Introduction

Reports of rampant Internet fraud and identity theft have led many to conclude that the convenience of online banking and shopping isn't worth the risk.  That would be the wrong conclusion.

The beauty of online accounts is that you can monitor them almost in real time. That means you can catch crooks long before a statement arrives in the mail.  In fact, a study by Javelin Strategy & Research found that the average time to detect fraud was 18 days for people who monitor their accounts online. For paper users: 114 days. And you thought cyberspace was risky.

The majority of ID theft occurs outside cyberspace. Banks, credit unions, credit-card issuers and online retailers are rolling out more effective security features.  And there's plenty you can do on your own to build a Star Wars-worthy force field around your personal data.