Reminder to avoid spam and scams
Your email inbox is probably full of spam and scams. Be wary and don’t fall prey to the bad guys! There are a lot of scams out there besides Bernie Madoff, and many of them will come into your inbox in what appear to be legitimate e-mails.
There are really three parts to solving this problem.
1. Keep your computer clean
IT Wire reports that spam volumes have now reached 79.5% of all email, and Barracuda Networks is actually predicting spam volumes will rise to more than 95% of all email in 2009. And most of this spam comes from Windows PCs that have been infected by a virus or otherwise taken over by a spammer. These "zombie PCs" form a "botnet" under the control of the spammer, and can send millions of spam messages a day, so it’s incredibly important that you don’t add to a botnet’s computing power! A recent story in Windows Secrets has some helpful tips on avoiding becoming part of a botnet, but you should, at a minimum, take these steps:
- Make sure your computer is set to auto-update, and install updates when offered.
- Especially if you have Windows installed on your computer, install third-party anti-virus software and supplement it with anti-spyware and anti-botnet software.
Contact your IT Department for more information. UMass Boston offers McAfee VirusScan for all computers attached to the UMB network.
2. Never buy anything advertised via spam
It seems incredible that anyone would do this, but someone must, or they wouldn’t bother sending the spam in the first place. These spam botnets can earn millions of dollars per year if there are enough suckers responding to the spam advertising. Don’t be one of them!
3. Don’t fall for the scam
Another e-mail danger is phishing. The sender tries to lure victims with enticing (or frightening) bait in hopes that they will divulge personal or financial information the scammer can use for criminal purposes, including identity theft. By now everyone knows about the supposed wife of an ex-dictator that just needs access to your checking account to sneak millions of dollars into the country, but did you hear about Obama quitting the presidency? Scammers will take advantage of any current event to try to trick you into reading the email, responding, clicking on the link, etc. Some will even appear to be somewhat personalized, possibly claiming to be from your internet service provider. Here’s a current example, collected from my very own e-mail inbox..
VERIFY YOUR EDU EMAIL ACCOUNT NOW
Dear Edu Email Account Owner,
This message is from edu messaging center to all edu email account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all edu email account to create more space for new accounts.
This just never happens. For one thing, there is no one in charge of "EDU email," and they most certainly aren’t deleting all accounts to "create more space." The real tip-off, though, comes below. No tech support or customer service rep would EVER ask for your password or PIN!
CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL IDENTITY BELOWEmail Username : ………. …..EMAIL Password : …………….Date of Birth : ……………..Country or Territory : ……….
If anyone — via email or telephone — asks you for your password or PIN, it’s a scam. Report them to the Federal Trade Commission, or, in Massachusetts, you can report them to the Attorney General.