December 11,2008
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Gone Phishing, Pt.4 –
- Keep your season merry.3) Don't get too friendly. Sleazers love ‘weasel phrases' like ‘You've gotta see this. This is great!", ‘About your order..." or ‘Holiday Invitation'. Unless you expect something like this from the sender (remember, your Address List is easily compromised), check it out by phone of a confirming e-mail from your Address List (don't just ‘reply', in other words). The friendly phisherman would like some credit card info.
4) Before opening any attachments, save them to disk first. Then, before doing anything else, right click on the new file(s) and choose an immediate virus scan just on those files. It only takes a minute.
5) Frequently check your credit card and other financial accounts online for irregularities.
6) Remember, never use the shortcut hyperlink that arrives so conveniently. You can't easily be sure it's legitimate (of course it will look so). Physically type in the URL for your login page and then save it as a favorite. Always stay with favorite from that time on, where credit card or other financial stuff is involved.
7) Know who you're buying from before surrendering you credit card information. Reputable businesses want you to know about who they are. Look for ‘Contact us' portals. If they don't want you to know who they are, there's something wrong. Google them, call them by phone to see who answers.
8) Verify a secure connection before entering credit card information. Look for the ‘https' in the beginning of their URL for the site. Check for a ‘padlock' icon to the right of the address and click on it to see if they're registered for VeriSign or some other trustworthy agency. Don't settle for a hyperlink shortcut to their site. Type in the URL yourself so you know you're not being diverted to some rogue site.
9) Check for professionalism. Expect privacy policies and other mundane legalistic stuff. Who's to know where your secure credit card information may end up?
10) The reason credit cards are so often mentioned in this article is because they're so much safer then other methods of payment. You're naturally protected from greater harm with credit cards than, say, debit cards or checking accounts. Those others can wipe you out. With credit cards, your liability is only $50 if reported within reasonable time. Chances are, the victim won't lose a dime and be quickly supplied with a safe replacement card in no time. Use credit