Avoiding Internet Traps (Phishing etc..)
The internet, although an excellent source of information and way to communicate is filled with many dangerous traps set by many shady people. Just as in the real world there are many people who would take advantage of others, the same is true of the internet. There are some general rules that should be followed to avoid traps on the internet.
Internet Scams - Phishing..Is designed to steal from you. Many scams will either attempt to get account login information from you or banking or credit card information. You may receive E-mails asking for this type of information.
· Computer Viruses - Computer viruses either exploit a defect in software running on your computer or they will try to trick you into running some code which will infect your computer. In any event, once your computer is infected, the person who wrote the virus could get control of your computer, get information from your computer, or potentially monitor your activity on the internet including your logon information used to access on-line banking or other financial transactions on the internet.
· Adware - Adware usually comes with a program that has some other purpose. Once installed it will cause ads to pop up on your screen very often and will interfere seriously with the performance of your computer.
· Spyware - Similar to adware. It also usually comes with a program that has another purpose. The creators sometimes tell you up front that their programs contain spyware. Its main purpose is to monitor your internet activity for marketing purposes. If your computer has a lot of spyware it can cause it to slow down.
General Trap Avoidance Rules
· Be sure of whom you are dealing with. Don't be fooled into believing that you are receiving an e-mail from a reputable party when in fact you are receiving an e-mail from a con artist.
· Check the reputation of the party you are dealing with. This will help you to avoid many problems including the problems caused by loading programs onto your computer that may have a sinister purpose.
· Never send money or personal information such as banking or credit card information to unknown or untrusted parties.
· Be wary about storing social security information or banking information on your computer and if you do this, be sure you take appropriate security measures to secure any systems that store this type of information.
· Keep confidential information about yourself confidential such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers, and even your e-mail address. You can create e-mail addresses specifically to give to untrusted parties, and then delete them when you receive too much spam.
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