More than 100 people have been charged with identity theft and other computer-related crimes in a joint investigation by U.S. and Egyptian law-enforcement agencies.

Operation Phish Phry uncovered an international conspiracy that was allegedly using phishing tactics to steal personal information from account holders at American financial institutions. The investigation was conducted on the U.S. end by the FBI, the United States Attorney's Office, and the Electronic Crimes Task Force in Los Angeles.

The indictment charges that cyberthieves located in Egypt used classic phishing tactics to direct victims to phony Web sites, where they entered passwords, account numbers, and other data. That info was used to hack into accounts at two banks. Money was transferred from the compromised accounts to fraudulent accounts created by "runners" recruited by the U.S.-based co-conspirators.

Fifty-three defendants were charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud; 47 more were charged in Egypt.

Remember never to access a financial account online by clicking on a Web link embedded in an e-mail. For more security advice, take a look at our Guide to Online Security. —Donna Tapellini