The main ways in which personal information is stolen is by scammers and fraudsters using either phishing techniques or by using Spyware to monitor the targets internet activity.

Phishing scams are everywhere on the internet today; some of the main scams are from fake emails claiming to be from your bank account requesting that you log onto their website and enter some personal information. If you ever get an email like that never comply. You’re bank will never send you emails and ask for personal details so promptly so never fall for these scams even if the email does look legitimate. If emails that seem dodgy are sent to you it is advised you do not open them, block the sender and delete them.

Anti virus and spyware are also good programs to use to keep personal information from being stolen, by allowing a virus or spyware to enter your computer your system will be vunerable. Some current viruses that are around today can easily place programs on your computer without you noticing; these programs can record all the key presses you make and can easily obtain bank account numbers and other sensitive information.

The best way to fight against viruses and spyware is to download anti virus and spyware programs. Another way in which personal information can be kept secure is by having an up to date web browser. Web browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer are constantly updating their software with best internet security update patches so it is vital you keep up to date as often as possible to block website threats etc.

The secure padlock symbol is also a good way to determine if your credentials are safe. When you proceed to checkout on all trustworthy websites you will see a small yellow padlock icon at the bottom or the top of your web browser, this will show that the page is secure and your details are less likely to be stolen.

If a website asks for personal information like social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers, first assess why they need this information. If you are buying something with a credit card or applying for a loan, these kinds of information are routinely asked for. In cases like these, look for seals of approval from trusted organizations like the Better Business Bureau, McAfee, or other well-known security agencies.

Also, doing business with well-established internet companies is also an excellent way to make sure your information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Aside from online shopping, email scams can also trick you out of important information.

More and more, thieves are inventing ways to swindle people out of their money by sending out seemingly harmless emails, or phishing scams, in the hopes of duping some poor, unsuspecting sap out of their information. These scams come in all shapes and sizes, and are often disguised as emails from your bank, package shipping companies, online stores and foreign lottery companies. Legitimate institutions will never ask you to re-enter sensitive credit card information within the body of an email.

Just think–why would your bank be asking you to confirm your account number. They already have it, don’t they? If something just doesn’t seem right or seems too good to be true, you’re probably right. When in doubt, contact the organization directly and ask to speak with a manager, on the off-chance it is a legitimate piece of correspondence.

Common sense is key when it comes to keeping your information safe. Don’t post sensitive contact information, dates, and numbers in public places like social networking sites–just as you wouldn’t post your social security number on the telephone pole across the street. With the right precautions, a healthy dose of skepticism and some common sense, you’ll be well on your way to a happy and safe online experience.

Whether you are running a business or have a computer in your home, backing up your data is imperative. In fact, personal files hold more value to most of us than business files. Think of how you would feel if you suddenly lost all of your precious family photos, or your history of emails. In this day and age, many people take their computers for granted, and don’t give a second thought to just how much of their lives exist on their hard drives.

For most people, backing up their computer data is considered such a chore that they keep putting on the back burner. It’s one of those tasks that they know they should be doing, but never seem to get around to, until it’s too late. Recent studies have shown that even businesses have trouble with this task, as low as 25% of businesses back up their data on a regular basis.

No matter how careful you may think you are, there are many reasons that your data may be lost. An unexpected power surge caused by a storm, a virus slipping its way through your defenses while your kids are checking their emails or simply an unexplainable hard drive malfunction could all result in the complete obliteration of your files. While some companies provide recovery services for damaged hard drives, they can be tremendously expensive and do not always succeed. It’s important to have the best internet security software.

Backing up doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be expensive either. There are plenty of free options available out there that will be more than sufficient for the average user. The best backup software should give you the option of scheduling your backups on a regular basis. With the cost of external hard drives being so low, you should be able to plug one into your desktop or laptop, set up a regular backup routine, and never have to worry about it again. While your computer is idle, you will be secure in the knowledge that all your precious memories and important documents are being copied at a predefined time every day.

Furthermore, you are not just dealing a single library of information. In fact, the Internet contains more than the information capacity of all existing libraries in the world combined! That is how large the capacity of the Internet is in terms of holding information on various subjects of interest.

Because of the wide availability of the Internet, it is not just considered to be the information superhighway alone, but it is now one of the best business opportunities to start with. There are many jobless individuals who found themselves earning more than the salary of corporate executives. The Internet is flooded with hundreds of ways to earn hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every month. There you have Internet marketing, affiliate marketing, online advertising, online shopping, online auctions, and others. In fact, there are traditional business ventures that switched to Internet-based business, thus increasing their revenues by several percent more.

It is great to do business with the Internet. However, along with the growth of Internet-based businesses as well as the number of websites offering different online-based services come the growth of online threats and various disruptions that can bring Internet-based businesses to a halt. Strong viruses and self-destructing programs are circulating around the Internet, which is not beneficial for individuals and groups who rely on the Internet for their research and business activities.

Fortunately, there are online companies that provide security for Internet users, such as online-based entrepreneurs to protect their computer investment against the risk and danger of unwanted intrusions by hackers and virus programmers. One of which is the Bellsouth Premium Internet Security, which offers services that eliminates the risk and danger of online threats and unwanted disruptions such as the following:

• Free technical support;
• Round the clock (24/7) Internet security and real-time alerts for any unwanted intrusion;
• Automatic software updates;
• Detailed security statistics and event logs; and
• Convenient billing for services acquired from Bellsouth.

One of their Internet security packages that is popular to Bellsouth clients is the Premium Internet Security Suite that includes the following high-profile services:

• The Bellsouth Anti-Spyware Program, which detects and eliminates a wide range of Spyware and other unnecessary tracking software;
• The Bellsouth Anti-Virus Software, which clears and protects your computer against worms, viruses, and harmful elements that may contaminate your computer system; and
• The Bellsouth Firewall Software, which shield your computer system from unauthorized access.

Getting Bellsouth-provided Internet security services will ensure that your Internet-based business is protected against different threats that may harm your computer system, causing your online business to slow down or even shut down its operation. The money that you will spend for these Internet security services is nothing compared to hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars wasted because of these online threats affecting your computer system. With Bellsouth Internet security services, you are assured of a well-rounded business as well as research activities.

To put it in simple terms, nothing in the computer industry is fool proof. Hard drives can crash, the laptop can get stolen, or it can even be dropped and rendered useless. To ensure that we are never left without our precious data, we should always create a backup of our information.

There is no mistaken the fact that over a million laptops have been stolen over the years in the United States alone. Anytime a laptop is stolen, chances are that it won’t be recovered. If the information wasn’t backed up, then the owner will be left with no laptop – but more importantly – no backed up data either.

Just like you can with desktop computers, you can also create a backup of the data on your laptop as well. You can use online services, back it up remotely, or use several other methods to ensure that you keep all of your data. Preserving your data is something you should really look into, especially if you have business material on your laptop.

The best way to go about backing up your data and files is to burn them to a data CD. Data CDs can hold up to 700 MB (Mega Bytes) of data, which means a lot of files. To back things up this way, all you need is a CD/RW burner in your laptop, which most of the newer ones come with.

The only drawback to laptops is the fact that they don’t offer near as much storage or security measures as a desktop PC. Desktop computers have a lot more power, and they can also do things (including backups) in a fraction of the time.

The laptop computer was designed for on the go use, which is the main reason why people don’t really think about backing up their data. When the thought finally does come to mind, it is normally too late to do anything about it.

As mentioned above, the easiest and quickest way to backup your laptop data is to use an online backup service. Depending on your connection to the Internet, it can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours. Although it may take you a little bit of time, you’ll have the satisfaction in knowing that your data is there if something should happen.

Whether it’s for your business or personal use, you can’t go wrong backing up your data. You should always create a backup of your data at least once a month, even more than that if you have a lot of important information that you add to your laptop on a frequent basis.

“We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.”

“During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn’t verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information.”

Have you received email with a similar message? It’s a scam called “phishing” — and it involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with — for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information. Some phishing emails threaten a dire consequence if you don’t respond. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site. But it isn’t. It’s a bogus site whose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.

The FTC suggests these tips for the best internet security to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam and protect your identity.

• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don’t click on the link in the message, either. Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the
organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address yourself. In any case, don’t cut and paste the link from the message into your Internet browser — phishers can make links look like they go to one place, but that actually send you to a different
site.

• Area codes can mislead. Some scammers send an email that appears to be from a legitimate business and ask you to call a phone number to update your account or access a “refund.” Because they use Voice Over Internet Protocol technology, the area code you call does not reflect where the scammers really are. If you need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card. In any
case, delete random emails that ask you to confirm or divulge your financial information.

• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. Look for antivirus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically. A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband
connection. Operating systems (like Windows or Linux) or browsers (like Internet Explorer or Netscape) also may offer free software “patches” to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.

• Don’t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s website, look for indicators that the site is
secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have
forged security icons.

• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer’s security.

• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems.

• If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Victims of phishing can become
victims of identity theft. While you can’t entirely control whether you will become a victim of identity theft, you can take some steps to minimize your risk. If an identity thief is opening credit accounts in your name, these new accounts are likely to show up on your credit report.

* Don’t use an obvious e-mail address, such as JaneDoe@isp.com. Instead use numbers or other digits, such as Jane4oe6@isp.com.

* Use one e-mail address for close friends and family and another for everyone else. Free addresses are available from Yahoo! and Hotmail. You can also get a disposable forwarding address from www.spammotel.com. If an address attracts too much spam, get rid of it and establish a new one.

* Don’t post your e-mail address on a public web page. Spammers use software that harvests text addresses. Substitute “janedoe at isp.com” for “janedoe@isp.com.” Or display your address as a graphic image, not text.

* Don’t enter your address on a website before you check its privacy policy.

* Uncheck any check boxes. These often grant the site or its partners permission to contact you.

* Don’t click on an e-mail’s “unsubscribe” link unless you trust the sender. This action tells the sender you’re there.

* Never forward chain letters, petitions or virus warnings. All could be a spammer’s trick to collect addresses.

* Disable your e-mail “preview pane.” This stops spam from reporting to its sender that you’ve received it.

* Choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that filters e-mail. If you get lots of spam, your ISP may not be filtering effectively.

* Use spam-blocking software. Web browser software often includes free filtering options. You can also purchase special software that will accomplish this task.

* Report spam. Alert your ISP that spam is slipping through its filters. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also wants to know about “unsolicited commercial e-mail.” Forward spam to uce@ftc.gov.

Be Suspicious of Mass E-mails

Many mass e-mails contain false alarms, misleading requests for donations or fictitious offers of money and free goods. You can check the validity of almost any mass e-mail at www.Snopes.com. Don’t forward an e-mail unless you’re sure that it contains accurate information. Not only do such e-mails confuse recipients, they are often used to collect e-mail addresses for spammers.

In 2003 President Bush signed the “can Spam” bill and the Senate approved it by a vote of 97-0. The bill prohibits senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail from using false return addresses to disguise their identity (spoofing) and the use of dictionaries to generate such mailers. In addition, it prohibits the use of misleading subject lines and requires that emails include and opt-out mechanism.

This is all well and good, but there are always people who like to “bend” the rules to where no matter what law is in place, you still don’t get any satisfaction. I get so many unsolicited e-mails that are all considered junk that it’s not even funny.

The problem is that these e-mails are now coming from other countries, and they don’t have to follow the laws of the united States. Because the Internet opens borders and thinks globally, these laws are fine and good, but do not stop the problem.
So what can you do to stop this unwanted assault on your inbox? Here are 5 guidelines to follow to help protect from spam

Number 1: Do what you can to avoid having your email address out on the net.
Watch out for spam spiders. spam spiders search the internet for e-mail addresses to e-mail junk to. Check out a web site called WebPoison.org, a site that is an open source project geared to fight the spambots and spam spiders.
There are also other programs that encode your e-mail address, making it harder for the bots and spiders to read your e-mail address.

Number 2: Get spam blocking software.
There are so many programs out there to help you with this issue. Even though some of the software is not foolproof, it does control most of the junk from getting in your inbox.

Number 3: Use the multiple email address approach.
This is something that I do and it’s one of the first things someone should do when starting out on the internet. Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail are just three of the many free e-mail providers that you can get an e-mail account from. If you’re going to subscribe to a newsletter, use your “backup” e-mail account to avoid having the e-mails showing up in your personal account.

Number 4: Attachments from people you don’t know are BAD, BAD, BAD.
Don’t open an e-mail that has been forwarded from someone you don’t know. Don’t even open any attachments either since they can contain a viruses. Being a company network is one thing since they typically block those e-mails, but your personal e-mail is a whole different story.

Number 5: Email services now have “bulk-mail” baskets.
If the provider you’re using doesn’t support this then you might want to think about moving to someone else. this option allows you to put the e-mails from people you don’t know into a “bulk” pile and then choose to let them into your circle.

I hope these guidelines help you from becoming a victim of spammers and others like them.

In this post I’ll discuss a few different ways that certain software can make you more secure.

There are two programs out there that you can use that are free to use along with source code available. They are not the only ones out there. There are so many more, but because they are free, it’s as good a place as any to start at.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?
My father told me once many years ago, “locks only keep honest people out”. with that being said, you should understand that encryption is that there are algorithms that are used to encrypt the information. Depending and the complexity of the coding, will make it harder for hackers to “break” the code. Code have been broken before, but that’s because the person kept working on it until he/she figured it out.

Why bother to encrypt my email?

You should be aware that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed quite easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best efforts to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?
There are many good programs out there that can help you accomplish this. The one that I’ll mention is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy).

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This “is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn’t have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text.”

Why bother to encrypt my files?
Well that depends on what information you’re keeping on your computer. The more personal the information is, the more you should be encrypting the files.Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.