15 ways to protect yourself from scams
By Amy C. Fleitas and Leslie Hunt • Bankrate.com

Financial loss to fraud hit an all-time high in 2005, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The ICCC's fifth annual report says that in 2005, Americans lost a total of $183.12 million to fraud -- up from $68 million in 2004. Unfortunately, it seems there's always a plentiful supply of people falling for scams. Don't be one of them.

Follow these 15 tips and enjoy safe surfing and shopping on the Web.

15 ways to protect yourself from scams:

1. Do not assume a credible-looking Web site is credible. Anyone can create a Web site that looks legitimate. 2. An old financial cliche that has been around much longer than the Internet applies to Web deals, too: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. 3. Be cautious of unsolicited e-mails and phone calls -- many are fraudulent. 4. Be wary of anyone who asks for personal information. Do not give out any information to a person, business or Web site you have not verified with a reputable source. 5. Your Social Security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Do not give it out. 6. Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you and claims to be from a company with whom you have an account like a bank, credit card or phone company. If they ask for information that the business already has, do not give it to them. Call the company independently, using the contact information on your statement or from the official Web site. 7. Do not respond to offers that demand you act immediately or won't take "no" for an answer. 8. Legitimate charitable causes do not need to telephone or e-mail to solicit donations or obtain passwords or Social Security numbers to accept donations. Do not respond to these offers or pleas for help. 9. Do not follow the unsubscribe instructions in unsolicited e-mail. In many cases, it only verifies your e-mail address -- you will get even more junk e-mail. 10. E-mail addresses or Web addresses that have a company name in the address are not necessarily from that company. Go to the official Web site for contact information. 11. Do not open e-mail attachments from unfamiliar sources. They could contain malicious programs designed to steal your personal information. 12. Watch out for pop-up windows asking you to enter in financial data. Legitimate companies won't require you to submit sensitive information this way. 13. Keep your computer protected. Having anti-virus software is great, but you also need anti-spam and spyware protection to keep scams and computer intruders at bay. Utilize and update your firewall. 14. Watch out for online job ads that read like get-rich-quick schemes. Think about it. No company wants to pay gobs of money for someone with no experience to do easy work. 15. Complicate your passwords. Don't use a word or number easy to guess, such as your significant other's name or birthday. Change them frequently.

Sources: Internet Fraud Watch, Better Business Bureau, Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission