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From the Actrix Online Informer July 2012 ![]() Can it be dangerous to open spam emails?by Rob Zorn
Generally a spam email will be looking to achieve one of two things. The first is to install something (usually some form of virus) on your computer, and the other is to get you to visit a certain site, where they will either try to get access to your personal information or swindle you out of your hard-earned money. First things first – never click a link in a spam email, or any email for that matter, unless you're positive you know where it's going and you trust the sender. Simple. Often you'll get fake emails from banks, especially Kiwibank for some reason, telling you to sign in to your account because it's been suspended or some such nonsense. This is a nasty trick to get you to enter your account details at a site mimicking the bank's site, which gives the spammer access to your money. As a rule, banks will never send you an email with a link to their website. If you ever suspect it might be a scam, but want to be sure, never use the link provided. Use Google to get to their website and sign in there. That way you know you're using the legitimate site. Or you can give your bank a call and ask them about the email. Use that same rule with everything, including Facebook. A simple safe motto is "if in doubt, chuck it out". Delete that email without even opening it. In the good old days, simply opening and reading spam emails posed no dangers at all. But as virus technologies got more and more sophisticated, this is no longer the case. Technically, the technology exists to allow a virus to install itself on your computer just from you opening an email. While a scary thought, much has been done to prevent it from happening on your computer. A computer that is running up-to-date versions of Windows and Outlook won't have a problem because the most recent software has shut down the vulnerabilities these viruses exploit. Likewise, updated anti-virus software is ideal protection against viruses and other unwanted malicious software. So here are a few simple rules for emailing:
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Copyright © 2012 Actrix Networks Limited | Contact: editor@actrix.co.nz |
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