Be alert for scam emails. They may appear to come from a trusted business or friend but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus or jumping to a fraudulent Web site to disclose sensitive or personal information.
	Do not reply to any email that requests your personal information. Be very suspicious of any email from a business or person that asks for highly sensitive or personal information.
	Never send personal information via email. Regular emails are not encrypted.
	If an email contains an attachment, do not open it.
	Be cautious when clicking on a link in an email as it may not be trustworthy. To check the ownership of the destination page, open a browser and manually type in the URL provided in the email. If you click on the link, make sure the Web address appearing in your browser after clicking on the link is related to the email sender.
	Stay informed.

Online Security

	If you suspect the site is not what it claims to be, leave it immediately. Do not follow any of the instructions it presents.
	Only do business with the companies you know and trust.
	Be aware! Phony "look-alike" Web sites are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information. Make sure the sites you transact business on post their privacy and security statements, and review them carefully.
	Do not provide sensitive personal or financial information unless it is encrypted on a secure Web site, and you have initiated the transaction.
	Make sure the Web site is certified with a digital security certificate. To view, click on the closed lock or solid key image located in the bottom bar of your browser window. A small frame with site security information will appear. Click the word 'Subject' for Internet Explorer to verify you are on the correct Web site, and make sure the registered owner matches the site. To verify the site certification authority, click the 'Issuer' tab. For Netscape, click on "View Certificate" to view subject and issuer details.
	Choose passwords or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that are difficult for others to guess, and use a different password for each of your Internet accounts, and change them frequently. Use both letters and numbers and a combination of lower and upper case letters if the passwords are case sensitive.

Virus Protection

	Install a personal firewall to help prevent unauthorized access to your home computer, especially if you connect to the Internet via a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem.
	Keep your anti-virus software up to date. Anti-virus software needs frequent updates to guard against new viruses. Download the anti-virus updates as soon as you're notified that a download is available.