| 1. Don't click it,
use impressions - Impressions are used to tell the link location of an
item without clicking through. A link in the body of a text email may
look reputable at first. But if you wanted to see where the link will
take you without clicking, just point your cursor over the word and the
location will show up at the bottom of your brower window. If you don't
see anything at the bottom of your browser window, then your window may
not be maximized (opened as large as it can.) Click the Box in the
middle of the three icons at the top right-hand corner of your screen.
(There should be one to minimize, open full screen, and close or X). If
the link starts with anything other than the source it claims to be,
don't click. For example an Ebay buyers warning may say that it is from
Ebay, but when you check the impression, it may say that it is from
http://sales.site.XX.hpgjs (not an official ebay site.) 2. Don't
reply - This is self explanatory. Replying to the message lets the
sender know that you are out there, and checking your emails. Since they
are randomly spamming millions of emails (not knowing which emails are
still in use), replying is an invitation for more trouble. While it is
tempting to let them know that you don't appreciate the emails, this
will only encourage more activity. If you have a yahoo account or
something similar, you can hit the "This is spam" button, and it will
send it to the trash and flag the sender as a spammer.
3. Don't unsubscribe - This is for reasons similar to above.
If they offer a link to remove you from further mailings, they are
wanting to know that you are an active user. Don't take the bait.
The moral to the story is that if you are in doubt, you can do
without. If you just can't let the email go without taking some action,
call your bank or other institution and verify that the request is
bogus. And just remember that they aren't picking on just you. The
senders of fraudulent email send out millions of emails a day, it's
nothing personal.
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