To all those who just started playing eve, here is some advice from a very paranoid, but experienced "carebear".
1)DON'T TRUST ANYONE. EVEN YOURSELF. I cannot stress this one enough. If someone is offering you something that sounds too good to be true, it almost ALWAYS is. Don't be greedy, don't just jump on things, use common sense. Don't give your full API key to anyone, dont tell peopel how much you make trading, mining or missioning. Don't boast about your new CNR fitted with officer mods, and don't tell anyone you just made a billion a week trading. You will regret it. The less people know about you in EVE the better.
2)If you cannot afford to lose your ship and replace it within a reasonable amount of time, don't undock it! Hell, don't even buy it!
3)Never do missions with people that are NOT in your corp, unless these people are your immediate friends in RL. but even then, still don't do missions with them unless they are in your corp.
4)If upon joining a corp, the recruiter tells you to pay an entrance fee, or a donation, do not pay it. Tell him to go f himself. That's how people get scammed.
5)Don't try to join Goons or Red Alliance. They will not take you unless you got connections or you happened to pwn several of them in 0.0 and earned someone's respect which is very unlikely. If you get contacted by soemone offering you to join Goons, RA or another major 'leet' alliance, tell em to go f themselves, because it's probably a scammer that will take your money or even worse, blow up your ship, take your stuff and pod you.
Oh and if you are Russian and you expect RA to take you in just because of that, think again. These fuckers are not Russians. They are... something else.
6)Don't ask people for trading advice, you wont get any aside from some basic hints and tips. If you'll ask for more, you'll get laughed at.
7)Don't ever assume you are safe. You are NEVER safe in EVE. Even in 1.0 empire space you can, and will get ganked, however unlikely it may seem. Try not to go afk unless docked. If you want to go afk in space, warp to a safespot and cloak. This is especially true for traders. ALWAYS warp to zero meters. Yes, I know I am being paranoid, and yes, there is a good reason for that.
8)Go into your autopilot options and select the "prefer safer" option. Never go to low sec or 0.0 unless you got money to waste or you know what you are doing. Never mine in a jetcan unless you are mining with a hauler.
9)IMHO, EVE is a very complicated and sophisticated game that can sometimes play with one's emotions and even point out your weaknesses in RL! But... Please remember that it is still just a game, so if you ever get scammed or griefed in any way that makes you hate the whole world and even yourself, take a break. Cool down. Then come back when you feel calm. You'll save yourself a lot of heartache.
Total money lost by me in assets, due to stupid mistakes, and otherwise:
Around 460 million isk.