EMAIL SAFETY TIPS:
While we're on the subject of contacting people via email, there's one basic tip for using email that you need to know: PARANOIA IS YOUR FRIEND!
There are SO many email scams, phishing attacks, virus attacks and more out there that it is absolutely essential to be always on your guard with
incoming email.
Got an email supposedly from your bank, credit card company, PayPal, etc.? BE AWARE (and BEWARE!) that no legitimate company will ask you to
click on a link in an email to "update your account information", "verify your credit card information", etc. If you get an email that asks you to do such a
thing, DON'T DO IT! Instead, open your browser, use your normal shortcut or bookmark to go to the financial institution site, and log in from there. Then
you'll be able to see if there is, in fact, a problem.
Most financial institutions will have an email address where you can forward suspicious-looking emails. For instance, if you get a suspicious-looking
email that supposedly is from PayPal, forward the email to spoof@paypal.com - and then delete the email.
Here's some tips from PayPal on recognizing a fraudulent email:
"There are many signs of a fraudulent email.
Sender's Address - The "From" line may include an official-looking address that mimics a genuine one.
Generic Greetings - Be wary of impersonal greetings like "Dear User," or your email address. A legitimate PayPal email will always greet you by
your first and last name.
Typos/Poor Grammar - Emails sent by popular companies are almost always free of misspellings and grammatical errors.
False Sense of Urgency - Many scam emails tell you that your account will be in jeopardy if something critical is not updated right away.
Fake Links - Check where a link is going before you click by hovering over the URL in an email, and comparing it to the URL in the browser. If it
looks suspicious, don't click.
Attachments - A real email from PayPal will never include an attachment. Because they can contain spyware or viruses, you should never open an
attachment unless you are 100% sure it's legitimate."
