Often heard on the 80's TV show Hill Street Blues, these were the sergeant's last words before sending the police officers out on the streets.

Today, we all need to continue to be careful (and smart) about an old but aggressive kind of danger, cyber-theft. Statistics show that about one in three people have been a victim of some sort of Internet or other identity theft. With the economy in a tailspin the way it is, Internet crimes and attempts to steal identities are up. I have been a recent victim as have several of my colleagues.

Not too long ago, somebody withdrew a substantial amount of money from my checking account, from an ATM machine in London. I alerted my bank and they took necessary actions to protect me further, and refunded my money within days. I was lucky. The police suspected that while I used a new ATM card at a road-side convenience store while traveling, my card and pin were stolen. At this particular store, I had handed my card to the clerk who swiped it and asked me to enter my pin. I was being victimized and didn't even know it. A few days later, the money was withdrawn from my account.

More common types of theft come in the form of online 'phishing' scams via e-mail or pop-up web pages. Phishing is where cyber thieves design e-mails or web pages that look like they are coming from real banks, financial institutions, PayPal, eBay, etc., sent out in mass quantities in the hope a small percentage of recipients believe the scam, and become victims. Certainly anyone who uses the Internet with any regularity at all has been exposed to a phishing scam at one time or another. Some may have already been a victim.

These scumbags are getting smarter and we need to be very suspicious of anything that just doesn't sound right. I always tell people "Don't believe anything you read and only half of what you see". A bank will never ask you to enter personal information in an e-mail, website, or telephone. Most fake e-mails are very generic and have a sense of urgency about them. Before you click on a hyperlink in an e-mail, put your mouse over the link (don't click), and look at the real link you will be transferred to if you were to click. Learn to know what a phishing link looks like.

Keep your computers up to date with anti-spam software. Don't carry your social security card around with you. Be aware that even an ATM machine can be set up to steal your information. When making online purchases with a credit card, see if the website starts with https:// instead of http:// which indicates it is a secure site. Use good passwords, something that can not be found in a dictionary.

Bottom line; be aware, trust your instincts, and continue to educate yourself.

Hey, let's be careful out there!

©Wally Beddoe - 2009