You need to be careful about downloading free software on the web, because this is a “method of choice” for cyber thieves who want to infect your PC with dangerous “identity-stealing” spyware. Free spyware scans and free security scans are also a popular method of infection used by unscrupulous individuals.

Fortunately, there are some legitimate places to get a free spyware scan. These legitimate websites are the “official” websites of leading internet security companies. This is the only place you should ever go for a free spyware scan.

Since most people don’t use anti-spyware software, most people don’t realize that their computer could be acting as a “messenger” to deliver personal information to cyber-criminals. Spyware is installed almost instantly, and always secretly. Most older versions of antivirus software will not detect spyware, and even the latest and greatest antivirus or anti-spyware software won’t protect you if you haven’t kept it up to date.

If you’re not sure whether or not your internet security software is protecting you, or if you just want to check to see if your computer has any spyware on it – it’s a good idea to get a free spyware scan. A free spyware scan can also serve as a “second opinion” if you are currently using antispyware software. Since spyware is very sneaky and also very prevalent (new versions of spyware are introduced onto the internet on a daily basis), it makes sense to “double-check” your anti-spyware software’s performance by scanning your computer with another vendor’s product from time to time.

So how do you tell whether a free anti-spyware scan is legit or not? It can be difficult, especially if you aren’t familiar with the leading security software vendors. Some “big names” you can trust in internet security software are Computer Associates (also known as CA), Panda Software, McAfee, Symantec, Kaspersky, Bit Defender and AVG just to name a few. Each specializes in computer security products, but not all offer a free computer scan.

There are some excellent lesser known internet security companies that specialize in anti spyware products. Some examples of good antispyware software from the smaller vendors are X-Cleaner, Spycatcher, Spyware Nuker, Spyware Doctor and SpyCop. These are all great products that will detect and remove spyware on your PC. Not all of these companies offer a free spyware scan either, but a few do.

Before downloading any free spyware scanning software or allowing your computer to be scanned automatically by a website offering a free spyware scan, you should always check to see if it is legitimate. A good resource for this is Spyware Warrior. This is a respected website that specializes in testing and tracking all of the most popular anti-spyware products on the market. If there is an antispyware product you are interested in, or a free spyware scan you want to try – check here first to make sure the product is not on the Rogue/Suspect AntiSpyware list.

I have created a web page that points to some great free and legitimate spyware scanning resources. It is on my website “Antivirus, Firewall and Spyware Resources”, and is called Free Online Spyware Scan.