1. Always check the URL before
logging in: Fake login pages are a problem with
any site that hosts sensitive information. Even Craigslist was having this
problem just last month. Tread carefully before you log in.
2. Avoid checking emails at public
places: You never do know what sort of
spyware has been installed on someone else’s machine.
3. Create a secondary email account:
If you absolutely must login to your
email account on a machine other than your own, create a secondary email
account (with different login credentials, of course) and forward a copy of all
emails from your original account to the secondary. This way, if you get
hacked, your original account should remain uncompromised.
4. If you are able, regularly check
the IP of the last login: This is a
nice Gmail feature, and is offered by some other webmail email providers as
well. If you don’t recognize the IP that last logged in to your account –
especially if it comes up often – you may have been hacked.
5. Check for bad filters: If your email service allows custom filters, there is always
the possibility that one of them could be forwarding your messages to someone
else. Regularly check your filters to see if there are any that you don’t
recognize.
6.
Don’t click on suspicious links
7. Choose a strong alphanumeric
password: Some services don’t allow capitals
or special characters in your password – avoid these services if you can. Use
of funky characters is a great way to increase password strength.
