eight years. And a quarter of all shoppers say they plan to make most of their holiday purchases online this year.

But, if you're not careful, you could pay more for that convenience than you bargained for.

In 2007, internet fraud cost U.S. consumers more than $500 million, and over half of those fraud complaints were debit or credit card-related. Luckily, there are some simple ways to protect yourself.

The first thing you should do to protect yourself while cyber-shopping is simply to make sure you're shopping on sites you can trust. To check and see if a site is secure, look for the letter "S" after “HTTP” in the Web site's address. You can also look for a closed padlock or key symbol on your screen.

Once you've decided to make a purchase, make sure you use a secure payment service, such as PayPal or WorldPay.

Use credit cards rather than debit cards, so you can cancel purchases later on, and try make all your purchases on one credit card.

Always use anti-virus and firewall software when you shop online, and keep a record of all the payments you make.

It's important to watch your credit card statements carefully to make sure you were charged the right amount and that no one else has gotten a hold of your information and is using it illegally. These transactions can show up weeks, sometimes months later, so don't let your guard down even after the holiday season is over.

Following these easy steps will help keep you from getting scammed and keep your holidays hassle-free.

For more tips on how to stay safe, you can visit the South Dakota Cyber Security Information Web site.