Do you get simple, short, unexpected emails from friends instructing you to click on a link? They look kind of like this:

Truman from Cruzio Customer Service wants to warn people that these emails are an increasingly common scam. If you click on the link, your computer security may be threatened.

These emails aren’t really coming from your friends — that’s obvious once you think about it, but it’s not easy to be on your guard all the time! They’re sent by a virus-spreading program that gets contacts from an infected computer’s address book and forges the sender’s identity. Naturally, friends and family are likely to click on the websites in the email, and their address books are then compromised in their turn. It’s an effective scheme, and hard to stop.

Security Tips:
Don’t click on links in unusual email, even from friends or family. (Unsure? Ask them!)
Don’t type personal information like passwords or social security numbers into websites you reach from an email.
Don’t say yes to installing files on your computer from email unless you are positive they’re safe.
Do make sure your friends and family know this, too!

from September 2015 Newsletter