This is how you will know that you are on a secure site:
Look at the Address bar near the top of the window. The Web address must begin with https://, not http://. This indicates that data is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer or SSL, the protocol over which the majority of secure e-commerce transactions occur. It is based on public key cryptography. "Secure” is open to interpretation by programmers who implement SSL in their software products. However, the most powerful Secure Sockets Layer encryption currently available (July 2006) is 128-bit cipher strength.
Now, make sure it is a valid URL, not just a picture of a valid URL. Place your mouse pointer over the URL and click. A valid URL will become highlighted, as shown below.
Look at the status bar on the lower right corner of your screen. When a user visits a secure Web site, that site automatically sends the user its certificate, and Internet Explorer displays a lock icon on the status bar. When you place your mouse pointer near the icon, a message should indicate SSL Secured (128 Bit). This indicates the cipher strength that the site uses..
To ascertain that a Web site’s SSL certification is legitimate, double-click on the lock icon in the system tray. The system will display a dialog with detailed information about the certificate.
