Phishing is a form of identity theft in which a person or group of people attempts to obtain an individual’s personal information by masquerading as a legitimate business.

According to Symantec, reports of phishing not only increased in 2006, but phishers are becoming more creative and sophisticated in their attempts as well. Phishing can be accomplished not only via e-mail, but also through a telephone call, text message, instant message or on a social networking site (such as MySpace).

In today’s digital age, backing up your important electronic files is absolutely crucial. In the event of damage to your computer, backup copies can help restore most or all of your original data.

Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Anything you cannot easily replace should be at the top of your list. Before you get started, make a checklist of files to back up. This will help you determine what to back up, and also give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve a backed up file.