While the Internet is a valuable tool, it provides a new means for con artists and thieves to commit various crimes. One such crime is identity theft. Identity thieves often gain access to personal information through a process known as “phishing” (pronounced “fishing”). The phishing scheme involves sending intended victims an e-mail purporting to be from a bank or credit card company with whom the intended victim does business. The e-mail may very well look official and often has the bank or credit card company logo in it. The e-mail will state that unless the intended victim updates his or her personal information their account will be suspended. The e-mail provides a link to a website to update that information. However, if the intended victim clicks on that link and enters personal information, he or she has just given the cyber thieves the information they need to open fraudulent accounts in the victim’s name. Identity thieves may run up thousands of dollars in bills before the victim is even aware of the crime. To avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, never respond to an e-mail requesting personal information. Instead, just delete it. For more information visit http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml.