It’s that time of year when online purchases peak and many people are working with their financial advisers to review the past year and plan for the coming one. The Internet has become a convenient and standard tool for exchanging financial information, and email is now a staple in this online exchange of information. Unfortunately, email is routinely targeted by online scammers, hackers and identity thieves snooping for financial information.

Becoming aware of these online threats is the first step toward reducing your risks online. According to Identity Theft Fixes, each year approximately 10 million Americans become victims to identity theft. Of these individuals, an average of $1,800 to $14,000 is lost. Moreover, victims spend an average of 840 to 1,300 hours each year to resolve identity theft issues with their credit report and personal information.

Here are five steps you can take to help ensure your financial information is protected:

1) Keep security software active and up-to-date. Anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection can only combat new threats if the software is current. Set your security software to update automatically, and periodically scan your computer for viruses and spyware.

2) Make sure your OS and Web browser are current. Operating system companies issue security patches to repair flaws in their systems. Set your operating system and Web browser to automatically download and install these critical security patches.

3) Use private email to protect your information. Common email is exposed to spam, identity theft, and phishing scams to name a few. Using a private email service like PrivacyHarbor.com to send private and secure email ensures that your information is kept safe.

4) Password-protect your financial information. If you keep financial information stored on an electronic device, be sure to password-protect the information in case of theft. Do not store the passwords in the laptop or device.

5) Back-up your information. When you have important financial information stored on your computer, be sure to store the information externally on a flash drive, removable disk or external hard drive.

Taking proactive steps to protect your financial information will ensure a safer online experience. Contact us to learn more about how PrivacyHarbor.com can help protect your personal information during this busy financial season and secure it throughout the new year.

Ever wonder why the banner ads you see in your email happen to feature a product that you just purchased from your favorite online retailer? Or a highlight appears for a hotel deal to that quaint European city that you and your friend were just chatting about over instant message? These advertisements are no coincidence, and most email users want them stopped.

Many well known email programs scan your personal online conversations searching for information that allows them to sell to you, the unassuming user. According to the online study, “Americans Reject Tailored Advertising,” performed by the Annenberg School for Communication, University of California Berkeley School of Law, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 66 percent of Internet users do not want marketers to send them tailored advertisements. Furthermore, when these users are informed that their personal content is being repurposed, in order to create these tailored advertisements, the results show that between 73 and 86 percent do not want such advertising.

As much of the Internet is being powered by advertising dollars, this problem is rampant. Such targeted invasions of privacy are not only beginning to catch the attention of email users, but the policy makers in Washington as well. The Tennessean reports that U.S. Representative Richard Boucher, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, is drafting legislation that will require websites to prominently disclose what information they gather on visitors as well as obtain user approval before collecting data to share with other advertising companies.

Even if Congress enacts such laws, online tracking of consumers will continue in some form or another, particularly by retailers, as highlighted in a recent USA Today article. So let’s start the discussion:

How do you feel about advertisers and retailers taking your personal information and creating tailored email advertising?

PrivacyHarbor.com private email does not mine or sell your information; we’re in the privacy business, not the advertising business. Feel free to contact us to learn more about this subject and the steps PrivacyHarbor.com takes provide you with secure email and to ensure your absolute privacy.

We are kicking off two special contest events this month that will offer Twitter and Facebook users a chance to win 12 free months of a private and secure, Executive email account.

Starting Tuesday, November 3, we will launch PrivacyHarbor’s Retweet Tuesdays on Twitter! Every Tuesday through December 11, check the PrivacyHarbor Twitter page at noon Pacific Time and retweet the specified message by Friday, 11:59 PM Pacific Time of that week for a chance to win one free year of a PrivacyHarbor Executive account!

We are also offering a chance to win one free year of an Executive account to new and existing fans of PrivacyHarbor on Facebook! Go to the PrivacyHarbor Facebook page, log on to Facebook and click “Become a fan” by Friday, December 11. Already a PrivacyHarbor Facebook fan? Current fans can win too if they refer a friend to become a fan of PrivacyHarbor’s Facebook page! A winner will be selected randomly on Friday, December 11.

Note: PrivacyHarbor employees, family members and vendors are not eligible to win the Retweet Tuesdays or Facebook Fans contests.

Best of luck to everyone and remember, the only way to win is to play!