Be Careful With Email
18/04/10 21:27
It goes without saying that email has replaced many
forms of communication, and has also made it easier
for people to steal information. Many times, we
blindly open emails without checking to see who
really sent it, or if the email might be fake. Often
times, banks sites, social networking, and other
everyday use websites become targets of “phishing
attacks”. Sadly, we aren’t talking about the get in
the boat and go fishing attacks either. We are
talking about emails that are purposely created to
get you to send false information to a third party
while looking authentic. Many times, you don’t even
know it has happened until it is too late. Follow
these few simple guidelines and you will be able to
stay safer online:
If an email sounds fishy, follow their instructions but manually go to the website (eg: You get an email from XYZ Bank asking you to update your information through a link in the message. If it seems odd, open your internet browser and manually go to https://www.xyzbank.com and update it there. It is VERY rare for a company to ask you to change a password or email or anything from a email.)
Attachements are still a target. If you get a message from a package carrier that seems odd ( we see a lot of UPS scam emails ) that ask you to print out a form, and you haven’t mailed anything - this might be a sign that you are being Phished!
When in doubt - delete the message or call the sender. Don’t be afraid to challenge the authenticity of a website or email message. Being your own advocate can often prevent issues. As always, keep your anti-spam and anti-virus software up to date, as well as your keen sense of when something just doesn’t sound right!
If an email sounds fishy, follow their instructions but manually go to the website (eg: You get an email from XYZ Bank asking you to update your information through a link in the message. If it seems odd, open your internet browser and manually go to https://www.xyzbank.com and update it there. It is VERY rare for a company to ask you to change a password or email or anything from a email.)
Attachements are still a target. If you get a message from a package carrier that seems odd ( we see a lot of UPS scam emails ) that ask you to print out a form, and you haven’t mailed anything - this might be a sign that you are being Phished!
When in doubt - delete the message or call the sender. Don’t be afraid to challenge the authenticity of a website or email message. Being your own advocate can often prevent issues. As always, keep your anti-spam and anti-virus software up to date, as well as your keen sense of when something just doesn’t sound right!