Credit and financial services, products from every corner of the world,as well as access to a wealth of information is greater today than any other generation before us could ever have imagined. Due to the miracle that is the Internet, you can order books, clothes, or appliances online; reserve a hotel room across the ocean; download music and games; check your bank balance 24 hours a day; or access your workplace from thousands of miles away.

The downside to all this technology is that the Internet and the anonymity it affords, also can give online scammers, hackers, and identity thieves access to your computer, personal information, finances, and more. But with awareness as your safety net, you can minimize the chance of an Internet mishap. Being on guard online helps you protect your information, your computer, even yourself. To be safer and more secure online, adopt these seven practices.To an identity thief, your personal information can provide instant access to your financial accounts, your credit record, and other personal or family assets.

Unfortunately, when it comes to crimes like identity theft, you can't entirely control whether you will become a victim. By taking certain precautions you can help minimize your risk while you're online.

Do not feel so sure that no one would be interested in your personal information. The sad reality is that anyone can be a victim of identity theft. In fact, according to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey, there are almost 10 million victims a year. It's often difficult to know how thieves obtained their victims? personal information, and while it definitely can happen offline, some cases start when online data is stolen.

If you're asked for your personal information like your name, email or home address, phone number, account numbers, or Social Security number always find out how it's going to be used and how it will be protected before you share it. If you have children, teach them to not give out your last name, your home address, or your phone number on the Internet.

If the event you get an email or pop-up message asking for personal information, don't reply or click on the link in the message. The most secure course of action is not to respond to requests for your personal or financial information. If you think there may be a need for such information by a company with whom you have an account or placed an order, get in contact with that company directly in a way you know to be genuine. In any case, don't send your personal information via email because email is not a secure transmission method.

As far as shopping online goes, do not provide your personal or financial information through a company's website until you have thoroughly checked for indicators that the site is secure. Check to see if there are things like a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a website URL that begins ?https:? (the ?s? stands for ?secure?). Unfortunately, it is advisable to keep in mind that no indicator is foolproof as some scammers have forged security icons.

Carefully read website privacy policies. They should explain what personal information the website collects, how the information is used, and whether it is provided to third parties. The privacy policy also should tell you whether you have the right to see what information the website has about you and what security measures the company takes to protect your information. If you don't see a privacy policy or if you can't understand it, consider doing business elsewhere.

Certain terms that you may hear from time to time are important to remember. Remember that a hacker is a person who uses the Internet to access computers without permission. A spammer is someone who sends mass amounts of unsolicited commercial email and a virus is software that spreads from computer to computer and damages files or disrupts your system.