charlieb wrote:
As for downloading software - I DO NOT provide my debit card
number over the internet - period. So far I haven't found a
way to pay for the software over the phone - to a known
phone number I can verify via a net search - and get a code
to "unlock" downloaded software.


Some credit card providers give you the ability to create a 'single use'
credit card number for use online.
I just go to the discover card site, and it lets me generate a single
use number, with a preset limit, to use for a single online purchase.
You get to buy from an online vendor with a number that works for that
transaction only.