Countless spammers send HTML mail with a linked graphic file that is then used to track who reads the mail message. When your mail client downloads the graphic from their web server, the spammers know you’ve opened the message. Disabling HTML mail completely and viewing messages in plain text can also avoid this issue.

Chances are, you wouldn’t give someone your Social Security number or address to a stranger who asked for it on the street. Likewise, you shouldn’t hand it over to someone who calls purporting to be a tech support specialist (a common scam) or in an email saying you’ve won a prize and need to fill in […]

A digital signature—a type of electronic signature—is a mathematical algorithm routinely used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a message (e.g., an email, a credit card transaction, or a digital document). Digital signatures generate a virtual fingerprint that is unique to a person or entity and are used to identify users and protect information […]

Lots of phishing scams include the phisher posing as a major retailer and then sending emails claiming to contain coupons that you redeem by clicking them in an email. To stay safe, never click on one of these offers if it seems to good to be true, comes from a long/garbled email address, or is contained in […]

Modern email spam filters are very powerful and can keep many common threats controlled without them ever hitting your inbox. Still, it’s worthwhile to occasionally take a look at your spam folder to see if the filter is too aggressive and is blocking mail you want to see. Marking items as spam or not spam […]

Phishing emails lurk in the shadows of your inbox, hoping to snag your data like a hungry angler. But fear not, savvy surfers. Here’s your secret weapon: a phishing radar to sniff out these deceptive messages before they reel you in. First, keep your eyes peeled for typos and grammar blunders. These emails might look […]