Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 1:33 PM
To: mlt@mltweb.com
Subject: email fraud worth repeating

For those of you with home computers...

Don't click links or open attachments in email unless you take precautions!
This includes stuff that appears to be sent by trusted friends and
relatives.


If you don't, you will pay the consequences. 
Here is one scam that is particularly annoying. 
This just recently happened to a friend and almost happened to me a few months ago.

The email spam says "click here to unsubscribe from this mailing list..."
The link in the message wasn't just a link to a web page, 
it was an executable command file.  
When clicked: 
it takes control of your PC;
it hangs up your computer modem and
redials a long distance phone number in an offshore country. 

This happens so fast that many people don't even notice. 
They continue to surf or browse but now they are 
connected to the new phone number at a very height phone charge rate.
Usually people don't know this happens until they get a $300 phone bill next
month. 

How can you help prevent this? 

1- DO NOT SET OUTLOOK TO AUTOPREVIEW OR AUTO OPEN MESSAGES!  Do it manually
so you have control.

2- Get, install and keep updated, a virus scanning program that scans
incoming email messages. Mine regularly detects and trashes messages that
include virus attachments. Each time it protects me is well worth the annual
fee.

3- Scan all attachments before opening them.

4- Know the difference between a web link and an executable file. Here is a
link to a good definition from www.whatis.com,
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212086,00.html   

5- If you don't know, don't click it. Read the articles, information,
notices, etc. about Spam, scams, computer fraud and virus problems so you
know what to look for and what to be concerned about.

6- I usually download all of my email, then log off and read messages off
line. That way if something does happen the virus can't dial out without me
knowing about it and having a chance to stop it. Messages being sent end up
in my outbox until I click to redial and reconnect. I review the message
list in my outbox to make sure I'm the one sending the messages 
before I tell Outlook to send them

7- I leave my modem and sound card set so I can hear the modem dial. If it
starts dialing and it wasn't me, then I know something is wrong.

8- I keep the phone connection close at hand. When my modem starts dialing
or email starts sending and It wasn't me, I can unplug it before any real
damage is done.

Is there a chance you will eventually get infected or have a problem? Sure,
when you go to the shopping mall you can catch the cold or flu.  However,
smart people prepare themselves and take precautions so they can shop safetly. 
If you don't want to be prepared before you use the internet, 
then you deserve what you get.

Mt