From phishing scams -- to identity theft -- cybercrime is on the rise. Over the last two years one in five people have been victimized.

Lawrence Robreno is one of those people who knows the misery of having his identity stolen.

"They pretended they were me, calling up, making phone calls with my name, using my credit card, my information," Robreno said.

Like more than a million others in the last year, he had his identity stolen while shopping online.

"They started out small in $15, $25 increments, and they slowly increased. I tallied it up to somewhere close to $25,000," he explains.

Computer expert Dean Gallea cautions to shop only at sites you trust. And it's essential to protect your computer from spy ware, viruses, and spam by installing security software.

Consumer Reports tested security suites costing between $50 and $90. But Dean found free security software that's on par with the best:

  • To fight viruses - AntiVir from free-av.com.
  • To prevent spyware- Windows Defender from microsoft.com.
  • And to stop spam- SpamFighter standard from www.spamfighter.com.

You also want to protect against phishing. Some emails look like they come from banks and other companies, but are actually lures to gain access to your accounts.

"Never click on links in e-mails that go to banks or other sites that have your personal information," advises Dean.

For those who do on line banking make sure you manually type in the bank's website address every time you go there -- don't rely on links, searches, or favorites. When you move into a secure area, look for the web address to change to "https". The "s" indicates secure --and look for the lock symbol.

And for even more protection, experts recommend downloading free anti-phishing software, such as the McAfee Site Advisor, which warns when you go to a dangerous site.

Apple computers are much less likely to be attacked a virus and spyware. But since Macs can transmit infected files to windows PCs even within a home network, you should install an antivirus program on your Mac too.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen