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| Geek Speak |
Phishing
Phishing is the criminal act of sending an e-mail under false pretense, for the purpose of gaining personal information such as passwords and account numbers. The term was coined in the mid-90s by hackers (who, for whatever reason, routinely replace the letter "f" with "ph") who conceded they were luring unsuspecting victims into taking their bait. Banks, PayPal, e-Bay, and the IRS are the most likely choices to be used in phishing scams. Typically, these e-mails will ask you to enter passwords, or "verify" account information. As soon as you do, your information is routed to a rogue address, and you are well on your way to becoming a victim of identity theft.
Although spelling or grammatical errors are sometimes enough to tip you off to an e-mail's lack of authenticity, others are letter-perfect imitations of the real thing; hackers have no problem duplicating logo designs. But don't feel badly if you can't recognize a fake e-mail from a legitimate one; a few years ago, 80% of a group of West Point cadets were duped into revealing personal information.
Here are a few ways to protect yourself from this distinctly 21st century type of crime:
- Never respond directly to an e-mail involving a financial organization. If you think it could be legitimate, delete the e-mail you received, then contact the organization through your usual e-mail link. Whatever you do, don't click through or enter personal information on an unsolicited e-mail.
- Look for clues of authenticity. Your bank will usually address you by name when it contacts you by e-mail. Phishers typically use a generic "Dear Bank Customer." Errors in spelling, grammar, or information are rare in legitimate business communication.
- If you do click through on a suspicious e-mail, check the URL, usually located at the very top or bottom of your screen, to see if the name there matches up to that of the e-mail sender. For example, if the e-mail truly originated from e-Bay, www.ebay.com will appear within the string of letters and numbers in the URL line. If the e-mail originated from somewhere other than e-Bay, the URL will contain another name or numeric configuration.
- Report suspicious e-mail to the company being spoofed, and to the Federal Trade Commission. Forward the phony e-mail directly to spam@uce.gov. (Visit their website at http://www.ftc.gov/spam/ if you want to know more details. The more often we report fraud, the quicker these scams will end-hopefully!)
- Fraud happens, and smart people get taken in every day, but you can minimize your risks of being victimized by phishing by practicing these safeguards.
Related Words
Spear Phishing - when a victim is specifically targeted for a scam, as opposed to a general attempt at scamming. As hackers become more sophisticated, they can link a person to a specific bank, for example. If you get an e-mail from a bank where you have no accounts, you'd know it was phony. But if it comes from your bank, you're not so sure.
Spoofing - When an e-mail message is sent under the pretense of coming from one source but actually comes from another. It's not at all difficult to hide your identity online, unfortunately, but it is illegal.
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| Does Your Website Inspire Confidence? |
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So you're building this great looking website, and you're eagerly anticipating the windfall of sales you feel certain will be coming your way. Take one last look to make sure all the elements are there to convince potential customers you're a safe bet. Here are eight tips to make your website more reassuring:
- First of all, pick the right domain name. Clever has its place, but as one old law of advertising cautions, "People should know your business when they see your name." Www.samsfeedstore.com isn't very creative, but Sam will get plenty of business from customers looking for a feed store. Www.beaudreaus.com, on the other hand, may leave people wondering. Change that to www.beaudreasfishandtackle.com, and you have a whole other story.
- Include qualified endorsement information. Are you a member of your local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau? Does the owner of a company that uses your widgets think your product is absolutely topnotch? Put a quote from him on your website! But don't make things up; use genuine endorsements and testimonials, with real names. Most people won't go to the trouble to check them out, but why risk the embarrassment and bad publicity if you're caught in a lie? And don't go over the top: most people want some proof if they read the words "World's Best!"
- Make it easy to reach a human. Nothing's more frustrating than a website where the contact information is all but invisible-and it happens more often than you think. Put your phone number on every page. Make sure you have a Contact Us page that provides a physical address as well as an e-mail address. Even if a customer has no immediate need to reach you, he'll find it comforting to know that he can.
- Let your customers know who you are. Create an "About Us" page that provides real information, not just some bland, generic overview. Give the names of your staff, and use pictures. People like to see who they're dealing with. Don't be overbearing, but don't be afraid to brag a little. If you've won an award, or been at your business for three generations, let customers know that. Being online is no different than being on Main Street; when customers come in the door, they want to feel welcome and at home.
- Make site navigation as easy as possible. Tempting as it is to turn your website into a trick dog and pony show, don't do it. Long, artsy intros, fancy, hard to read fonts, or a parade of dancing smiley faces are amusing briefly, if at all. If your website's purpose is to sell your product or service, then focus on that product or service. Quick clicks from one page or product to the next, sharp pictures and complete item descriptions, and an uncomplicated, reliable shopping cart are your most important priorities.
- Guarantee satisfaction. A lot of people are still leery of shopping online, so put their mind at ease right away by stating boldly and clearly the conditions of your refund or return policy. You might even include a testimonial or two from customers who have had problems resolved to their satisfaction. Doing business in cyberspace is an act of faith; paint yourself as trustworthy a merchant as possible.
- Live up to what you promise. If your website claims you'll send a free newsletter every month, or enclose a discount coupon with every order, make sure you do it. Once a customer has found your site and had a positive experience, he's likely to come back-unless you let him down.
- Give visitors a reason to come back. A good website is never finished; it's always evolving. Change at least a portion of your content on a regular basis, whether it's a blog, a news update, photographs, a new product announcement, or even a simple monthly drawing or contest. The more traffic your site has, the more prominent it becomes-at no cost to you whatsoever.
Keep these suggestions in mind as you develop your website and you'll have a steady supply of those genuine customer testimonials to use!
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