Saying consumer confidence in e-commerce is essential to the U.S. economy, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched its most ambitious effort to educate Americans about online purchasing, joining cybersecurity experts, consumer protection groups and online companies to launch an interactive campaign, reports the E-Commerce Times. The FTC said it has established a standalone website, OnGuardOnline.gov, where consumers can learn how to avoid online scams and buy online with confidence.

MSN will run interactive ads to support the effort, and the U.S. Postal Service will run ads advising consumers to "stop, think, click." eBay will post a letter to its members promoting OnGuard Online as well as buttons linking to the site from eBay pages.

The site offers tutorials on topics such as spam, phishing, spyware and secure shopping, with the information presented in various formats. The site includes links to forms for reporting possible fraud. Earlier this year, the FTC said that for the first time the majority of fraud complaints it received had to do with the web.