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Saturday
March 13, 2010 Since 1922 |
The spam solution
From staff reports
Baytown Sun Published October 29, 2009 Anyone with an e-mail account or Internet access is well aware of the “spam” phenomenon. Spam, for those who may not know, is an e-mail sent randomly in large quantities to random addresses, much like junk items sent through the regular mail. While much of it is obnoxious but harmless advertising or invitations to join Web sites, there is a darker side to spam, through which criminals seek to collect personal information.
The obvious reason for this is the committal of fraud and identity theft, one of the most pervasive and damaging crimes in today’s existence. However, much like the con artists of the past, it takes a willing victim, one seduced by the promise of free high-priced technology, vacations, large sums of money, and endless other lures.
Though most people are acutely aware of these swindles and avoid the e-mails altogether, the fact is that, because people continue to fall for these schemes, the sinister missives continue to be sent into cyberspace.
Recently a Baytown Sun reader informed us of a newer spam scam, one stating that Readers Digest is offering a Million Dollar Giveaway. This brings to mind the most important rule both on the Internet and in real life: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any time you receive an email promising sudden wealth or free items, simply delete it.
Another recent report indicates emails coming from the FDIC requesting personal bank account information. If you should receive an email allegedly from a bank, UPS, FedEx, or another entity claiming that there’s a problem with our account or shipment, check the email address from which the email was sent. The chances are great that, when you take a look, the address will have no relationship to any major business, financial or otherwise. In fact, most of these businesses have issued multiple statements asserting that they will never communicate with their customers in such a fashion.
Oddly enough, one of the more obvious signs of an Internet swindle is poor grammar and spelling. Any reputable establishment has a department specifically designated to send communication clear of misspellings and obvious mistakes. Check that email again; it shouldn’t take much reading to know for certain how legitimate it really is.
Like any other means of transportation, it falls on us all to travel through the Internet safely and responsibly, if for no other reason than our self-defense against such criminal behavior. In many ways, it’s no different from life away from the screen.
Baytown Sun Published October 29, 2009 Anyone with an e-mail account or Internet access is well aware of the “spam” phenomenon. Spam, for those who may not know, is an e-mail sent randomly in large quantities to random addresses, much like junk items sent through the regular mail. While much of it is obnoxious but harmless advertising or invitations to join Web sites, there is a darker side to spam, through which criminals seek to collect personal information.
The obvious reason for this is the committal of fraud and identity theft, one of the most pervasive and damaging crimes in today’s existence. However, much like the con artists of the past, it takes a willing victim, one seduced by the promise of free high-priced technology, vacations, large sums of money, and endless other lures.
Though most people are acutely aware of these swindles and avoid the e-mails altogether, the fact is that, because people continue to fall for these schemes, the sinister missives continue to be sent into cyberspace.
Recently a Baytown Sun reader informed us of a newer spam scam, one stating that Readers Digest is offering a Million Dollar Giveaway. This brings to mind the most important rule both on the Internet and in real life: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any time you receive an email promising sudden wealth or free items, simply delete it.
Another recent report indicates emails coming from the FDIC requesting personal bank account information. If you should receive an email allegedly from a bank, UPS, FedEx, or another entity claiming that there’s a problem with our account or shipment, check the email address from which the email was sent. The chances are great that, when you take a look, the address will have no relationship to any major business, financial or otherwise. In fact, most of these businesses have issued multiple statements asserting that they will never communicate with their customers in such a fashion.
Oddly enough, one of the more obvious signs of an Internet swindle is poor grammar and spelling. Any reputable establishment has a department specifically designated to send communication clear of misspellings and obvious mistakes. Check that email again; it shouldn’t take much reading to know for certain how legitimate it really is.
Like any other means of transportation, it falls on us all to travel through the Internet safely and responsibly, if for no other reason than our self-defense against such criminal behavior. In many ways, it’s no different from life away from the screen.