Your mailbox may be filling up with Christmas cards from friends and family, and so might your email inbox. But, as the song says, 'you better watch out,' because some of those merry emails could be from an internet Grinch looking to steal your peace of mind.
Christmas cards are a great way to send holiday wishes to those you love. However, many of us are opting to send our cards electronically using e-cards.
"One of the big problems around Christmastime is everyone sends out Christmas cards. That's great, and it's great to see one in your email inbox. The problem is, about half of them that you're going to get are actually links to viruses and Trojan horses that will infect your computer," explained News 4 WOAI Web Expert Bob Gambert.
Some of these malicious emails will attack your email address book and flood your friends' inboxes with spam. So, how do you know which e-card is safe to open? Our computer expert says don't open any of them. Instead, work your way around them.
"Do not click on the link directly," Gambert said. "If it's from Hallmark, you'll want to go to the Hallmark website, click on the 'card redemption' area, and there will always be some kind of code you should put in."
Finally, a quick run of your anti-virus software will let you know if your computer is already infected. Some viruses even ask your permission to install malware on your computer. They use an "End User License Agreement" that you have to agree to see the e-card. Bottom line, just delete the email.
