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What sorts of precautions should I take while using the internet and e-mail?

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Speaker: What sorts of precautions should I take while using the internet and email?

Linda Sherry:The first thing you need to do when you are using the Internet is to make sure if you are using a wireless connection, make sure it's passworded, so that hackers can't get in as easily. Make sure that any password and PINS that you use on the Internet are really good, that means they contain letters and numbers. Never ever, ever use personal information for passwords such as your address or your phone number or your pet's name. Don't use those because those are easily guessed by some people or people might find out about those more easily.

When you are on the Internet, make sure if you are paying for anything with the credit card or bank account numbers or anything you are entering, make sure you are on a secured site. Now, that obvious on some browsers with a lock or key, others you need to actually look up in the address line and make sure, where it says http:// that it says https .

There are lot of things that you can do, but the main thing is to be aware and make sure that no one is watching you when you enter personal information and to make sure that you are using secured websites when you are online providing financial information.

Expert: Linda Sherry

Director, National Priorities

http://www.consumer-action.org

Email: editor@consumer-action.org

Linda Sherry, Consumer Action’s director of national priorities and one of the organization’s chief spokespersons, joined the San Francisco-based national consumer education and advocacy group in 1994 from a background as a weekly newspaper reporter.Consumer Action (www.consumer-action.org), founded in 1971, has a national reputation for free multilingual consumer education on personal finance More »