Public Service Announcement

Dear Reader(s),

I received what I'm sure is a new type of nefarious spam this week. It is an email from an unknown company without a proper URL claiming that you have received an E-card from "a colleague" or "a family member." I've received the odd E-card before, and it's usually far more specific, i.e., it will tell you exactly who sent you one, and the name of the company will be clear. If you see any such email, especially with a URL link that is nothing but numbers, delete it. Lord knows how you could harm your computer by clicking it.

You may ask, "how can I damage my computer if I click on a URL but don't download anything"? The answer is simple: anytime you visit a webpage, your browser automatically downloads pictures and other files into the TEMP folder, otherwise known as Temporary Internet Files. So by merely viewing a wepage, you CAN download files, often without your knowledge. This is usually how virii and especially trojan horses get onto your computer.

I hope this post has been useful in averting potential computer nuisances. Lord knows computers are cumbersome without trojan horses.

I remain your obedient and humble servant,
Piouslabours