Among the side effects of the recession of 2009 are signs that cyberthieves are doing a booming business playing on our financial fears. You’ve probably noticed suspicious online job-search services, foreclosure scams, and false promises for your piece of the stimulus pie.

The dangers go beyond recession-based scams to encompass online shopping, social networking, and more. We just posted a new report from our June issue that not only provides detailed warnings about the scams you must avoid, but also offers Ratings of the best security software [LINK; subscribers only] and other steps you can take to protect yourself.

We’re estimating that consumers lost $8 billion to cybercrime last year, based on the 2009 Consumer Reports State of the Net survey. Check out Boom Time for Cybercrime, and learn how to protect your hard-earned cash from the same fate. —Donna Tapellini