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Hackers, phishers, viruses,
wormssimply having your computer online can expose your data and
personal information to all kinds of malicious and worrisome problems.
If youre somewhat new to the 'net' or to computers in general, these
four tips could help protect you from identity theft, credit card
fraud, or a complete computer takeover all of which can happen without
you even knowing about it!
Whats in Your Inbox?
If your e-mail program allows you to
preview the entire message before or while it is being downloaded, turn
this setting off. Some e-mails can contain dangerous code that could
unknowingly compromise your computer and leave you vulnerable to
viruses, worms or worse! Check the options in your e-mail program for a
way to disable the message preview pane.
Scrutinize Your Messages
Dont ever respond to messages claiming
to be from your bank, credit card company, or other financial
institution, which ask for personally identifiable information such as
card or account numbers, passwords, or other private information even
if the e-mail looks to have come from the actual company. It may be a
hoax designed to get you to unknowingly part with crucial financial or
private contact information, leaving you vulnerable to credit card
fraud, identity theft or credit card theft. Contact the institution or
company that claims to be sending the e-mail and verify the contents of
the message with them. Chances are they never sent it. Only use the
number on your statement though, and not the number that appears in the
e-mail message. It may direct you right to the scammer, who will do
everything they can to assure you that nothing is wrong!
If its From a Friend, it must be
Safe, Right?
Its logical to assume that a message
from your friend or colleague is safe, but that isnt always the case!
If you receive an email from a friend or colleague which contains an
attachment (could be a media clip, a screensaver, a picture or anything
else), call them up to check and see if they really did send it. Many
viruses and worms can hijack your computer and blast out a virus-ridden
email to everyone in your address book, making it appear that it came
from you and therefore, making it appear trustworthy.
Read Your Messages in Plain Text
Some e-mails written in HTML (the
coding language that makes up many web pages) can be harmless. Others
can contain malicious code that can hijack your e-mail program,
browser, or your entire computer and send your personal and financial
information out to a hacker or scammer without you even knowing about
it! Stay safe by setting your e-mail program to only show messages in
plain text format (often in the options or settings section of the
software). This will prevent threatening code from installing itself
and compromising your system and private information.
Possibly one of the best ways to
protect your e-mail is simply by exercising common sense. The Internet
is a lot like a crowded plaza. Would your banker or credit card lender
walk out into the middle of the throng of people and shout out to you
to ask for your account information? Would you tell him where everyone
could hear? Definitely not! The same caution should be exercised when
checking your e-mail. These tips can help you stop scammers dead in
their tracks while keeping you from becoming another victim of fraud or
theft.
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Are You an Easy Target?"
- How Serious Is Identity
Theft?
- Are You at Risk?
- How to Prevent Identity Theft
- What to Do if it Happens
- Special Concern: Online
Privacy
- and much more ...
More info! |
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