PROTECTING YOUR MAIL & CONTACTS
There are advantages and disadvantages of getting your mail online (AOL, Hotmail, MSN, Gmail, Yahoo) etc. The advantage is, it is online and wherever you get online you have your mail. The disadvantage is – it isn’t being backed up.
MSN, Hotmail etc. are NOT backing up your mail or your contacts. If someone hacks your account (which happens more and more frequently), they can change your password, delete your mail, email your contacts, and even delete your contacts.
It is a mess when that happens.
What you can do to mitigate this happening:
1. Configure a local email client. What is a local email client? Outlook, Windows Live mail, Thunderbird. If the local client is configured to bring down your mail, then it is saved on your hard drive. Yes, your hard drive can have issues as well. That is why you do a backup.
2. If you do get hacked, at least you will have your current mail and contacts. If the only place you have this info is online, you will lose it if you get hacked and your provider (AOL, Gmail etc.) are not backing it up for you.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR GMAIL, AOL, MSN, HOTMAIL ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED
First what NOT to do:
Don’t call Comcast
Don’t call Verizon
Don’t call Microsoft
Don’t call your computer manufacturer (Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo)
They can’t help and it isn’t their issue.
If your Verizon or Comcast account mail has been hacked, then yes, they are the ones to call. If it is Gmail, Yahoo etc. – it isn’t your ISP’s nor Dell, nor HP issue nor can they help.
If you are using a free account (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, MSN) – then you will need to pay them to talk to you. Support is not free for free email accounts.
It is next to impossible to get any of them on the phone as they all support via the net.
You can try to reset the password online but you will HAVE to remember the security questions you had setup when you created the account.
FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, TWITTER BEEN HACKED?
Social networks (Facebook etc.) are VERY insecure and are hacked all the time. You should use a DIFFERENT password on social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) than you use anywhere else.
If your account gets hacked, first run your spyware and virus cleaners on your local PC to make sure you are clean.
Once you know your PC isn’t compromised, change your social networking passwords and notify everyone not to click on links. One of the easiest ways to get infected is to be tricked into clicking on links on these sites.
One of the benefits of being a PC9LIVES customer is that I’m there to support you when you have questions or run into issues with your PC. I deliver personalized service and I don’t nickel and dime my clients. Please feel free to contact me when you have a problem. Calling your computer manufacturer when stuff happens is only going to frustrate you. Recently, a client called Dell and they billed her $250 to support and they didn’t fix the issue (because it wasn’t their issue).
