Stahls sent out a notice today warning people to be careful with emails. First to note is that scams impersonating your bank, suppliers or customers are rarely meaning that entity is compromised. It usually means some thief is just impersonating them and has nothing to do with them.

The advice in the Stahls email is good, here it is and a couple more, always worthy of reviewing:

• Be careful on attachments
• Don’t give out financial or any sensitive information by answering email  If someone emails you about anything financial, don’t answer directly but instead contact them yourself directly by looking up their phone number on line or email someone you know there.
• Don’t click on links unless you are absolutely certain of their origin
• If offers are too good to be true, they usually are not true and you need to check it out more than usual. Scammers prey on greed.
• Threatening you with prosecution or any threatening is a trick they use, don’t fall for it. Independently check anything like that.
• Verify that the email address matches the company alleged.
• Make sure anything that is tech support is really that, contact the company directly not by answering

Bob Dylan wrote this verse a long time ago:

“Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don’t take too long to find out
Just what he was talkin’ about…”

and he was referring to Woody Guthrie who wrote even longer ago on “Pretty Boy Floyd”:

“Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered
I’ve seen lots of funny men
Some will rob you with a six-gun
And some with a fountain pen.”

Update the six guns and fountain pens to “keystroke” and it is  still true on all the levels originally intended.