Annoying Junk Email and Identity Theft

Well, I am so sick of junk email!  I have friends who are well meaning and think I need that "free" money, trip, or other enticements that some well know company will give me if the email reaches so many people in the next 45 minutes!  STOP!  It's just not true!  The world won't end if you don't forward the email in the next few minutes!

Do not forward email!  When you do, you forward all those email addresses and it's a great way for spammers to get more email addresses!  Copy and paste the message to another email!

Use the blind copy feature of your email software to help protect your friends email addresses.

As we should have learned this week, watch your passwords.  Don't make it so easy for hackers to get them changed on your behalf like Sarah Palin did!

What's the harm:  Identity Theft!  It's no longer a matter of if your identity will be stolen but when it will be stolen!  I'm sure we all know someone whose identity was stolen and it's a nightmare for those affected! 

Here are just a few sites to help protect you with junk email and Identity Theft.

Junk Email sites:

http://www.junkbusters.com/junkemail.html

http://spam.getnetwise.org/

http://www.breakthechain.org/

www.snopes.com  It verify junk mail for truth or fiction

HINT:  I just use my favorite search engine to search for the first line in the junk email to see if it's true or fiction.  Take time to protect yourself and your friends.

Identity Theft sites:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/  FTC Identity Theft Site

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html  DOJ ID Theft and Fraud site 

Please add your experiences with ID Theft and your favorite sites for checking on truth or fiction before you send out email.

The Internet is wonderful but keep your surfing safe!!