When you receive an email from an online service or business partner that you are not expecting, proceed with caution.

For example, if you receive an email from eBay stating that you have just won an online auction, there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself.

• Are you a member of eBay? (This goes for online banking as well. If you receive an email from a bank you do not have an account with, do not click any links)
• Did you bid on any auctions recently? (If you did not bid, you cannot have won)
• Is your eBay account linked to this email? (ie. Email received at work email, eBay account is actually linked to personal email address.)

This does not apply to eBay alone. The bad guys can use any online service such as banking, shopping and social networking to try and trick you.

Remember to Stop, Look, and Think before clicking on any email links.

When in doubt, open a web browser and visit the company website of the person who sent you the email. From there you can log in to your account to verify any activity that has taken place.