1. Regularly scan your computer for viruses.
I highly recommend using at least two different virus scanning programs to scan your computer on a regular basis (at least once a week.) There are many free antivirus programs out there to choose from. My two favorites at the moment are “Microsoft Security Essentials” and “Avast! Antivirus.” If you run these programs on a regular basis, there is basically nothing that will get past and infect your computer.
2. Don't use same password everywhere.
If you use your favorite password on all of (or most of) your online accounts then all an interested hacker needs to do is find it one time and all of your online information will be open to them. It's best if you have a different password on your WoW account than on your favorite forums, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, or your email account.
3. Never respond to an e-mail asking to confirm your account information.
This should be obvious, however, it seems like many people still fall for this trick. Blizzard will NEVER ask you to confirm your information or fill out any extra forum with your info. None of the Blizzard beta opt-ins require you to fill in your account info. Blizzard already has all your information.
Another way to make sure you don't follow a bad link is to always type in the battle.net url by hand. this way you know you are going to the correct website and not a fake look-alike site.
Here is a quote from a Blizzard GM on this issue:
“Always check the internal routing headers on emails. Those will always show if Blizzard really sent them or not. While it can sometimes be hard to find, all email programs have some facility to show the headers – never EVER just blindly trust the FROM in an email – that is as easy to fake as writing a fake return address on an envelope. “
4. Get a separate e-mail for your WoW account.
If you have a separate email for your World of Warcraft account (that is only used for your WoW account) then you will not receive any spam or scam emails. That way if you get an email that seems to be from blizzard, but it arrives in your normal in-box, then you know it is a fake. You can easily create a new free e-mail in as short a time as 30 seconds. I suggest you use gmail, because it offers the most space and it's the easiest to use. It's also one of the most secure e-mail services.
5. Don't listen to any in-game tell you might receive that wants you to go to a website.
If it's not from a person you know, then you should just ignore any whisper that includes a website name. Following links from unknown players is likely to get you some lovely viruses and keyloggers.
If you are interested in more great World of Warcraft guides then check out our free WoW guides.
