Free Spyware Remover Removal

Tips on Preventing Becoming the Victim of the Latest Online Identity Theft Scam - Phishing

Millions of people are becoming victims of identity theft. In
many cases they are becoming victims all too often by freely
providing personal information online. Email ‘phishing’ scams
seek to lure individuals into phony online sites where they can
be fooled into sharing the personal information needed for a
thief to steal their identities.

Scammers send emails imitating a legitimate website and ask for
personal or financial information that they use to commit
credit-card or bank fraud or other types of identity theft.

Generally, a phishing scam works like this - you receive an
urgent email requests from a bank or other financial
institution. The scammers may be using your bank’s or credit
card’s name. The email note will ask you to click on a link
provided to go to one of a scammer’s official looking websites.
At their website you are ask to share or confirm some personal
information. Though it looks like you are at your bank’s
website, you are at a scammer’s website where any information
that you share could be used to steal your identity,

These scams are increasingly common and difficult to detect but
you can reduce the likelihood of this type of online identity
theft happening to you if you follow some simple rules.

~ Be suspicious of urgent requests for personal financial
information sent to you by email. As a general rule — never
directly respond to email asking for personal information.

~ Don’t give out more information than necessary for an online
transaction. Legitimate businesses ask for more than they need
for there own marketing purposes. You do not have to provide
more information than you feel is necessary to complete the
transaction.

~ If asked for personal information online at a website or via
email, never click on a link that goes to a new unfamiliar
website. If needed, search for the financial institution’s or
company’s website via your search engine and then navigate from
there.

~ Do not click on program files or attachments in your email
in-basket unless you are sure of their source. Why was it sent
to you and do you know the sender?

~ Never send personal financial information by return email. If
your financial institution requests this information via email,
go to the institution’s secure website and enter it there.

~ Be sure that you are using a secure website whenever you enter
any personal financial data on the web. If you are in doubt,
when prompted for a password, give an incorrect one first. A
scammer’s phishing site will accept it; a legitimate website
will not.

~ Keep your computer anti-virus and anti-junk email prevention
software up to date.

~ Use “anti-spyware” programs if you have a tendency to download
a lot of free Internet programs, games, music, screen savers,
etc.

~ Before doing business online, check into a company’s privacy
policies the same way you check their return and other policies.
They may be attaching you to their website only to sell your
email address to scammers.

~ Question email messages from any official sounding financial
institution. You can always verify their contact, by contacting
the institution itself. When in doubt, use your telephone and
not your mouse. A quick call can determine if an email request
was legitimate.

~ Stay alert to your own financial status. Carefully check your
banking, credit card and other statements regularly.

~ Closely monitor your credit history to ensure that all
transactions in my name and under your credit card number are
legitimate.

~ Consider signing-up for a personal credit monitoring services.

~ Install firewall software on your computer or a firewall in
your network router.

~ Use a password to protect your wireless networks.

~ Avoid storing sensitive data on all laptop computers. Wireless
laptop computers are particularly vulnerable and should always
have security passwords and firewalls in place. Use encryption
products to secure the data on all computers.

~ Pay attention to your children’s online usage. Children like
to download free games, screensavers, etc. and may share more
information then they should to get it.

~ Protect your paper. Shred anything with personally identifying
information on it before tossing it out.

~ Choose carefully where and when to opt-in to mailing lists,
promotions, or other freebies. If in doubt, post a “throw-away”
email address (one you do not use as your main email address) or
your email address scripted (i.e. - yournameatprovider.com).

~ Only opt-in to promotions or deals after checking what will be
done with the information that you provide.

Websites That You Can Trust To Help

.Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) .Spybot (www.security.kolla.de)
.CWshredder (www.spywareinfo.com/merijn/index.html) .WinTask,
Manages Resources and Improves Security
(www.onlinesoftwareguide.com/wintask) .download of Ad-aware and
Spybot Search & Destroy (www.download.com) .Spyware information
tools, tips, and vendor for Trend Micro software
(www.housecall.trendmicro.com) .McAfee anti-virus and
anti-spyware software (www.mcafee.com) .Windows security patches
and spyware protection information
(www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses) .Virus and spyware
scans (www.pcpitstop.com) .Lists software that may spread
spyware (www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm) .Norton
spyware information (www.symantec.com/avcenter/) .Spy Sweeper
anti-spyware (www.webroot.com) .Zonelabs firewall
(www.zonelabs.com)

If you’re victimized, place a fraud alert on your credit file at
the major credit bureaus:

Equifax, [800] 525-6285 Experian, [888] 397-3742 TransUnion,
[800] 680-7289

You may also request to view your credit reports for fraudulent
activity.

Lastly, if you are a victim of fraudulent activity, online or
off, file a police report so that it is on record and keep a
report copy as proof.

Copyright Steven Presar

About the author:
Steven Presar is a recognized small business technology coach,
Internet publisher, author, speaker, and trainer. He provides
personal, home, and computer security solutions at
www.ProtectionConnect.com. He provides business software reviews
at www.OnlineSoftwareGuide.com. In addition, he publishes
articles for starting and running a small business at
www.Agora-Business-Center.com. Be sure to sign-up for the SOHO
newsletter at this site.

Tags: Spyware

Article created on Tuesday, May 31st, 2005 at 4:00 am under category Spyware. To follow responses to this entry : RSS 2.0 Leave a comment, or track from your own site.

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