July 2013. Mrs
PC Computer Corner.
Strange Emails from Friends.
This month I have had about 8 emails so
far, from friends in my contact list with no message, just a link, which looks
similar to this:
Rather disappointing when you were
expecting to hear some news and more than a little circumspect!
A word on “links”, for the uninitiated…
They are a website address- and usually start http://www. They are usually blue. They often have a line underneath.
If you click on a link, it will take you to
the Internet and open the page that is listed in the link. You will see links everywhere if you look on
webpages. If you click on one, it will
take you to a new page on the Internet- a bit like a portal. The address of each webpage can be seen in
the top of each web page (The address bar) and copied and pasted and shared in
an email to show someone else what you have been looking at, without copying
the entire page- you just need the address of that page.
If for instance you happened to be looking
at a rather interesting guidebook on a shopping page, or a rucksack you thought
would be ideal for your son/daughter’s gap year or your mother’s/father’s next
expedition, you could send the web address of the item neatly in one line via
email or text, or on Facebook or Twitter for that matter. There are so many wonderful things online,
and it is great to share them once you have found them! The person who gets the link can then click
and easily see what you wanted to share without having to search.
Back to the strange emails…
The subject is often simply “Re”, but has
also been “Good Morning” or “Good Evening”.
It looks as if it genuinely comes from a
friend who is keen to share something using a link. However, the friends who emailed this week
are not in the habit of emailing me.
They were all distant friends I hadn’t heard from for ages.
None of them would send me a link without
telling me a bit more about why they have sent it, so it automatically makes my
alarm bells ring.
So what should you do when you get an email
like this? Firstly, never click on the
link. It could take you to a page that
you wouldn’t want to see, and potentially install a virus or malware on your
computer. Don’t worry about opening the
email- it is safe as long as you don’t click on the link, but don’t reply to
the email. Simply delete it. If your email address ends btinternet.com, it
could be a good opportunity to change your password in case it is easy to
crack. Passwords should contain a
mixture of capitals and numbers, and you must try and remember them! Passwords should be changed from time to time
and don’t use the same one for everything.
The next thing you need to do is to tell
your friend that their email address has been compromised, so that they know,
and can warn others not to click on the link.
They would be best advised to let their email provider know that there
has been a problem, and change their password for good measure.
All the emails I had with these links were
sent to more than one person, and you could see who else they had been sent to
(in other words they were not sent BCC, as would be the correct way to send an
email to a group of people.)
The other common theme was that they were
all BT Internet addresses.
So next time an old friend gets in touch by
email out of the blue, just take a moment to consider if it is genuine. You will know immediately by what they say,
and if it is in the style they generally use.
Look for strange vocabulary or spelling and grammar mistakes. If they are not in the habit of sending you a
link, then be suspicious. It is better
to pick up the phone to your friend and enquire as to whether they sent you an
email or not, and check, rather than make a mistake!
Your mistake could be very damaging to your
computer and costly both in time and money to repair.
It’s a great reason to chat to an old
friend. Emails are very useful, but
nothing can replace the enjoyment of a chat on the phone, or even better, a
hand written letter.
