Something I came across recently that I believe merits this word-to-the-wise thread.
I normally don’t like to post negative information, but since we as a group here have cancer on our minds a lot, it seemed to me prudent to at least mention this, as we may be a more vulnerable target than some.
The malware scam described in the link below is already a couple of years old, but it or something like it is quite possibly still going on, and is something that we at least should be aware of.
An official-looking email with a "test shows you have cancer" message in it shows up in your inbox. When read, it refers to a CBC blood test you supposedly had that indicates you have a malignancy, and encourages you to click on an attached link to learn more "about
your cancer situation." Many users, now frightened by this "warning," would quickly do so. Of course doing so loads malware onto their machines.
As stated, because of what is going on with us, some of us might just think this email was legit, because of the timing if nothing else, and click on the link.
But always think twice before ever clicking on a link in an email such as this one, one that comes out of the blue and tells you that you have cancer, and offering to tell you more if you just click on a link.
If by some wild coincidence you actually are expecting test results, always check the source (address line) of an email that suddenly appears, to see if it seems to be coming from a legitimate source, and looks like what you are expecting. (Computer guys: Are there other things we can look for to verify such an email's authenticity, or lack of it?)
And in keeping with my preferred policy of not dwelling on the negative, I will refrain from mentioning the exact words that I would personally use to describe the character of the kind of individuals who would ever do a scam such as this one.
Except to say that "scam" and "scum" are remarkably similar words.
news.softpedia.com/news/Cybercriminals-Tell-Users-They-Might-Have-Cancer-to-Trick-Them-into-Installing-Malware-431968.shtml