Have you ever received an email to say you have won a lottery you never entered? Or perhaps it contained a link to a website asking you to enter your personal details? In order to protect yourself from becoming a victim of online fraud, it is important to make sure you're aware of the four most common types.

Spoof websites and email security alerts
Fraudsters create authentic looking, but false or "spoof" websites. Their purpose is to tempt users to enter personal information. This information will be re-used to try and access your bank accounts. Fraudsters are increasingly turning to email to generate traffic to these websites.

If you ever get an email containing an embedded link, and a request for you to enter secret details, treat it as suspicious. Do not input any sensitive information that might help provide access to your accounts, even if the page appears legitimate. No reputable company ever sends emails of this type.

Advance fee or "419 fraud"
These are unsolicited letters and emails offering the recipient a generous reward for helping to move a staggeringly large balance of funds, usually in US dollars. These funds claim to be anything from corporate profits, accumulated bribes and unspent government funds to unclaimed funds from a deceased person.

The fraudsters are after banking details. The transactions typically require the recipient to pay something like a fee, tax or bribe to complete the deal - this is the advance fee. Such fees will be lost.

Lottery fraud
These are letters or emails that advise the recipient they have won a prize in a lottery. To obtain the funds the recipient has to reply. A request will then be made for bank details to allow for funds to be transferred. They may also ask for a handling or processing fee. This fee, if paid, will be lost. Also any details given will probably be used in other frauds.

Virus hoax emails
It is a sad fact of life that there are those who enjoy exploiting the concerns of others. Many emailed warnings about viruses are hoaxes, designed purely to cause concern and disrupt businesses.

Such warnings may be genuine, so don't take them lightly, but always check the story out by visiting an anti-virus site, such as McAfee, Sophos or Symantec, before taking any action, including forwarding them to friends and colleagues.

The golden rules
As well as staying vigilant, there are five golden rules that will greatly increase your PC's protection, not just when you use our Internet banking services but when you use the Internet generally. Find out more about these, and a range of other resources, in our online security section.

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