There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of junk email (also known as "spam") headed for our email accounts, and not all of it is harmless marketing. Spammers are using increasingly sophisticated means to get their email around the increasingly-sophisticated filters we have, and some of the junk email we're getting is asking for important information that should not be given out.

These spammers are "phishing" for personal information and using social engineering to persuade their victims to send along the information. Social engineering techniques include telling you that your bank account will be terminated if you don't update your information, that your email account will be terminated if you don't update, or that you need to sign on to a website in order to "verify" information. Yet other scams include the infamous"Nigerian Scam" letter and it's many variants... asking you for help in the most heart-rending terms, or promising you a share in a multi-million dollar transfer into your savings account for safe keeping. Scammers are using email that looks as though it came from PayPal or eBay to gather credit card information.

People fall for these scams every day! Don't be one of them. There is nothing wrong with ordering online from known, reputable companies provided that you are the one initiating the connection, not responding to a link in an email that came to you out of the blue. Most of these scammer email links do not take you to where it looks like you are going.

For excellent information, take a look at the site our federal government has put up (your tax dollars at work). This link is OK to click on, they will not ask you for any information at all!

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/consumer.htm

In addition, you can help yourself by not submitting your email address on websites that ask you to sign up for surveys in return for free products or cash. Almost all of these sites have a "background" business of collecting email addresses that are known good (they get a higher price) and selling them to spamhauses. You will find yourself on lists that bombard your email account with everything from online pharmacies to lower mortgage rates to hard-core pornography (with explicit images that automatically display when you look at the email).

If you have a WisconsinUMC.org account (or one of the domains we host) and you receive email that you wish to have blocked, forward it to email-abuse@WisconsinUMC.org.

If you ever have questions about something you're not sure about, or have other suggestions for "Common Sense 101" topics, call or send email to me at the Conference Communications and Technical Services Office, akahl@WisconsinUMC.org toll-free number 1.888.240.7328.