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The introduction of the personal computer into our homes was made complete when we realised by surfing the World Wide Web, we could interact with anybody, anywhere at any time. Little did we know then that what we experienced as a great advantage to our lives, was about to suffer the onslaught of a privacy attack by con-men and scam artists.

Regardless of how careful you are in giving out your email address, at some point someone, somewhere will add it to a list and then sell the list on. You now have no escape. We all receive junk email, unfortunately some of them we have to open because not every email is easily identified as spam.

As time has passed those who are a little more experienced on the internet now have the ability to read the signs of a scam. Unfortunately there are thousands of new internet visitors signing up every day all across the world. This is how the con-men and scam artists survive and grow.

The paid email scam has been operating for quite some time now and shows no signs of closing. There are a number of legitimate companies who indeed do pay you to read emails, however be warned payments are calculated around 2c a click and payout can be as high as $25. A career move for the more patient person!

However if you join this kind of scheme always ensure payment is made though Pay-Pal, never ever give out your personal bank account numbers. Some scams are just run to gain your banking details, never divulge your birth date or mother's maiden name. These two facts alone can be sufficient with some bank or credit card companies to allow a scammer into your personal file. When completing any sign up forms change these answers by a digit or two.

Another piece of advice is when you start to search for online work or sign up to join any company, open a separate email account. Never use your own name or any name, choose an inanimate title example: "bluedog@". This email account can be added to your Pay-Pal account if you start earning any money with it. It is advisable to change your password with any account types like Pay-Pal at least once a month.

One of the worst paid email scams operating at present, are the promises of high payments made by just clicking on links. These scammers not content with paying 2c a click are now offering $500. We all know the saying "If it looks too good...." Yet people everyday are signing up, giving out their details and referring these companies onto friends and family.

Before you type any of your personal details onto the web, stop and think, is this the right thing to do. Have you given away any information that anybody could use to gain access to your records? We must all become more vigilant on the internet today, keep alert and protect your personal life and privacy.

Learn more about this author, Lucy May.
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