=>Choose a password that is hard to guess. Your password for access to the Internet and the e-mail system are the first line of defence for your privacy. Use a password that is nonsensical. Mixing numbers and special characters with letters is a good practice.

=>Change your password frequently. Ask your ISP to change the password set up when the account is first opened and change it from time to time.

=>Set your e-mail program not to remember your password. Forgery of e-mails is very easy if someone gets hold of your password. You can help avoid this risk by setting the e-mail program not to fill in your password automatically.

=>Set an option in your browser to display a message each time you enter and leave a secure zone. Special software programs called "sniffers" can monitor passing messages on the Internet. They can be made to recognise specific patterns of numbers, such as credit card numbers, which can then be noted and later misused. An alert message from the browser can help you to decide whether it is secure for you to send sensitive data over the Internet.

=>Check the browser window for the secure connection symbol. Most responsible sites requesting confidential information arrange for security encryption of such information automatically. If https:// instead of http:// is shown at the beginning of the Address line at the top of your browser window, or if you see an unbroken key or closed padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser screen, then messages sent to the site will be encoded. Encoded messages are much harder to spot. You should only send your credit card number and other sensitive data if they will be transmitted in encoded format.