Whenever you open an email, first look at the source. Who’s sending it? Do you know them? If the source looks at all unfamiliar, proceed with caution. In the body of the email, there might be links or attachments with a message prompting you to click or download them. These files might contain malware. Some […]

Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from—even if the details appear accurate—or if the email looks “phishy,” do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available use the “junk” or “block” option to no longer […]

Submitting your email address could result in spam. If you do not want your primary email account flooded with unwanted messages, consider opening an additional secondary email account for use online. Make sure to log in to the account on a regular basis in case the vendor sends information about changes to policies.

Need to send a password or username to someone like a family member? Don’t do it via email, which (in most cases) isn’t as thoroughly protected from prying eyes as some other communications channels. Encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram or iMessage, or local transfer via something like Apple AirDrop, are preferable.

An email can live forever if the recipient doesn’t delete it. Even then, it might still be recovered on one of its mail servers. Review each email to see if it contains any information that might cause you trouble down the road, such as some inadvertently copy/pasted text or a Social Security number.

One of the great things about Gmail is its tabbed interface that sorts messages into multiple inboxes (e.g., Primary, Promotions, Social, etc.). You can drag messages between these inboxes to control which ones generate new mail notifications and which ones simply accumulate in another tab. This can be useful for avoiding feeling overwhelmed by your […]