KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly uncovers what these cyber criminals don't want you to know.

Hackers want to keep these secrets to themselves.

"They were selling thousands of dollars of items on my account" - Jeff Slemp, WiFi Hacking Victim

If you don't know what they're doing, it's impossible to protect yourself.

Take a laptop computer into nearly any Northwest coffee shop and you can surf the 'Net in seconds.

"It's incredibly convenient. Wherever you are, you can hop onto the Internet and check your e-mail," said Jacob Casey, a Wi-Fi user.

Wi-Fi access points or 'hotspots' are popping up everywhere. All kinds of businesses are putting them in because they attract customers who like to stay connected. But there's a huge risk that most people don't know about.

"I can see everything you're doing on your Internet connection," said Brett Hiley, a wireless consultant.

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Hiley, a former hacker, is now a consultant who protects people from cyber criminals. The owner of a coffee shop agreed to let Hiley show us how easy it is to spy on people using wireless connections.

Wayne: "Can you see what I'm seeing within seconds?"
Brett: "I can see your at DealTime right now..Shopping.com..Schwab.com."

He can even see my e-mail password.

"I could assume that that password is also your online banking password," said Hiley.

These hackers have figured out how to do much more than monitor your surfing on public hot spots. They've figured out how to clone your computer and assume your online identity.

Here's their new trick:

When you connect to a public hotspot, the wireless router recognizes you by a unique I.D. number in your computer.

When a hacker connects to the router they can see your computer's I.D. number. In fact in seconds, they can actually re-program their own computer with your number. That's all it takes. You've been cloned.

It only took Hiley a few seconds to clone my computer.

"It thinks I'm that user and the wireless network can't differentiate between two wireless computers," said Hiley.

The same thing can happen on your Wi-Fi connection at home. Just ask Jeff Slemp.

"They were selling thousands of dollars of items on my account," said Slemp.

Someone recently hacked into his laptop through his wireless router.

They took over his e-mail and eBay account. Apparently, they were ripping off people all over the world using Jeff's good name.

"I was registered in France and all my settings were in French," said Slemp.

Once he spotted the fraud, it was a real hassle to clear things up.

"I don't see how they could get caught," said Hiley.

Thanks to wireless, hackers can now attack you from anywhere. They might be in a car outside or perhaps they're sitting right next to you in a coffee shop with powerful receivers that can even tap into your wireless signal from several miles away.

"I'm sure we can pick up businesses there in downtown buildings or on Capitol Hill," said Hiley.

Going wireless can be risky and hackers love the fact that most people have no idea what's going on.

To give yourself some protection, enable what's called a firewall on your computer. Most people never turn it on.

Also, create passwords that are difficult to crack. Combining letters, numbers and symbols like question marks and explanation points will give you the best protection.

Finally, don't use your e-mail password for other accounts.

E-mail accounts are not always encrypted. That means the cyberpunks don't have to decode your password. They can see it instantly.