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7 Tips on How to Use PCs to Protect Yourself Against Scammers
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So often we think and read about our PCs being a big source of
scams. And it's true -- without the proper safeguards and
up-to-date information, they can be a route to all sorts of
online crime.

But it's also true that your PC can be a powerful ally in the
battle against crooks, protecting you against both online and
offline scams, as well as helping you take swift corrective
action if you do get snared.

In this issue we explain how you can make the most of your
PC's potential to keep you safely out of the grips of
scammers.

Using the Internet and PC tools to Protect You

The Internet is teeming with sites that claim to help you
avoid scams. But you have to be careful because many of those
same sites are either out to trick you into thinking you're
already a victim or to charge you for services you don't need.

But there are 7 failsafe Internet actions and PC tools you
should be using to limit the risk of getting scammed. Here
they are:

1. Bookmark and regularly visit the website of the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) at ftc.gov. This carries not only
regular updates on the latest scams and other consumer-related
crimes but also has valuable advice on what to do if you
discover or suspect you are a scam victim.

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...leC.L.MK2A9yag


2. Monitor all of your online bank and credit card accounts.
Even if you don't do your finances online, you can still set
up Internet access to your accounts so you can see all the
latest transactions and quickly spot anything out of the
ordinary -- instead of waiting for your monthly statement to
arrive by snail mail when a lot more damage has been done.


3. Check your credit rating by collecting your free annual
report from each of the credit rating agencies. Beware though
that there are all sorts of sites purporting to offer free
credit reports but most of them are, one way or another, after
your money. For the lowdown on how to do this properly, check
out this earlier Scambusters issue on how to actually receive
your free credit report.

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...AhaguZr3FTOmwg

The value of checking your credit status is not only in
establishing your creditworthiness but also in raising a red
flag if you have become a victim of identity theft -- because
the thief will almost certainly have damaged your good credit
standing.


4. Follow the latest scam news. In addition to checking the
FTC website -- and of course subscribing to Scambusters, which
is a leading free source of information on latest
Internet-based and other types of scams --

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...tpoogtD9DXuA8A

you can even set up a Google news alert service that drops
scam stories directly into your email inbox.

However, beware, as we warned earlier, that some stories and
sites that claim to deal with scams are often disguised
attempts to get you to click on malware links or to buy
products that don't really protect you. And many Scambusters
subscribers feel this is overkill -- they find that
subscribing to Scambusters is all they really need.


5. Install software that genuinely does give you PC
protection. These days, all the market-leading Internet
security applications go way beyond simple anti-virus
protection, by letting you know whether websites you're
visiting are safe or not -- for instance, if they're really
phishing sites -- as well as warning if any site tries to
upload software onto your PC.

Another increasingly important PC tool to consider is a
password generator. Too many of us use either easy-to-guess or
the same passwords for every account. It's an open invitation
to identity theft. See this Scambusters article.

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...lHc4lEC_PWU_DQ

Specialist programs not only generate complex passwords,
different for each site, but also save them (and save you
having to remember them, and remember which site they're for)
in an impenetrable, encrypted file that only you can access.


6. Checking official records and contact information. All
local governments offer useful information online but the
extent of these varies from one organization to another. For
instance, you might be able to check the ownership history and
other information about a piece of real estate you're thinking
of buying or renting, or whether an individual or company is
registered or licensed for business services they are
offering.

At the very least, the Internet is a valuable source of
contact information at state, city or county levels and for
emergency and utility services -- usually much more
comprehensive than you would find in the phonebook, and able
to point you in the right direction when you suspect a scam.

You can also check out our Scam Check Station for more
valuable resources.

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...R3sTNj2UDHDkZQ


7. Keeping your credit card details secret. Yes, that's right.
Although we use credit cards for many online transactions, you
don't need to use your number. There are at least two things
you can do:

- Set up an account with an online payment service.
Principally, at the moment, this means PayPal since it's the
most widely accepted online payment service, accepted not only
on auction sites but also by more and more general retailers.
Unfortunately, people do complain about PayPal's consumer
protection policies, so you do need to be careful. Google
also offers a service, Google Checkout, and others are on the
way.

These services link your account with these organizations
either to your credit card or to a bank account -- and they're
the only people who need to know these details. When you pay
by these services, they will either use any balance you have
saved with them or draw the money from your accounts, without
the vendor ever knowing the details.

- An alternative, powerful tool that, strangely, has never
really caught on with online shoppers, is to get a different,
temporary credit card number for every transaction (called
"controlled payment numbers" or "virtual account numbers").
Some credit card companies offer this service either via their
websites or a small add-on PC tool for your browser that
generates a different number each time you buy something
online.

You can find out more about these if you look at #4 about a
third of the way down on the below page about the MasterCard
Security Alert. Bank of America also offers these temporary
credit card numbers now (they call it ShopSafe). We personally
use these special credit card numbers all the time -- it's
much safer.

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=76C...6i_08.FcNkDMFQ

So, there you go. The world of technology, and specifically
the Internet, has definitely brought more potential scams into
our homes, but, used wisely, PCs can also be a powerful weapon
in the battle to beat the crooks.

That's a wrap for this issue. Wishing you a great week!