The Internet and e-mail are great tools for conducting business - especially for hackers. These tech-savvy criminals use their skills to gain unauthorized access to people's computers and online accounts. To avoid becoming a victim, it's important to know how hackers work and how to protect yourself.

What is phishing?
A common ploy hackers use is known as "phishing." In these scams, hackers create bogus e-mails that look like they're from a reputable credit card company, bank or other financial institution. They say there's a problem with an online account and to resolve it, they need you to divulge confidential information, such as PIN and account numbers, or click on specific links. However, by following through on these requests, you unknowingly give the hackers access to your computers or online accounts.

How can you protect yourself from phishing?
"The best way to protect yourself is to stop trusting that everything you get through e-mail is from a legitimate source," says Debbie Wheeler, a vice president and chief information security officer at Fifth Third Bank. She compares these scams to giving your house keys to someone who tells you they need to fix your dryer, and you believe them without asking for any further evidence that they are who they say they are - or checking whether your dryer even needs fixing.

International crime syndicates often phish for victims who are customers of large financial institutions. "Large crime rings have the means to e-mail customers on a global scale," explains Wheeler. "And because of the scope of these attacks, the financial institutions may have a difficult time identifying the perpetrators and shutting them down in time to protect their customers." As more financial institutions comply with new regulations, hackers face greater difficulties finding victims.

However, they are still at work. To avoid becoming a victim, Wheeler wants you to know that legitimate financial institutions never use e-mail that ask you to divulge credentials about online accounts or include links to other websites. If you do have concerns about suspicious e-mail, she encourages you to contact your bank's customer service department or forward it to your bank's fraud box, if they have one.

Wheeler also explains that if customers report they've responded to questionable e-mail, most banks will make sure all necessary controls are in place to protect their accounts and then carefully monitor them.

What is malware?
In other scams, hackers use "malware" to gain unauthorized access to computers. Malware is a general term for software that contains malicious code. It's usually imbedded into music or video files, pictures, games and jokes, as well as e-mail attachments or other programs. When users download these materials, they may also unknowingly download malware.

Malware can take on several forms, some better known than others. For example, viruses are small pieces of software that piggyback on real programs or e-mail and wreak havoc by replicating themselves. Trojan horses are computer programs that claim to be one thing, such as a game, but instead do damage when you run them, perhaps even erasing your hard drive. Keyloggers are programs or devices that monitor and log each of the keys you type into a keyboard and transmit that data to an unknown third party.

How can you protect your computers from malware?
The best way to protect your computers from malware is by installing anti-virus and anti-spyware programs as well as a firewall. "By installing these items, you're not allowing anything to run on your computers that you don't knowingly accept," explains Wheeler. She also encourages you to make sure your operating systems are updated or "patched" regularly. You can obtain detailed information on security software by logging on to vendor websites, such as McAfee and Symantec.

For more information, you may contact Fifth Third Bank at (866) 475-4201, or click here to log on to the Fraud Awareness Website from Fifth Third Bank.