Email Safety: Take These Steps to Protect Your Home and Computer

Computer and Internet technology has profoundly changed the way we communicate. For the greater part, this change has been positive. Consider email capability: it is a cost-efficient, easy and fun way to keep in touch with family and friends. It's also a time-efficient way to conduct business.

However, with every positive comes a negative, and in the Internet universe the downside of using email is the online predator that may try to take advantage of you personally or financially. Some email mischief can be very dangerous, such as the anonymous emailers who send viruses through attachments than can damage or destroy your computer's hard drive. Some are simply dangerous, like the predators who troll the Web seeking ways to contact females.

By following some basic precautions, you can ensure that your online experience will be safe and secure.

Email Address and Profile
When choosing an email account address and nickname, don't create something that will imply any information about your age, gender, or location. If your family members use the computer, make sure they choose nicknames and usernames wisely -- and avoid overly playful names such as "bikerchick" or "hottie16yrs." Such names may be designed in the spirit of fun, but it's an easy way to attract online predators.

If you fill out a profile to accompany your email address, leave out personal information including real name, age, occupation, location, gender, address and phone number. Scammers seek out such information to exploit for a variety of purposes.

Passwords
Create computer passwords that discourage hacking. As with any effective code, your password should be difficult to crack. Alphanumeric passwords, or passwords that use letters and numbers, are the most effective (e.g. NC41GO68). If your computer asks you if you want it to save your password, always click "no." If someone uses your computer, saved passwords are an easy way for them to gain access to your email account without your consent. Never reveal computer passwords to anyone, either online or off.

Hackers often send emails claiming to be service representatives from companies such as AOL or Yahoo! and requesting your password to resolve billing or security problems. Ignore it!  These companies never request that kind of information. To stay on the offensive, change your password often.

Attachments
Never open email attachments from any address you don't recognize. It might contain a virus. A good indicator of a virus is the file extension of the attachment (e.g. in the file "myhouse.exe," the extension is ".exe"). Be wary of extensions such as .vbs, .exe, .scr, .pif, .lnk, or .bat. There are many others. Take the extra step and install anti-virus software and firewalls on your computer.

Here are some other tips to help protect your email account:

• Always log off your e-mail account when not using your computer
• Don't reply to junk email (spam)
• Don't read and delete all e-mails from addresses you don't recognize
• Don't click on any links in spam