It depends on how much access to the computer you get when you are on the computer.  If you can get to the run prompt....  type msconfig and see if there is any backdoors/keyloggers on it, if there is don't use it.  But it depends on how much access you get.

Also, if I were you... I would delete all cookies that are saved once you are done.  Sometimes, they save information you would not want someone else to get.

Other than that, you really don't know.  I don't like using public computers and don't have a reason to do so... So I don't.

what I do is I change my passwords on sites I visited when I get home so that way no one can steal my information.

July 3, 2005
The Ottawa Citizen
Money, Section D
By: Kelli B. Grant
Title: There's more than a grain of truth in many money myths

NEW YORK ° "Forward this to everyone you know!"

It's a common-enough tag line for chain letters and other e-mail that makes the rounds. Some of these missives are meant to amuse or inspire; some are simply junk. A few warn of dangerous traps for the consumer, from HIV-infected needles at gas station pumps to new scams designed to steal credit card information.

The bulk of this information is urban legend: It always happens to a friend of a friend of the e-mail sender and is rarely traceable.

"You just can't believe everything you read," says Jordana Beebe, communications director for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non-profit consumer advocate for privacy protection. "People today are more sensitive to the possibility of using e-mail to manipulate others."

But sometimes even the strangest claims have a grain of truth. We asked some prominent identity theft experts to dissect common e-mail "warnings" and separate the myth from the fact.

*

Story: A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. He came back and saw the locker open - though he was sure he had locked it. He flipped through his wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked OK - no money or credit cards were missing. A few weeks later, his credit card bill came - a whopping $14,000! Customer service personnel asked if his card had been stolen. He said no, but then checked his wallet. Sure enough, one of his credit cards had been swapped with a similar (but experienced) card from the same bank.

Verdict: Unlikely. "Frankly, if someone has access to your wallet, they're just going to take your credit card and use it, " says Ms. Beebe. The theft could also simply write down your credit card number and expiration date, and then replace the card. After all, you don't need the physical card for shopping online or over the telephone.

Pulling off a swap would be difficult in this case, says Maxine Sweet, vice-president of education for credit service Experian.

"The criminal would have to have an inventory of card today, including many that have personal photographs on them, the theft would have a long wait. "It's just not an efficient way to be a criminal," says Betsy Broder, assistant director for planning and information at the Federal Trade Commission.

If you have a good reason to believe your personal information has been accessed - in this case, a secure locket found open - monitor your credit card and bank accounts closely. Check your monthly statements and follow up with your credit card company if there is any suspicious activity.

*

Story: A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress folded the receipt and passed back his credit card. Usually, he would just put it in his wallet, but he took a quick look and realized it was the expired card of another person, not his credit card at all. The waitress apologized and brought the card back to the cashier. She simply waved it at him, and he immediately took out the real card. No exchange of words, nothing!

Verdict: Very feasible. So says identity theft expert Frank Abagnale, the former confidence man made famous in the book and movie Catch Me If You Can. Usually this scam works because you are focused on the bill. "You sign the receipt and don't really look at the card," he says.

This scenario is also more likely than a swap in your wallet because the thieves have ample time to make the swap, and constant access tot he credit cards.

"Always look at your card and make sure it's your card you're getting back," Mr. Abagnale says. "If you're not really looking, you might get someone else's card back." The swap is easier with bank cards, which tend to have fewer types of designs.

'What I did 40 years ago is today 40,000 times easier to do because the technology is readily available.'

FRANK ABAGNALE
Former con man and subject of movie

You can go a step further and take your card to the register yourself, rather than hand it to a waiter, says Nicole Lowe, a credit-education specialist for TrueCredit.com. "You're probably going to get some strange looks, but better safe than sorry," she says.

*

Story: I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order I had called in. I paid with my debit card. The young man behind the counter took my card and placed it on the counter wh