Internet safety starts at home, and while you may have a hacker-proof password, keep your firewall locked and loaded, and otherwise stay diligent to online scams, the truth is — sometimes spam, phishing, and fraudulent activity can slip through the cracks. If you suspect you've received illegal spam or phishing emails, or think you may be a victim of Internet fraud (by shopping online, or giving your info to a fake source), there are ways to report it so you can keep hackers and malicious thieves offline. Check out the resources below, as suggested by the US Government:

Hacking or a computer virus

If you suspect you've become a victim of hacking or have had a computer virus installed on your machine, you can report the incident to your Internet service provider (like Comcast or AT&T) or directly to the FBI.

Internet fraud

If you've been shopping online and think that you've been scammed, have had your identity stolen, or notice fraudulent activity, you can report the offender to the FTC for investigation, then check out the FTC's resource for what to do next and how to protect yourself.

Spam or phishing emails

If you suspect you've received spam or phishing emails (that are trying to scam you for private information like log-ins and passwords), forward them directly to the FTC's database for spam with the full header information, or send to the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

While most social networks offer enhanced privacy settings, which will allow you to keep your profiles private, there are a handful of things you can do to make your accounts less accessible and susceptible to searches made by your new guy's ex or an old friend you don't want to have to ignore online. Check out these tips on staying private online.

• Create an Alternate Email Address For Account Sign-Up — If you don't want to be found, sign up for your social networking sites — from Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter — with a secondary or alternate email address so when people search for you based on the email in their contact list, they don't find you immediately. This will allow you more control of who can see your profiles. If your accounts are already set up, change the default email to a new one to prevent any new snoops. You may also consider using one email account when you sign up for sites in an effort to keep your social networking organized.
• Disable All GPS/Locator Apps and Settings — Don't want people to know you're tweeting from the coffee shop around the corner from your ex's at 9 a.m., on Sunday? Don't tweet with your location enabled, and don't sign up for Google Latitude, which will allow friends insight into your locale.
• Go Invisible or Block and Group People You Don't Want to Talk To — Don't want to see your boss on Gchat every time you sign on, or don't want your ex's ex to be able to see your Facebook profile? Play with your settings! AIM, Gchat, and any major chat client will allow you to make yourself invisible or block a specific list of people. Check out Facebook's guide to blocking people for support. You can also use friend lists on Facebook to control how much certain or all friends see.

See the rest of the tips after the break.

June is Internet Safety Month, and while we've given you some tips on how to stay happy and secure online, sometimes it's good to hear some straight talk about the dangers of the Internet.

June is Internet Safety Month, so for the next few weeks we'll be giving you tips and advice on how to stay safe online.

Some Internet users browse the web totally unaware of the dangers that are lurking right around the corner. I don't want to strike fear in your geeky little hearts, but the truth is — you need to know how to protect yourself from hackers and evildoers. Your first line of defense against web danger (besides common sense) is your firewall. But what exactly is a firewall? Find out below!

What is a firewall?
A firewall is a barrier between you and the Internet at large that filters information that your computer can receive. Companies usually have firewalls in place to keep certain kinds of websites, people, and information from being accessed from outside their networks, keeping sensitive info safe, and you focused on the job. Your home computer and/or modem can have a firewall built-in as well, acting as the gateway to your home network and the Internet.

Find out why you need a firewall after the jump.