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Every time you go onto the Internet and surf, there are numerous threats and dangers against your personal information and identity. From emailing to online shopping to Instant Messaging, all of these behaviors will leave you vulnerable unless you take the correct precautions.

Below are 10 tips to help keep your personal information and identity safe.

1. Only use computers that you know are secure. While you may know your own personal computer is secure, remember if you borrow a friend’s computer for convenience one day, they might not have the same security precautions put in place.
2. Install and use a good, reputable anti-virus program. Ensure that it is downloading the latest virus definitions and is scanning your computer at least weekly.
3. Take care when registering to websites. Use a strong password (one that contains capitals, numbers or special characters) and don’t use the same user name and password for all of your sites.
4. Always use protected Wi-Fi connections. While places like Starbucks offer free Wi-Fi, it’s on an unsafe public network. The easiest way to protect yourself is to connect only to secure networks: they usually have a lock symbol next to them, and may mention WPA or WEP encryption. Make certain as well that your own Wi-Fi network is also secured.
5. Be careful when you email. Watch out for phishing scams – this is where hackers sent fake emails that look real asking for your personal information. They might be disguised as your financial institution. Never click on any links inside any suspicious emails.
6. Never type personal information while Instant Messaging. This form of communication is a big target for hackers. Take some security measures in your IM application, such as turning off logging, so a record is not kept of your conversations. You can also purchase some very easy to use encryption programs that will encrypt your communications. Skype has encryption built in and is a simple solution.
7. Do not install unwanted programs. Many applications will bundle additional software in with their program. When installing software, be aware of any other program names that are selected to be installed and uncheck them.
8. Monitor your credit reports on a regular basis. At least once a year, check your credit history and review for any suspicious entries or inquiries on your credit.
9. Keep an eye on what your children are doing online as well. Install and use parental control software or a service through your Internet Provider to help monitor and block their Internet surfing.
10. Always keep a good backup of your data. You can copy your files, pictures, or music to external hard drive so you can restore this data in case of any emergency.

The Internet can be a great resource for children for both learning and play. They can use it for school projects and book reports (instead of having to hike to the library like we did), keeping in touch with their friends and playing interactive games.

However, as we all know, the Internet is filled with hidden dangers. An innocent search of the word “Legos” can be misspelled to “Legs” and your child may be directed to some sites that are inappropriate for children of any age.

This is why it is so important to be aware of what your children are doing online, who they are chatting with and what sites they are visiting. Even with laws such as Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), your child’s best online protection is you. Talk to them about the dangers and monitor their online usage to help them surf the Internet safely.

Here are some great tips to keep your children safe while still allowing them to explore the wonderful world of the Internet.

1. Keep the computer in a common area, such as the family room or dining room, so you can more closely monitor your children’s activities.
2. Let your young children know that chat rooms are off limits. You can use special software or contact your Internet provider to block these sites. If your child is a teenager, and you do allow them to access chat rooms, monitor this and your teenager’s behavior closely.
3. Bookmark your children’s favorite sites so they will be less likely to have to go to search engine sites to search for what they want.
4. Talk to the parents of your children’s friends and their teachers – find out what online protection is being offered when they are away from home.
5. Investigate the many types of software out there that will allow you to customize what you want to allow your children to access and what you would like to block them from seeing. Your Internet provider may also have options to help you control Internet usage.
6. Caution your children to never reveal any personal information online, like their name, address, phone number or even send pictures to people they do not know. In addition, they should never respond to any emails from people that they do not know and should let you know about anything that happens that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Taking a pro-active and serious role in your children’s Internet activities will help ensure that they benefit from the valuable information it offers without being exposed to any potential dangers.

E-mail and Instant Messaging (IM) are a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. However, using either of these communication resources will leave you vulnerable to viruses, spyware, spam, phishing scams, etc. There are some simple ways to keep you and your personal information secure.

Only open e-mails from senders you recognize – Just the act of opening an infected e-mail can download a virus or spyware onto your computer. Even worse, opening an attachment within an email can be potentially dangerous. Delete any e-mails from senders that don’t look familiar to you. Also, never be tempted to respond to any e-mails from people you don’t know.

Be wary about who you give your e-mail address to – Only give your email address to friends and family. If you will be signing up to any online websites, try using a free web mail account for subscriptions or postings.

Watch out for Phishing scams – Be careful about emails asking for your personal information or offering links to websites. These scams masquerade as legitimate companies, like your bank, and try to lure you into giving up your personal information, such as your account number or social security number. Never click on a link inside of an e-mail – the majority of companies and all financial institutions will never request information in this way.

Use additional defenses on your computer – Make sure you have installed a good anti-virus program on your computer. Preferably, it should be one that checks your files real time and scans your incoming and outgoing e-mails.

Be careful when using Instant Messaging – Never give out your personal information when IM’ing or accept strangers into your IM group. Use a nickname as your IM name to help protect your identity.

Lock it down – Use strong passwords for your e-mail, IM and any websites you sign up to. Strong passwords include capitals, numbers and special characters. Use a complex e-mail address – try to use letters and numbers in a unique combination to throw off hackers.

Top 10 Spam Subject Lines Reported by AOL Members: August 2010

1. Grant money for education
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10. Someone invited you to view photos on MySpace