All online transactions at the Lapis Lazuli World web site are handled with with state of the art 256 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption.
When you enter your credit card number and personal information into the order form, it is transmitted across the Internet in an encrypted (scrambled) form, and then is partially decoded when it gets to us (we only see the last four digits of any credit card). Our merchant provider receives the scrambled information to process your charge or debit. Therefore, the information cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet. Furthermore, we, unlike many companies, we process your credit card OFFLINE, and your scrambled credit card information is stored on computers not connected to the Internet ONLY until payment approval is obtained (just a few seconds): after that, credit card numbers are discarded.
That means that no human being ever has access to your financial information, therefore eliminating any possibility of mishandling or unscrupulous use. This gives you even more privacy and security that any standard phone or mail order process. There is no chance of card skimming or using your purchase receipts to duplicate your payment instrument.
After 30 days from the time of order, even the partial credit card numbers are automatically purged, as a further security measure. We won't even have access to the last four digits of your credit card.
You can shop with absolute confidence in our state of the line, secure web store!