The Biggest Problem
All humans have a desire to improve their circumstances – that’s the drive
which has brought most of the benefits which many of us enjoy or hope to in
the future.
Many people are very interested in finding ways to do that with minimum
cost and effort.
That’s what makes people, including many otherwise upright citizens,
become victims of scams on and off the Internet.
The fact is that you can “cheat an honest man or woman”. Quite a few people
are only honest in proportion to the risk they think there is of being caught.
Some might not report finding fifty dollars in the street if they think no-one
saw them pick it up. Even more might find the offer of hundreds of
thousands of (apparently) untraceable dollars from some ex-Government
official in a foreign country, as a commission for a “simple” transfer of funds,
irresistible.
These people probably think that there is less chance of their involvement in
something shady on the Internet being traced, or that they are “small fish”
that will not attract the attention of law enforcement organizations.
Those can be very costly assumptions.
Of course, there are also many people who only grab these “offers” because
of the almost unbearable pressure they are under financially, often through
no fault of their own.
They feel so desperate that they risk everything when a minute of clear
thought would suggest that “If it seems too good to be true, it usually is just
that!”
That’s just one common human trait that the scammers prey on.
Another is probably the most powerful gimmick, on or off the Internet –
something for nothing! Most of us are going to read what the offer is, aren’t
we?
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Well, just opening an email or visiting a web site can cost you plenty! You
need to follow the steps I’ll outline here.
And, I’ll show you some of the other things you need to consider in the
“Free” can be EXPENSIVE! Chapter.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Make Your Computer Safer!
My first tip is to consider turning off your computer if it is not going to be
used for, say, a couple of hours. It probably should always be turned off if
you will not be using it for a day or more. That will save power as well as
reducing the possibility of an attack while you are not nearby.
Every Internet user should have security software and a firewall.
Connecting your computer to the Internet without up-to-date security
software, is like walking blindfolded down the middle of a busy motorway and
hoping you won’t be hurt.
Your computer and, especially, the personal information on it, is a target for
destructive software like trojans and viruses, as well as scammers and other
villains, from the first moment you connect to the Internet.
There are several ways that you can protect your computer and your
information from being accessed or damaged.
But, please understand that no program can protect you from 100% of the
risks 100% of the time.
There is always a period of time between the appearance of a new problem
and the moment when security software can be updated so that it will
provide efficient protection against the new threat.
That’s why you have to be careful about what programs or other files you
allow on to your computer.
It’s also a very good idea to keep copies of your most important files in a
secure location completely separate from where your computer is. You could
use CD ROMs, DVDs or an external hard drive to store the back-ups.
A famous movie director was recently the target of a burglary. As well as his
computer equipment and all the information it contained, the thieves also
took his only back-up copy – twenty years’ worth of work and memories
which he’d regularly copied to another hard drive.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Unfortunately, he kept that hard drive in the same room as the computer he
used every day!
Check the quality of your back-ups from time to time. I always make two
copies of files that I’m using on two different brands of CD ROMs. That’s
probably a bit extreme, but those files can be worth a lot more than the cost
of an extra box of disks to me.
Keep Your Programs Up to Date
You should ensure that you have the most current versions of all the
software that you use.
This includes your operating system (Windows, Mac-OS or Linux) and web
browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc).
It’s your choice whether you permit the programs to update themselves
automatically, or you only let them notify you when new updates are
available so that you can decide which ones you will allow to be installed.
Some upgrades can take a length of time and may slow your use of other
programs on your computer until they’re finished. So, you might want to
specify that the updates are done when your computer is not likely to be in
use; maybe just before your turn it off and go to work or to bed.
The older versions of some programs and systems may have flaws which
hackers had found and used to infect them with viruses and other malware
(destructive or spying programs). That is a common reason for new versions
of programs to be released.
Most updates which are responses to potential virus threats are usually free.
But, even when you have to pay for an upgraded program, it’s really cheap
insurance and you will probably find that some other parts of the software
have also been improved.
You may not be able to get assistance if you are using out of date versions of
programs. Some companies do not offer any support at all for older versions
after they release a major upgrade. Others phase out the amount of support
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available over a period of time because it is an expense that no longer brings
them any financial return.
Using current programs and keeping to a regular up-date schedule reduces
the risk but it cannot ever be entirely eliminated.
I suggest that you always have your security programs check for updates or
upgrades just before they start their regular scans of your computer system.
If your computer is continuously on and connected to the Internet most of
the time, then I suggest that you check for updates to your security
programs daily.
If you only use your computer to connect to the Internet much less
frequently, then weekly updates may be sufficient.
Some suppliers routinely release their updates near the same time each
week. When I see this is happening, then I make sure that I check on that
day.
But, with new malware being released every day, you can never be sure that
an extra, possibly vital update will be held back until the regular release.
It’s Best to Back-up
It’s important to back-up your files regularly and store the copies in a safe
area away from where your computer is located. That provides for the
possibility that if your computer and other equipment, such as external hard
drives and boxes of CDs or DVDs are stolen or damaged by fire, you will be
able to access your files for business or personal reasons from the off-site
copies.
Check EVERY File
You should always check every file that comes on to your computer, even if
you know that the supplier has a good reputation or your mother gave it to
you (is she a computer expert?).
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Passwords
You should have a password on your computer, preventing access by people
that don’t know it. That’s a good start.
Many programs that you use on your computer and some sites that you visit
also require you to have a password and a username.
But many people a bit lazy and they use the first things that come to mind
for their passwords. That’s not much better than leaving your front door
unlocked, and just putting a piece of sticky tape on it.
It makes it too easy for scam artists and hackers when people skimp on this
basic precaution.
If they think that your information is worth their personal attention, they can
start by using any of the following:
9 the name of a family member or a pet, which they might get
from your website or a post on a forum
9 The word password (perhaps followed by a number – 1 to 9 –
which you use to make it “hard to guess”!)
9 Open Sesame
9 Your birthday
9 ABCDE or abcde
9 1234 or onetwothree
… And that’s likely to give them entry to the computers and information
belonging to a surprising number of clever, but lazy, people.
This information might come to them when your wallet or a credit card
receipt is stolen or copied, but most of it is probably available in the
information stored on your computer. See the next section, “Click Here for
Your Private Information”.
Most attempts to grab passwords from websites are done with powerful,
freely available software programs that make thousands of attempts
automatically and rapidly.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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These programs are, unfortunately, very easy to obtain.
Many viruses are produced using “virus kits” by inexperienced would-be
hackers that are usually referred to as “script-kiddies”. That’s not a
compliment. It indicates they are know-nothings that can only produce their
malware from kits where someone else has already done most of the work.
Tips for Better Passwords
9 With passwords, longer really is better. Microsoft recommends a
minimum of fourteen characters. I would never use less than
seven unless there were restrictions imposed by the security
system used for a particular site.
9 NEVER let your browser (or the browser of the computer you’re
using at work or somewhere else) store any username or
password for you. Yes, people really do this even with
computers that they don’t own.
9 Each extra letter you add could increase the possible
combinations by twenty-five times. That’s still not going to be
much of a challenge for the hacker’s brute-force programs that
churn through combinations at very high rates unless you also
do at least some of the following tips as well.
9 Don’t use common words, the name of a family member or your
baseball team.
9 Just using a mixture of upper and lower-case letters will
improve the strength of your password, but not really enough.
9 Put a couple of symbols, like “#” and “)” in there. Be a little
more creative than just substituting “@” for “a”.
9 Use numbers and letters.
9 Don’t use the same password for any two sites or other access
points.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Free On-line “Password Checker”
Microsoft provide a free Password Checker at this address;
https://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx which
gives a value for the strength of the password that you enter.
I felt that the values might be a little on the high side for some simple
passwords that I tried but they may be improving that software behind it, so
you could find it more useful than it was when I tried it.
I appreciate that Microsoft have done this with no ulterior motive and
deserve our appreciation. At the very least, everyone that tries it will be
more aware of what is needed to improve their password security.
No More Passwords Lists on Paper
I have always used, and recommended, keeping a small tabbed notebook for
all of your passwords and other computer information rather than storing it
on your actual computer or even some other electronic device.
That’s worked very well but I kept running out of space on the pages for
certain sections which meant getting another book and transferring the still-
current information from the old book to it. If you’re prepared to do that
when necessary, it’s cheap and effective.
Then, I found a very powerful and low-cost computer program that is
recommended by many whose experience in this area is much greater than
mine.
It was a surprise when I read an unsolicited recommendation by a highly
respected Internet marketing professional, who said, “I could not operate my business without Roboform.” This endorsement was enough for me to get
the program myself.
You can get a free copy of the program from this link:
http://www.ezy-internet.com/getroboform/.
If you only want to keep up to ten passwords in the program, then you can
continue to use it without any cost. But, you will have to buy the program
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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for about thirty dollars after the trial finishes if you want to store more than
ten passwords.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Safer Surfing
When you meet someone on the Internet, you only get the information about
them that they want you to have. That may be genuine, incomplete or
completely false.
For your own safety and peace of mind, you should be miserly about what
personal information you give out anywhere.
It’s nice to be able to tell people that you come to know through their posts
on your favorite web sites about your new job, husband or baby. But, any
information you put into a Forum, chatroom or other social or business site is
likely to be seen by many more people than the relatively few that post –
there is often a much larger group that “lurk” without posting except when
they feel it is to their advantage.
Also, remember that the information that you have freely given will float
around the Net for years!
Don’t Expose Your Friend’s Addresses to Other Friends.
Don’t accidentally share addresses from your address book. Many
people send copies of the same email to a number of friends at the same
time.
The correct way to do this is to put one email address in the To: box and
then put the email addresses of all the other people in the Bcc: box.
I have seen many emails with a dozen to a hundred private email addresses
clearly displayed either in the To: box or in the Cc: box.
If any of the people that get the email indulge in spam (and there are many
“amateur” spammers trying to make a few quick dollars), then your friends
will start getting some unwelcome advertising mail.
The addresses will all be in all of your friends’ email accounts, probably for
months. If any of those accounts are breached by a spammer with a Trojan
or virus, then all those addresses will be added to his spam list.
It may even appear to come from your email address if the spammer fakes
the sending address!
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Even if that doesn’t happen, your friends will all see everybody’s addresses
clearly displayed on your email and know that you shared their addresses
without asking. That’s not good for your reputation.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Identity Theft
Like most of the tricks and traps mentioned in this book, Identity Theft is not
confined to the Internet. Your information may be obtained through a bogus
web site or email, but it is probably more common for the scammers to get
the information from someone copying your credit card details when you use
it in a restaurant or from a carelessly discarded receipt at your bank branch
or retrieved from your rubbish bin!
Identity theft is devastating for the victims and their families. The money
they lose is just part of the damage they suffer.
They may have all credit stopped, their cash savings, if any, disappear, and
they have to prove the crime or be liable for all debts that the scammers
created with their stolen information.
This may take years. It also often has serious effect on your health, business
associations and personal relationships.
Almost anyone can be a target, not just people with significant assets.
Teenagers are popular targets for the scammers, because many are fairly
casual about security of their information and their credit is usually
unblemished.
The profits from these scams can be huge but, perhaps because of a lack of
knowledge about their effects on the part of legislators and judges,
legislation is not a great deterrent at this time.
It seems like some trials take longer than the sentences imposed on those
found guilty.
Quick Tips to Reduce the Risks
Do not to give out your personal information just because someone asks,
especially your Social Security Number or other sensitive information.
Carefully check your financial statements and all accounts each month as
soon as possible after you get them. Query anything you cannot confirm.
Some people find small, fairly regular amounts being charged to their credit
card every month by some organization that they can’t remember ever
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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contacting. Even $5 a month becomes worthwhile to the scammer when it’s
not costing them anything – and they are probably doing the same thing to
many other people too!
Don’t store passwords on your computer unless you use some purpose-made
software that you trust.
Your web browser should not be used to store any passwords.
Never use a password for more than one web site.
Never click on a link in an email. If it is from someone you don’t know and
trust, be extra careful.
If it seems to be from your Bank or other financial institution, call them on
the phone or visit their office to discuss the matter and check the validity of
the email.
If you decide to visit the web site, open a new window in your web browser
and type the address in. Check it carefully before you click the button to go
to the web site.
When you finish making your transactions at your Bank’s web site, wait for a
message that you have been logged out and then close the window
completely. Do NOT use that browser window to visit any other site or even
log back into the same one.
Take the extra few seconds, close the browser window and open a fresh one.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Click Here for Your Private Information
A convenient feature of all web browsers is the ability to store any passwords
that you use for the websites you visit.
Having read this far, you’ll realize that storing the passwords of sensitive
sites, such as your bank, anywhere on your computer is not a good idea. It’s
up to you whether you want to use this feature to store other passwords.
But, either way, your browser probably stores much more information about
your Internet activities than you may realize. If your computer was
examined by someone that knew what they were doing, it could reveal many
secrets, including:
• copies of pages that you visited
• details of files that you viewed and downloaded, and even
• information about files that you deleted and thought were gone
forever
There are many software programs available
which you can use to remove most of this
information. The one that I have, and am most
comfortable recommending, is free to use. It is
called CCleaner and you can get it from
Another program worth checking out is Privacy
Eraser from http://www.privacyeraser.com/
Of course, removing your usage history
information and cookies from your computer will
not be completely comfortable for you at first.
You will have to type in your username and password for each site that you
visit in the future, instead of the browser inserting them into the form
instantly when you open the web page.
Your choice will depend on how much that convenience is worth for you
compared to the potential risk.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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All Websites have Rules
All web sites belong to someone or a business. You need to know their Terms
for your use of their web site.
Most well-organized sites have a link to their “Terms of Use” at the bottom of
the main (home) page of the site.
For instance, they probably require that you confirm that you own all
material that you post on their site.
They may require that you give them a perpetual license to use anything that
you post on their website in any way they see fit forever.
Most web sites have requirements like this but do not abuse your trust – they
are just covering themselves against any possibility of action for copyright
infringement.
Other sites, however, may use some material that visitors post on their sites
for advertising or other commercial purposes.
You are still subject to the terms even if you didn’t red the fine print.
Anyway, the time and expense of fighting them later could be very high.
It’s much better to check all terms and disclaimers before you decide to post
anything on any particular website for the first time.
Your Information will not be Distributed.
That sounds good, but some people interpret that as meaning it’s okay for
the site owner to use the information you provided when you signed up for
access to their web site as a way of targeting the advertisements you see on
their site to your particular interests.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Using Other People’s Material on Your Web Site
If you have a web site, you probably want it to be attractive and full of
interesting information.
You should only put material on it which you have specific rights to use on it.
That is, your own original work and any material where you have got specific
permission from the person that produced it to put it on your web site.
I mention this because there are several places on the Internet where you
may be offered pictures, for example, on any subject you are interested in.
Most pictures are subject to someone’s copyright and many producers or
rights holders will go to great lengths to protect their rights. The major
companies digitally mark their pictures and can trace them anywhere on the
Internet, even if they have been edited!
Always read the Terms of Use on any site where you are offered pictures or
other material. I saw one site recently that said that visitors could use any
pictures from that site in any way that they saw fit without attribution or fee.
However, the Terms of Use required that the visitor that used a picture
accept all responsibility and protect the site owner from any claim for mis-
use!
Another case of “always read the fine print”!
The same caution should be used with pictures supplied in collections on CD
Rom or DVD. Always keep the Terms of Use that came with the disc.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Security Software
This Chapter is an overview based largely on my own experience with
programs as well as the experiences of colleagues and clients.
Most programs for which you have to pay are available in trial downloadable
versions which will run with all or their most important features fully working
for a period of up to thirty days so that you can test the program thoroughly
before buying.
While you are using the trial version, you may not be able to access the full
support options that paid-up clients get.
But, you should submit a genuine question to their support department
during the evaluation period. I found that one significant difference between
some of the best programs that I tried was the prompt (one to two business
days during the evaluation period is fair) and understandable responses
which were easy to use that I got from only a small number of suppliers.
Find Something Good and Stick to it!
Testing different programs was something I felt that I should do so that I
could give you a wider range of information.
But, I advise against chopping and changing between security programs of
the same type, but from different suppliers, just because one announces that
it has a new, and currently exclusive, feature in the new version of its
program.
Every program that you use will require some time for you to learn how to
get the best from it. When you set up a different program of the same type,
you’re more or less back to square one and the virus threats, spam or other
malware won’t wait for you to catch up!
I have always run two anti-spyware programs and not had any noticeable
difficulty. But, that may not work for you.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Updates and Scans.
I advise that you schedule your various security programs to check for
updates and perform their system scans at different times to the other
programs.
This will reduce the amount of resources which they take away from other
programs that you may be using at the time these procedures are running.
Pep Up Your Computer
If you find that your computer is running more slowly than you are
comfortable with, the main things for you to check would be:
? Have you cleared any unused or obsolete files from your
computer system and defragged it. This may take some hours if
you have not done it for a significant period, so arrange time to
do it as soon as possible.
? Are there programs installed that you aren’t likely to use? Just
having them on the system is reducing the resources available
to you and also increasing the time that the security programs
require to check your computer system.
? Can you add more ram (not a larger hard drive which would just
encourage you to store extra files on your computer) at a
reasonable cost.
A free program that will help you to find the information which you need to
answer those questions is Belarc Advisor which you can download from
Some suppliers will just quote you for the maximum amount of extra ram
that your system will accept. I was very pleased when the salesman at my
favorite computer store said that, while my computer had space for two more
gigabytes of ram, he recommended that I only buy one because the
applications that I use are unlikely to need any more.
That saved me about $120 which I was prepared to pay right then. Of
course, it’s likely that he’ll see that money and quite a bit more because I’ll
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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be buying most of my future computer needs from the salesman that took
the long view on a fairly small sale.
Suppliers of Security Programs
Here are some of the many quality suppliers of anti-virus programs.
Avira.com Supply a free version of their anti-virus program with limited features (no email scan, for example) and two paid versions.
Comodo.com Supplies a range of free security programs and also full-powered commercial programs for medium to large businesses.
Grisoft.com Supplies a wide range of security software individually or as a suite under the AVG label. There are both free and paid versions of most of
the programs.
Kaspersky.com Supplies well-respected security products.
Lavasoftusa.com Supplier of the highly respected Ad-Aware anti-spyware program. Free and paid versions available.
Safer networking.org This is the home of one of the most highly regarded anti-spyware programs, Spybot S&D (Search and Destroy). It has always
been free though, of course, the developer will accept donations at his site.
Available in several languages and regularly updated.
Sophos.com Powerful anti-virus program
Spyware Terminator Another highly regarded Anti-spyware program –
completely free. They also offer two commercial programs; “Web Security
Guard” and “Crawler Parental Control”.
Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2008: Excellent suite of security programs which seems to affect computer resources less than some others.
Web Browser Add-Ons
The current version of the Opera web browser has a “fraud detection”
feature which uses the database at http://www.phishtank.com to check sites that you visit.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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McAfee Site Advisor is a free add-in for the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers which uses their own database to check whether the sites you surf
to are known to have spyware, adware, spam etc.
Anti-virus Programs
An anti-virus program searches your computer for virus programs which it
has information about and also for programs it may not recognize but which
show characteristics similar to programs that have already been added to its
knowledge base.
Your anti-virus program will also monitor important files on your computer
and check any that are changed in size at any time (a possible indication that
a virus or some other malware has affected the file).
It’s very important that you always have the most recent version of the
program and its reference files. I schedule my program to check for updates
every day, just before it starts the full daily scan.
But, if you are not using your computer on the Internet every day, then a
weekly check for updates may be enough for you.
It’s not a good idea to try to run two anti-virus programs on the same
computer.
Some will clash and your computer may even crash. It’s even more likely
that the two programs could claim the other is (or contains) a virus simply
because of the reference files that accompany each program.
Another problem is that having the two programs constantly scanning your
machine, even just on a low priority basis in the background, can reduce the
resources available to other programs you are using and slow down your
work or leisure activities.
Most anti-virus programs will scan your emails as they are received or sent.
This may require you to specify the path to the main file of your anti-virus
program or its email-scanning sub-program when you set up your email
program.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Not all anti-virus programs will do this. If yours does not, I suggest you think
about upgrading it or getting a different program which is more fully
featured.
Firewall
Your firewall may be a software program installed on your computer or it
might be part a hardware device called a router, which you use to connect to
the Internet.
A hardware firewall is probably stronger than a software program but
hardware firewalls require a power outlet and may also need to be switched
at times so that authorized people (technicians or employees from other
areas) that do not normally use that system can get access.
This makes the system vulnerable, so you should keep them to a minimum
and always run a full scan with the current version of your anti-virus program
as soon as possible after the firewall is restored.
Windows has a firewall as part of the package but many people, including
me, use a firewall program from a different supplier.
I was impressed with the Microsoft program and would still be using it except
that I decided to try a variety of security programs of each type while
preparing for this book.
I was very impressed with another program that I use, so I got the firewall
program from that supplier.
You should not try to run two firewall programs on the same computer. In
fact, most will check when you are installing them and ask you to switch off
or uninstall any other firewall program they find before their installation can
be completed.
There is no valid reason to want to have two firewalls.
The firewall program that you select will probably have in it a reference file
containing details of programs of all kinds that the firewall’s producers know
are safe.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Your program will scan your computer when you first run it to log the
programs that it recognizes are okay.
But, you will probably also have some programs on your computer that you
trust that are not in the safe list. The first time that each of those programs
starts up after your firewall is installed, you will be asked what action you
want the firewall to take about that program.
You’ve got to train your watchdog and sometimes you will see similar
messages where the program is asking you about may be interacting with
different programs on your computer. Bear with it.
This is another indicator of the clarity of messages that you will get from the
program in other circumstances.
It may also help to make you aware that there are some things going on
within your computer that you are glad to know about.
Anti-spyware Programs
Spyware is a term that covers a range of programs which may produce spam
or harvest your personal information including financial transactions,
passwords, sites that you visit and the type of files that you download or
view.
Anti-spyware programs seem to be almost as numerous as the malware they
try to protect us against. Some are free but most of the others are low-cost
for the important job they do for us.
These programs also need to be kept up to date.
Anti-malware Programs
Of course, the different types of programs that I’ve already mentioned are
anti-malware programs too. But, I’ve seen some new programs which are
called by this specific title.
The main difference that I’ve noticed is that they don’t find and remove any
sort of malware that is already on your computer when you install them.
They monitor all new programs and files coming from the Internet which try
to install themselves on your computer.
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There’s likely to be some cross-over in functions between some of these
programs and, say, anti-virus programs but they are worth checking out.
Anti-spam programs
I’ve been happy just using the spam-reducing features of my email program
but there are a number of programs that try to reduce it before it gets to
you.
1. Only messages from “friends” (whose addresses you have already
approved) get through with some programs. They block all messages
and tell the sender that the message will be submitted for approval to
you. The sender may be given an opportunity to send a brief message
that you see before you decide whether to open the email.
Some of these programs advertise the service they provide to each
sender when they offer them the opportunity to send that short message
to you and also when they notify the senders of messages that you
approve.
2. Other programs have on-line databases of user-notified spam
messages which they will remove from your incoming emails.
3. There are also programs which have definitions which they test your
incoming messages against.
More Ways to Reduce Spam.
o Use the spam-reducing features of your email program.
o Don’t sign up to an email newsletter unless you are sure that it will be
useful to you and the supplier will not share your information.
Carefully read the forms you subscribe through.
o Review all subscriptions at least every month and unsubscribe from
any you don’t need or read.
o One way to check whether your information is being passed around is
to use different variation on your name in the subscription form;
o
Mr J Williams
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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o
J Williams
o
J (A to Z) Williams
o
John Williams
o
John WIlliams (yes, that upper-case “I” is deliberate)
If you start getting email from people or organizations that you never heard
of, to a particular version of your address, you can be fairly sure that the
person you gave that address either shared it with the spammers or that
their email account has been breached, possibly by a trojan or virus.
Your Email Program
Your email program is a vital part of your equipment but many people,
possibly because they get it for free, take it for granted unless there’s a
problem. And, they never try to use any protective or time-saving features
that the developers may have spent months building in to it.
Some email programs contain functions that feature in anti-spam programs
that you have to pay for but they’re often ignored by many users of the email
program.
One thing your email program cannot do is stop you from subscribing from
lots of email lists. You may need to check your inbox every so often and
unsubscribe from those newsletters which you don’t need or read any more.
If it’s no longer important for your personal or business interests, or you just
can’t spare the time to read it, save some bandwidth and disk space –
unsubscribe today.
The less clutter in your email account, the easier it is to spot and remove the
spam and possibly malicious emails.
Fortunately, you can see enough information in the header of the message to
be confident that you can delete it without opening it.
In fact, many email programs will let you examine the headline of each
message before you even download it from your email service provider. So,
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you can delete it right there and it never has a chance to clutter or infect
your computer!
That sort of feature is worth paying for.
If your anti-virus program is able to scan your emails, make sure that you
set up the link between the email program and anti-virus programs.
Email Programs
PocoMail
http://www.pocosystems.com/ A robust, self-contained, multi-featured email program.
Pegasus Mail
http://www.pmail.com/ One of the earliest email programs, regularly updated, with a huge, dedicated user base – and it’s completely free!
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Protecting the Family
The Internet is a boundless and ever-growing resource of information and
entertainment for people of all ages.
Most parents who have the financial resources, give their children a computer
of their own, to make use of that information for their school-work and also
to provide high quality entertainment.
But, they also know, from press reports and government warnings, that
there are potentially serious risks in doing that.
It is unrealistic to think that you can isolate your children from the Internet
unless your whole community has no access. They will get online through
their school or other government facility, or with the help of friends whose
parents have allowed them access.
How do you protect them from harm or bad influences?
The first requirement is to set an example that they can follow. Children will
copy your actions more than your words. If you tell them what they should
do but show that you don’t abide by those standards yourself, you can
expect disappointment or worse as they follow your example.
You should try to ensure that there is mutual trust and respect but you also
should maintain a watching brief on your children’s Net activities.
Put the computer in a fairly public part of your home, with enough screening
that it does not interfere with other family members’ activities nearby and
that they don’t reduce your children’s Net experience.
Don’t intrude or supervise but be alert for any negative signs that seem to
arise from their computer activities.
You might want to install software that restricts access to sites that might be
inappropriate for young children. I believe that most of those software
packages are a waste of money – many children can beat the restrictions in
just a few minutes and the presence of the censorious software may act as a
goad for your child to do just that.
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Discuss with your children media reports about the risks of Net surfing and
how you and they can protect yourselves from them as far as possible.
One rule is probably the only one that is absolutely essential – they should
never put any personal information on any website or in an email without
discussing that with you first.
Be ready to discuss any topic or incident that your child wants to talk about.
Just as you would if it had nothing to do with the Internet.
Protecting Your Original Work on the Internet
The best advice is, “Don’t put anything on the Internet that you can’t afford
to lose.”
Many people have a personal web site, and they may also have one which is
related to their business.
You should realize that anything you put on that web site may be mis-used,
often without your knowledge.
Some people will re-publish your words, pictures or even your whole web site
as their work.
Someone might publish some of your material in another country and not on
the Internet.
Your photos may be used for many purposes you never even thought of. If
you’re good-looking, someone may use your image as their own on social
web sites!
This is illegal but laws differ in various countries. It may not be possible to
get any action taken or penalties imposed. But, I’ve found that most hosting
providers, provided you approach them in a reasonable manner and supply
documentation, will act to have any suspect material removed. That could
take weeks, of course.
But, you may never even know the material has been mis-used.!
Even if you find out, getting the matter put right can cost money, time and
be very stressful.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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“Free” can be EXPENSIVE!
There are many great bargains that you can get from the Internet but there’s
usually some sort of cost.
It might be money, or that you have to subscribe to the supplier’s email
newsletter.
Sometimes, as happens with many software programs, there is no charge
but a request to donate some amount to help with further development of
the program if you can.
Many things are really a gift, just like the sign says.
But, there are also many offers which don’t have a price tag but will cost you
plenty.
An extreme example that was reported recently happened in the real world,
but demonstrated the perils of using equipment that you don’t know the
origin of.
Several employees of a large American corporation found small USB sticks, a
storage device which plugs into almost any computer and has enough Ram to
store, for example, hours of music.
Most of them did not report their lucky finds but rushed inside the building to
their desk where they plugged the devices into their work computers.
I don’t know what they found on their new storage devices but a hidden load
– a virus – was instantly injected directly into the highly protected corporate
computer system.
The company’s own employees had carried in the modern equivalent of
several Trojan horses and whoever planted the sticks in the area around the
building was probably downloading the confidential information he wanted
within an hour at a cost of a couple of hundred dollars for the almost
untraceable devices.
You may not have highly sensitive corporate information on your computer at
work or at home but please take this story with you and always check any
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new disk or device, whatever its source, with the best security software that
you can.
If you do use a corporate network, never put any program or other file on
the system without explicit approval from your system administrator.
The consequences for your employer and your future employment could be
serious.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Seeking Just Friends and Fun
The current boom in online socializing sites, from chat rooms to the likes of
YouTube, MySpace and whatever new concept has burst on to the scene
since Saturday, is an extension of something that has been a very popular
part of the Internet from its first public incarnation.
People want to meet other people, many want to show off themselves, their
accomplishments or something outrageous that they do and many more
people enjoy watching them do that.
But, all these places harbor risks for the unwary or the over-excited.
When you first sign up and log in to the wildly popular site, you may be
flattered to get invitations from many other Members to join their lists of
“Friends”.
It’s not because they like” you, it’s to increase the number of people that link
to their information pages. Some, of course, could be very helpful and great
fun to interact with on the site. Some may have darker motives.
Chat rooms have been the beginning of a lot of relationships. Many of them
have been extended to off-line meetings with a wider range of results, good
and especially, bad.
One reason for that is that people can assume any persona and almost any
form on the Net. It’s naturally highly attractive to social misfits and those
who have little success, for various reasons, in establishing successful offline
relationships.
It’s common for people to use other people’s pictures and even false names
and other details when they meet new people on the social sites.
Some will even pretend to be younger, a different sex or whatever it takes to
attract the type of person that they desire.
This is one of the real dangers for young children venturing into the Net while
still forming their own values.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Experienced predators know what to say and they can, if necessary, change
the voice they use to say it with freely available software.
But, these same techniques are successful with more experienced and older
people too. The enticements might change but the tested tactics still work.
And, if the intended victim realizes something is going badly and backs away,
the predator may try to reach them off-line and get some revenge for being
“let down”.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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“Save Money and Live Longer”
With the ever increasing costs of medicines, many people are tempted to try
the offers which flood into the e-mail box or can be found around the
Internet.
But there are many risks when you take this path just to try saving a few
dollars.
You may never receive any product. That can be better than some of the
rubbish which some people have received and even risked their lives by
taking.
Your use of the product will be entirely at your own risk. Do you know the
potential side effects?
Even if you’re medicine is accompanied by some directions, the person that
wrote them has no idea at all of your physical state or medical history. Even
if the product supplied is legitimate, you may face significant risk of a
negative reaction between that product and whatever other medications that
you are taking.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the product you get will have the
correct strength of the active ingredients or, in fact, have any active or useful ingredients in it. That’s another way that some producers increase their
profits at your expense.
The source of the product that you receive is not guaranteed. Some
producers have been discovered using sub-standard ingredients and very
unhygienic equipment to produce products that give them the highest
possible financial return.
If it’s starting to sound like the cost of consulting your doctor is probably
good insurance, I’d have to agree.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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The Enemy – Software
Viruses
A computer virus is a program that arrives uninvited and unknown with
another file that you deliberately put on to your computer.
Some viruses are not destructive but there have been some which were only
intended to, for instance, put a message onto the screen, which were badly
written and caused damage as great as other intentionally damaging ones!
Computer viruses can destroy or damage files on your computer even ones
that are essential for your computer’s ability to operate.
They are called viruses because the reproduce themselves and spread to
other computers by attaching to files that you send from your computer;
emails, business documents and other files.
Worms
Worms can reproduce themselves and spread through a computer network
without piggy-backing onto other files. They may damage files like viruses or
just seriously reduce the efficiency of a network because the rapidly growing
number of copies absorbs most of the resources that are available to the
network.
Even very large networks can be brought down in a short time.
Spyware
These programs capture information that is on your computer and some may
record the actual keystrokes that you type, including passwords and other
sensitive information.
This is then sent through your Internet connection to the hacker that
released the malicious program. The effects, like theft from your bank
accounts, can be short-term or long term. Some operators will set up small,
regular withdrawals from your account, taking advantage of people who don’t
always check the details of their financial statements.
Other criminals will try to get everything that they can out of your account in
short order.
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Sometimes, spyware is used to gather data about the types of sites which
you visit so that you can be targeted with appropriate advertising.
Trojans
These programs come on to your computer when you get a file that has been
infected or produced with the trojan aboard.
They may do any of the things I listed for viruses and worms. Other trojans
are designed to:
× install or exploit access points on your computer
× send spam emails through your system for which you could be blamed
× make your computer act as a relay for a “denial of service attack”
where the hacker uses the resources of maybe thousands of infected
computers to flood a large network with the aim of making it crash
× gathering email addresses from your system for the hacker to send
infected emails to
…. The possibilities are endless and all bad!
Email Hazards
Attachments
Email attachments are a classic way of introducing viruses and other nasties
to your computer.
Always scan all emails that you get and be very careful with ALL attachments
even if they appear to come from people you know well and trust.
One possible problem is that your friend’s computer may have been infected
with a virus or trojan that is sending emails with infected attachments to
everyone in your friend’s email address book without them knowing anything
about it!
Links
Never click on any link in an email. Someone told me the other day that he’d
done that regularly for two years without any problems. I hope he never
does have a problem because I’ve heard from technicians about serious
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consequences they’ve been asked to try, often unsuccessfully, to repair after
just one bad link was clicked.
If you get an email that seems to be genuine and urgent, grab the phone
book and contact the company or person by phone or by opening a new
browser window and typing in their website address (no surprise to me if that
is just slightly different to the address in that unexpected email!)
Emails may be in plain text or HTML (web page) format. The text format is
less likely to hold any dangers.
But, sometimes you get an email where the whole email is actually a picture.
That’s a technique that spammers use to avoid their words being detected by
anti-spam filters that would then trash the email.
I am told that those pictures may also carry malicious code.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Web Site Dangers
One of the security program producers reported that their figures indicated
that about 14% of all web sites on the Internet contained malicious software,
ready to infect or harm in some other way, the computer of anyone that
came there.
That’s astonishing – but possible, I suppose.
There’s not much chance that anybody will dispute the figure because the
growth of the Internet is so rapid that the number of websites has changed
dramatically since that figure was announced a few weeks ago.
And, of course, other companies will have no reason to dispute the figure – it
will probably help to increase the take-up of their security products as well!
But, even if the figure was wildly exaggerated, it is an acknowledgment of
the presence of a danger which few people were probably aware of – a
significant number of web sites that exist only to trap and steal from visitors.
Some bogus sites are much more basic. When someone lands on them, they
get a barrage of pop-up windows with advertising that can slow their
computer or even stop it.
I don’t know that anyone would ever buy anything that was advertised in
that way but, from my own experience of an incident like that a couple of
years ago, I know that there can be other reasons for the overwhelming
barrage.
I went to a site that was listed in a book where I read a list of web sites that
offered free or very low-cost web hosting. In those days, web hosting was
much more expensive than it is now.
But the site offered nothing but garbage advertising banners. The only way I
could stop them was to turn off my modem.
After a few minutes, I turned everything back on. Among the icons on my
computer screen, I noticed one that had not been there before.
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Most people would not have noticed it but I was a proof reader and the
change in that familiar desktop jumped out at me.
It was the icon for a search program of some kind and I was sure that I had
not seen it before. I deleted it through the Control Panel and ran my anti-
virus program though the whole system.
It didn’t find anything but, just to be sure, I reformatted the hard drive and
re-installed the operating system. Considering the potential of damage from
any hidden malicious software, I don’t think that was an over-reaction.
Some of the malicious software in use today is very sophisticated. Of course,
I am glad to report that the protective software that we now have is also
much more powerful.
If you are ever caught, be sure that you check everything with a clean copy
of your antivirus and other security software before doing anything else on
your computer.
Please Verify Your Account Details
eBay, like almost every other large cash-handling business, is popular with
scammers who send emails that ask you to go to a special, secure page and
confirm your account details because of a periodic review of random accounts
or some other lie.
The email is in HTML format, like a web page, and the logo and other pictures
may be copied from authentic eBay web pages. I’ve read that some
scammers may even include links to eBay’s actual Privacy Policy or other
relevant documents!
But, the link that they want you to use to visit the web page and confirm
your details only looks like an eBay address – the one you see conceals the
scammer’s website address.
You should never click through any link in any email. This one could cause
you to have your linked credit card maxed out very rapidly with false
charges.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Your computer may be infected with a Trojan that could send details of
everything you type to the scammer.
Just by visiting the site, other malware could be planted on your computer
that the scammer could use to take complete control of your computer!
Check Your Spelling
After you’ve typed the Web address that you want to surf to in your Web
browser, and before you click the button, please check that you got the
address spelled correctly.
Scammers have been known to register web sites where the domain name is
almost identical to a well-known web site or company. When you visit the
“fake” web site, you might get spyware or worse planted on your computer,
directly or through something free that you download from the site!
Or, your computer might be blasted with dozens of pop-up advertisements. I
mentioned in another section that my computer was hit like this a couple of
years ago. When I rebooted the computer, there was a program there which
I had never installed!
Check Their Spelling too!
For the same reason, if someone provides you with a link, it could be
worthwhile to carefully check it before going to the site.
For instance, these two website names;
probably look the same?
If you entered your personal details on the second site, you would be on a
domain called PaypaI.com instead of the well-known credit card service
Paypal.com. The letter that you probably thought was an “l” in that address
is an uppercase “I”!
This shows how carefully you need to check web site addresses.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Phishing Sites
Phishing sites are designed to look like they are genuine commercial sites;
well-known banks and other institutions. Scammers use these sites to extract
personal financial information from unsuspecting victims that are lured to the
phishing site by bogus emails that also closely resemble those from the
genuine companies they imitate.
I’ve seen a few of the bogus emails and they are sometimes almost better
than the real emails. Some, however contain small errors which are a
complete give-away.
Of course, people that get these emails are usually upset or excited by the
content and probably don’t look closely at every small detail of the design or
the company information.
This type of scam is featured in the media lately but it is not new. The first
reference to the practice under that name was in about 1996!
The aim is to get people to visit a web site that closely resembles that of a
well-known and trusted company, and then enter sensitive personal
information such as Bank account, or credit card, details and passwords.
Sometimes, the victims’ accounts are cleaned out in a short time but some
scammers apparently on-sell the information and there is sometimes no
suspect activity for months.
The victim may not know anything about the often crippling loss until they
get an account from their bank or have a credit card transaction refused
because of insufficient funds.
Some sites have special code that prevents the visitor from using the back
button on their browser to leave the false site.
This technique was developed by scammers to stop people from closing a
browser window that was sending lots of pop-up advertisements to the
visitor’s computer.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Apparently, many phishing victims who encounter this trick eventually enter
their information. They’d probably be better off closing the web browser
completely.
Under New Ownership
When we register a web domain address, like http://www.mysite.com/ (not a
real link), we have to pay an annual fee to use it.
If we do not, for any reason, pay the fee when it is due, then the domain
name is available for anyone else to register and use.
Sometimes, that’s a scammer who refits the web site with some malware,
phishing software or maybe just lots of advertisements.
That’s why should always be careful when you visit a web site that you
haven’t been to for a long time or have never seen before.
The site may have new owners and other surprises.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Scams Exposed
This Chapter shows just a few of the scams which plague the Internet. Many
are very old but the scammers use them because they work very well.
Work at Home Offers
There are many variations on this particularly cruel scam which targets
desperate, unskilled people who may really need the work.
Many of the schemes involve payments of fees and payment for stock –
whatever the scammer thinks they can get away with.
Forward Packages – High Pay – Even Higher Risk!
This sort of offer may come by email, through a discussion group set up just
to recruit victims or on a respectable-looking business web site. They want
people to accept delivery of goods by post and forward them to overseas
addresses.
They reasons vary. All are carefully rehearsed and scripted to sound
convincing. They may, for instance, say that the suppliers of the goods will
not post directly to their country.
You have to provide Bank account details and other personal information.
The pay probably seems generous. It needs to be large enough to hook
people so hard that they don’t even think, “Why are they willing to pay
anyone that much? Why me?”
One reason is that the goods are stolen, so their potential profit is very high.
There is real danger here – the operations I’ve read about were believed to
be linked to criminal organizations.
But, there is also a strong possibility that you will be arrested on multiple
serious charges – you may be the only part of the racket that can be located
easily and, of course, the parcels can be traced, within your country at least.
The addresses and any other information about your overseas contacts will
probably be useless. They’ll quickly move and set up somewhere else at the
first indication of trouble.
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That’s likely to be when you are arrested or interviewed by the police.
You would find it difficult to convince anyone that you thought the whole deal
was legitimate.
As if the charges about stolen property and mis-using the mail service
weren’t serious enough, you will probably also attract attention from the Tax
Department if you don’t declare the payments.
Easy Money Straight into Your Account.
A variation of this scam is to get people to receive cash payments into their
own bank account and then send the funds, minus a generous commission,
to the scammers overseas.
It’s called money laundering.
People that do this high-risk activity are called “money mules”.
That’s not actually fair. Real mules are fairly smart.
You don’t really think that someone who has a legitimate need to frequently
send large sums of money overseas cannot do it except by contacting
someone like you after stumbling on to your name on a Forum or elsewhere
on the Internet?
Of course not! Neither will the police.
Training for a Guaranteed Job
They want you to pay for a course of training with work guaranteed after you
complete your course.
You may never get a pass mark in your course or they may just disappear
after you pay them for the course.
No-one can guarantee work on this basis and the amount that they say you
can earn is probably much above the rate which is being paid in your area for
the type of work.
Check with local sources what people doing similar work are paid, what
training they need to do and, especially, whether the course you are
pressured to buy is a recognized form of training by employers.
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You may also have to buy equipment or materials for use with the course.
The price that they will charge you will be much higher than you can
probably get the materials locally.
2] Assemble craft or other items and the supplier will guarantee to buy them back so you make a generous profit. However well you make the items, they
won’t pass the supplier’s “quality inspection” or any other excuse they want.
They’re in the business of selling kits to people like you.
You can probably find similar items, professionally finished, on sale in local
stores for less than you pay for each of the items in your kit!
Other Old Scams in New Clothes
Many of the classic confidence tricks have been transported on to the
Internet where they work just as well.
The scammers may run less risk operating through the Internet. The
different laws in various countries and the failure of some countries to adapt
their laws to deal with Internet crime in any meaningful way may make
successful prosecution much more difficult and costly.
The scammers are also able to attack a rapidly-growing number of potential
victims, already numbering in the millions, at very low cost.
The most common on-line scams would all be familiar to law enforcement
people of-line. They include;
The Nigerian Scam:
Somebody you’ve never heard of wants you to help them transfer a very
large sum of money from their country to yours. They are willing to pay you
a small fortune for your generous help and the details of your bank account.
Lotteries or Inheritance Scams
You are notified that a relative you never heard of before or a lottery that
you never entered has produced a significant financial windfall for you. You
need only to provide either a few hundred dollars “search fee” or details of
your bank account, or both, and you’ll be in line for a great surprise!
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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Bargain Travel Scam
The scammer offers a highly sought after trip at a bargain rate.
You are charged add-on fees for almost everything that would make the trip
worthwhile and may be subject to conditions in the fine print that means you
decide not to take the trip.
However, if you have signed up and any Government enforced “cooling-off”
period is over, then you’ll still have to pay and that’s all profit for the
operator who doesn’t even have to provide the basic trip!
Email Scams.
All the old mail scams are still used, but on-line scammers don’t pay anything
like the cost of posting a letter, if they pay anything at all, for each message
they send.
Many scammers send thousands of spam emails each week and only need a
very small percentage to respond for them to be in profit.
Some people think that spam is a nuisance but not a problem.
The truth is that spam is a major problem. The amount of spam circulating
now is choking the Internet and reducing the resources available to
legitimate users. And legitimate users pay for ALL of it through our hosting
and Internet access fees.
It also re-enforces the negative impression that many people have about
almost all Internet businesses.
Governments sometimes try to deal with the spam by placing restrictions on
our use of the Internet and some have even suggested that every email
should have to be paid for.
A lot of spam is sent through security holes on computers that belong to
innocent people. They may have their accounts closed. Their reputations will
suffer too. Proving to the satisfaction of their Internet Service Provider that
they are innocent of any deliberate wrong-doing will be time-consuming and
possibly expensive.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
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“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 53 of 58
That’s why I recommend that you get good security software, keep it up to
date and make sure that you set it to scan your system regularly. It might be
inconvenient but it’s much better than having to explain a flood of spam that
appears to have originated from your computer and email account.
Spammers would probably close their email accounts when the bills were due
to be paid.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 53 –
“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 54 of 58
You can Help, but ….!
…. this is no job for Don Quixote!
When we hear of someone that has had their identity or their life savings
stolen through Internet fraud, many of us feel a surge of rage and, perhaps,
disgust.
If you have any idea of righting wrongs on the Internet through direct action,
think twice and then think again, please.
The danger, and also the costs in time and disruption of your business
activities and personal life that could happen, make it a high-risk route with
little chance of success.
Leave it to the professionals, many of whom are also under-resourced and
heavily pressured – but at least they get paid.
By all means provide financial or whatever other assistance you can to the
organizations I mention in this book, send any information about online fraud
or other illegal activity to your local or federal authorities and perhaps try to vote for politicians that know and care about those of us who work and play
in the Internet beyond YouTube!
If you have verifiable evidence of scamming or are concerned that you or a
close family member may be a potential victim, contact your local law
enforcement, your Bank or other financial institution or consider asking for
information from the Helpful web sites that I’ve listed in this book.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 54 –
“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 55 of 58
Resources
Virus Bulletin: (From
their web site) “Virus
Bulletin online
magazine and website
provides users with all
the information they
need to stay current
with the latest
developments in the anti-malware and anti-spam field.”
It provides annual reviews and ratings for security software and a newsletter,
which could be useful for the casual visitor and also much that would be
valuable to people involved with their company’s computer system.
You need to register and subscribe to the free newsletter if you want to
access a lot of the material which is, I think, fair enough.
Helpful Websites
Castle Cops
(From their website) CastleCops® is a volunteer security community focused
on making the Internet a safer place. All services to the public are free,
including malware and rootkit cleanup of infected computers, malware and
phish investigations and terminations, and searchable database lists of
malware and file hashes.
Education and collaborative information sharing are among CastleCops
highest priorities. They are achieved by training our volunteer staff in our
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 55 –
“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 56 of 58
anti-malware, phishing, and rootkit academies and through additional
services including CastleCops forums, news, reviews, and continuing
education.
CastleCops consistently works with industry experts and law enforcement to
reach our ultimate goal in securing a safe and smart computing experience
for everyone online.
US-Cert
This USA Government
site has reliable and
timely information about
recent security alerts and
tips for protecting your
computer.
Among the newsletters
which anyone can subscribe to for free is one specially focused on non-
technical users.
Phishtank
This site was launched in 2006 so that people could
report phishing web sites, set up by scammers to
look like the official sites of companies such as eBay,
PayPal or various banks.
Bank Safe Online (U.K.)
http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/ was
set up by Banks in the UK as a web site
where customers could get and submit
reliable information about Internet scams
that might affect them.
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 56 –
“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 57 of 58
Keep Safe – Keep Informed.
Almost every day, a new virus is unleashed on the Internet and several new
or revamped scams are exposed.
I hope this book helps you and your family to be aware of the types of risks
that are around you when you use the Internet.
The benefits are so great for education, business and increasing
understanding between people around the World that we can’t let the
scammers ruin it for us or, especially, our children.
John Williams
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 57 –
“Your Ezy-Internet Safety Guide” by John Williams
Page 58 of 58
Another eBookWholesaler Publication
Copyright © 2007 John Williams
– 58 –
Document Outline
Recommended Resources
Please Read This First Terms of Use Disclaimer
Contents
About the Author
The Truth about Web Safety
The Biggest Problem
Make Your Computer Safer! Keep Your Programs Up to Date It’s Best to Back-up
Check EVERY File
Passwords Tips for Better Passwords
No More Passwords Lists on Paper
Safer Surfing Don’t Expose Your Friend’s Addresses to Other Friends.
Identity Theft Quick Tips to Reduce the Risks Click Here for Your Private Information
All Websites have Rules Your Information will not be Distributed.
Using Other People’s Material on Your Web Site
Security Software Find Something Good and Stick to it! Updates and Scans.
Pep Up Your Computer
Suppliers of Security Programs
Web Browser Add-Ons
Anti-virus Programs
Firewall
Anti-spyware Programs
Anti-malware Programs
Anti-spam programs More Ways to Reduce Spam.
Your Email Program
Email Programs PocoMail
Pegasus Mail
Protecting the Family Protecting Your Original Work on the Internet
“Free” can be EXPENSIVE!
Seeking Just Friends and Fun
“Save Money and Live Longer”
The Enemy – Software Viruses
Worms
Spyware
Trojans
Email Hazards Attachments
Links
Web Site Dangers Please Verify Your Account Details
Check Your Spelling
Check Their Spelling too!
Phishing Sites
Under New Ownership
Scams Exposed Work at Home Offers Forward Packages – High Pay – Even Higher Risk!
Easy Money Straight into Your Account.
Training for a Guaranteed Job
Other Old Scams in New Clothes The Nigerian Scam:
Lotteries or Inheritance Scams
Bargain Travel Scam
Email Scams.
You can Help, but ….!
Resources Helpful Websites Castle Cops
Phishtank
Bank Safe Online (U.K.)
Keep Safe – Keep Informed.
