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How to Protect your E-mail
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.
1howto.com
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