Since the Internet’s explosion into our lives, we’ve been introduced to amazing new ways of interacting with each other, doing business and connecting with the world.

Unfortunately, the Internet has also introduced a variety of new crimes and consumer vulnerabilities.

The Numbers

• A recently released Consumer Reports survey showed that 20 percent of Americans (that’s one in five!) have been victimized by online criminals in the past two years.
• In that time, sources estimate that cyber criminals absconded with $8 billion of victims’ money.

These figures are shocking, but they don’t mean that victimhood is unavoidable.

In fact, related studies have shown some important steps you can take to protect yourself, your computer and your personal information - credit card numbers, SSN, bank information, etc. - from thieves.

Dangerous Browsing

So how do online crooks trick you into parting with your cash? Much more cleverly than you might have suspected.

A report released by McAfee called “The Web’s Most Dangerous Search Terms” reveals a lot about how online scams and crimes work.

The riskiest search terms are, in this order:

• Lyrics
• Free
• Web
• Gear, gadgets, games
• Olympics
• Videos
• Celebrities
• Music
• News

What does this mean for you? After you search a term, say, “song lyrics," a list of Web sites will come up. You choose one by clicking on it. If the site is malicious, you could be compromised in a couple ways:

• Simply visiting the site could infect you
• Clicking on any links on the site could harm you

What Happens Once You’re Infected

Criminal sites often work by installing spyware onto your computer. You might find that some of your online passwords don’t work, then find yourself redirected to a site on which you have to enter personal information to “confirm” your identity.

Unfortunately, many scam sites look legitimate. And many Americans have spyware on their computers. Some spy programs work by recording password information you type in and sending it to another computer (the criminal’s).

How to Protect Yourself

1. Stick to sites you know and trust. Understand that, when you attempt to download things for free, you may get much more than what you pay – in an unpleasant way.
2. Install security programs onto your computer.
3. Update your computer regularly. Many updates are designed to protect against the latest scams and viruses.

Protecting yourself online is important.

Some people's finances have been ruined thanks to identity theft scams. In fact, some people wind up filing bankruptcy because of identity theft.