The
Email Trick Test
by ©John Terry
The
email trick test will make sure you're not a victim of vicious
scams. It's about a little knowledge and simple steps you can
take to avoid these criminals.
Three
out of five emails are "SPAM".
It's
not surprising that it annoys us because there's so much of it,
and the content ranges from adverts to porn, begging letters and
scams.
With
regard to emails spam means "unsolicited bulk email"
- Bulk email means sending the same message to many thousands
of people, a favorite with spammers. Someone somewhere will click
on it.
The
email trick test will help you to avoid a very nasty scam called
"Phishing". You might receive an email:
"We
suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure
that your account is not compromised, please click the link below
and confirm your identity."
"During
our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your
information. Please click here to update and verify your information"
They're
trying to get information from you such as credit card details,
bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or
other sensitive information.
Once
they get your personal details, they go for the short term gains
by raiding your bank account and "maxing out" your credit
cards. They can also take out loans in your name. You probably
won't know about it until the loan company's start chasing the
overdue payments.
Legitimate
companies will not ask for personal information by email. Don't
let the style of the email mislead you, it's very easy to copy
bank headers. Don't use any links from these emails as they can
make links look as if they're going to one place, but they're
being redirected to another.
If
you get an email with an attachment and you don't recognize the
sender, don't open it, delete it. Attachments to emails can transfer
a virus; it's often launched when you open the attachment (usually
by double- clicking the attachment icon).
Malware
- software designed to infiltrate or damage computer systems.
Malware commonly includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses,
spyware and adware.
Viruses
- a computer virus behaves in a similar way to a biological virus,
which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. The negative
effect of computer viruses includes uncontrolled self-reproduction,
which can overwhelm your computer. They can erase files and corrupt
the operating system. They can arrive on a floppy disk, from a
download, or an attachment to an e-mail.
Worms:
a self-replicating computer program similar to a computer virus.
A worms self-contained and doesn't need another program to propagate
itself. Worms tend to harm the network and consume bandwidth,
whereas viruses infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer.
Trojan
horses: Trojan horse programs can't operate on their own like
viruses or worms. A Trojan horse, technically a normal computer
program, does not possess the means to spread itself. They will
probably be part of a free game or program.
In
the background it might modify or delete files, change the configuration
of the computer, or even use the computer as a base from which
to attack other computers.
Spyware
– it’s software that gathers information on how you
use your computer, and then transmits the data to another source.
It can also transmit the usernames and passwords you've typed
in online.
Adware
- it's software that displays advertising on your computer. Spyware
and adware are often part of the same program. But when the software
starts silently spying on you, it stops being harmless.
Hackers
/ criminals can run software on your computer, place malicious
code on your hard drive, and even copy exactly what you're typing.
What
You Can Do About It - It's Easy and Essential
First
a few explanations
A
Firewall examines the traffic/data coming into and going out of
a computer, and then either allows or denies this traffic. If
there's no firewall, a personal computer runs the risk of being
hi-jacked within minutes of going on the internet. It becomes
an open door through which anyone or anything can enter.
Anti-virus
- a virus can erase files and corrupt the operating system.
Latest
windows updates - especially those relating to Security
Stop
Spyware - malicious spyware programs that install themselves without
your permission and then sends data silently to another source
without you knowing.
Stop
Unwanted email - a program that sorts out the spam, not essential
for everyone, but you will know when sorting the email takes up
too much of your time.
Regular
backups are absolutely essential, because sometime in the future
you will meet a problem. With a backup you can smile, if there's
no backup you're in real trouble.
Resources
- that cover security issues mentioned in this article:
Online
Security: http://www.firewallguide.com/index.html
Windows free updates: http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate
Anti
Spam - Anti Phishing: http://www.cloudmark.com
Free Spam Blocker: http://www.mailwasher.net
Start with resource number one "Online Security" you
will learn more about the things you need to know, and there's
also quality free software available.
It's
not very exciting checking your security, but it's better than
the emotional stress, or financial loss.
Think
about it - seriously!
