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There’s a lot of great stuff on the Internet and there’s a lot of garbage, too. Since I practically live on-line, I’m probably more aware of it than the average netizen, so my mission today is to give you some important warnings.<\/p>\nThere’s a lot of great stuff on the Internet and there’s a lot of garbage, too. Since I practically live on-line, I’m probably more aware of it than the average netizen, so my mission today is to give you some important warnings.<\/p>\n
If any of your friends or family members are the least bit concerned about security (either on-line or offline), then you’ve probably received messages from them warning you about the latest threats and advising you to take (or not take) some particular action. While their intentions are good, they’re frequently just spreading the latest urban myths or legends.<\/p>\n
Whenever you get an email that says something like “everyone needs to know this,” or “please forward this to everyone on your list,” it’s highly likely that whatever “this” refers to is simply untrue.<\/p>\n
You can easily check it out by visiting one of the web sites that tracks such things (for example, Snopes<\/a> or Scambusters<\/a>). Please do this before you unknowingly perpetuate the myth and\/or unnecessarily alarm a lot of other folks. They’ll appreciate it AND be much more receptive to your future emails that warn of real threats.<\/p>\n You also probably get emails telling you about the latest\/greatest\/easiest way to make money on-line. Some of the messages you receive may suggest you take surveys to earn a few quick bucks. There’s one currently making the rounds that says McDonald’s will give you $50 for filling out their survey.<\/p>\n Not only is this information bogus, it’s downright dangerous<\/strong>. The fake survey asks you to give out personal data including your Social Security number and bank account information. Don’t fall for it. Remember the old saying, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”<\/p>\n Another danger to be aware of on-line is the realistic-looking, yet false warning that a virus has just been detected on your computer. You’re directed to “click now” to get rid of it or to buy some kind of protection. Don’t do it. If you do, you’ll likely wind up with a severely infected and discombobulated PC.<\/p>\n The box that you saw pop up on your screen was not put there by your virus checking program, but by some Internet scammer. Your best defense against this kind of attack is to be familiar with the way your anti-virus program works so you’re not fooled by these wayward messages.<\/p>\n The deceptions that bother me the most are the ones perpetrated by scads of so-called gurus and experts who promise you that if you buy their secrets success formula you’ll be able to make oodles of cash on-line in just a few days with little or no work at all. They say they’ll give you a web site, send you free traffic, handle your payment processing, all while you just sit back and relax and watch your bank account fill up.<\/p>\n Sorry to tell you, it just isn’t true. Yes, some savvy business owners might appear to have become overnight successes on-line, but in most cases they’ve spent months or years researching the market, developing products and services, building buzz about their launches. Their one-day million dollar sales are actually the result of a lot of hard work.<\/p>\n