If you’re like me you struggle with ideas for Xmas gifts so here’s a few suggestions that are practical and won’t break the bank!

Jon

No, it’s not a spelling mistake and it’s got nothing to do with Bing Crosby! Phishing happens when criminals (Phishers) attempt to fraudulently steal sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers from your computer. Although I prefer to concentrate on the positive things that computers and the internet bring, sometimes it’s important to discuss the negatives so we can best protect ourselves in the future.

How do they reel you in?
With the advent of the internet, more and more of us are managing our finances and purchasing items online. Unfortunatley, this creates more opportunities for fraud. Phishers send bogus emails which look like they’re from a real bank or online store such as Amazon.co.uk that request you to login to your account. The scam works by redirecting you to a bogus website that looks virtually identical to your bank or online store where your username and password can be stolen. The criminal subsequently uses the stolen usernames and passwords to access accounts fraudulently.

How can you protect yourself?
It’s simple. If you receive an email asking you to login to an online bank or store account, just delete it. Banks and online stores will NEVER ask you for usernames or passwords.

Phishing Part 2: The Download Scam
A lesser form of Phishing is where internet users receive a message, usually in a popup window, informing them that there is an ‘infection’ on their system and that they need to to download and pay for program to clean up the problem. My advice here is to ignore the message unless you know it’s from a well-known and reputable company. By running antivirus and anti-spyware programs on a regular basis, your system should be free from infections anyway. Anti-spyware program, Spybot - Search & Destroy, is particularly good at preventing this problem. See my article Get Free Computer Protection Now! for more details.

I hope this post helps you avoid these types of scams in the future. As always, please contact me if you have any questions.

Jon

It’s important to me to show my customers ways to save money. How does this relate to personal computers? Well, in all sorts of ways. There’s two main areas where PCs can save you money.

Firstly, purchasing the right PC itself can save you a lot of money. How? Well, don’t buy a Ferari when a Honda will do. Many people have fantastic systems simply because they were ‘advised’ by a shop assistant that those systems were what they needed. The systems are state of the art, contain a multitude of functions that’ll probably never be used and typically cost over £1000. System’s are so powerful these days that the average PC user rarely needs to spend over £500 for a decent system that’ll more than adequately meet their needs.

Another way your computer can save you money is by using internet price comparison engines and visiting well-known sites to find the best prices for products. Accessing these sites can find you cheaper holidays, hotel reservations, utility bills, books and even computers! Here are just a few sites that can save you money:

www.addall.com - books and music.
www.lastminute.com - holidays, theatre & concert tickets, restaurants.
www.uswitch.com - utility bills, broadband, telephone and credit cards.
www.amazon.co.uk - books, music and electronics.
www.ebay.co.uk - online auction.
www.moneysavingexpert.com - more money-saving tips!

Drop me line if you know of any other sites that may be of interest. In another post, I’ll explain how broadband can be cheaper than dialup.

Jon