E-mail and IM spam

Learn how scammers trick investors into buying stocks that make the scammers rich and lose the investors' money.

Use e-mail programs with built-in filters and take care how you share your e-mail address.

Use caution when you choose your screen name, keep personal data out of your messages, and other best practices to protect your privacy.

Learn how to use the Contact List feature of your instant messaging software to let friendly messages in and help keep intrusive messages out.

Never respond to e-mail messages from banks or credit card companies that request your personal information.

These e-mail scams might look like they come from your corporate Human Resources group, or someone in a department or group you belong to.

Don't respond or click links in the text, do report the mail to the faked organization.

Spot and avoid advance fee fraud e-mail scams.

Fraudsters use e-mail messages and fake customer services phone numbers to lure targets into revealing personal information.

Help prevent spammers from "spoofing" or forging legitimate e-mail addresses for identity theft and other types of fraud.

Microsoft does not need your credit card number to validate your copy of Windows. Find out more about this scam.

Microsoft never attaches software updates to our security communications. Find out about other clues that can help you spot e-mail messages that claim to be from Microsoft, but aren't.

Watch this video to find out where spam comes from, what types of spam e-mail messages can be dangerous, and what you can do to help reduce the amount of spam e-mail you receive.