Spot These 10 Scams Before They Ruin Your Retirement

Internet fraud

Cyber thieves use realistic pop-ups to warn you that your computer has been compromised. If you click, you’ll be urged to purchase fake anti-virus software.

Also beware of what are called phishing emails, which look just like alerts from your bank, credit card company, energy provider or favorite online retailer. Most phishing emails ask you to follow a link and update your account information — for the scammers.

Or, you may get emails that appear to be from the IRS demanding back taxes. Phishing emails tend to look alarming. Misspelled words, capital letters and excessive use of punctuation are common. Simply delete them.

You can pinpoint the source of a link by hovering your mouse arrow over it without clicking on it. If it’s phony, it will contain an unfamiliar name or look like gobbledygook. Just trash the email.