Special Report: Stealing secrets

It's quick and it's convenient: Free wireless internet. You can find it anywhere from your favorite coffee shop to the airport waiting area. But if you aren't careful about logging on, this free service can cost you more than you know.

Michael Oh, Tech Super Powers
"You'd have their name, you'd have their credit card number, their expiration date."

That's because what you think is free WiFi might actually be fake WiFi; a trap set up by a hacker. To show just how easily it could happen to you, 7News teams up with a local computer company and a popular WiFi cafe in Boston. Our hacker creates his own public wireless internet connection.

His trick: he makes his looks almost identical to the cafe's real connection. So, now when you come to the cafe and log on, you end up getting two identical choices ‘newburyopen.net’ and ‘newburyopen.net hacked.’ We've labeled our network ‘hacked’ to let people know what we're doing.

The question is would you be able to tell the difference? And would you enter your private information and then compromise your identity? We showed WiFi users both the real and the fake wireless sign-on sites and they couldn't tell them apart!

Terry O'Loughlin, wireless internet user
"The web page looks exactly the same."

Rachel Howells, wireless internet user
"It looks the same. It says the same thing."

So if you’re unlucky enough to connect through the phony network, the hacker has you!

Michael Oh, Tech Super Powers
"Somebody who's in a wireless cafe with a laptop could pick that information, with the right software and knowledge, out of the air and use that to do whatever they want with your information."

Say, for example, you begin some online shopping on a site that’s not secure, every piece of information you enter is now theirs for the taking! Another trick, Hackers will ask you to pay to use their wireless network, and that means entering a credit card would you fall for it?

Rachel Howells, wireless internet user
"If I was going to be here all day I would probably pay $5 for sure."

As soon as she enters her info it's transmitted right to our hacker.

Michael Oh, Tech Super Powers
"I'm looking at Rachel's name, presumably her credit card number and expiration date on her card."

Hackers will stop at nothing to get your information, so it's up to you to stop them! Always look for a customer service phone number and an email address on the internet provider’s page to confirm it's real. Test out the links on the provider’s page. If you get error messages it could mean you're connected to a hacker. Also check with the cafe before paying for wireless to make sure they really do charge.

Terry O'Loughlin, wireless internet user
"It would make me think twice about logging on to a WiFi hotspot, and not being more careful."

And being careful is key to stopping hackers from stealing your secrets.

And just a further warning, even if you are on the real public WiFi network, you still run the risk of being hacked. So, experts recommend only using encrypted or secure web sites. Also make sure your passwords aren't easy to guess, and that your computer is equipped with virus protection and a firewall.

(Copyright (c) 2007 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)