This holiday season is ripe for a lot of spam, online scams, viruses, malware and ransomware. All can be at the least annoying and at best extremely costly.
Here are some tips I use to stay safe when online:
•Do not click to open attached files in your email that come from unknown senders. Files with extensions .zip, .pdf, .exe should be a red flag. Also, even if sender appears to be known, i.e. Chase Bank, UPS, that doesn’t mean it is from Chase bank or UPS. A known sender means a friend you have emailed before. Note that even if it is a known sender, if you are not expecting anything be cautious. Look for errors in the message or language. If unsure, call or email that person or company separately—not as a reply email— and ask them if they sent you something.
•Think twice before clicking on links in emails. If your bank or credit card sends you an email with a link, don’t click it. Log in via your bank or credit cards website from your browser. The ‘from’ column of your email may be disguised and read like a familiar or bonafide email address but may actually be from elsewhere.
• Be cautious of any suspicious pop ups of applications showing up on your pc.
• Most email applications will allow you to mark spam as ‘spam’ or ‘junk’. This is a good practice If you get frequent spam from same sender. It should keep the spam from showing up again in your inbox.
For more detailed information about online safety see below.
Yes, you can click theses links from me 🙂
-Brian