If you send or receive e-mail, you've probably have received junk e-mail, also known as spam. Unfortunately, spam isn't limited to e-mail - it has spilled over to instant messages (IM) as well, and has become enough of a problem for instant messaging spam to warrant its own word, spim.

The following are some safety tips to protect yourself from email frauds:

 
         
Delete junk e-mail messages without opening them. Sometimes even opening spam can alert spammers.
     
Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall, and keep them up-to-date.
   
Avoid using public or other shared computers to access your financial accounts online, and use extra caution when using your own computer in a wireless “hot spot.”
     
Don't believe everything you read in online newsletters, investing blogs, or bulletin boards.  Fraud artists often float false information and “hot tips” as part of their efforts to rip-off investors or manipulate the market for a particular security.
     
Turn to unbiased sources when researching investments.