Wednesday, October 28, 2009

News You Can Use

Byron Acohido reports in USA Today that internet scammers — also known as "phishers" — are setting their sights on "Web mail, social networking and online gaming accounts."

I recommend reading the article because there is a lot of useful information, but let me just summarize for you — USA Today's headline urges readers to change their passwords. "[A] recent Sophos survey found 33% of the respondents used just one password online, while 48% used just a few different ones," Acohido writes.

"With possession of your Web mail user name and password, cybercrooks can carry out a matrix of lucrative online capers, made all the easier if you use just one or a handful of the same passwords."

His article includes a rundown on how and why scammers are trying to get the information to access your e–mail account.

Read it. And then routinely change your passwords. I know it can be a pain to try to keep track of them all. But it beats having your identity stolen.

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