Unfortunately most people don’t pay much attention to the threat posed by spyware until their level of infection has become acute and their private information has been compromised. The final result is that they become subject to an identity theft attempt. New methods of attack are being developed all the time and you need to get up to speed on the subject and stay informed of changes as they occur in order to know how to protect yourself. First of all, if you are a careless surfer you are living dangerously and eventually you will get nailed. The smart thing is to set your computer environment up with a secure defensive perimeter and to avoid porn, casino, and other gambling sites and to not download free software, screen savers, music or games except from environments that you know to be safe.
The bulk of criminal attempts to steal your information like bank numbers, passwords and security questions and answers are housed in what are known as trojans and keyloggers. Because of the comparative ease with which these unwanted visitors can be installed and the fact that they work without your knowledge you need to change your online habits and only deal with well known companies and sites. Additionally, criminals have developed many lookalikes to resemble legitimate sites to fool you in to downloading from them. Double check web addresses that you have previously not dealt with and be sure you are dealing only with the legitimate ones. Protection form identity theft depends on you.
Make sure that all users of your computer particularly family members are instructed how to use the internet and what not to do. You also need to monitor their activity on a continuous basis. One of the basics of your defenses should be a well respected anti spyware program that you keep continuously updated. The best of these will not only get rid of spyware already present but prevent any further intrusion.
If you are an internet marketer make sure you track your affiliate activity and check that spyware has not taken over your income from affiliate checks. You will know when you are receiving ticks by looking for a small padlock and a ” tighter” link on your browser. If you discover that some site has a more secure connection you will know that it is no longer safe to surf their site. You may even receive a message on your screen from an affiliate stating that they only recommend you a certain program and you should visit their site to see if they are offering it to you.
Make sure that you review all of your payment submissions and check that auction and workrounds are not being charged to you. Check for hasn’t been charged to you and check the account for unauthorized charges.
If you find that phishing is going on you are supposed to report it to the real provider. The police will investigate it as well as the other divisions of the Internet along with the FBI. When you report it to the correct organization they will investigate it on your behalf and the results will be reported back to you.
Unfortunately it is difficult to recover if you have been phished. The only way out is to put a hold on the account and take away all payments. After a while the crook will stop because they know they cannot make money by stealing from you. You have to stick to your guns and you have to protect your account.
Taking a few precautions will insure you have a safe site to surf with.
