Sending User Names and Passwords by E-Mail...

I browsed a website recently that appeared to be unsafe, or not secure.  The website is based in Europe, I believe Austria.  Even the webpage for using credit card transactions was not secure, as there was no "s" placed at the end of the http:// designation nor a lock icon appearing in my browser.  I e-mailed the webmasters as to why they would run an unsecure website, and they e-mailed back, stating that they had run the website for three years and had no difficulty.  I, later, pretended to show interest in becoming a member by sending an e-mail, and the website responded with a message, saying that to gain membership, please send your desired user name and password.  Shocked, I replied by saying, "Before I go further, how would I know how secure/unsecure your website is.  I am afraid to send such sensitive information for fear of interception over the Internet."  They sent a response message by saying that I would not gain access to the website without the information they asked for.  Furthermore, when browsing that website, all they would explain under their privacy policy was, "We are very private."  Furthermore, this website was banned by the U.S. Government in the early 2000's.  My advice to everyone is to not expose such personal info on the 'Net so that your account(s) won't be hacked, and you become a victim of identity theft.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.