What You Should Know About E-Mail Greeting Cards Scams
What used to be the kind of greeting you receive that brings a smile to your face is now an online threat. E-mail greeting cards are now being used to obtain information from unsuspecting victims and even spread malicious software.
How it works
If you’re being targeted, you will receive an e-mail that is supposed to be sent by an old friend, acquaintance or family member. It will usually contain a link to a site where your greeting card is supposed to be. To view it, you will have to click on that link, which will take you to a malicious site. Here, you will be exposed to more scams that will either try to obtain personal information from you or expose you to viruses and malware.
Detecting an e-mail greeting card scam
There are dozens of sites offering free e-mail greeting card services and many of them are not known companies such as Hallmark or Blue Mountain. But that doesn’t mean that the electronic greeting card alert on your e-mail is not legit. However, you should still be careful.
The best thing to do about an e-mail notifying you about an e-greeting card is to ignore it. There is no need to send a reply to this message. Send it to the trash bin and delete it.
Protecting yourself
There are many ways scam artists and hackers can get your e-mail address – mailing lists, web pages, paper forms, profile lists, chat rooms and even white and yellow pages. Since there is no such thing as a perfect online protection from e-mail greeting cards, it’s best to stay vigilant and make it harder for spammers, scam artists and hackers to find you.
Be careful about posting your e-mail address online. If you have to use an online form, make sure the company is reliable and has a consumer security system in place. Check that company’s privacy policy as well.
Don’t spread the bad news. If you find a website that encourages you to send a greeting card to your friends by providing their e-mail addresses, don’t do it. The same goes for sites that contain quizzes and trivias.
Use anti-spyware and anti-virus software on your computer and update them on a regular basis. Install a firewall to protect you online. Be wary of e-mail messages (including greeting cards) and sites that ask for personal information. And lastly, ask your friends to keep your e-mail address private and promise them that you will do the same.
E-mail greeting card scams are just one of the newest threats against surfers but you can minimize the threat by performing a few simple and common sense tips to protect yourself and your friends.