December 13th, 2011
um. No! No way did I order something like this and my husband knows better! So, naturally a red flag went up in my mind. (Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see — this example belongs in that “other half” category.)
Before clicking on any linked text that you see, always hover first and wait to see where that link is going to take you when you click it. When the url or website address in the pop up hint does not have anything to do with where you think it’s supposed to go, this is called “clickjacking.” Think of words like hijacking or carjacking. In either case, you’re being forced to go somewhere you don’t want to go and the result could put you in danger.In this case of clickjacking, the sender of the email is trying to get you to visit a porn site where your computer or device could become infected with malware or a virus if you fall for more traps to keep you clicking. (Did you just hover over that text link right there? What does it say? Do you trust the Wikipedia site?) (The answer is yes, but I was just checking to see if you were paying attention!)
For messages like these, they are harmless if you’re just reading them. Just delete them. Do NOT click any of the links and do NOT forward them! Remember that opening or viewing a message won’t get you into trouble — it’s taking actions like clicking links, downloading or opening attachments or forwarding that wreaks havoc!
I’ve attached an annotated screen shot of the example I received this morning. I hope this message helps to keep you safe especially during this holiday online shopping season where scams are abundant!
