BEWARE of public computers!!!

Not long ago the motel I was staying at had a desktop computer in the lobby for guests' use. I was in Branson, MO., and was using it to check football scores. I wanted to check my email at my hometown internet provider's website, but stopped short. Too risky.

Why?

A little program called key-loggers. Hackers secretly install them on public computers everywhere. What do key-loggers do? They record every keystroke on a PC. That means your user name and password! Hackers then gather up a key-logger's data and easily find them and use them.

Recently, news reports described the exact same thing was used to get the user names and passwords to online brokerage accounts. Investors would log into their brokerage accounts from public computers such as those in airports while waiting for their flights. You can guess what happened to the brokerage accounts, and it wasn't pretty!

I'm always ranting about computer and internet security, so please add this bit of advice to your brain.

DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE log into online accounts of ANY kind from a public computer. Don't take the risk that it may be logging your every keystroke.

This means those innocent looking banks of computers in your library, or in the lobby of the motel you're staying at, or in that airport while you're waiting out your flight.

Protect yourself, stay safe and DON'T DO IT!!!