Tired of catalogs clogging up your mailbox??

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Junk mail is the bane of any household, particularly catalogs from companies hawking products for which you have zero interest. Many of us, when arriving home from work, hate the daily ritual of filtering unwanted junk from the mail that we?re actually interested in reading.

Initially unveiled as just a beta, Catalog Choice is now an official registry that allows you to cut down on the clutter filling up your mailbox.

It?s completely free and easy to use, supported by more than 1,000 merchants complying with the requests made through this service.

After the registration process has been completed, you can browse their directory for any catalogs that have found their way to your mailbox. You can either put a halt to their delivery altogether or make it so the frequency with which they?re sent to your residence diminishes considerably. Once your choices have been made, Catalog Choice will contact the companies and inform them of your preference.

Be forewarned: It can take up to 12 weeks before you notice your changes.

If you?re like me, you look forward to a mailbox containing only that which is relevant, absent the unnecessary solicitations. For those of you who tire of finding your mailbox invaded by catalogs you almost immediately toss in the garbage bin, this service is a perfect means of putting an end to the unwanted junk.

Visit Catalog Choice here

Twitter alerts its users to Phishing scam

If you?re a user of Twitter, that social networking phenomenon that depends upon succinct bursts of information from its community of members, you might be at risk of having your password compromised.

Twitter has begun issuing alerts to certain users, notifying them of the need to change their password. It reads as follows:

“Due to concern that your account may have been compromised in a phishing attack that took place off-Twitter, your password was reset.”

This is in response to phishing attempts that have resulted in users unwittingly surrendering their login information to hackers.

Phishing refers to a process where unscrupulous sorts set up a bogus login screen that dupes unsuspecting users into giving their user name and password away. The phishers then use that compromised account to send messages to other users, using the same scheme.

Aiming to thwart a recent series of phishing scams, Twitter has been informing users that they should change their password if they happen to be following an account by the name of @THCx. It?s suspected that this account may have been created for the purpose of phishing for passwords.

Computer Geeks advises you to be very mindful of who you share information with. When logging into ANY account, always make sure to look at the url located in the address bar. Should there be anything that looks peculiar, it?s possible that it?s not the actual site you wish to log into.

Stay vigilant and protect yourself.

Want to Donate to the Relief Effort in Haiti? Read This.

As you?re probably well aware, Haiti just suffered a catastrophic earthquake, leaving their country in ruins and possibly thousands dead. Beyond extending them your thoughts of concern, you can also donate to any number of charitable organizations that are urgently addressing the need arising from this grave situation.

When dealing with charities, it?s best to pay attention to just whom you?re donating to, remaining mindful of their legitimacy. While there are a lot of charitable sources that would appreciate your help,? this tragedy has also unearthed unscrupulous sorts who would take advantage of kind hearts. Below, you?ll find sites to which your donations are welcome, and some information on possible scams you should avoid:

If you really want to help, it?s advisable to send just money ? not stuff. Right now, money is critical, with that financial assistance going towards the replenishment of much needed supplies. If you experiencing some ambivalence over donating funds to organizations you?re not sure about, these resources should allay some of your fears:

  • Charity Navigator assesses organizations and rates them accordingly, listing those services that have received three or four star ratings from their studies (such ratings denote trustworthiness and competency).
  • The Foundation Center is helpful resource that unveils the tax filing and non-profit status of an organization.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti. As more sites become available, we will update you on the best way to donate to the entities now addressing this tragic ordeal.

Protecting yourself from email scams

Most of us are already well familiar with the frustrations of spam: unsolicited email advertisements. In recent years, unwanted emails have evolved in an attempt to avoid increasingly advanced filters and wary consumers. The contents and goals of unsolicited emails are not always the same, however, and some emails are more dangerous than others. We’ve put together a list of red flags to help you quickly identify emails that may be harmful to your computer and your wallet.

Suspicious attachments

Attaching files to an email is a quick and easy way to share files with your contacts. The downside is that unscrupulous spammers can attach files like viruses and trojan horses in the hopes that an unwary recipient might download the file and infect their computer. Any time you see an email with an attachment that you weren’t expecting, be very cautious about downloading the attachment or even opening the email.

Links that don’t make sense

In an email supposedly from Yahoo, a link to a specific page on Yahoo’s site appears. So why does the text of the link not begin with “http://yahoo.com”? Because it’s a scam. Many scam artists attempt to gain account information or even credit card numbers by posing as respectable web companies looking for information about your account. These emails typically contain a link where you can reset your password, confirm your credit card information, or log in to access some special new feature. To spot these bad links, you need to look at the url: the address of the page that is being linked to. All urls begin with “http://” or “htpps://” and from there vary from website to website. If the url is not visible in the link, you can hover your mouse over the link and see the url in the lower left corner of your web browser.

email containing links that don't match up and suspicious sender information

email containing links that don't match up and suspicious sender information

Notices about accounts you don’t have

Virus spreading emails that mask themselves as emails from major websites are banking on their recipients actually having accounts with that website in the first place. If you get an email about your facebook account when you never signed up for facebook in the first place, the odds are very good that this is a phishing or virus email.

Password reset requests you didn’t send

One of the most common phishing emails currently is the fake password reset. These emails claim that you recently requested a new password, and direct you to a webpage where you can enter your “old” account name and password. You may be able to identify these emails by the link urls or because you don’t have the account that you would supposedly be resetting a password for in the first place. Even if you don’t see anything wrong with the link or the account information, never respond to a password reset email that you didn’t specifically request.

Sender addresses that don’t add up

An email from YouTube.com will be sent from an account that ends with @youtube.com. If “joey5683426$$@ytmail.com” is sending you important updates about your YouTube account, it’s a safe bet this is also a malicious email. If your email system hides sender information, you can change your settings to show full headers or usually click a link right in the email to show all of the sender information.

Money transfer requests

Typically from Nigeria, these emails claim that there is some obscene amount of money sitting in an account somewhere that the sender wants moved to the United States before something terrible happens to it. It’s not uncommon for these emails to be completely in upper case and poor English, although there are exceptions. These emails are scam attempts, trying to get your bank account information so that the sender can access your funds. No matter the pretense for the email, you should never share bank account information with anyone you don’t know. Recent versions of these emails claim to be from “a member of your church.”

Weird emails from friends

The most dangerous and difficult to spot malicious emails are the ones sent by your friends and other contacts. Usually if you receive a suspicious email from a friend or co-worker, it’s either because their system has been infected or because their account has been compromised. If you see an email from one of your contacts that contains strange characters in the subject, has attachments that you weren’t expecting, links to a file sharing site, or otherwise looks unlike the correspondence you’re used to from that person, take the time to check with them before clicking on any links or downloading any attachments. If you do find a strange email from a contact that later turns out to be a virus or online scam, it’s important to remember that your friend most likely was not the one that sent the email to you. These are almost always sent either by a virus or by someone who gained unauthorized access to your friend’s email account.

Email from the user's account containing a suspicious link and subject

Email from the user's account containing a suspicious link and subject

Emails from yourself (that you didn’t send)
These emails can be disturbing when you find them. If you find an email from your own account sitting in your inbox that you know you didn’t send (and you have not allowed anyone else access to your account) immediately change your password and security question for your account. Next, check your “sent mail” folder to see if any other emails went out that you were unaware of. Let everyone who received one of these suspicious emails know that you did not send the emails, that they should not open them or click any links or attachments and that you suspect your account was compromised. You can also let your email provider know about your concerns. If this problem recurs, your system may be infected and need virus cleanup service performed.

As users and spam filters become more aware of these malicious emails, scammers will develop new schemes to get at your computer, bank account, and other information. The best weapon against these attacks is a healthy dose of skepticism, though even vigilant users can fall victim to scams and viruses. If you believe you may have a compromised email account or infected machine, or if you just want more information about how to prevent these problems, give our office a call at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435).

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