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Hi Everyone,
Here is an important issue and A Great New Article, Just recieved from Scam Busters, Enjoy!
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Are Ecards Safe?
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Ecards (or electronic greeting cards) have become very popular
over the past few years. Ecards are a very convenient and
inexpensive way to send greetings to your friends and family,
and they can even be used to promote your business.
There are thousands of ecard companies, and ecards can be a
handy way to send a quick thank you, sorry, or thinking of you
message -- as well as a cheap and easy emergency fix when you
forget a special occasion and you no longer have time to send a
regular card by snail mail.
Ecards have become increasingly creative, and many incorporate
audio, video, and/or moving images. Some ecards can be
completely customized, including recording your own audio
message. Many people love receiving ecards.
If you'd like to see an example of a Thanksgiving ecard that's
animated and you can personalize, visit:
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product|10001|10051|528631|-2;-102001;11441;-102238;68110||P1R1SO|products
Are ecards safe?
If you send or receive ecards, have you ever considered whether
or not the ecard you're sending is safe? Or whether it's OK to
open an ecard when you receive one -- especially from someone
you know?
Most people never consider the dangers of ecards -- and
unfortunately, there are plenty of dangers.
Having said that, most ecards you receive from friends are safe
and easy to use. However, since there are quite a few ecard
scams going around right now, we want to help you make sure you
don't become an ecard scam victim.
This is especially important since the holiday season is
perfect for ecard scams -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah,
New Year -- which is why we decided to devote this issue to
this topic.
What are the biggest ecard dangers?
A legitimate-looking ecard, once it is clicked and/or
downloaded, might actually be spyware, spaham (misspelled
intentionally), or a computer virus.
For example, your computer then may start displaying obscene
images, barrage you with pop-up ads, launch adult websites, or
start sending bogus ecards to those in your address book that
appear to come from you.
For more on viruses, trojans and spyware, visit:
==} http://www.scambusters.org/viruses.html
One common ecard scam involves ecards that download adware or
spyware -- and they get you to agree to this in the fine print
when you click saying you accept the Terms of the ecard company!
Since not all viruses trash your PC, it may lie dormant for
awhile -- so you may never suspect that the ecard you received
was anything other than legitimate...
Here's an example of an ecard scam that's trickier than most
phishing scams: The ecard looks like it comes from Hallmark and
asks you to download an attachment to pick up our ecard.
However, the attachment isn't really an ecard -- it's a Trojan.
This particular Trojan then waits for you to sign onto AOL. If
and when you do, it displays a pop-up window that looks like an
AOL form, but asks you to verify/update your AOL billing info
by providing your credit card, checking account info, and
Social Security number.
This ecard, of course, is not really from Hallmark, and AOL has
nothing to do with this scam either. Scammers are trying to
steal your financial info and/or your identity.
Important: Hallmark never sends attachments with its legitimate
ecards. And AOL doesn't ask for billing info via pop-up
windows.
Telltale signs of a fake ecard
Here are a few clues that an ecard is bogus...
- Spelling mistakes -- e.g. congratulation! Or your name is
misspelled.
- Errors in the message -- e.g. it says you sent a card, not
received one.
- The sender isn't someone you know.
- The sender has a bogus name (Joe Cool, Agatha Tragonawar,
Card Sender, Secret Admirer, etc.).
- A URL that appears odd -- e.g. www.http:// rather than
http://www.
How to avoid trouble from fake ecards
- If in any doubt, don't open it.
- Delete any ecard from someone you don't know. Why would
someone you don't know be sending you a card?
- Never click on anything from an unknown source, never open an
attachment from an unknown source, and never download from an
unknown source. (It's really as simple as that!)
- Never click to accept terms from any company without reading
the fine print. One ecard scam asked users to accept Terms
that included the fact that the company would access their
address book and forward a message to everyone in it!
- Use antivirus software and keep it up to date. For more on
antivirus software, visit:
==} http://www.scambusters.org/anti-virus.html
- Use Mozilla Firefox. Many ecard scams use loopholes in
Internet Explorer, so Firefox is far more secure against this
type of scam. But since Firefox is not 100% secure either,
make sure you keep FireFox updated. We've talked about this
many times:
==} http://www.scambusters.org/spyware-removal.html
- We recommend against opening any ecard with an attachment.
You never know what is really in that attachment until it's too
late.
Remember: even opening attachments that appear to come from
friends or coworkers puts you at risk. Check out:
==} http://www.scambusters.org/email.html
- Be skeptical and alert. If something seems fishy, be
cautious. Remember, a Trojan can make a phony ecard look like
it's coming from a friend or family member. So, be vigilant.
How to send safe ecards
Many experts recommend against sending ecards because of the
problems. However, if you choose to send an ecard, use a
well-established professional ecard company. Some well-known
ecard companies are:
Blue Mountain - http://www.bluemountain.com
Hallmark -- http://www.hallmark.com
Egreetings - http://www.egreetings.com
American Greetings - http://www.americangreetings.com
These tips will help you send and receive ecards more safely.
Time to sign off. Have a wonderful week.
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