The Internet, Security, and You

by Bob Seidel

The Internet is a mirror - it reflects our society, both the good and the bad. Although I usually try to comment on the positive side of the Internet, I was concerned enough about an incident that happened to me this week to write this column.

I do not have a good (read: inexpensive) phone calling card for use when we are away, I went searching for one on the Internet. Using my favorite search engine, I found a deal that seemed fairly good - 13.9 cents a minute, no fees.

I called their 800 number and asked a lot of questions about fees, advertisements, etc. One of the advertisement schemes I had heard about on these things is that (for the cheaper rate) they make you listen to a short commercial when you dial the 800 number but before you can actually enter the number you wish to call.

The salesperson assured me that there was no such thing. I agreed to sign up. Their first question was "What is your Social Security number?" I replied that I don't give that information out. Without a second's hesitation, he said "Thank you for calling xxx" and hung up. Obviously, this was some kind of scam - who knows what they were going to do with my SS information, but with the problem of "identify theft" becoming an issue these days, I am glad that he hung up.

Without attempting to be too paranoid here, it is important to understand that the Internet is loaded with bad deals and scams. You find them everywhere - in spam e-mail sent to you, from websites that you found using even the good search engines, on auction sites, etc. Follow the same guidelines you use in daily life and you should be OK.

1) If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

2) Never ever give out any personal information on the Internet or on the phone (see credit cards below). Don't give out your phone number, or even your e-mail ID unless its to someone you know and trust.

3) When sending e-mail to a distribution list, use BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) instead of To - in this way, the recipients of your e-mail cannot see (and learn) each other's e-mail ID.

4) E-mail is never secure. Period. Do not use it for anything sensitive unless you use one of the encryption programs (Pretty Good Privacy, etc.).

5) Watch out for those auction sites. Be very careful that you understand the rules and conditions. Even if the deal is legitimate, I have often heard of cases where people pay far more for something than it is worth, or can even be bought for new.

And there are probably many more. But just use common sense and you will probably be OK.

With respect to credit card numbers, I shop often on the Internet and have no problem entering my credit card number into a SECURE website from a nationally known firm. Just make sure you see the security icon (usually a closed padlock) in your browser.

Stay secure and enjoy the Internet.

(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).