Author: By Vicki Lee Parker, McClatchy Newspapers
With the holiday shopping season well under way, many consumers have already received a barrage of e-mails advertising hefty discounts on popular gift items. But behind some of those enticing offers lurk unwelcome headaches such as computer viruses, a private identity theft scam or malware that gives criminals remote access to your computers. Once the criminals get access to your computer, they can steal personal information or use the computer to transmit spam, viruses and other attacks. Cyber experts reported a record level of spam and criminal activity in November. Symantec Corp, an online security company, reported that the current volume of spam makes up 71 percent of e-mail traffic, up from 59 percent last year. That number is expected to grow as criminals try to take advantage of last-minute shoppers. The problem is that this year the fake ads are more sophisticated and better resemble legitimate e-mails, said Keith Crosley, spokesman for Proofpoint, a messaging security company in Sunnyvale, Calif. “They are not as easy to spot as before,” he said. “We are seeing sites that are incredibly convincing. They look almost like the brand they are trying to spoof.” Consumers are going to have to be extremely cautious when shopping online, Crosley said. Proofpoint offers these tips to help you safely shop online: Be suspicious. Be leery of e-mail with requests for personal identifying information, personal financial information, usernames or passwords. Virtually no legitimate businesses today request this type of information in an e-mail. Additionally, e-mail requesting that you download a document off a Website should be considered highly suspicious. This almost certainly is an attempt to trick consumers into downloading malware off a Website. Don’t click. If you receive a suspicious e-mail, don’t click the links in the e-mail and never open file attachments from anyone but 100 percent trusted sources. Links embedded in e-mails may take you to fraudulent sites that look similar or identical to the legitimate “spoofed” site. Remember, malware is not limited to just .exe files these days; it can be hidden in Word documents, PDF files, e-cards and more. Be secure. When you are shopping online, entering important information such as credit card numbers, or updating personal information, make sure you’re using a secure Website. A secure Web server Web address will begin with “https” instead of the usual “http.” Most Web browsers also show an icon (such as Internet Explorer’s “padlock” icon) to indicate that the page you are viewing is secure. Bottom line: Be careful while shopping online. But there are still plenty of legitimate deals to be found. One of my favorites is offered by the U.S. Postal Service. You can go to www.usps.com and order free packaging supplies, including tape, labels, priority mailboxes for mailing videos, DVDs or CDs. Once you get your packages ready, you can go back online to www.usps.com/pickup and the Postal Service will come to your home or office, free, and pick up the package. The Postal Service also will send a free military care kit that includes priority mailboxes, tape and even custom forms with envelopes. To order a military kit, call (800) 610-8734. Why is the Postal Service being so generous? The service is offered year-round, said spokeswoman Joanne Veto. But during busy seasons, getting the right packaging supplies to customers helps the Postal Service process the mail faster, too, she said. Also, don’t forget the Postal Service’s holiday mailing deadlines. If you want a package to arrive in time for Christmas, you have to mail first-class and priority mail by Dec. 20 and express mail by Dec. 22. Regular mail should be sent by Dec. 15. International express mail can be sent as late as Dec. 19 for arrival by Dec. 25.
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