Blog Article

Go fishing, not phishing!

Go fishing

By Merriman Wealth Management, Wealth Advisor
Published On 06/11/2013

If you use email, you are under constant attack. Every ploy imaginable is being used against you in attempts to get you to open an email that has the goal of connecting you with a website to enter your account number and password information. This “phish” email will look very official, be urgent in nature, and connect you to an official-looking website. Don’t take the bait!

One scheme sends you an email stating that your credit card or bank account at Bank XYZ is going to be closed immediately unless you reset your password by clicking on the attached link. The link will take you to a very official looking Bank XYZ website where you are instructed to type in your current account number and password. They now have your login information and can access your real account directly. Keep this in mind: Banks and other financial organizations will not ask you to provide account and password information via an email. Common scams include more than just trying to get your banking information; be on the lookout for wire transfer requests from friends stuck overseas, lottery winnings, investment schemes, fake checks and pretty much anything related to money.

For a long time we thought it was safe to click links and attachments from people we know, but hackers have gotten much more sophisticated and now use your friends’ email names and addresses that have been harvested from social media or malware. By using the email addresses and names of people you know, they increase the chance that you will open those emails. The links and attachments can often lead to software that will attempt to infect your computer with malware or take you to a bad site. So always use extra caution when you get an email asking you to provide any type of personal information.

How do you protect yourself? First, don’t give out personal information that is requested in an email. Also make sure that the address in the browser matches where you think you should be. If you expect to be at www.paypal.com and the browser says you are at www.stealingyourmoney.com you should leave that site immediately. Of course, it’s not always quite so obvious. But if you look closely, you’ll often be able to detect a discrepancy in the web address.

You should always make sure your computer and devices are patched and up-to-date with the latest security updates. Most major software companies update their software on a regular schedule to help keep security issues down, so don’t avoid those update notifications. Use a firewall and anti-virus software, which will do a good job of keeping a lot malicious items at bay. Most Internet browsers have pop-up blockers that can help reduce your risk as well. Finally, if you are unsure if the email is real, call the person who sent it to you and ask them about it.

In the end, you are the last line of defense. Always be skeptical of things that don’t seem quite right. While in the real world it may be admirable to trust the good intentions of others, things are not always what they seem in the online world, and it is best to have your best defenses forward.

 

Written by retired Merriman Advisor Eric Jonson

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By Merriman Wealth Management, Wealth Advisor

At Merriman, we manage your wealth so you can lead your best life. We take care of the financial planning and investment management, so you can deal in more possibilities and have the space you need to dream big.

Because it’s time to stop asking "What should I do?" and start saying, "This is what I could do."

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