fbpx
Tom’s Tech Tips

Tom’s Tuesday Tech Tip: Wow – Is That You in that Sizzling Hot Legal Nurse Consulting Video?

Certified Legal Nurse Consultants are probably aware that the reason viruses and malware proliferate on the Internet and Facebook is because people click on the darn links. The reason spam proliferates is not just because it’s cheap to send out 200,000 emails with one click of a mouse, it’s because people actually click on the links and buy the fake drugs or whatever else is being peddled.

This week, I have just two words I want to share: STOP IT!

That being said, let’s talk common CLNC® sense, straight talk that hopefully will help keep you, your legal nurse consulting computer and your Facebook account safe while you cruise the Information Superhighway.

  1. If you get an email from a friend, family member, another legal nurse consultant or anyone else in the galaxy that consists of nothing but a link in the body of the email, no matter what the email subject line is – DON’T CLICK ON THAT LINK! Chances are 110% it’s a link to a malware site that will infect your computer, turn it into a zombie and send out more and more of the same to help enlist more hapless users into botnets, which will then be used for all sorts of nefarious purposes.
  2. If you get an official-looking email from a bank, credit card company or shopping site (think Toys-R-Us) that you DON’T have an account with telling you they’ve lost your password or that you need to login and reconfirm certain personal details, DON’T CLICK ON THAT LINK and try to login. All you’re doing is giving up your personal information and probably the same password you use on your real bank account. Doesn’t the fact that you don’t have an account with that organization ring any alarm bells? To quote Homer Simpson, “Duh!”
  3. If you get an official-looking email from a bank, credit card company or shopping site (think Amazon.com) that you DO have an account with telling you they’ve lost your password or that you need to login and reconfirm certain personal details, DON’T CLICK ON THAT LINK! Real companies don’t lose your password. You’re simply giving up your information to someone who’ll use it to log into your real account.If you think the email looks real (and some look incredibly real), try rolling your mouse over the link (without clicking on it) and see what pops up on the mouse-over – it’ll probably be something like http://www.ripmeoffquick.ru/visa_scam, not http://www.firstnationalvisa.com/my_accountReal banks, credit card companies and businesses can afford proofreaders and don’t write copy in ESL (English as a Second Language). So, please don’t be clicking on the most politely convenient link that must to be followed.
  4. If you get something that’s obviously spam, don’t reply to it. All that does is confirm that you have a valid email address. Just delete it or mark it as spam or junk in your email reader.
  5. On Facebook, if you get a message or wall post saying something like: “You are so busted in this hot video,” “You must see this drunk baby, it’s hilarious” or something similar (they change all the time). DON’T CLICK ON THAT LINK! If you do you’ll probably be asked to load special video-viewing software before you see the baby. The special software is, of course, malware that will infect your computer and maybe compromise your Facebook account. It’s really not you in the video (I’ve seen it, it’s not hot either!) and the drunk baby isn’t hilarious (Just sad.). Don’t be tempted, just remove the post.
  6. Next, if you get a message on Facebook that tells you to follow a link to learn who’s viewing your profile, DON’T CLICK ON THAT LINK! You guessed it, you can’t learn who’s viewing your profile (and you don’t really want to know). All you’ll do is infect your computer and maybe your Facebook account and end up sending out the same message to all your friends. Just remove the post.
  7. Sorry, but there are no international, foreign, domestic or intergalactic email lotteries that you’ve won and only need to send them your banking account information so they can deposit your winnings. Guess what they’ll do with your information?
  8. I’m sorry to report that the IRS, FBI and state agencies with unclaimed funds, tax returns or seized, unclaimed money from criminal enterprises that just need your banking information aren’t real. If you really think any government agency is giving away money you’re in more trouble than I thought. The IRS, FBI and similar agencies don’t send email, they can’t afford the postage. If they did, they’d already have all your information because they are the IRS and FBI.
  9. Finally, and I know this will come as a surprise to some of you, there are no real widows of deposed finance ministers in sub-Saharan African countries with millions of dollars that are emailing you simply because they need the help of their “most kind and honest sir or madam” to get the money out of the country (that’s what crooked banks and Swiss accounts are for.). If you correspond with them, you’ll end up sending them your money or laundering forged money orders and eventually land in jail. If you don’t believe me, Google® “Nigerian 419 spam” for yourself.

This behavior will probably never stop during our lifetimes, but CLNC® consultants can protect themselves with just a little common CLNC® sense. Get started today and whatever you do, DON’T CLICK ON THIS LINK!

Keep on techin’,

Tom

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.

Copyright © 1999-2024 LegalNurse.com.
All rights reserved.
CLNC® and NACLNC® are registered trademarks of
LegalNurse.com.