NOTE: As a matter of record, you will never receive unsolicited eMails from
MyBestYears.com asking or requiring you to provide or divulge account
information. The same goes for any reputable eBusiness or eService. See
below for what you can do in case you are contacted by any unscrupulous scam
artists who try any of the following eSchemes:
TROJAN HORSES
In a symbolic nod to the original Trojan Horse, these funky little programs are basically
designed to appear as one thing, such as legitimate software, but actually do something
else. They are not always malicious programs, but they certainly can be, since a Trojan
horse can be used to set up a back door in a computer system so that the intruder can
return later and gain access. A variety of the TH is a virus that fools you into
downloading or executing it by pretending to be a useful application, such as a software
update.
WORMS
Many people confuse the terms "virus" and "worm", using both to describe any
self-propagating program. There is a difference. Like a virus, a worm is a self-replicating
program. However, a worm does not create multiple copies of itself on one system but is
designed to spread through entire computer networks.
VIRUSES
A virus is a self-replicating program that multiplies itself by inserting copies of itself into
other documents or files throughout your computer system. Thus, a computer virus
behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living
cells and spreading throughout the entire system.
SPYWARE
Spyware is not always malicious, though it can be. Briefly, spyware is any software that
gathers your information through your Internet connection, without your knowledge,
usually for advertising purposes. Spyware typically comes bundled as a hidden
component with freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the
Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors your activity on the Internet and transmits
that information in the background to someone else. However, spyware can also gather
information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that you unwittingly install the product when you
install something else. A common way to spread invite spyware into your computer is
through downloading certain peer-to-peer music and video file swapping products (Free
isn't always free, remember?). Because spyware uses memory and system resources,
the applications running in the background can cause your system to become unstable
or even to crash.
PHISHING (pronounced fishing)
There are innumerable forms of eMail scams that come through messages that appear
to have been written by an official, legitimate enterprise in an attempt to get you to give
private information that can then be used for ID theft. You receive an eMail that tells you
to click to a legitimate-looking Website where you are directed to update your personal
information, including (but not limited to) your password, credit card data, Social Security
and bank account numbers. The legitimate company or organization already has this
information, so it is easy to be fooled into giving the information to the bogus Website.
One of the worst uses of this scam has come from fake eBay-looking sites. Banks have
also been duplicated. This scam is sometimes even more effective because you are told
that unless you update your private information by a certain date, your account will be
dropped. This eMail brand-spoofing scam is called Phishing, as in fishing,, since the idea
is that if you throw tempting bait out to enough eMail addresses, some unsuspecting
people will bite. What to do? See below.
PHARMING
This eMail scam is similar phishing, but much more malicious. While Phishing seeks to
scam people one at a time, Pharming targets large groups of people at the same
time.You are requested to go to a very official-looking Website (such as your bank or a
department of the government) to give personal or private information, almost always
financial. Hackers use a variety of techniques to modify the IP address of a trusted host,
then modify it so that it appears to be real. Pharming "poisons" the system by re-routing
this information elsewhere besides where you wanted to sent it. Your browser shows that
you are at the correct Website, but you are at a fake, very similar appearing one, making
it more difficult to detect. You can fight back. See below.
ADVANCED FEE FRAUDS (ALSO CALLED 4-1-9 SCHEME)
You receive an unsolicited eMail or letter from an individual residing in a foreign country
(usually Nigeria) and claiming to be a senior civil servant. You are told that your help is
needed to transfer an extremely large amount of money to your bank. You are promised
a percentage of the funds transferred, but an upfront fee is required to begin the
transaction. You are asked to provide access to your bank account. Result: You lose
whatever money you have in your bank account, and you make yourself vulnerable to
other ID theft attacks. The Advanced Fee Fraud is also known as the 4-1-9 Scheme,
referring to the Nigerian penal code section concerning such frauds and schemes.
eGADS...WHAT CAN YOU DO?
First, make sure you have a good, constantly-updated virus protection and firewall.
MyBestYears.com uses PC-Cillin by Trend Micro Antivirus, and there are many other
excellent brands. Unlike the old days, these don't act like molasses in your computer,
slowing everything down, but work very efficiently in the background.
Second, make sure you have a great spyware program installed. MyBestYears.com uses
Webroot Software's Spy Sweeper, available through most of our fine corporate partners
listed on this page. Be sure to continually keep the software updated.
Third, if at any time you are suspicious of the authenticity of a request for information or
believe you have fallen victim to any scam, please notify and report the incident
immediately by contacting the real organization. For instance, if you were contacted by
your bank for information, check with the bank via phone or eMail to see if the request is
real. If you suspect that you gave information to the wrong source, change your log-in
information and forward any suspicious eMails to the company being spoofed.
If you have received what appears to be an eMail scam, you can also report it (and
forward the suspicious eMail) to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at
reportphishing@antiphishing.com and the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
You should also file a complaint with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI at
www.ifccfbi.gov.
For more information on phishing, please visit www.antiphishing.org or contact your bank
directly
MORE TO COME...
MyBestYears.com is dedicated to help you fight spam and malicious emails so all of us
can keep the Internet useful for everyone. Take advantage of the information we've
gathered to make your own experience on the Internet better.
Use the internet wisely. Stay protected. Have fun. Remember, "The only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women!) to do nothing." Don't turn off the
computer and give up on what can be one of the greatest tools known to mankind.
And keep coming back to MyBestYears.com for more info on becoming a better
SeniorGeek!!!
MyBestYears.com asking or requiring you to provide or divulge account
information. The same goes for any reputable eBusiness or eService. See
below for what you can do in case you are contacted by any unscrupulous scam
artists who try any of the following eSchemes:
TROJAN HORSES
In a symbolic nod to the original Trojan Horse, these funky little programs are basically
designed to appear as one thing, such as legitimate software, but actually do something
else. They are not always malicious programs, but they certainly can be, since a Trojan
horse can be used to set up a back door in a computer system so that the intruder can
return later and gain access. A variety of the TH is a virus that fools you into
downloading or executing it by pretending to be a useful application, such as a software
update.
WORMS
Many people confuse the terms "virus" and "worm", using both to describe any
self-propagating program. There is a difference. Like a virus, a worm is a self-replicating
program. However, a worm does not create multiple copies of itself on one system but is
designed to spread through entire computer networks.
VIRUSES
A virus is a self-replicating program that multiplies itself by inserting copies of itself into
other documents or files throughout your computer system. Thus, a computer virus
behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living
cells and spreading throughout the entire system.
SPYWARE
Spyware is not always malicious, though it can be. Briefly, spyware is any software that
gathers your information through your Internet connection, without your knowledge,
usually for advertising purposes. Spyware typically comes bundled as a hidden
component with freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the
Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors your activity on the Internet and transmits
that information in the background to someone else. However, spyware can also gather
information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that you unwittingly install the product when you
install something else. A common way to spread invite spyware into your computer is
through downloading certain peer-to-peer music and video file swapping products (Free
isn't always free, remember?). Because spyware uses memory and system resources,
the applications running in the background can cause your system to become unstable
or even to crash.
PHISHING (pronounced fishing)
There are innumerable forms of eMail scams that come through messages that appear
to have been written by an official, legitimate enterprise in an attempt to get you to give
private information that can then be used for ID theft. You receive an eMail that tells you
to click to a legitimate-looking Website where you are directed to update your personal
information, including (but not limited to) your password, credit card data, Social Security
and bank account numbers. The legitimate company or organization already has this
information, so it is easy to be fooled into giving the information to the bogus Website.
One of the worst uses of this scam has come from fake eBay-looking sites. Banks have
also been duplicated. This scam is sometimes even more effective because you are told
that unless you update your private information by a certain date, your account will be
dropped. This eMail brand-spoofing scam is called Phishing, as in fishing,, since the idea
is that if you throw tempting bait out to enough eMail addresses, some unsuspecting
people will bite. What to do? See below.
PHARMING
This eMail scam is similar phishing, but much more malicious. While Phishing seeks to
scam people one at a time, Pharming targets large groups of people at the same
time.You are requested to go to a very official-looking Website (such as your bank or a
department of the government) to give personal or private information, almost always
financial. Hackers use a variety of techniques to modify the IP address of a trusted host,
then modify it so that it appears to be real. Pharming "poisons" the system by re-routing
this information elsewhere besides where you wanted to sent it. Your browser shows that
you are at the correct Website, but you are at a fake, very similar appearing one, making
it more difficult to detect. You can fight back. See below.
ADVANCED FEE FRAUDS (ALSO CALLED 4-1-9 SCHEME)
You receive an unsolicited eMail or letter from an individual residing in a foreign country
(usually Nigeria) and claiming to be a senior civil servant. You are told that your help is
needed to transfer an extremely large amount of money to your bank. You are promised
a percentage of the funds transferred, but an upfront fee is required to begin the
transaction. You are asked to provide access to your bank account. Result: You lose
whatever money you have in your bank account, and you make yourself vulnerable to
other ID theft attacks. The Advanced Fee Fraud is also known as the 4-1-9 Scheme,
referring to the Nigerian penal code section concerning such frauds and schemes.
eGADS...WHAT CAN YOU DO?
First, make sure you have a good, constantly-updated virus protection and firewall.
MyBestYears.com uses PC-Cillin by Trend Micro Antivirus, and there are many other
excellent brands. Unlike the old days, these don't act like molasses in your computer,
slowing everything down, but work very efficiently in the background.
Second, make sure you have a great spyware program installed. MyBestYears.com uses
Webroot Software's Spy Sweeper, available through most of our fine corporate partners
listed on this page. Be sure to continually keep the software updated.
Third, if at any time you are suspicious of the authenticity of a request for information or
believe you have fallen victim to any scam, please notify and report the incident
immediately by contacting the real organization. For instance, if you were contacted by
your bank for information, check with the bank via phone or eMail to see if the request is
real. If you suspect that you gave information to the wrong source, change your log-in
information and forward any suspicious eMails to the company being spoofed.
If you have received what appears to be an eMail scam, you can also report it (and
forward the suspicious eMail) to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at
reportphishing@antiphishing.com and the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
You should also file a complaint with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI at
www.ifccfbi.gov.
For more information on phishing, please visit www.antiphishing.org or contact your bank
directly
MORE TO COME...
MyBestYears.com is dedicated to help you fight spam and malicious emails so all of us
can keep the Internet useful for everyone. Take advantage of the information we've
gathered to make your own experience on the Internet better.
Use the internet wisely. Stay protected. Have fun. Remember, "The only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women!) to do nothing." Don't turn off the
computer and give up on what can be one of the greatest tools known to mankind.
And keep coming back to MyBestYears.com for more info on becoming a better
SeniorGeek!!!
Remember the Edmund Burke quote you learned in
junior high?
Just as you have learned to deal with challenges with
the junk and fraud you receive in the mailbox, and as
you have learned to handle telephone problems, so it
is necessary to develop SeniorGeek savvy skills.
junior high?
- "The only thing necessary for the triumph
of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Just as you have learned to deal with challenges with
the junk and fraud you receive in the mailbox, and as
you have learned to handle telephone problems, so it
is necessary to develop SeniorGeek savvy skills.
| Each MyBestYears.com computer is protected by PC-illin from Trend MIcro Antivirus. Yours should be, too! |
eMAIL SCAMS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID THEM
You would have to live in a cave somewhere not to know about eMail scams. They come in
many forms, and they attack any one or any computer.
They appear to be innocent...simple requests to update your bank or personal records,
asking your to help solve a problem, and more.
There are a million ways to attempt to obtain your personal information for indentity theft or
other fradulent purposes.
So, do you simply click off the Internet, shut down your computer and simply walk away?
You would have to live in a cave somewhere not to know about eMail scams. They come in
many forms, and they attack any one or any computer.
They appear to be innocent...simple requests to update your bank or personal records,
asking your to help solve a problem, and more.
There are a million ways to attempt to obtain your personal information for indentity theft or
other fradulent purposes.
So, do you simply click off the Internet, shut down your computer and simply walk away?
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