Cookies/Hackers

A cookie is a small piece of data saved by your browser on behalf of Neopets.com. It saves your login information so you don't have to log in every time you want to do something on Neopets.com.

A cookie grabber is any browser exploit on another website that allows an attacker to capture your browser cookies. Those cookies contain your login information, and can be used to log into your account from the attacker's computer.

The advice people in the forums give you is usually "delete your cookies!".
That will not make any difference if you've already visited the site with the cookie-grabber. They already have your cookies (which contain your password and deleting them from your system will make absolutely no difference to the scammer, it will only require you to log in again...
Once a cookie has been grabbed you need to change your password and e-mail, log out, then log in again. Deleting your cookies before you visit suspicious pages will help.

Another warning: if you downloaded a program from a neopets related site, or MSN/AIM and opened it, you could also get a virus on your computer which gives the hacker full control over your computer. He can do whatever he wants, like deleting files etc. Or it could be a Trojan Keylogger, which keeps track of everything you type. The scammer will know all your passwords to everything that's active on your computer at that time, within minutes. So never ever download programs, and certainly not from people you don't know (even neofriends can become scammers, cause scammers never use their own accounts). Having a virus scanner on your computer is a pro. Also spyware is a way to get information about your computer, so you also should download Ad-Aware and Spybot to eliminate those

Watch out when you use chat clients such as AIM. A scammer is sending people links asking them to take a look at their 'artwork'. This image link is embedded with a trojan keylogger, so it will start recording everything you type, including your Neopets username and entry code.
Do not accept links or images or direct links from people you don't know via chat clients. This could be very dangerous, cause he doesn't stop at hacking your account, he will then hack into your computer and start deleting files, etc.
Tip: Set your AIM preferences for everything at "Display Approve Dialog" or "Reject."

I have a lot of expensive items in my Gallery, and because of close calls, I'm pretty paranoid. lol

Here’s 6 tips I use to protect myself from Hackers/Scammers.

1) Activate your "PIN" on everything you can! DON'T use your birth date!! People can easily see this info in your user preferences if they get in your account! 

The following steps are a precaution, just in case someone guesses my PIN, or cracks it.

2) I withdraw the max times you can each day from the bank so that if anyone gets in my account, they can’t steal all my nps. I keep some in my till for emergencies. Here's the way I keep my till topped up.  I just put an omelette there and over price it, buy it, then lock up my bank.

3) For my Pet, I adopt, and give away, a pet every day. That way, if someone gets in my account, they can’t give my pet away.

4) Have 2 e-mail addresses, change them back and forth every day. That way if someone scams your account, they can't change the e-mail for 24 hours and you have a chance to get the new password and change it. Don't click on the confirmation e-mail Neopets sends you or it won't work! 

5) I have a window open with my "Profile" up, and a new password ready, that way if I click on an item shop that e-mails my cookies, I can change my info immediately. Then I log out, and log back in. That ends the old "cookie session"  Some people say you don't have to log out, and some say you do. Why take the chance? This happened to a friend of mine.

6) I save my password in a Word document. When I "log in" I copy and paste it, rather than type it. This prevents "Key loggers" from getting it. 

7) I have my PIN sent to me every day, so no one else can. 

These methods give me time to get my account frozen before the Hacker/Scammer can get those things.