Internet mail is a primary source for the perpetrators of identity theft to gain access to personal information. Spam or Phishing emails, linked to identity thieves, arrive daily in millions of mailboxes worldwide.

Identity thieves don’t single out their victims. They focus on gaining access to as many identities as possible, regardless of whose, in order to steal them. They are motivated by pure greed.

E-mails sent by identity thieves use deception to gain personal information such as bank routing, account and PIN numbers, passwords, and Social Security Numbers.

Spam emails often assert that you have won large amounts of money, urging you to “act now” to receive your prize. Logic should tell you that if you have not joined a contest you probably have not won a prize. I recently received an email claiming that I’d won $32,000. I was asked to pay the tax on the winning and, of course, to “respond now” to receive my prize. Delete.

Another email offered me a scholarship or grant to attend such and such college. I was to “act now” by providing personal information. Delete.

In one scam, customers of FDIC received e-mails, ostensibly from their bank, requesting that they provide personal information to avoid closure of their accounts. Banks clearly state in their Terms & Conditions that they will not send electronic mail requesting information from the recipient at any time. Your bank already has your personal information and responding to such an email is only asking for trouble.

Thieves also targeted Microsoft. Emails were distributed requesting receivers to download patches to protect their computers. Once the receivers downloaded the attachment a dangerous virus quickly took control of their computers, leaving them riddled with open spaces where thieves could access private information.

Another group of Internet thieves did their work through Ebay. They bought items and sent the sellers checks amounting to more than the purchase price. They then requested that the sellers return the excess amounts electronically, or through Western Union. The checks were found to be copies.

The Internet may not always be a secure environment, but following these helpful tips can help prevent you from falling victim to identity theft:

• Never open emails that you do not trust.
• Do not give out personal information over the Internet unless you know the company can be trusted. Ensure that they use encryption to secure their site. When possible, consider ordering from the company directly by postal mail.
• Do a background check on any site you consider disclosing personal information to.
  If possible send money orders to pay bills, and pay for products offline.
• Never disclose personal information over the phone or in online forums, bulletin boards or discussion boards.
• Conceal your personal information at all times, including at home.
  When using ATMs or other machines make sure nobody observes as you enter your PIN number.
• Choose PIN numbers and passwords in a random manner and change them frequently.