American consumers have lost more than $7 billion in the past two years due to online threats, according to a new survey conducted by Consumer Reports.

Hubert Rios, owner of Hanford Computers & More, estimates that people come in with computer problems related to online threats at least twice a day.

"I can only imagine what it is like in the bigger city areas," Rios said.

The survey shows that one in every four people will fall victim to an online scam, as many Americans are increasingly unaware of online threats.

At least 58 percent of Americans are not aware of online threats at all, while 17 percent of the population has already fallen victim to online crimes, according to a May report sponsored by Microsoft.

"People using peer-to-peer programs like Lime Wire don't realize that they are opening themselves up to anything on the Internet," said Rios, who has run his local computer repair business for more than 10 years. "Spyware, viruses, anything can reach through these programs and blast your computer .

"I warn all of my customers not to download those programs, but they always come back with new problems because of it. You may think you are getting free music and videos, but you will pay for it in repairs."

The most common reported online threats that are viruses, spyware programs that sneak onto your computer and "phishing" attempts.

Phishing is a method by which criminals will "fish" for personal information by emailing an individual with an official-looking document from a Web site they trust, such as a bank.

The criminal usually claims that the victim's login information has become invalid and needs to be re-entered.

The victim is then linked to a fake Web site that steals their information as soon as they enter it.

"You can't live in a bubble, unfortunately," Rios said. "There is always going to be someone out there, working from their garage, that can destroy security and get at your files.

"But you can always take precautions."

Rios recommends that people use Norton Antivirus and Spy Sweeper, two programs that can help avoid future problems with viruses and spyware.

Spyware infects the computers of one in every three people, while one in every 11 of those victims will suffer computer damage as a result, according to Consumer Reports.

"What people don't realize is that they need to do yearly maintenance on their computer," Rios said. "I don't care if you bring your computer to me, just make sure you have someone look at it to clean it up and make sure everything is working properly."

Spam e-mails are also a growing problem, despite government efforts to crack down on the people behind them. More than 650,000 people reportedly fell victim to spam e-mail scams in the month before the Consumer Reports survey was conducted.

But the best way to safeguard yourself from these threats, Rios said, is to think about what you are doing, pay attention to the information you are giving out and to always back up your files.

"I've had customers crying because they lost all of their files due to a virus," Rios said. "It is very important to back up your data. Just take a day and do it, then you will feel much safer about your valuable files."

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3048.

(Aug. 17, 2007)