Clark was recently disturbed to learn that your personal info can float out in cyberspace long after you think it has been removed. This is because of caching issues.

Search engines send spiders out across the web to find info that's stored on servers all over the world. Then they present that info to you during a web search.

But the spiders only crawl certain parts of the web every few days or weeks. So info can be stored or "cached" in cyberspace even after it's gone from the original server. In most cases, there will be a lag before it disappears completely.

When it comes to browser security, Clark uses a free tool available at Finjan.com. It prevents him from going to mistyped addresses where danger may lurk, and it goes beyond just looking at URLs to look at the actual code on a page.

Meanwhile, here's one low-tech suggestion to beat keyloggers. A keylogger is a program that gets secretly installed on your computer when you visit bogus websites. It can be used to track every keystroke you make and steal valuable passwords.

This trick involves typing passwords out of order or adding extra characters that you goes back and erases before logging on. Say for example your password is "jane." Instead of typing "j-a-n-e," try typing something like "j-a-x-n-x-e." Then go back and manually erase the extra characters (the x's) using your mouse, not the keyboard, and you just may trick someone who may be remotely monitoring your keystrokes!

Syndicated financial writer Kathleen Pender has calculated that 65 million Americans are paying for credit monitoring or fraud alert services right now. That's about 1 in 4 adults!

These "services" can cost you from $6 to $15 per month. They're marketed very effectively on radio, TV and the Internet and try to play on your fear.

But the real problem is that fraud alerts are routinely ignored. And with credit monitoring, you'll only learn after the fact if unauthorized lines of credit are opened in your name.

In reality, there's only one effective way to prevent criminals from using your credit to make purchases. It's called a credit freeze and Clark has prepared a guide to help you navigate the process of applying for one.

With a credit freeze, you shut down a criminal's ability to do anything with your info -- even if it should be compromised. That's because you get a secret code that only you know.

The one-time cost of a credit freeze varies by state from free to $10 per credit bureau. Compare that to a monthly fee for monitoring or reporting! Should you have to apply for new credit, you'll need to "thaw" your records. Again, the cost will be from zero to $10 per bureau.

Many talk-show hosts are currently doing spots for one popular credit monitoring/fraud alert service called LifeLock. While this is a legitimate company, Clark wants to emphasize that you shouldn't waste your money.

Our senior producer Kim froze her credit with all 3 bureaus. She used the info contained in Clark's guide and found the whole process only took her about an hour. It's all been very painless so far; she didn't even need to thaw her credit when she opened a new checking account or switched her auto insurance.

RIP-OFF ALERT: Clark recently spoke about protecting yourself online against cyber-criminals. Now technology columnist Walt Mossberg has compiled a handy list that reinforces the message. Below are some excerpts:

• Never click on a link in an e-mail that appears to be from your bank, credit union or brokerage. Call the company if you are in doubt.
• Don't click on links in an e-mail offering free goods or services.
• Never download free software from unknown websites.
• Don't download video drivers from sites other than Microsoft, Adobe or Apple.

Clark also wants to add that you should be using a browser like Firefox, which is safer than Internet Explorer. Please note that it's OK to download new security patches from Firefox.

People have been asking Clark about that website he recently discussed that blocks suspect sites from loading in your browser. It's HauteSecure.com.

Finally, Mossberg also recommends a free service from McAfee called Site Advisor that alerts you when a web address could be dangerous.

If you've ever seen or heard a LifeLock ad, you know that CEO Todd Davis proudly announces his Social Security number – essentially challenging thieves to steal his identity.

Clark is often asked about whether or not Davis' company offers a legitimate service. First off, yes, LifeLock is a legitimate company. However, Clark doesn't believe they're very effective at protecting your identity. Now the CEO is being sued in Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia by customers who say his service doesn't work.

LifeLock's business model is based on repeatedly putting fraud alerts on your credit files. These alerts are meant to raise a flag to potential creditors so they carefully verify an applicant's identity. Too often, however, the alerts are ignored and credit is extended anyway to thieves using your name.

The truth is there's no perfect way to prevent ID theft. In the event of a theft, the banks and credit-card companies know it's cheaper to deal with write-offs after the fact than to institute industry-wide practices to end the threat before it begins.

So what's the best available solution? Do a credit freeze. This will shut a criminal down cold when it comes to applying for credit in your name. They can still take a card from your wallet and charge it up, though. But that's the least harmful crime in this arena.

Credit freezes are not a panacea and can be somewhat of hassle to establish. That's why Clark has compiled his credit freeze guide to help you through the process. When you do want to use credit again, "thawing" your records can take from a few minutes to a few days, depending on your state of residence.

The latest Internet Security Threat Report shows that the value of stolen info has declined as the crime of ID theft spikes. Who knew that supply and demand even drove prices in the criminal underworld?!

A stolen credit card number now nets a measly 40 cents! That sum used to be at least several dollars higher. Your bank account number now goes for about $10. And get this -- your entire identity (credit card number, Social Security number, name, address and date of birth) now goes for just $2! Stolen info is that prevalent; in just the first 90 days of 2008, more than 8 million people had their data breached.

Business owners face an added burden when it comes to certain kinds of ID theft. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, they may be held partly or totally responsible if their own credit card or business checking account number is used for phony charges. Consumers would be protected under the same circumstances, but not so with businesses. So it's imperative to keep your check book locked up at the office if you're a business owner.

For consumers, be sure to monitor your credit card statements closely. You have 60 days to dispute any fraudulent charges. And consider freezing your credit. It's the best preventative medicine you can take.

Both sides of the aisle are advocating the idea of a gas tax holiday this summer. Yet Clark thinks this is one of the craziest economic ideas he's heard recently. We're all hurting as we watch the dollars fly and the gallons crawl at the pump. But the gas tax holiday is a recipe for financial disaster. It would increase demand and ultimately drive up prices.

Brazil is one country that's made some smart decisions in the energy realm. The South American nation was even more dependent on foreign oil than we were during the last energy crisis in 1979. So they embarked on a program of energy independence using sugar. Our Brazilian allies now provide for 100% of their energy needs and can export additional sugar as well.

Sugar produces a fuel that's more efficient than the corn-based ethanol we use. So why aren't we getting Brazil's exports? Domestic sugar producers have gotten Congress to put up trade barriers to keep it out of the marketplace. Meanwhile, our farmers have turned to growing their corn crop for fuel use, not for food. That, of course, further drives up the price of food!

We continue to use foreign oil from those who want to destroy us, instead of using sugar from our allies in Brazil. It makes no sense to Clark.

RIP-OFF ALERT: The Berkeley Center for Law and Technology analyzed corporate America to see which companies have the highest incidence of ID theft. The No. 1 company? Bank of America. BoA is the nation's second largest bank. (If you look at the numbers based on total customer base, BoA then actually comes in second behind HSBC). AT&T occupies the second slot, followed by Sprint (No. 3), JPMorgan Chase (No. 4) and Capital One (No. 5). Think about it: 3 of the first 5 are banks, which is understandable. But why are two phone companies way up there? The reason is because they do a credit check when you apply for phone service, and open yourself up as a potential target when they get your info. In the No. 6 spot, we have Citibank. As the nation's largest bank, Citibank has one-third less incidences of ID theft than the smaller BoA! Verizon, American Express, Washington Mutual and Wells-Fargo all round out the top ten. View the complete list online at the Berkeley site.

Now the inevitable question: Why do these institutions have high rates of ID theft? Clark speculates that it must have to do with the way they internally handle your information. Interestingly, the bank with the lowest incidence of ID theft is ING Direct. You would think they'd be up at the top of the list since they're Internet only. But being a newer bank, they've been dealing with outsmarting ID thieves since they launched. It's much tougher for a legacy financial institution to retroactively patch good protection into systems that were built decades ago. ID theft has not grown significantly -- it still happens to about 10 million people a year -- but it's still a major issue. Finally, from the "no they didn't!" category, the New York City Department of Finance sent tax forms to 1000s that showed people's Social Security numbers through the envelope. C'mon people, this is 2008! Get with the program.

The latest figures show that ID theft continues to grow at an alarming pace. The feds report that 8.5 million people had their identity stolen last year. But other private industry reports put that number between 12-15 million last year. ID theft can range from a minor aggravation to a full-on tragedy. In the latter category, Clark has heard numerous stories over the years of ID theft taking place within families. There are instances where a father will steal the ID of a son, or a mother of a daughter.

So what can you do about ID theft? Try freezing your credit file. Credit freezes are now available in all 50 states from all 3 credit-reporting bureaus. See our credit freeze guide if you're having trouble navigating the often-confusing application process. Credit freezes shut down ID thieves cold. A "perk" is that you also shut down your ability to make an impulse purchase with a new line of credit! You'll pay a nominal fee to do a credit freeze or thaw. But the cost will be nothing compared to the hassle you could have if you leave yourself unprotected. A cautionary tale comes to us from Britain, where the government recently lost the data files of 25 million people in one fell swoop. Now criminals have all the info they need to wreak havoc. The British prime minister is understandably facing a firestorm of protest.

Earlier this week, Clark told you about a security breach at Monster.com where hackers stole the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of 1.3 million people. There have been so many breaches over the years that we're almost numb to news about them. But now there's reason to believe that the Monster breach could affect more than just a million people. Nobody knows the exact number -- it's just larger than previously thought. So if you've ever posted your information on Monster.com, you need to be aware that criminals are calling people up and pretending to be potential employers or banks to get additional personal information. Once they get your additional info, they have all they need to take your identity or empty your bank account. You should only divulge sensitive information in person at a potential place of employment or a bank. The web is too anonymous and dangerous of a place to share your info via e-mail.

Job seekers who entered their information in the Monster.com database may be at risk of identity theft following a massive security breach at the company. Identity thieves managed to steal the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of 1.3 million people. So beware if someone claiming to be an employer calls or e-mails asking to screen you as a potential employee. If they're an identity thief targeting you, they may ask you to divulge your social security number, mother's maiden name or place of birth. These are some of the remaining key pieces of info they'd need to steal your identity. If you think you've already been targeted or may be in the future, you're best option is to do a credit freeze. Consumersunion.org offers a comprehensive list of states that have credit freeze laws on the books. If you're already a victim, it's free to do a credit freeze. But you may have to pay some nuisance fees if you just want to do a freeze as a preventative measure. Right now 10 million people have their identity stolen each year. So why is there no national credit freeze law? The problem is that Congress is in cahoots with bank lobbyists who want to repel all freeze laws -- even those on the state level. We'll keep you posted...

If you have kids, you probably know that Facebook is big among teens. This social networking site is becoming one of the main ways that young people communicate with each other online. But the problem is that if you want to use Facebook, you have to list info about yourself on a public page. This makes you a target for identity theft. A recent study found that nearly 50 percent of Facebook users put enough info -- things like birth date, hometown, family information and more -- to aid ID thieves. Kids don't understand the risks inherent in using some of this new social networking technology. It should be up to parents to educate themselves so they can have an intelligent discussion with their kids about the issue. Clark advises parents to sign up for their own accounts and figure out how these things work so they can safeguard their kids.

For the 7th consecutive year, identity theft is the No. 1 complaint filed with the federal government. In fact, it accounts for almost 40 percent of all complaints made today. It happens for all kinds of reasons, including local governments putting your social security number on Web sites. There is a lot of focus on industry being sloppy with our numbers, but government is just as guilty. In Texas, the state’s Attorney General has made it a crime for any government agency or individual to post this information. Even if it’s done inadvertently, that government worker can be charged with a crime. There is a site that allows you to see if your social security number has been compromised. It is called stolenidsearch.com. The site tries to push other ID theft prevention software that costs money, but don’t buy into those. Just enter your number and read what it says. So, where are you at the greatest risk to have your identity stolen? Based on per capita, the Top 10 in reverse order are Springfield, Ill.; 9 - Dallas; 8 – Portland, OR; 7 -Phoenix ; 6 – Atlanta; 5 – Greenville, MS; 4 – Little Rock, Ark.; 3 – Los Angeles; and 2 – Detroit. The city where it is most likely to happen is New York City. Just because someone asks for your social security number, doesn’t mean you have to give it.

What are the chances that you will become the victim of identity theft? Well, about 10 million people had their identities stolen last year. The sad news is that solutions are there; we just don’t know about them. Financial institutions that could promote awareness and implement protection programs simply haven’t. Having the ability to freeze your credit is one of the most important steps once ID theft has occurred. Right now, just a handful of states allow you to do that. California, Vermont, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Washington and Maine have credit freezing laws. In California, you can even do a proactive freeze. You have to go through a lot of work to unfreeze your credit, but some people are willing to do it. There are varying degrees of identity theft and some are harder to clear up than others. Nationwide Mutual Insurance found that one in three people are unable to get their good names back once it’s happened. So what can you do? Don’t carry a checkbook, buy a shredder and “opt out” of credit card pre-approvals are three of the best ways to prevent it. Just call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT to stop pre-approvals. You will have to give your social security number and that is fine. Lastly, you want to get a copy of your credit report at least once a year. It’s free now, so just go to annualcredit report.com.

The Wall Street Journal has a Page 1 story about how several companies have leaked personal and financial information of some it’s most wealthy clients. It’s sitting there for public consumption because of the carelessness of several companies, including Bank of America, U.S. Banc Corp, AmSouth, City National Bank of Los Angeles and Dreyfuss. The Wall Street Journal contacted these companies and Bank of America claims it is committed to doing something about this. Dreyfuss officials said they are “re-evaluating” how information is processed at the company. But, really, what can BOA do? It’s also creating a crisis in public confidence. Apparently, people are getting more gunshy about buying things on the Web, which can seriously harm our economy. We need privacy rights legislation in the United States and the way to accomplish that is to take political action. We need clear laws about how our personal information can be collected and used, and Congress needs to establish a law detailing exactly that. So what can you do to help? We need to write our representatives and tell them exactly what we need. So Clark is crafting a letter you can send that will get their attention. We will let you know when it is ready. Identity theft didn’t exist until these databases started forming, and the organizations that collect our information are responsible for letting it get out of hand. We have some cowboy capitalism going on and we need a new sheriff in town.

Identity theft has become huge, as we all know. But how and why does it occur? Many people think that identity theft occurs because of what we do online. But just slightly more than 10 percent happens online. Almost all of it occurs when someone steals your checkbook, your wallet or your mail. The Internet actually helps in reducing ID theft, according to the Better Business Bureau. Monitoring your checkbook and credit card status online is a huge deterrent to identity theft because people find things quickly and can report them right away. So, if you still have a checkbook and you refuse to part with it, keep it at home and know where it is at all times. This is especially important for businesses, which are expected to keep a higher standard of security when it comes to securing checks. Businesses have liability for checks written that are stolen. So, keep very good track of your checks if you own a business.

Identity theft has reached an all time low. Criminals recently stole the identity of a 5-month old, according to recent news reports. Apparently, the five-month old was able to drive himself to the doctor’s office, get treatment and buy medicines. The child’s parents received the bill, and quickly sent a letter back to the doctor’s office explaining the situation. Nothing was done about the mistake for a while, and the doctor’s office even planned to turn it over to a collections agency. Now, with all of the media attention, the authorities have investigated the matter and they have a suspect. Turns out the child’s identity was stolen when he was just 21 days old. So, it could have been someone working in the hospital or dealing with the child’s records. ID theft has become so active that anyone is at risk. Be skeptical and be careful with your documents. Shred anything you don’t keep inside your files. And don’t give out your social security number ever!