Here are several tips and resources to assist you in protecting yourself against hoaxes, scams, fraud, and identity theft.

* DON'T FALL FOR ON-LINE HOAXES *

Too often we receive e-mail warnings or advisories forwarded from well-meaning friends and co-workers that turn out to be hoaxes, scams, or frauds. Legitimate warnings are almost never sent as mass e-mail, and certainly won't contain a request that you then forward the message to everyone you know.

If you do receive some type of warning or advisory that you think may be important, you can attempt to confirm its validity on-line by using search engines or one of the various anti-Hoax web-sites.

Google It! Try searching for substantive words in the warning combined with the word "Hoax" on Google or another search engine. For example: "Coughing during a heart attack HOAX"

Check the anti-Hoax Sites There are several web-sites that attempt to investigate urban legends and debunk hoaxes. Some places to check to see if a message or warning is a hoax are:

* Hoaxbusters - http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

* Snopes http://www.snopes.com

* Scambusters http://www.scambusters.org

* Vmyths http://www.vmyths.com

* REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM JUNK MAIL & TELEMARKETER LISTS *

While it may not be possible to eliminate 100% of the telemarketing calls and junk mail that you receive, by listing yourself with the National Do Not Call Registry and with the Direct Marketing Association's Preference Services you can achieve a substantial reduction in the number of telemarketing calls you receive and the amount of junk mail that you receive.

Register with the National Do Not Call Registry - https://www.donotcall.gov/

Register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service - http://www.dmaconsumers.org/co nsumerassistance.html

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

* DON'T GET HOOKED BY "PHISHING SCAMS" *

* Don't respond to any e-mail that asks for personal information.

* Never click on links in an e-mail to access a web-site where you have an established account. (The link can take you to a phishing / fraudulent site.) If you need to access your account, type the web-address by hand.

* If you receive a phishing e-mail' report it to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and consider filing a complaint on-line with the Federal Trade Commission at https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wso lcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

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