Hackers, phishers, viruses, worms…simply having your computer
online can expose your data and personal information to all
kinds of malicious and worrisome problems. If you’re 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!
1. What’s 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.
2. Scrutinize Your Messages – Don’t 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!
3. If it’s From a Friend, it must be Safe, Right? – It’s logical
to assume that a message from your friend or colleague is safe,
but that isn’t 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.
4. 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.
About the author:
This article provided courtesy of http://www.wifi-shoppers-
guide.com