Junk mail epidemic (on your doorstep)
After a week in which a postman landed in hot water for advising householders how to tackle the menace of junk mail through their letter boxes, I see that the mail of the electronic variety continues to irritate. Indeed, a newsletter that I have just received suggests that over 80% of mail received is unwelcome spam.
Junk mail (in your electronic mailbox)
This morning alone, three poorly crafted, mis-spelled bogus e-mail notifications arrived, all from financial institutions to which I don't belong. Of course, these mails urged me to log in 'without delay' to their spoof site to steal my details. Their mates had been busy too, sending a bogus notification from auction site eBay, claiming I'd won something in an on-line auction. The trap here is that an eBayer might panic and follow the link in the mail to SEE exactly what the item is that they have allegedly won. Very devious! Of course, these fraudsters had pulled the same stunt countless times before and had been too idle to change the auction date from January 2006!
Unsolicited phone calls
Some time ago, I subscribed to the Telephone Preference Service - this offers individuals the opportunity to opt out from lists that companies use for making marketing telephone calls. In order to discover more about TPS why not check out the following URL: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/what/
Every silver lining has its cloud and in this case, the snag is that you will not be protected from calls that originate from overseas.
After a week in which a postman landed in hot water for advising householders how to tackle the menace of junk mail through their letter boxes, I see that the mail of the electronic variety continues to irritate. Indeed, a newsletter that I have just received suggests that over 80% of mail received is unwelcome spam.
Junk mail (in your electronic mailbox)
This morning alone, three poorly crafted, mis-spelled bogus e-mail notifications arrived, all from financial institutions to which I don't belong. Of course, these mails urged me to log in 'without delay' to their spoof site to steal my details. Their mates had been busy too, sending a bogus notification from auction site eBay, claiming I'd won something in an on-line auction. The trap here is that an eBayer might panic and follow the link in the mail to SEE exactly what the item is that they have allegedly won. Very devious! Of course, these fraudsters had pulled the same stunt countless times before and had been too idle to change the auction date from January 2006!
Unsolicited phone calls
Some time ago, I subscribed to the Telephone Preference Service - this offers individuals the opportunity to opt out from lists that companies use for making marketing telephone calls. In order to discover more about TPS why not check out the following URL: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/what/
Every silver lining has its cloud and in this case, the snag is that you will not be protected from calls that originate from overseas.
posted by Bat 21 at 4:42 AM
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