In Brief

10 Tips for a Spoof-Proof Life

By Dragoon Alice

October 01, 2004 — CSO — 1. Treat with caution any unsolicited e-mail that purports to come from a trusted company.

2. If you're suspicious about an e-mail, don't click on any links. Don't even cut and paste a link into your browser. Open a new browser window and type the URL for the company yourself. Hyperlinks can show you one thing but send you somewhere else.

3. Be suspicious of e-mails that don't greet you by name. A message that says "Dear eBay customer" probably is not from eBay.

4. Ask yourself, Why is the company writing to me about this? If you have any doubts, call the company or go to its website on your own.

5. Don't click on any attachments. They could contain viruses or spyware, which records where you go online and captures any passwords or credit card numbers you type online.

6. Look for "https" in the URLs displayed in your browser's address bar. The "S" stands for "secure." If you don't see it, you're not in a secure Web session and shouldn't enter any personal or financial data.

7. Check the URL. If you see an @ sign in the middle of the URL, there's a good chance it's a phishing site. Legitimate companies use the domain name in their Web address (www.company.com), and don't have an @ sign in their URL.

8. Maintain up-to-date firewalls and security patches.

9. If your information is compromised, get a fraud alert placed on your credit report.

10. Visit www.consumer.gov/ idtheft for more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft.