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goods. Since not divulging any personal information is rarely possible, the
following list contains some advice for how to share personal information
safely online:
•
Keep an eye out for phony email messages.
Things that indicate a
message may be fraudulent are misspellings, poor grammar, odd
phrasing, Web site addresses with strange extensions, Web site
addresses that are entirely numbers where there are normally words,
and anything else out of the ordinary. Additionally, phishing messages
will often tell you that you have to act quickly to keep your account open,
update your security, or urge you to provide information immediately or
else something bad will happen. Don't take the bait.
•
Don't respond to email messages that ask for personal
information.
Legitimate companies will not use email messages to ask
for your personal information. When in doubt, contact the company by
phone or by typing in the company Web address into your Web browser.
Don't click on the links in these messages as they make take you to
fraudulent, malicious Web sites.
•
Steer clear of fraudulent Web sites used to steal personal
information.
When visiting a Web site, type the address (URL) directly
into the Web browser rather than following a link within an email or
instant message. Fraudsters often forge these links to make them look
convincing.
A shopping, banking or any other Web site where sensitive information
should have an "S" after the letters "http" (i.e.
https://www.yourbank.com
not
http://www.yourbank.com
). The "s" stands for secure and should
appear when you are in an area requesting you to login or provide other
