In the current thread on Internet fraud and security, some have warned
of links in email that send you to unintended places.

Just to give you something more to worry about:  Even when you are on
a legitimate web page you can click a button (such as the real Google
search button) and get sent somewhere you didn't want to go.  This
can happen when a "Browser Helper Object" (BHO) gets installed in your
Windows Registry.  Browser Helper Objects are not technically 'viruses';
there are many valid BHOs, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Many spyware/virus detection programs don't detect unwanted BHOs.

A problem arises because BHOs can create a registry entry which sets
'aliases' for any IP address. You may find it alarming that Windows
Internet Explorer checks the registry for an alias before each and
every IP address request!

What this means is that, even though you are on the legitimate web
site (eBay, for example), you still have to check that you are going
where you want with every mouse click.

There is a good program which manages BHOs (finds known suspect BHOs,
monitors for newly installed ones) called BHODemon, available free at
http://www.definitivesolutions.com/

Regards
Jack Perron - HensTooth Discs