Get registered with the DNC™ today and say goodbye to annoyances via eMail and other places that the DNC™ covers.
Why do you get so much Spam?
You occasionally download music and movies from legitimate sources. While safe from most perils be sure that everyone who is doing it in your house understands the dangers if they go elsewhere. The popularity of file sharing songs and movies has become a new vehicle for thieves to take over your PC from a remote location and harvest any information that is on it. File swapping or file-sharing is almost inevitable in households with anyone who listens to music (soon videos will be as common). If anyone is doing it, be sure it is from legitimate sites only.
You register for free giveaways. You are really adding your name to a marketing list and depending on how much information you provided, could land you on a sucker list. Identity thieves love sucker lists. The more you keep your information to yourself the less chance you have of exposing yourself to identity theft. If you are giving your personal information to someone that you do not know and may be unscrupulous under the guise of a shopping survey, you are already giving the sign that you give up personal information freely. You are prescreening yourself for a scam artist or identity thief (the prize is non-existent anyway).
Do you have anti-spyware installed on your PC?
Spyware is a deceitful tool that installs itself into your web browser without your knowledge. It tracks web pages you visit and reports your activity back to an originator. It operates silently, you don't know it's there. It tracks you to your bank and financial institution sites, you could then become a target for phishing scam. Install an anti-spyware software on your PC. You will have to subscribe because there are constantly new types being created and the software companies are constantly upgrading to combat them.
Do you let your PC save your passwords?
Letting your PC store passwords is convenient and dangerous. If someone enters your home and accesses your PC they could go right to your bank account. If your laptop is stolen, you have given up access to probably every online account you have accessed with it. Don't let your computer store any passwords ever. Do not tape them to it. Do not create a file that has them in it. Keep any passwords away from the PC.
