One of the dangers on the Internet at the instant is referred to as "spoof" emails, or "phishing". Here's a rundown of what it is and how you can stay secure.

A spoof email is merely an email that pretends to be from an organization (such as eBay, your bank, Paypal, etc) which asks you to log in to your account and update your information. It usually asks this on the simulation that there has been a security breach or something, and contains a link for you to click on and log into your account.

The emails will frequently look EXACTLY like your bank's website, or eBay, or whoever they're pretending to be. The link will look accurate. The website you go to will look accurate. After you enter your information, the message may even say that you've effectively updated your account. But what has essentially happened is that you've provided your account information to a crook, and they can then use that to instantly log into your real account and take your funds, make purchases on your behalf, or whatever your account allows.

Sorry to say, this kind of fraud is very simple to do. We don't make believe to be the most clever people at website design, but we know how to construct these kinds of emails (of course, we never have!). The harder part would in fact be getting away with it. If the thief logs into your account they have to move your money someplace, and ultimately the authorities could track where it went, but by then the crook has probably vanished, and closed their momentary accounts, fake ID, and whatever else they used to receive your cash. This is especially the case if they are in another country.

So what can you do to defend yourself from these kinds of emails? It's actually not that difficult. Here are some fundamental points to remember:

1.        Any trustworthy company (eg. your bank, eBay, etc) should never ask you to click on a link, log into your account, and verify your passwords. They already have your details. They don't need you to do that. If they really needed to get your details, they should be phoning you.

So, if you get any kind of email saying "There's an error with your account, please click here to log in" - be instantaneously wary.

2.        If you think that the email in fact has come from the association, rather than clicking on the link, open up your Internet Browser and go direct to their site. That way you know that you're going to the real site.

3.        Here's a trick - when you see a link in an email, put your mouse over it. Usually at the bottom of your browser window you will see the actual address it will take you to. So although the link might say (an ebay site) putting your mouse on it may show that it's going to go to http//somestrangesite. This is an instant tip off that the email is a scam.

Nonetheless, it is quite simple to alter the coding of the email so that the link in the browser window shows up the same as the one in the email. That is, the counterfeit link can be hidden, so this test is NOT foolproof.

4.        If you do click on the link, don't panic. Usually, clicking on the link itself won't cause a problem. It will just take you to the fraudulent site. It's usually only when you then enter your information into the site that you have a problem. However, these crooks can set up some pretty clever scripts on their sites, so it's advisable to never click on the links in these emails, just in case. If you have, you should contact the organization concerned to see if your security has been breached.

Some organizations, such as eBay, ask that you forward a copy of the email to them so that they can pass it on to the authorities. If you receive a fraudulent eBay email you should forward it to spoof@ ebay, or if you get a fraudulent Paypal email it should be forwarded to spoof@ ebay. Ensure with your bank to see what they would like you to do with any fraudulent emails.