Opportunities to make money seem to be all over the Internet these days. Many of them, of course, are scams. Part of the problem is that you don’t know who you are really talking to online. That person saying good things about an investment may really be a scam artist trying to promote sales. Use these nine safety tips to invest safely on the Internet:

1.   Protect your personal information.

2.   Don’t click on links in e-mails.

3.   Use secure sites for online banking and investing.

4.   Ignore junk e-mail.

5.   Protect your computer.

6.   Use information and advice only from registered sources.

7.   Don’t always believe what you read online.

8.   Don’t buy thinly traded, little-known securities based only on what you read online.

9.   Don’t let anyone sell you products when you only asked for information.

Phishing: a growing problem

Phishing involves both a request for personal information and a link for you to follow.  According to Industry Canada, 18 million phishing e-mails were distributed in 2004. It is estimated that phishers are able to fool up to 5% of recipients. Here’s how it works:

• First, you get an e-mail from what seems like a legitimate financial institution (or an online shopping service such as PayPal or eBay). It asks you to verify your personal information by clicking on a link.
• The e-mails often say that there has been a "breach of security" or that they've "launched a new website." They say it’s urgent that you confirm your login, account and/or credit card details.
• If you click on the link, you will be sent to a Web page that looks nearly the same as the company's real website. But it's not! It’s a fake page that the scam artists have designed to trick you into giving them your account, credit card, or identity details.

Learn how to protect yourself from phishing and other forms of online fraud.

Tip: If you suspect you have been targeted by a phishing attack, report it immediately to the financial institution in question. Most of the financial institutions that have been used as bait by phishers now have security warnings on their websites and hotlines where you can report such attacks. Also, report it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a global, pan industrial and law enforcement association committed to wiping out Internet scams and fraud.