Online crooks will try to trick you into giving them your information, for example by sending fake emails with links to convincing but fraudulent websites. They want to spend your money, tap your bank account and use your credit cards.

Protect yourself against this kind of phishing and spoofing:

• Block unwanted spam email – this will also block most phishing emails.
• Use a modern web browser that will warn you against known phishing websites.
• Don’t give away your password or any other personal information.

Remember that there’s no delete button on the internet. If you publish something, even if you delete it later, you have no control over how it is stored, copied or archived. Think twice about publishing something you might later regret.

Choose strong passwords – using a mix of several words, letters, numbers and punctuation. Use different passwords for different sites to make it harder for identity thieves.

You also need to be careful about the information you give away about yourself online. For example, be careful about giving away too much information on blogs and social networking sites like MySpace, FaceBook or Bebo. Identity thieves can piece together your identity from public information piece by piece like putting together a jigsaw.