I struggle between the joy and the dismay of computer usage. Dependent on the bright screen glowing in our faces so many hours a day, we use it for entertainment. Love that Candy Crush! Or handling our finances – just how many passwords do we need between the credit cards, the bank accounts, the money program that is supposed to pull all the information together and who knows what else?
Yet others are also using the Internet and not always for legitimate and legal purposes.
A reasonably new item used by our dishonest brethren and sisters is a small box that can grab all information off any computer not protected against it simply by passing by the person with the computer. Another rather frightening gadget allows any person, who has control of our credit cards for even a few minutes, to swipe it and gather all our info for their shopping pleasure. Still another acts like the box; one person has only to pass by another and the little box traps all credit card information.
The good news is that there are also people trying to counteract all this larceny. Wallets that reflect back the ‘beam’ from the little boxes are available. Ditto with cases for computers.
The most important person who should be fighting having their information stolen is John Q Public – you. Yes, you are capable of helping yourself. Check online to discover new scams. Listen when the news talks about hackers getting into bank and store records. When that happens get rid of your old cards immediately and ask for new ones. Ditto with bank accounts.
Today I received an email that had all the glitter and glam to pass as the real thing. The logo was perfect. The wording of the message sounded extraordinarily official, except for one little thing. See if you can find the giveaway in this note:
“We always strive to stay up to date with our customers. So please take a moment and make sure we have your current income info. It helps us meet federal regulations, which require us to collect updated income info before reviewing your account for future credit line increases. Update your income in about 60 seconds.”
Following that was a link to UPDATE MY INCOME. Even if this is legitimate, clicking on any link to give out any financial information is asking for trouble. Most financial institutions will not use this method.
Always disregard the email except to report it to the fraud department of the company it represents. Then call or go into the website of the institution and ask them whether the email was legitimate. They will happily reply to your email either way or give you the correct information over the phone.
When all of this began, emails were crude at best with bad spelling, sentence structure and shabby logos. As time has passed, sophistication has moved into all of these areas. The scammers are learning just as you and I would, and they are applying that knowledge to an almost perfect product.
Another email, and sometimes a telephone call, states your credit account has been closed and you must either click on a link to provide information to open your account, or give the caller the information. Almost always, they ask for your security number on your credit card. Why? That’s the only piece of information they are missing. Never give out those security numbers because the financial institution supplying the credit cards already has it and has no reason to get it from you.
Use your computers, but be aware that every piece of information you or anyone else puts on one concerning you is available to a good hacker. If you feel your information has been compromised, immediately contact the card provider, or your bank, etc., and report the incident.
Change your passwords often and do not use family member birthdays, names, house addresses, etc. Those are the first things people try when they attempt to break in. Do not use the same password for every site. Some sites will even let you click for a very strong password made up by the computer on the spot. Others require you to change your passwords every thirty days or so.
Have a strong security program and firewalls on your computer and run the program daily to check for viruses. If you don’t know from the list of items the program catches, what might be good among the bad, check with a computer tech.
Can we defeat the computer dragon and hackers? We can make a vigorous start. Get the metal carrier for credit cards and our computer. Be proactive. Don’t wait for the rest of the world to save your financial standing. If you do, you may be broke before you know what’s happening.