Risk-Free E-Mail

T

o a great extent today e-mail messages have
replaced letters, providing an almost
instantaneous way to stay in touch, conduct
business, and exchange documents.

However, e-mail carries certain risks that you
should be aware of. These typically fall into
three categories:

➟ An e-mail may contain links or files that,

if opened, can place malicious code onto

your computer — or cell phone.

➟ Spamis generally e-mail advertising for

some product that arrives unsolicited

from somebody you don’t know.

➟ Spam becomes a scam when criminals

use the e-mail to commit fraud. It may

be a financial scam (called phishing)

where they make the e-mail look like an

official notice of some kind to lure you

into revealing financial information that

they can use to steal your money or iden-

tity. Or it may be to get you to click on a

link to place malicious code on your

computer to steal all your information.

These scams come in several varieties, but

they share certain characteristics that we

explore in this chapter.

5

In this chapter...

➟E-Mail Safety Basics ............90

➟Create an E-Mail Account ....92

➟Create Safe E-Mail Aliases....97

➟Hide Your Name in E-Mails....99

➟Send an E-Mail..................101

➟Add an Attachment ............103

➟Open an Attachment ..........105

➟Forward E-Mails ................107

➟Reply to E-Mails ................109

➟Manage Spam ..................110

➟Use Spam Filters ................111

➟Use Verification Programs....114

➟File a Spam Complaint ......115

➟Recognize Fraud and

Scams ..............................116

➟Avoid the Latest E-Mail

Scam-of-the-Day ................118

➟Deal with Phishing E-Mails ..119

➟

Chapter