On the information superhighway if you don't follow the safety rules, you are liable to get hit by a Mac truck and, in turn, cause a 200 car pile-up. The rules exist for your own safety and the safety of the millions of other drivers.
Rule #1: Don't Ever, Ever, Ever Open attachments until you can answer all of these questions:
-
Was I expecting an E-mail with an attachment?
If you were expecting an attachment, check to be sure it is the exact file that you were expecting before opening it.
If you weren't expecting an attachment, be sure you pay special attention to the next question. -
Is the subject clear? Does the message state what the attachment is and include my name and/or the sender's name??
Viruses can come even from people you know. Don't ever trust an attachment just because you recognize the E-mail address. Check the subject line and message body to be sure who sent it, what it is and why it was sent. Ask collegues, family and friends to be sure to follow the etiquette for sending attachments. When in doubt (even a tiny bit), delete the message. Call the person who sent it and confirm. If they need to send it again, they can.
Rule #2: Don't Ever, Ever, Ever open attachments -- Save them. If you have gone through the steps for Rule #1 and have ascertained that the attachment is safe, you still don't just open it! The sender could be unknowingly sending a virus, a new virus could have slipped through the filter, etc. Always, always, always save the attachment first so that your antivirus software can scan it. These steps will take you a minute longer to get to the attachment, but it's well worth the safety of your computer and the entire network.
Rule #3: Be sure to run an antivirus software that scans incoming E-mail. It's imperative to have up-to-date antivirus software running on your computer. It is also important that the software check all incoming E-mail. Again, this slows the process down just a little but, again, it is worth it in the long run.
Rule #4: Be aware of "phishing" scams. If you are wondering if this blonde can't spell, then you need to brush up on your Internet predator terms. Phishing is where someone sends you an E-mail pretending to be some company that you use. The message asks you to go to their site and update your info. So you click on the link and update all your personal info including your credit card info. Yank! You're hooked! This is such a big deal that the FTC has put out some tips on How Not to Get Hooked by a "Phishing" Scam. Educate yourself.
Rule #5: Don't send
important passwords or personal info (like credit card
numbers) in an E-mail.
E-mail is not private. Anyone with the time and software can
scan Internet traffic and come up with passwords, credit card numbers,
bank account numbers and all sorts of information that is "you".
{There is a time when good ol' land lines are better than E-mail
and cell phones.} Giving personal info through E-mail or chat is
one way that identity theft begins. For more info on identity theft,
check out the FTC's
ID Theft pages.
Blonde
Tutorials Home • OE Menu • Getting
started • Setting up an account •
Send& receive E-mail
Setting options • Address
book • Attachments • E-mail
Etiquette • E-mail safety
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All tutorials may be reproduced only in their original form with appropriate credit given to the owner/author.
Please e-mail questions and comments to Ren Yantis, resident blonde.