Email hacking is a very common practice. Google “How to Hack into Emails” and you would be amazed to find all the sites offering instructions on how to hack into a person’s email. This is a terrible practice and not only is it an invasion of privacy but it can be used for a variety of illegal practices.
Recently in the news you may have read about the young man hacking into Sarah Palin’s email account. According to a news station, the man was found guilty of hacking Palin’s email account during the presidential campaign. He can be sentenced up to 21 months in jail. This is certainly no laughing matter.
For those who have had their email hacked…there is nothing funny about it.
What can you do to prevent your email from being hacked?
- Never give your personal or account information in an email. Most email accounts are hacked by ‘phishing’. Phishing is when you receive an email from what appears to be a legitimate source and the email instructs you to click on certain links or enter personal/private information. NEVER do this! You have now opened the door for the hacker to access your personal information such as bank accounts or credit card numbers.
These hackers can be very clever and they work hard to make the ‘phishing site’ appear and look just like the legitimate website. If you have a gut feeling or your intuition is talking to you when viewing your emails, you may be looking at a “spoof” email. These are emails coming from a hacker phishing for your confidential information. Many times the salutation will be very generic in nature. This is your first clue. Your bank or credit card companies will normally use a salutation using the same name that is on your account, such as ”Dear Rosy Riveter.”
If you know the website address of your bank or credit card company; log in and check for any important messages.. Any legitimate bank will never ask you for personal account details in an email. Alternately, you can call your bank, using the phone number on your bank statements or in the phone book. Never use the one on the email.
- Use an Internet browser that has ‘phishing filters’. A phishing filter is a software program that works to identify fraudulent websites which attempt to represent the legitimate sites. Firefox and Internet Explorer 8 are just two of the browsers that incorporate phishing filters.
- Check for filters in your email account. If for example you use Gmail, you can login and go to your settings and check your filters. See if you recognize them as ones you set up. If not, delete the filters.
- Never click on links within an email unless you know the page it is taking you to. I have found a very useful tool called ‘Cooliris’ and it is a plugin which allows you to preview a page without clicking on the link. Not only does it keep you from clicking on a link you don’t want to go to, it also saves time by not having to open another web page or tab to view the destination page of the link.
Here is a link to download Cooliris http://www.coolpreviews.com/firefox/options-firefox.php
Remember, hackers usually access our emails when we open the door for them. Be alert and take care when clicking on links within emails and take precautions when you can.
