Innocent-Looking Spam EMails — They Aren’t So Friendly After All!

They’re irritating and time consuming! And they are also becoming more dangerous to everybody’s privacy.So better think twice before opening e-mails from unknown senders, especially if you’re in the office using your computer where all your important documents are saved. Thousands of computer users and restaurant owners are getting spoofed by spam e-mails each month, forcing them to pay heavy fees for cleaning and restoring their computer POS systems back to normal.

Below are the 3 dangers that any PC user should keep away from:

1. Hijacking and spoofed e-mails. Spammers have acquired a new technology that effortlessly allows them to fool you by making it appear as though their spam e-mails are coming from YOUR computer. This could result in having your Internet connection be temporarily terminated or put on hold by your ISP - without you even knowing it. A good spam blocking software blocks inbound spam as well as unauthorized outbound spam from your serves. That’s why it would be a better idea to install one for your own safety.

2. Virus infected spam e-mails. Accidentally opening a spam e-mail with nasty viruses attached to it can cause your computer a lot of problems. You can end up with a crashed system, identity theft problem, lost data and much more. You think that your computer has just slow down, but it could also mean that your personal data is being collected without your consent and sent to a third party, either to sell, trade or use it to comit crime.

3. Phishing spam. Also called phishing scam. The attempt to acquire sensitive information of an individual either to steal money from their bacnk accounts or use the money to spend it online shops without the owners knowledge. A phishing spam e-mail sends some kind of fake notification or warning to an individual asking for his or her online bank account, social security numbers, passwords, and credit card information. To be able to make someone believe that their spam e-mail is from a trusted website, phishing sites copies the exact same look of the authentic website..

So what can we do about this?

Above all, it’s absolutely very important that you get a quality spam blocking software installed as a first line of defense.

Many retail business owner over look into this, so their restaruant POS system suffers from it.

Next, you better make sure you don’t get included on a spammers list in the first place. Once you’re on a spammer’s list, it will stay there forever and possibly get distributed to more spammers; and changing your e-mail address can be a big hassle especially if you’re using it to stay in touch with your business contacts.

Here are some useful tips you should follow to prevent ending up on a spammer’s list:

1. Use a disposable e-mail address.

Using a free e-mail address like with Gmail or Yahoo to reduce your chance on getting listed on a spammer’s list. To avoid getting your e-mail added on a spammer’s broadcast list, you can always use free e-mail accounts whether it’s Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail so don’t think that it’s just a waste of time registering for them.

2. Never forget to double-check those check boxes that are automatically filled in.

Better make sure you don’t check the box that says “Yes! I want other companies to send me their offers.” when you shop online. Chances are, your e-mail address can be sold to every online advertiser.

3. Don’t post your main e-mail address on your web site, web forums, or newsgroups.

Spammers have special programs that can automatically collect e-mail addresses from web sites without your permission. If you really want to publicly post your e-mail address on your web site, it’ll be much safer to use “info@” so all replies forwarded to a folder in your in-box that won’t interfere with your main address.

4. Refrain yourself from replying on obvious spam e-mails.

Replying or clicking a link on a bogus opt-out link in an obvious spam e-mail signals that your e-mail address is active, and more spam will follow.

The only time it is safe to click or reply to the e-mail is when it is sent by a company you know or do business with (for example, a company that you purchase from or a newsletter you subscribed to).

For more information or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry and your location see more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com.

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