It's National Consumer Protection Week, and one of the things you need protection from is the dark web. Once your information is on there, there's no telling who can access it and use it against you. Here's what you should know about the dark web: It's basically a hidden area of the internet. You can't just stumble into it – you need a special browser for that. And it's where scammers and thieves often hide out. Once your information – like your email and passwords – is on the dark web, you can't take them off. You also can't always prevent your information from being on the dark web. But you can keep your information safe if and when it does happen. Sign up for tools that monitor the dark web, and they will notify you if your information appears there. Anything from your email address to your passwords to your social security number. If you sign up for accounts with Experian or Norton's LifeLock, there are dark web monitoring features. Gmail also has one. You just go to "manage your account" – click on "Security" and scroll down to "See if your email address is on the dark web." If you've already turned this feature on, it will say "Dark Web Report."What should you do if you find your information on the dark web?Change all of your passwords and make sure each one is different for every account. Set up multi-factor authentication for your email. Be extra careful when checking your email. Once your email is out there, you could see an increase in phishing emails…where the scammer tries to get you to click on a malicious link. Make sure you’re hovering over the link to see that the web address is secure with "https" in front of it and that it’s going to a legitimate website. Sign up for credit monitoring with the Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion for extra safety.**Have a question for Jeff Rossen? He's answering your consumer questions every Friday in the new segment "Rossen Responds." Email your questions to him at RossenResponds@hearst.com.**