Complaints of fraud have tripled in the past two years, according to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The IFCC' s recent report claimed that Americans are losing more money every year to fraud -- $54 million in 2002, up from $17 million in 2001. You don't want to be a victim.

Follow these 10 tips and enjoy safe surfing and shopping on the Web.

1. Do not assume a credible-looking Web site is credible. Anyone can create a Web site that looks legitimate.



2. An old financial cliche that has been around much longer than the Internet applies to Web deals, too: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.



3. Be cautious of unsolicited e-mails -- many are fraudulent.



4. Be wary of anyone who asks for personal information. Do not give out any information to a person, business or Web site you have not verified with a reputable source.



5. Your Social Security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Do not give it out.



6. Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you and claims to be from a company with whom you have an account like a bank, credit card or phone company. If they ask for information that the business already has, do not give it to them. Call the company independently, using the contact information on your statement or obtained from the official Web site.



7. Do not respond to offers that demand you act immediately or won't take "no" for an answer.



8. Legitimate charitable causes do not need to telephone or e-mail to solicit donations or obtain passwords or Social Security numbers to accept donations. Do not respond to these offers or pleas for help.



9. Do not follow the unsubscribe instructions in unsolicited e-mail. In many cases, it only verifies your e-mail address -- you will get even more junk e-mail.



10. E-mail addresses or Web addresses that have a company name in the address are not necessarily from that company. Go to the official Web site for contact information.