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Though you may not have heard of them, Trend Micro is one of the world's largest companies in the antispyware and computer protection software space.

In this interview, I spoke with David Perry, director of Global Education for Trend Micro, about solutions for everyone from home and home offices, to small business and enterprise business solutions.

Products we talked about Trend Micro Internet Security (formerly called PC-Cillin, but since phased out for a new name, just Internet Security), as well as their antivirus plus antispyware solutions, and a free scan that they call "Housecall".

This is one of my favorite interviews I've done for IdentityTheftSecrets.com, as David is both a dynamic speaker and a very knowledgeable individual in the security and computer protection industry.

You can listen to the interview here for now, and a transcript of this interview with Trend Micro will be coming soon.

Save on Trend Micro's Internet Security (opens in new window)

Trend Micro Promo Code: Save 10% on Trend Micro's services, including antispyware (opens in new window)

Posted by Jonathan at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Have you recieved messages asking you for your assistance? Or messages that appear to be from Amazon, PayPal, DHL or a bank requesting you to use their link to confirm your personal and credit information? These types of messages are called "phishing" emails and are used to get yourcredit information for the purpose of credit card fraud or identity theft. How can you protect yourself from this type of scam?

Have you ever opened your email to discover a message from a "Prince" in Africa who randomly chose you out of all the people in the world to help him smuggle his millions of dollars out of the country and for which help he will give you a substantial payment? Or how about the Amazon.com or Paypal.com email message that advises you that your account has been possibly accessed or information compromised and you immediately need to click the link provided, log in and change your password to protect your personal and financial information? These messages are called "phishing," (pronounced fishing ) because after all that is what is happening someone is fishing for information.

Phishing is a method used by thieves to obtain personal or financial information via the Internet, relying on people's fear that their information may be compromised and that we like quick and easy fixes. Some email accounts catch a few of the phishing messages that are sent to you, but you can also install software that will catch all of it, detecting the programming that is standard for phishing messages. Even with good protection, some messages may get through, but the majority of them should be delivered to your "junk" or "spam" mail box.

Recently a friend of mine learned of the necessity for setting her spam alerts, phishing alerts and using her software program that protects against phishing. She received the message below, which indicates that she will be receiving a bank draft for millions of dollars and that the sender has already shipped it and paid for certain fees associated with shipping. For the payment of $200.00 and answering a few short questions, the check will be promptly delivered to her. Of course, with the details requested, and a simple email or phone call to the contact person listed, an identity thief now has all that he or she possibly needs in order to steal your identity, obtain credit, or even simply charge several thousand dollars to your credit card.

How can you protect yourself from these types of scams?
1) Carefully monitor your email messages, be sure to use the spam and phishing controls available through most major email messaging systems, so that messages will be delivered to your spam/junk/phishing mail box which you can review at your leisure.
2) Beware of any email message that is sent to you that requests personal or credit card information, requires you to use a link provided, or advises you that your information has been compromised. In most cases, banks and retailers will not contact you via email to notify you of threats to your information, but will contact you via regular mail.
3) You can often check Snopes.com for information on scams and frauds, as well as urban myths, and viruses especially before responding or forwarding e-mail. Quite often e-mail contain tracking information and by forwarding messages to friends and family you are putting their email address at risk.
4) Use a software program that protects against phishing. Many antivirus and anti spyware protection programs include phishing software detection. Review the features of your choice of software to determine if it also detects phishing. Some programs you may wish to explore include Norton, Kapersky, McAfee, and Panda.
5) Do not respond to these messages, it simply feeds the cycle.
6) Do not click the hyper link provided. Open a separate window, type in the address of the company it appears to be from (such as PayPal), log in and check their site for information. In just about every case you will find that the message you received is a fraud and you can located an email address to send the message to, so that the bank or retailer may address it. Clicking on the link can confirm your email address as one in use, take you to an unsafe website and possibly leave your computer open to viruses or other threats.
7) Most importantly NEVER give out your personal information, even something as small as your address without knowing the person very very well, especially via email. It is best if any information is transmitted on line through a secure site, with encryption.

It is important to report these types of scams to the retailer or financial services provider that it claims to be from. This helps in the detection and protection from phishing e-mail, as well as keeps them informed. By reporting and monitoring phishing threats, software can be created to be better able to detect them and efforts made to actually eliminate them. By following these simple steps, consumers are more informed and much safer from identity theft.

SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Greetings!

I am Mr.Mark William. I have been waiting for you
to contact me for your Confirmable Bank Draft of
$1,000.000.00 United States Dollars, but I did not
hear from you ever since, So I went and deposited
the Draft with DHL Courier company in Nigeria,
West Africa.I have travelled out of the country
for a 3 months course and I will not come back till end
of August. What you have to do now is to contact
DHL Courier Company as soon as possible to know
when they will deliver your package to you because
of the expiring date. For your information, I have paid
for the delivering Charge, Insurance premium and
Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that
it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist
attack in your Country.The only money you will send
to the DHL Courier Company to deliver your Draft
direct to your postal Address in your country is ($200.00 US)
Dollars being the Security Keeping Fee of the Draft so
far. Again, don't be deceived by anybody to pay any
other money except $200.00 US Dollars.I would have
paid that but they said no because they don't know
when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.

You have to contact DHL Courier Company now
for the delivery of your Draft with the following
informations.

Name..........Address.........
Age.............Sex...............
Tel No.........country.........
Postal Code.....................

Contact Person: Mr.Peter Donald
Email Address:dhl_courierexpress_01@live.com
Telephone:+2348074584033.

Finally, make sure you reconfirm your Postal address
and direct telephone number to them so as to avoid any
mistake on the Delivery.contact them as soon as you
receive this mail in order to avoid any further delay and
remember to pay them their security keeping fee of
$200.00 US Dollars for their immediate action.
You should also let me know through email as soon
as you receive your Draft.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr. Mark William
Email:mr_markwilliam01@yahoo.com

Posted by Lisa Carey at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

One of the Identity Theft Secrets SuperSleuths shared this article with us today.

It's Lifelock's response to the lawsuits and negative press that they have been facing in recent weeks.

LifeLock is also taking an offensive approach to these false allegations. In fact Todd Davis, our CEO, is going on the "Today Show" to inform the nation of these false allegations. The facts show our service works.

Unfortunately in today's society lawyers have more power than they should and media likes to sensationalize stories that have not been validated by facts.

LIFELOCK CEO FINDS IDENTITY UNDER ATTACK
FROM LAWYERS

TEMPE, AZ - (May 22, 2008) - LifeLock CEO Todd Davis has become famous for his commercials where he offers his social security number to demonstrate how confident he is in his company's identity theft protection program. However, recently, his identity protection program has come under attack - not from identity thieves, but from lawyers.

"My identity has been completely protected by LifeLock and I am as confident as ever about the LifeLock service", says Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. "It is shocking that completely untrue statements about our company, the protection we provide and my personal identity are being repeated from a lawyer looking to create a case that clearly is not in the best interest of consumers."

According to the FTC, nearly 3% of Americans are victims of identity theft each year. With over one million LifeLock members, you could expect LifeLock to have 30,000 victims. But as clear evidence LifeLock really works, only 105 individuals have been the victim of identity theft. In fact, among the 105 who have reported an identity theft, every single one has been covered under the LifeLock service guarantee.

As the industry leader in identity theft protection, LifeLock proactively protects identities with a number of measures including: Internet monitoring for illegal sale of member's identity information, active monitoring for illegal changes of member addresses, requests on behalf of its members that the national credit bureaus place fraud alerts on its members' credit files, and requests that members' names be removed from pre-approved credit card offer and junk mail lists. Backing these proactive protections is a $1 million service guarantee to restore the identity and pay all direct costs and expenses resulting from the identity theft.

Recent claims have suggested that Davis' social security number has been used at least 20 times to obtain drivers licenses and other credit. Davis explained, "These claims are completely untrue and reflect total inexperience and lack of understanding of how credit files and identities work. While there have been more than 100 attempts to use my identity information, none of these recorded in the credit files resulted in any loss for me. However, a check cashing company failed to properly follow procedures and verify the identity of a thief in 2007, resulting in a person being able to cash a check for $500. Let's be clear, there is currently no form of identity protection that would prevent this from happening, but this is why LifeLock serves such an important protection for consumers. The LifeLock guarantee served me as it serves all LifeLock members, what identity theft LifeLock can't prevent, it will fix at LifeLock's expense up to one million dollars."

"As of today, there have been only four individuals out of over one million LifeLock members who have alleged they are dissatisfied with LifeLock as part of class action lawsuits. However, none of these individuals appear dissatisfied enough to cancel their service or even ask for a refund. We have done an excellent job of serving all our members and even those four people must agree. In the some of the recent challenges to LifeLock, you have to ask yourself, what is the motivation behind the lawsuits?"

About LifeLock®
Famous for its CEO giving out his Social Security Number in advertising and national press, the company is experiencing strong growth. Located in a secure facility in Tempe, Arizona, LifeLock® (www.lifelock.com) is a private company backed by Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, as well as Bessemer Venture Partners. Winner of the 2007 American Business Award for the Best Radio Advertising Campaign, LifeLock was a finalist for 10 other ABA awards, including Best New Company and Best New Product/Service. Recently the company was named recipient of the Red Herring 100 Global Award as one of the Top 100 start-up's in the world and was listed among the finalists for the Best Places to Work in 2007 by the Phoenix Business Journal.

Todd Davis also went on the Today Show with Matt Lauer to defend Lifelock against the allegations made in the lawsuit.

Here's the interview.

What do you think about Lifelock being sued? Do you think the lawsuit against this company has merit?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Posted by Jonathan at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Most consumers are familiar with the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) that insures bank accounts and offers blanket protection for any deposits made to member banks. You may be less familiar with the SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Program) but every investor or potential investor at any level should be aware of the protection services that the SPIC offers.

What is the Securities Investor Protection Program (SIPC)?

Congress created the SIPC in 1970. SIPC helps when individuals have money, stocks and other securities stolen by brokers or when they are put at risk because a brokerage firm fails. In these cases the SIPC asks a federal court to appoint trustees to liquidate the firm and protect its customer's assets. In the cases of smaller brokerage firms, the SIPC may deal directly with customers. Its primary mission is to try to quickly and efficiently mitigate the losses to customers in the event of these circumstances. By 2007, the SIPC had made possible the recovery of assets totaling over 15 billion dollars for approximately 625,000 investors. They estimate that no less than 99% of eligible persons have their funds returned by SIPC. Without the SIPC, investors at bankrupt or financially troubled firms could lose their money and securities forever or at best their assets may be tied up in court for years. So it is very important to know that when you invest, you are investing with a member of the SIPC. However, the SPIC does not cover individuals who purchase worthless stocks or other securities, only those with valid claims.

How can you know if your brokerage/investment firm is a SIPC member?

The language of "Member Securities Investor Protection Corporation" or "Member SIPC" should appear in ALL signs and ads of SIPC members. You can confirm memberships by calling the membership department at 202-371-8300 or you can visit www.sipc.org. Only customers who have invested in institutions that are legitimate members of the SIPC are eligible for assistance and recovery of assets.

Some SIPC members have affiliated companies or individuals that conduct investment businesses but are not members of SIPC. The primary institution may be the company that is a member. The affiliates may have similar names, share the same employees or even operate from the same office space. Be sure to receive written confirmation of any transaction in your securities account and double check that it is issued by the SIPC member and not an affiliate.

One other method for verifying membership in the securities investor protection corporation is to check your periodic statements to insure that your brokerage firm is still operating and still a member of the SIPC. In some cases membership begins, but fails to continue, and consumers need to be aware of those changes to their investment firm's status.

In many cases, investment or brokerage service providers may be fraudulently presenting themselves as members of the SIPC. This is done for two reasons. One is to obtain customers, but in many cases it is to simply obtain customer information, setting the customer up for schemes which may steal their investment or their identity. One form of this scheme includes the set up of web sites that use the name of a brokerage firm that is an actual member of SIPC but list a different address. In other scenarios, the frauds may use the name or name and address of a broker registered with the SIPC and then sets up a fictional entity. In an effort to make their site appear to be more legitimate, a statement may even direct potential clients/victims to verify the firm's membership in the SPIC website as proof of the firm's legitimacy. In this case, the theft is also of the identity of a true member of the SIPC. Now they are provided with the identity of legitimate brokerage firms, as well as the customer's identity for whatever purpose the thief may choose.

According to SIPC President Stephen Harbeck, "SIPC has recently received information from more than a dozen U.S. and non-U.S. victims of this type of fraud. Experience tells us that most investors who lose money never follow up with a regulatory authority. So, we believe that the complaints we are seeing are just the tip of an iceberg. In addition to issuing this warning, we have sent our files to state and federal securities regulators in the hopes of identifying and shutting down these 'brokerage ID theft' rings."

Connecticut Securities Director and NASAA President Ralph A. Lambiase shares that: "Brokerage identity theft joins a long list of scams that rely on the Internet to stalk millions of potential victims at minimal cost. Identity theft is inherently difficult to detect. For that reason alone, investors should refuse any unsolicited online contact from anyone seeking personal information or money by simply hitting the delete key. I urge investors to contact their state securities regulator if they suspect they have been defrauded by this scheme."

Consumers should make every effort to avoid anyone who solicits their information on-line. In most cases legitimate firms will not do so. Brokerage firms are encouraged to regularly search the Internet for any misuses of their corporate name and to notify regulators if any misuses are discovered. The most important thing for investors and consumers alike prior to any investment transaction is to verify each and every time that they interact the validity of the brokerages membership in the Securities Investor Protection Corporation as only those who are truly members are protected in their investment opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Christie Scalzo, mother of two and resident of Nevada, has experienced, what I would consider to be, a true Identity Theft Tragedy.

Christie Scalzo's information was stolen in 2002, from her car, while she shopped at a 99 cent store.

Something that could happen to pretty much anyone.

Fast forward to 2008, when she was pulled over by a police officer, who was just doing his job.

From Identity Theft Victim Locked Up

She was driving with her kids when the 2002 incident would suddenly come back to haunt her..."It was right past the signal when he pulled me over. He said 'Can I see your license?' and I said 'Yeah, what's the matter?' Because I know nothing is wrong, I know I don't have any problems. And he said, 'Well, I just ran your plates and you have a warrant out of Henderson.' And, I said, 'What?'"... Despite Scalzo's explanations of identity theft to arresting officers, she was taken to the Henderson Detention Center. She was locked up. But the fingerprints from the 2002 arrest were not compared to hers. Neither was the mug shot. Scalzo was booked on burglary , drugs and weapon charges... Scalzo thought if law enforcement would not compare the fingerprints and mug shots, she would have to do that herself. "I went to Henderson courts, police station. I needed mug shots, fingerprints, discovery, all my files, and they all said I have to have an attorney here to subpoena the records." After spending $3,500 on legal fees and months of litigation, Scalzo would finally get her day in court. It took only seconds. "They dismissed the case. That was it," Scalzo explains...."I hope this isn't the end of the case," Perry (Scalzo's attorney) said. "They ought to be finding this woman. That woman is still out there somewhere. Still has Christie's information."...

Although this mix up is now solved for Scalzo, the story does not end on a happy note. Hours after she was released from the Henderson Detention Center, she miscarried.

Identity Theft causes enough stress to actually cause a miscarriage?

Come on, could that really happen?

You bet.

According to WebMD, stress is a major factor in miscarriage.

"...team of scientists from Tufts University and Greece have identified a suspected chain reaction detailing exactly how stress hormones and other chemicals wreak havoc on the uterus and fetus."

Just makes me mad enough to want to actually hunt down the person who stole her identity and give them a piece of my mind. (Or a piece of my shoe, on their butt, which clearly needs a good kicking.)

But what would the point of that be?

With 10 million pieces of data compromised yearly (I know, recent stats have it at about 8 million - what does it really matter at this point? - each of our information has been compromised at least once), we're all at risk to have this be a major stress factor in our own lives.

Christie, if you happen to read this, the entire IdentityTheftSecrets community has you in our thoughts and prayers.

Posted by Jonathan at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Economic Stimulus Checks and Tax Rebates: How can we be sure to get our check safely? Among the many phishing emails (that attempt to lure you to a website to gain personal or financial information) and schemes on the Internet, one of the newest is an email message that appears to be from the Internal Revenue Service, talking about economic stimulus checks, and what you should do in order to get your tax rebate check. How can you protect yourself and what should you do if you get this message? Read more about this phishing scam and how to protect your income tax rebate check.

Many of us are looking forward to our Income Tax Rebate check, or as they are now referred to, Economic Stimulus Checks. But many of us are also confused about the many facts and myths surrounding this check.

(Hopefully, instead of spending all my check, I will have some to put aside to pay off bills or place in a nice safe savings account, like my mattress. But first, the check has to arrive safely. As a result, I decided to do some research myself and find out what I could about the Economic Stimulus Check and dispel the myths surrounding it, and find out the facts for myself.)

The Economic Stimulus Check is actually a tax rebate check, designed to return money to the tax payer as a result of the many income tax changes that have recently occurred. The payments are sent out over the course of a four week schedule, with the specific date of transmission or mailing determined by the last two digits of your social security number. For those tax payers who filed electronically and had their tax refund direct deposited (or payment direct withdrawal) your income tax rebate will be direct deposited to your bank that was used for your deposit or payment. For those who mailed in their taxes, or payment, or those who filed electronically but had fees withdrawn (such as processing fees for filing electronically or for direct depositing) a payment will be mailed according to the same schedule as those direct deposited, but it will take longer for your payment to arrive.

How much is the tax rebate payment? Here are the scheduled payment amounts: $600.00 for individual taxpayer, $1200.00 for married filing jointly, and a possible $300.00 per qualifying child, born after December, 1990. But what many people do not know is that their possible tax rebate may be offset by back taxes owed, unpaid student loans and several other government factors. You won't know until your return arrives or is direct deposited and receive a breakdown of the payments what your total rebate will be.

How can we be sure to get our check safely? Among the many phishing (emails that attempt to lure you to a website to gain personal or financial information) schemes on the Internet, one of the newest is an email message that appears to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Like many other phishing scams this message appears to be authentic and legitimate. It even has an address very close to the IRS.gov address.

Without careful research, consumers may easily be drawn in. This message, like many of its counterparts, especially those used to gain bank account information, provides you with a link to a website and the instructions to "click the link below and needed to click on a link and fill out the necessary information to receive your 2008 Stimulus Economic Refund." This link sends you to a phishing site and then obtains your name, address, telephone number and social security number. Much like the IRS.gov site, it also request information on the number of dependants listed on the return. It also request banking information to verify a direct deposit.

Don't be fooled. If you receive a message like this, do not open it and you need to immediately forward it to phishing@irs.gov. This message can contain viruses harmful to your computer, or simply be a phishing scam. Not only can the information be used to steal personal and financial information, but it could also provide a thief with all they need to intercept your Economic Stimulus check or even to steal your identity.
To help in your detection of phishing scams, you may wish to explore antivirus software that also provides phishing scam detection, such as Stopzilla, F-Secure Internet Security Suite, or AVG Internet Security (one of the for pay products) Trend Micro PC-cillin and many more antivirus products are designing their software to detect and stop phishing scams before they can do harm to your computer, information and credit. Our website has many product reviews and comparisons to help you find the product protection right for you and your family.

For more information on the Economic Stimulus Check visit IRS.gov and have all your questioned answered on their frequently asked questions page as well as legitimately check the status of your check.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WIth technology comes convenience, but also threats to security. Each time a consumer accesses their bank or shops online their keystrokes may be recorded, hackers may obtain their financial information and personal information may be released. There is a software to protect Internet users, while they are doing any number of tasks from registering for travel to playing games online.

Today's technology offers consumers so many conveniences; on-line banking, internet shopping, on-line bill paying, research at our fingertips, e-mail, instant messaging, photo image storing and creation and so much more.
In addition to many important day to day financial and communication tasks, the internet offers many other opportunities for entertainment, free samples, and survey's, game and contests. But with all of the convenience of working and playing on-line, in addition to the security risks, most users still feel burdened by the amount of time it takes to fill in forms over and over. As we access any number of internet sites, we are required time and again to complete forms, create accounts, sign in and utilize passwords.

But time and effort are not the only complications that are a result of using the Internet to make our lives easier. Unfortunately, all these conveniences have also brought us the risks of identity theft, with threats including hacking, phishing, spyware, spam and keylogging. With all these "log ins" and passwords, consumers often use the same password over and over again as well as keep it in a spot like our wallet or near our computer so we can easily access it.

However, identity theft security experts tell us not to keep our confidential information in our wallets or near our computer. They also tell us not to use those "easy to remember" pass codes that use personal information we can
remember but others can also guess. Or what happens in the event of an emergency, disability, illness or even death, and your family needs those passwords in order to keep your finances in order, and you are the only one who knew what your passwords are. So, is there any relief for all of this password remembering and form filling?

Yes. Roboform offers a tool that addresses all of these concerns, by providing a service that stores passwords, personal and financial information keeps information safe as well as cuts down on "keystrokes" making it more difficult for keylogger software to work in any possibly attempts to "steal" your information.

Roboform is a program that fills in forms for you and securely encrypts passwords. It will even generate a random, highly safe password for you when you hit generate. It uses an artificial intelligence system that is created to identity forms, complete them as well as generate and safely store passwords, keeping your account information safe.

This form filler and password service saves time and effort as well as provides security by: managing passwords and logging you in automatically as well as filling in long forms for registration or shopping checkout with just a click.

Special Features Available with Roboform:

-The ability to create one identity, but have multiple credit cards, addresses, user names and passwords stored.

-Roboform even fills in drop down boxes. For example, if you have a
birthdate or expiration date in January, Roboform will choose January,
Jan. or 01.

-Regardless of fields are presented, Roboform can detect which formation of the numbers should be provided. For example, it does not matter if a form requests your phone number as a 10 digit number, or 3, 3 and 4 numbers Roboform will fill it in correctly.

-Roboform is so smart it customizes information according to country locations and traditions. For example, it will fill in a U.S. form will the month first and a U.K form with the day first. It can also fill in forms in many languages, translating Mr., Monsieur or Herr and so on.

-If you want you can use highlight to have Roboform fill in just part of a form for you.

Roboform protects your identity and personal information by:

-Encrypting your passwords for complete security.

-Generating random passwords that no one can guess.

-Fighting Phishing by filling in passwords only when web sites match. (This is so important because phishers set up similar fake web sites.)

-Stopping Key loggers because the keyboard is not used to type passwords, keys cannot be logged.

Roboform is a product of Siber Systems. Siber Systems is a privately held company, incorporated in 1995 in the Commonwealth of Virginia and they have offices in Europe and Asia as well. Their first product, the Cobol Transformer hit the market in 1997 and is licensed by many Fortune 500 companies including IBM. In 1998 Siber Systems released the Cobol Data Viewer that is licensed by hundreds of companies to recover data.

The companies' first consumer product, Roboform, became available in 1999 and has been used worldwide by millions. So popular and reliable, it has been translated into 30 languages. Siber Systems added RoboForm2Go, among the first of applications that can operate from USB flash drives. RoboForm2Go is a portable version of RoboForm that allows consumers to their passwords with them and enjoy the conveyance of this service anywhere.

Roboform and Robofrom2Go work with Internet Explorer, AOL, MSN and now Firefox, IE 7 and Vista. It is available for your Lap Top or Desk Top computer for $29.95. You can add Roboform2Go for U 3 drives or non-U 3 drives for $19.95. There's also a version for Palm you can add for $9.99. A 30 days free trial is available with a "No Questions Asked" Money Back Guarantee.

This service has been awarded PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award, Soft32.com's Editor's Review Award (Excellent in 5/5 categories) and the blue ribbon FDM (Free Download Manager) User's Choice Award. Independent consumer reviews say over and over that it is "easy to use," "a quality time saver" and "fast, fast, fast."

Roboform is a product that can make "the conveniences" of technology even more convenient. It can save you lots of time and protect your identity from identity thieves at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking! Your information will be safe, you can get more done in less time and your family will have the resource it needs in case of emergency.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A keylogger is a program that monitors and records computer activity, specifically the keystrokes used while using your computer. There are some keyloggers available to download for free, while others cost some money to download. Find out what are the best keylogger programs available and how you can download and use a keylogger to protect yourself and/or your loved ones.

In this article, we recommend three keylogger programs you can download.

The quick links for downloading thesekeyloggers are here:

Web Watcher Keylogger - download
Spector Pro 6.0 Keylogger - Download
Spy Agent Keylogger - Download

A keylogger is a program that monitors and records computer activity, specifically the keystrokes used while using your computer. The name originated when people used to manually log the stroke of each key on a computer. Today there are keylogger programs available to consumers and businesses that do this tracking and storing for you.

You may have heard malicious keylogger stories in the news such as the spoiled bank heist in 2004 but these stories usually involve keylogger viruses or keylogger hacking that is illegal. There are illegal uses for keylogger software, which may include theft, identity theft, and credit or bank card fraud, as keystrokes can indicate what webpage you are accessing as well as what your user name and password is. In this article we are discussing the legitimate uses for keylogger programs.

Some legitimate uses for keylogger programs include determining the following information in your home or small business:

Is my spouse having an inappropriate relationship?
Is my spouse, or other relation, visiting inappropriate web sites?
Is my son or daughter safe on the computer?
Is my teen appropriate on the computer?
Is my employee using time wisely?
Is my employee honest?

Keylogger monitoring programs can allow the user to register all computer activity. Each program is unique but most will records everything that is typed whether documents, e-mails or instant messages.

Choosing a keylogger program depends really on two issues. One is do you have physical access to the computer that you want monitored? Many require physical access but there are some programs that allow you to monitor remotely. The second question to ask prior to purchasing and using a keylogger program is, "What is your purpose for using a keylogger program?" Is it to monitor a family member or employee? Among the many keylogger programs advertised, there are three stand out programs that can assist you if these are your goals.

Three Top Rated Keylogger Programs:

WebWatcher Keylogger
Webwatcher is a favorite that has won many editor's choice awards. The unique feature of WebWatcher is that you do not have to have physical access to computer being monitored. You monitor the computer through the internet and you access the information from a private webs site using your own password. Another unique feature of WebWatcher is that it not only monitors but also offers some controls to limit options of computer users.

What WebWatcher Monitors:

*every keystroke, all typing
*e-mails (in coming & outgoing)
* on line chats
* instant messaging
* tracks every websites visited
*also can take screenshot pictures so you can see graphics, etc.

WebWatcher, the most comprehensive keylogger program available, is $97.00, though they do have some lower price points as well for this powerful keylogger software.

Spector Pro 6.0 is another well-reviewed keylogger program that is consistently described as reliable and easy to use. To use Spector Pro 6.0 you do need to have physical access to the computer being monitored. If that is not a problem, Spector Pro is good choice. Users like the look, organization and user-friendly interface of this one. One of the unique features of Spector Pro is the ability to monitor peer-to-peer activity. For example, music companies are taking illegal downloading very seriously. Illegal downloading can result in criminal charges or lawsuits so many parents want to monitor and stop this activity.

SpectorPro records all of the following:

* all keystrokes
* sent and received e-mails
* many of the most popular instant programs
* website history
* peer to peer activity
* also takes screenshots

Spector Pro is on sale for a one time only price of $99.99

SpyAgent
SpyAgent has a unique angle as well. SpyAgent is for experienced, computer savvy people who want many settings and lots of options. SpyAgent is the most customizable keylogger program available. If you do not have physical access to the computer being monitored, SpyAgent can only access information via e-mail. SpyAgent provides high quality monitoring and also provides some controls such as blocking certain keywords or websites. I

SpyAgent monitors almost everything including:

* all keystrokes typed
* e-mails
* instant messaging
* web site history
* clipboard log
* also takes screenshots so you can see graphics

SpyAgent can be is available for download or purchase for $65.00.

You can also get SpyAgent as a free download through this link

You can also get an unsupported (may cause problems on your computer) free download of KGB Keylogger at http://www.download.com/Free-KGB-Key-Logger/3000-2162_4-10357898.html

It is important to note that keylogger programs are different from antivirus, anti spyware and adware blocker programs. Unlike these programs, it is not monitoring software or programming; it is monitoring keystrokes which in turn can be translated into important information for you as a parent, partner or employer. Also, unlike these other protection programs, it is a one time service fee.

At this point, most basic keylogger programs are yours to use after purchase for as long as you want with no yearly re-purchase fee.

Keylogger programs can provide parents with peace of mind, protect employers from being taken advantage of by employees and settle many character questions for those in relationships. In addition to the programs reviewed here, there are other programs available designed specifically for these purposes as well as others, however, these three keylogger programs rank highest in providing generalized all purpose keylogger monitoring for small business and individuals.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)