Psst, want to break into someone's e-mail? The Washington Post reports you can hire a hacker for as little as $30 with no questions asked. Cheating spouses beware!

How do they do it? Very often through cute little e-cards that contain hidden keyloggers when you open them. Clark no longer opens or sends any e-cards as a preventative measure.

Several weeks ago, the consumer champ discussed the 10 most common passwords on the show. Make sure your password isn't too easy to crack or you're just giving yourself away to hackers.

Ultimately, if somebody wants in, they'll get in no matter what precautions you take. That's why communication of a sensitive nature should not be done by e-mail. Phone calls are still the safest way to communicate -- even with the federal government's ability to eavesdrop.

RIP-OFF ALERT: We've all been so browbeaten into watching for viruses on our computers that it was only a matter of time before crooks wised up and started creating viruses that actually mimic common anti-virus warnings.

That's the idea behind what's called "scareware," which are bogus virus warnings that actually load a virus on your computer when you click on them! You don't even have to download anything. You're caught from the minute you click on the impostor pop-up window that supposedly alerts you to an existing virus!

Executive producer Christa recently had her computer compromised by a pop-up that masqueraded as a virus warning from Norton Antivirus. It even displayed a virus count as many popular antivirus programs will do.

So if you see a pop-up window that seems to be from your antivirus program, don't click on it. Instead, go directly to the antivirus or spyware program on your desktop and run it from there so it can find any security threats.

Clark particularly likes SpyBot Search and Destroy for protecting his computer. It's a free download that asks for contributions, but they're not required.

Finally, Christa also recommends having multiple browsers like Firefox, Chrome and others. The idea is that you can still try navigating around the web even if scareware hits your usual browser.

For additional spyware and scareware protection, see our list of other free downloads.

Is your computer running slowly because of a virus or spyware?

ComputerWorld.com recently featured a list of 15 free downloads you can use to bring your computer back up to speed.

(Editor's note: Clark is not responsible for the content on ComputerWorld.com. He is merely presenting their list of PC fixes for information purposes only. See below for his free spyware protection options.)

Meanwhile, on a related note, Clark recently read a tech writer's review of the revisions of major browsers like IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and others.

Mind you, the consumer champ is not one of those anti-Microsoft guys. But let's just say the verdict wouldn't exactly please Bill Gates.

Firefox was named as tops and Chrome came in second best. And IE? Well, it was roundly panned.

If you're like two-thirds of people, chances are you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer to surf the web. But right now, doing so could pose a serious threat to your computer's safety.

All versions of Internet Explorer have a security flaw that could allow hackers to gain access to your computer. Clark is advising people to stop using Internet Explorer until further notice. Try instead using Firefox or Google's Chrome browser. The consumer champ is particularly fond of the latter, which is designed to take advantage of the entire range of multimedia on today's websites.

Clark's initial warnings about this bug specified that you should not access your bank or brokerage house from Internet Explorer until further notice. But in addition, this flaw potentially allows hackers to take control of your computer and view sensitive e-mail data. So there are also concerns about corporate espionage now.

Police officers do an important job in our society, putting themselves in harm's way for the public good. When a police officer pulls you over, it's a natural assumption that they're the real deal. Very rarely it will be an impostor -- and it always makes big news. In the Internet world, however, it's much harder to tell friend or foe.

The hottest way to steal your personal info right now is through pop-ups or other ads that claim to be for antivirus programs. A new report suggests that 30 million of us have been fooled in this way. That's 1 in every 7 adults! Panda Labs -- a company selling legitimate antivirus software -- reports there's now 7,000 phony solicitations from the bad guys out there in cyberspace.

Don't click on those pop-ups about antivirus software! Ignore those e-mails about free services!

A North Carolina State study found that a majority of us believe when a dialog box pops that the people initiating the Internet chat are legit. Don't fall for it. The Internet does not have brave men and women running around acting as police officers to protect you. You've got to be your own cop on the beat.

If you need antivirus software, see our suggestions for free or low-cost options. And heed this warning: Don't visit our messageboards looking for a link. Yes, we police our forums with the help of a team of moderators, but we can't ensure that every thing on the forums is completely legit.

In related news, be wary of e-mails promoting secret shopping and mystery shopping. It used to be that you'd get taken for $20 or $30, but now the scammers are angling for $2,000 or more. You should never pay to be a mystery shopper -- whether it's $20 or $2,000.

Finally, Christa read an article in the Pocono Record that reports the money transfer scam -- an oldie but baddie -- is back. Here's how it works: You're contacted to act an intermediary who transmits money for others. You're sent a check and told to keep 10% of it and wire the rest to a certain person or business. It turns out to be a stolen checking account number, perhaps from a real business. When the police come after you for cashing fraudulent or washed checks, that's when you get to wear some new jewelry -- handcuffs! Don't do it!

Clark was recently disturbed to learn that your personal info can float out in cyberspace long after you think it has been removed. This is because of caching issues.

Search engines send spiders out across the web to find info that's stored on servers all over the world. Then they present that info to you during a web search.

But the spiders only crawl certain parts of the web every few days or weeks. So info can be stored or "cached" in cyberspace even after it's gone from the original server. In most cases, there will be a lag before it disappears completely.

When it comes to browser security, Clark uses a free tool available at Finjan.com. It prevents him from going to mistyped addresses where danger may lurk, and it goes beyond just looking at URLs to look at the actual code on a page.

Meanwhile, here's one low-tech suggestion to beat keyloggers. A keylogger is a program that gets secretly installed on your computer when you visit bogus websites. It can be used to track every keystroke you make and steal valuable passwords.

This trick involves typing passwords out of order or adding extra characters that you goes back and erases before logging on. Say for example your password is "jane." Instead of typing "j-a-n-e," try typing something like "j-a-x-n-x-e." Then go back and manually erase the extra characters (the x's) using your mouse, not the keyboard, and you just may trick someone who may be remotely monitoring your keystrokes!

RIP-OFF ALERT: Clark recently spoke about protecting yourself online against cyber-criminals. Now technology columnist Walt Mossberg has compiled a handy list that reinforces the message. Below are some excerpts:

• Never click on a link in an e-mail that appears to be from your bank, credit union or brokerage. Call the company if you are in doubt.
• Don't click on links in an e-mail offering free goods or services.
• Never download free software from unknown websites.
• Don't download video drivers from sites other than Microsoft, Adobe or Apple.

Clark also wants to add that you should be using a browser like Firefox, which is safer than Internet Explorer. Please note that it's OK to download new security patches from Firefox.

People have been asking Clark about that website he recently discussed that blocks suspect sites from loading in your browser. It's HauteSecure.com.

Finally, Mossberg also recommends a free service from McAfee called Site Advisor that alerts you when a web address could be dangerous.

Clark loves free services and has 2 new ones to share with you. The first comes from a company called HauteSecure.com, which protects your computer if you mistype a web address. Too often criminals will register bogus domains that may be just one letter off from a legitimate address. When you hit those fake sites, your computer may become infected with a keylogger program. So the free download at HauteSecure.com protects you by blocking sites that could threaten your computer.

The second service Clark has discovered is called ChaCha.com. This free mobile phone service allows you to ask a question by calling 800-2-CHA-CHA. You then receive a text with your answer. It's like Google for your cell phone. So far the results have been hit or miss. While it worked well during a pre-show meeting, it returned a wrong answer when Clark tried it out on air by asking, "Who won the 1964 World Series?" He received a dud answer via text message -- The New York Yankees -- in about half an hour. It was the St. Louis Cardinals who beat the Yanks in 7 games!

Fortune magazine has discovered that Yahoo! and Gmail are good for their promise that your e-mail account and your contacts are your private property. Meanwhile, MSN's HotMail and MSN Messenger take the opposite position. They argue that anything you do online belongs to them, including your contacts list. So you may want to consider firing MSN for e-mail and IM purposes. On a related note, your employer owns everything if you use Outlook at work. So Clark says that you obviously shouldn't use your work account to job-hunt or harsh on the boss! Finally, beware of unsolicited Valentine's Day e-cards that may contain viruses that turn your computer into a bot. If you don't know the sender, do not open that e-card.

Have you been receiving phony e-greeting cards in your inbox lately? If you open these, you might get spyware and others kinds of malware on your computer. Clark is really upset about this trend because e-greeting cards should be a pleasant thing. Unfortunately, something so innocent has been corrupted. The latest incarnation in this rip-off scheme works in the following way: Criminals send out bogus e-greeting cards and if you open it, you download a program that steals e-mail addresses from your contacts list. Once the criminals have those e-mail addresses, they send out another fake e-greeting that appears to be coming from you, staring the cycle all over again. The worst part is that when you opened the initial e-greeting, you probably also unknowingly downloaded a key logger program. This program tracks every key you type, including usernames and passwords for your bank, brokerage or mutual fund accounts. Under the law, you are protected if money is stolen from your bank account, but not from your brokerage or mutual fund account. Some brokers have issued their own policies that allow for customer protection. But the bottom line is that you must run anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Clark likes Spybot - Search and Destroy, a free program that will eliminate key loggers and other spyware on your system. Hopefully the legitimate e-greeting businesses will find a way to regulate their industry so people can again have faith in their products.

Here on the show we always give out free advice to you, the consumer. But did you know that we also get it back from our dedicated listeners? After receiving a tip from one such person, we've put up a list of FREE software that you can download from the internet. It's divided into dozens of areas of interest, so you can surf around easily to get software, books, games, free conference calling and so much more. While the quality of stuff that's free is all over the board, you can rest assured that none of it will cost you one thin dime. Bookmark the page...it just may come in handy.

Auto-renewals have become almost regular in certain industries. The virus software companies in most cases make it next to impossible to cancel. If you don’t buy the software at a retail store, you are more than likely to be automatically renewed. One way to make sure that you don’t get stuck with one of these auto-renewing softwares is to read the user agreement thoroughly before you sign up. So if you don’t want to get billed too high a rate and not be able to switch services, watch your back and do your homework.

Consumers’ computers are getting attacked by spyware programs and hijackers infiltrating their systems. Business Week has been covering this ongoing issue and recently published information about certain rogue companies that are behind the crimes. They profiled one company, “Direct Revenue,” which is under investigation in New York for hijacking computers. What happens is people click on a banner offering free software or some other product and, at that point, Direct Revenue seizes their computer. The company then forces a continuous stream of ads on users’ computers, which they cannot block or stop. The company sells these streaming ads to companies, but the companies have no idea that consumers are forced to watch the ads because their computers have been hijacked. Two of the innocent companies involved were Delta and Cingular Wireless. The companies got great response from the ads but reportedly didn’t know how it happened. Eventually, as ads continue to stream, computers are rendered useless and people have to ditch them and buy new ones. We’ll see what happens with the court case in New York involving Direct Revenue, but there are tons more companies out there. Remember to install virus protection and some type of spyware blocker on your computer. One Clark likes is called Spybot Search & Destroy. It can be downloaded from the site, safer-networking.org.

Clark uses Spybot Search & Destroy to keep his computer free of spyware. But CNET recently ranked two others higher. Get the best programs and keep your computer safe. Remember to click only once and disable your pop-up blocker first.

Are you familiar with “spyware” or “adware?” About two-thirds of computers have spyware, which are viruses or programs loaded on to a computer when a user mistypes a site. Spyware can slow down or even crash your system. CNet News has reported that all kinds of viruses are launched when people mistype the site “google.com.” It adds all kinds of malicious stuff on your computer and even memorizes your key strokes to look for words you regularly type. In addition, corporate America is playing along. The L.A. Times has found that corporations, desperate to reach customers, are in cahoots with the people creating this sypware. That way, they can have ads pop up on your computer. Travelocity and Mercedes are just a few of the hundreds of companies, according to the Times. So, what should you do to prevent people from stealing your money and infecting your computer? You want to add the program, Spybot Search & Destroy. You can find it on Clark’s site or by going to safer-networking.org. You need to use the program routinely in order for it to work. It’s a free program, but the company asks for donations to keep its site running. It’s simple and it will prevent lots of hassles.

WIFI, a wireless way to connect to high speed internet, is becoming very popular, and is now available at 20,000 hotspots in the United States. A warning has been reported in USA Today, however, stating that when something on the Internet becomes commonplace, the criminal activity is not far behind. If you are using WIFI on the road or at your place of work, hackers can be poaching your information if you do not have a firewall set up. If someone tries to encroach on your computer, a firewall pushes the hacker out and does not allow the person to enter your computer. The key to using WIFI is to make sure you have a firewall. An extra precaution is that when you are using WIFI at an Internet hotspot then you should not go to financial websites. If you don’t have a firewall then you are vulnerable to having your information and passwords hacked. Protect your information! A Washington Post report said that spam is about to become a major problem because scamsters have figured out how to hijack your Internet Service Provider, and they will now send out more Spam then ever. We will have to wait and see if the rumors come true.

More and more Americans are signing up for high speed Internet access, which is great. But there is also an increased risk that someone will be able to get into your computer and change passwords or view your accounts. It can’t really happen with dial-up connections, but it’s a constant threat with high-speed access. According to abcnews.com, two out of three Internet users have no firewall system. A firewall is basically a software package that protects other people from hacking into your system. So, if you’re asking what a firewall is, you probably don’t have one. Check out the programs available on our Firewall Protection page and download one of them. Even if your ISP claims to offer firewall protection, you probably want to add your own as well.

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In other Internet news, Comcast has limited the amount of time customers can spend online but it has chosen a very strange and unprofessional way to let customers know. Comcast used to advertise “unlimited use” for its customers, but now customers are limited to “acceptable use.” That would normally be fine, but Comcast does not define what “acceptable use” means. So, some Comcast customers are getting letters in the mail, saying they are spending too much time online. The company can then arbitrarily cut you off without explanation. So, if you get a letter, fire Comcast and switch companies immediately.