Hackers, phishers, viruses, wormssimply having your computer online might expose your data and personal understanding to all kinds of malicious and worrisome problems. If youre somewhat new to the net or to computers in general, these four tips could help protect you from identity theft, credit card fraud, or a complete computer takeover all of which can happen without you even knowing about it!

1. Whats in Your Inbox? If your e mail script allows you to preview the entire communication before or while it is being downloaded, turn this setting off. Some e-mails may contain dangerous code that could unknowingly compromise your computer and leave you vulnerable to viruses, worms or worse! Check the options in your e-mail code for a clear-cut way to disable the message preview pane.

2. Scrutinize Your Messages Do not ever respond to messages claiming to be from your bank, credit card company, or other financial institution, which inquire of for personally identifiable understanding such as card or account numbers, passwords, or other private information even if the electronic mail looks to have come from the actual company. It could be a hoax designed to get you to unknowingly part with crucial financial or private contact data, leaving you vulnerable to credit card fraud, identity theft or credit card theft. Contact the institution or company that claims to be sending the e-mail and verify the contents of the message with them. Chances are they never sent it. Only make use of the number on your statement though, and not the number that appears in the e mail communication . It may direct you right to the scammer, who will do everything they may to assure you that nothing is wrong!

3. If its From a Friend, it must be Safe, Right? Its logical to assume that a message from your friend or colleague is safe, but that isnt always the case! If you receive an electronic mail from a friend or colleague which contains an attachment (could be a media clip, a screensaver, a photo or anything else), call them up to check and see if they really did send it. Many viruses and worms can hijack your computer and blast out a virus-ridden e mail to every one in your address book, making it appear that it came from you and therefore, creating it appear trustworthy.

4. Read Your Messages in Plain Text Some e-mails written in HTML (the coding language that makes up many web pages) could be harmless. Others might contain malicious code that may hijack your email script, browser, or your entire computer and send your personal and financial information out to a hacker or scammer without you even knowing about it! Stay safe by setting your email program to only show messages in plain writing format (generally in the options or settings section of the software). This will prevent threatening code from installing itself and compromising your system and private understanding.

Possibly one of the best ways to protect your electronic mail is simply by exercising common sense. The Internet is a lot like a crowded plaza. Would your banker or credit card lender stroll out into the middle of the throng of all the people and shout out to you to inquire of for your account experience? Would you tell him where every body could hear? Definitely not! The same caution should be exercised when checking your e mail. These tips might help you stop scammers dead in their tracks while keeping you from becoming another victim of fraud or theft.