Can You Spot the Problems With This Fake Email?

Recently, I received an email from "Skype".  It told me that my account had been suspended and detailed what I needed to go through in order to reactivate my account.  I knew right away that it was fake because I have never had an account on Skype.  However, if you do have an account, how easily would you be able to identify this as a fake email?  Without reading on, can you spot five problems with this email?  (You can click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Here are five problems you should have caught:

1) Email Address - If this email were really from Skype, it would be coming from blahblah@skype.com.  This email is not coming from skype.com, it is coming from account53654156pod6501_verifcation.com.  Also, check the spelling carefully.  I once received an email that came from statefram.com.  Obviously, they were hoping that I would not realize the transposed letters and think this was actually from State Farm.  If the email is coming from something other than the company's main website or it is extremely long (both apply in this case), be suspicious.

2) Missing Logo - Yes, a small Skype logo appears on the right-hand side, but most companies put their logos all over their emails.  You would expect a full-sized logo that says "Skype" somewhere in a email coming from Skype.  If an email is text only or only contains a small logo, be suspicious.

3) Poor Grammar/Spelling - Except for the misspelled "verifcation" in the email address, this email actually has good spelling.  However, there are multiple grammar issues with this message.  The first paragraph is missing a space after a period, none of the paragraphs end with any punctuation, the colon after Reference Number has a space before it and not after it, and there are a few words that should not have been capitalized.  An automated email like this coming from a large company will have been proofread by multiple copywriters.  Minor grammar errors will sometimes happen, and occasionally a company will make a major mistake, but no company would ever allow an email with this many errors to go out in its name.  If you are not an English teacher and you notice more than one spelling or grammar error, be suspicious.

4) Strange Wording - Skype is not going to be concerned with the activity on your credit card.  The would obviously want to make sure that purchases you made through Skype are legitimate, but they would reference activity on your account, not on your credit card.  If the wording seems strange or overly urgent, be suspicious.

5) Link in Email - Due to all the phishing attacks, very few companies will provide a link in an email for you to confirm your account details.  Almost all of them will ask you to go to their website and log in there.  (This does not apply to opt in emails for lists, like the one you received to confirm your subscription to my mailing list.  You should know the link is legitimate since you requested it.)  If there is a link in the email for you to confirm your personal information, be suspicious.

There are two more items you would not have been able to see from the email picture, but that were apparent to me from seeing the actual email:

1) Single Image - You would not have been able to notice this based on the picture provided, but the entire email is an image, with all the text and pictures contained as part of the image.  This is a tool used by spammers and scammers.  Since spam filters will not see any text (they cannot read the text in the image, they just see it a giant picture), it is much more likely to make it to your actual inbox.  Not only does this mean that it will more people will read it, but appearing in your inbox makes it seem more credible.

2) The Actual Link - When I hover over the link to "confirm my information", it does not take me to skype.com.  It actually takes me to http://j.gs/7174136/gqsw82.  A large company is unlikely to use shortened web addresses for something like this.

The simple way to never be scammed by emails like this is to never click on links in emails.  As I mentioned earlier, most companies will tell you to go to their website and log in instead of sending a link.  Even if Skype did actually send links in their emails, they would not mind at all if you went to skype.com and entered your log in information there.  If they were legitimately concerned about activity on your account, they would provide instructions on how to reactivate your account once you log in.

The Scroll Wheel Does So Much More!

For years, the majority of mice have come with a scroll wheel. Yes, the scroll wheel allows you to do is to scroll up and down, but did you know it can do more?  Here are five other things you can do with your scroll wheel:

1) Open a Link in a New Tab - Browser tabs have made our lives more convenient.  Instead of having to open multiple browser windows, we can now see all the pages we have open in one simple bar at the top of the screen.  It is not uncommon for me to have five or more tabs open at a single time.  If you need to open a link in a new tab, simply click with the scroll wheel (called a 'middle click').

2) Close a Browser Tab - Staying on the topic of middle clicking, if you want to close a tab in your browser, simply middle click anywhere on the tab at the top of the page.  It's much easier than trying to get your mouse right on the little 'x'.

3) AutoScroll - Middle click in a browser window, an Office document, or many other programs, and your cursor will turn into a small compass.  Move your mouse in a any direction to scroll in that particular direction.  Once you've reached where you want to go, middle click again to get your regular cursor back.  This may not work in every program, but the only way to know for sure is to try it.

4) Close a Window - This one only works in Windows 7 or 8.  The taskbar at the bottom of your screen contains an icon for every program you have running.  When you hover over that icon, a thumbnail of the window or windows you have open will show up.  You can right click to open a particular window, or you can middle click on the thumbnail to close it.

5) Zoom In and Out - Holding down the Ctrl key while scrolling up or down will zoom the current window in or out.  This works in most programs, and once again, the only way to know for sure is to try it in your favorite program!

Three Steps to Secure Your Home Network

Wireless networks are wonderful.  We can take our laptop, tablet, or phone and sit anywhere in the house while we surf the web.  However, having wireless access in your home also means that someone sitting in their car across the street can use your internet unless you take steps to block that person out.  And while you might just think that you are being generous by allowing others to use your bandwidth, any activities (including illegal ones) performed by a person on the network will be connected back to you.  You may be able to clear yourself eventually, but you will end up with many hassles and legal bills before that happens.

Fortunately, it is simple to secure your home's wireless network to block out intruders.

1) Add a password - This is the most basic security step you can take.  When someone tries to connect to your network, they will be forced to enter the password you set up.

To set up your password, you will need to access your router's control panel.  To access this panel, you will need to go to a web browser window and enter your router's network address.  (The network address will be listed in your router's documentation, or you can look up the address for your router online.  It will begin with 192.168.)  Next, you will need to enter the user name and password.  These have a default setting, so if you have not changed them, look up the defaults in the documentation or online, as well.  Then, you will need to navigate to where you can change the password.  The exact procedure will differ based on your router, but for my router, I click on "Wireless" and then "Security".  For the best security, you will want to use WPA2 security unless you have a device that cannot connect with WPA2.  On my router, this is changed under "Authentication Type".  Underneath that option is a place for the "Passphrase".  This is obviously where you will enter the password that you want.

While this step will keep most people off your network, a determined person will still be able to get around your security if all you do is add a password.  To stop these people, you need to do more:

2) Change your SSID - The SSID is a name that identifies your wireless network.  By default, it will usually contain the brand name of the router.  Remember how we could access the control panel earlier by looking up the router's address online?  If your router's brand is listed in your network name, anyone on your network could look up that address and access your control panel.  Even if the model number is not in the description, most manufacturers use the same one or two addresses for all their routers.  Once on your network, it would not take long to be inside your control panel.

To change your SSID, you will once again go to the control panel and search for an "SSID" option to change.  On my router, I can access that by simply clicking on "Wireless".  Once there, think of a creative name for your network.  You can use your last name, your address, or even change it to "FBI Surveillance Van".  (Yes, I know of at least two people who have done that!)  This is not a password, so there is no need to be concerned about coming up with a complicated name.  The critical factor is that your router's brand name is gone!

If you want to be extra conscious about security, you can disable SSID broadcasting.  This will cause your network to appear as something like "Unidentified Network" or "Unnamed Network".  Then, in order to connect, you will have to enter the network name along with the password you set earlier.  While this provides a little extra security, it also adds the inconvenience of having to remember and enter the network name along with the password.

3) Change your Access Password - Remember how we had to enter a user name and password to access the router control panel.  Because so many routers use the same default address, it would not take long to guess the address of most routers.  Once the person has done this, they will almost always have access to the model number of your router (it is usually displayed on the login page).  If your user name and password to access the control panel is still the default, they can look it up just as easily as you can!  Once inside your control panel, they can make all kinds of changes to your network, including blocking you from accessing your own router.

To stop this, change your router's access password.  (Some may also allow you to change the user name, but others may not.)  This may take a little time to find in your control panel, but it is worth it.  You can also attempt to look up directions in your documentation or online.  Make sure you write this password down!  You will most likely use it infrequently, so you want to have it written down where you can find it when you need it.

Adding Hardware to Your Computer

I received a question from a customer this week that I felt I should discuss in a more general sense.  I helped a couple recover their pictures, videos, and other files off of a dying hard drive and put it onto DVDs for them.  They purchased a new computer when it was on sale, but then they discovered that it did not have a CD/DVD drive on it.  They came to me to ask what they could do to get their files off of the DVDs and onto their new computer.

The answer that I gave them is true not only for DVD players, but also for many types of devices.  I recommended an external DVD drive that I found on sale for $25.  This drive will plug into a USB port and provide them with a drive when they need it.

This solution works if you need to add many different types of functions to your computer.  If your new laptop doesn't come with a port for a network cable and you want one, you can get a network port that plugs into a USB port.  This also comes in handy to replace a port on your computer that has failed.  If the wireless card in a laptop fails, you would be unable to connect to any WiFi.  However, you can find WiFi devices that plug into your USB ports for less than $5.

The key to remember:  your computer isn't dead just because one port died or because it doesn't have a capability you want.  Almost every device that you can have built into your computer also comes in an external version at a reasonable price.

Clean Up Week: When All Else Fails...

If you have been following the tips this week, you have probably freed up some space on your computer, fixed some errors, and disabled some programs that ran when you started your computer.  However, you may find that your computer still seems to be running slow.  When all else fails, there is one simple way to restore your computer to peak performance.

First, if you think your computer is running slow, you should always do a scan with your antivirus.  If that doesn't fix your problem, try running a second scan with a program like Malwarebytes or Hitman Pro.  If multiple antivirus scans don't catch anything, then your computer is probably suffering from operating system decay.

Operating system decay occurs over time as you use your computer.  While certain operating systems have worse records when it comes to decay, it is an inevitable part of using any operating system on any computer or device.  Fortunately, your operating system is software, and you can always put a fresh copy of your operating system on your computer!  This will restore your system to the way it was when you first took it out of the box, minus any slower performance due to wear on the physical equipment.

Before you begin, you need to realize that this will completely delete everything on your computer.  Make a backup of your Users folder on your C drive (this is where all items on your desktop and in the folders My Documents, My Pictures, etc. are stored.)  Also, make sure you have copies of any software on your computer, as these will be deleted, too.  Finally, I recommend running Magical Jelly Bean's Keyfinder and writing down any product keys that it locates.  Not only will this make the reinstallation process easier by consolidating all your keys in one place, but it will also be a lifesaver if you lost your key or the key sticker faded.

Now that you are ready to install a new copy of Windows, you need to figure out how to access the recovery partition.  Most computers have a recovery partition that can be accessed by pressing a certain key combination at startup.  Some also have software in Windows that can start the process.  To find out what you need to do, check your computer's documentation or look it up online.  At the beginning of the process, it may offer to save all your files for you.  I do not usually select this option because I want a completely fresh copy of Windows on my computer, not one that has information from the old installation on it.  If you do select this, make sure you still have a copy of your data in case something goes wrong.

If you are uncomfortable going through this process by yourself, most computer stores will be able to perform this for you at a reasonable price.  Call around to several stores in your area and check prices.

Clean Up Week: Check Start-Up Programs

When you start up your computer, you know that Windows is loading.  However, Windows also has instructions to load a variety of start-up programs, too.  Some of these are important; you want your antivirus software to load right away!  However, sometimes programs that you don't actually need will be set to load at startup.  Once, I found a program that I rarely used had a little feature that "pre-loaded" portions of the software at startup so that the software would start faster when you opened it.

If it seems like it takes forever before you can use your computer after you log in, these startup programs might be the problem.  CCleaner (which I mentioned in yesterday's tip) has a feature that will allow you to disable or delete startup program entries.  Click on the Tools button on the left side, and then select Startup.  On the tabs at the top, you can see which programs start when Windows loads and which add-ons start when your browsers are opened.  If there is a program that you do not want to start, you can double-click the entry to disable it.  (Just like the programs list, do not disable entries unless you are sure that you do not want them.  You don't want to disable something critical to your computer's operation.)

If you don't want to install CCleaner, you can also do this through Windows.  In Windows Vista/7, go to a search box (on the Start Menu) and type "msconfig".  Then, click on the "Startup" tab to see the list.  Uncheck each option you do not want to start with Windows.  In Windows 8, the process is even easier.  Do a Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select "Task Manager" and then go to the "Startup" tab.  To disable an item, right-click it and select "Disable."

These tools are also helpful for fixing error messages that occur at startup.  Sometimes a program will be removed but its entry in the startup options will not, leading to an error message every time you turn on your computer.  If you get a message stating that "vloader.exe" is not available, you can go to CCleaner or msconfig and search for an option with that file name.  (You may need to look at the file name on the far right of the window.)  Disable that entry, and you should not see the message the next time you restart.

Clean Up Week: Scan for Junk

Your computer creates a lot of files on a daily basis.  Many of these are temporary files that are meant to be created for a specific purpose and then deleted.  In most cases, these files are deleted, but events sometimes result in these files being left on your computer.

Installing programs can also create entries in your registry that are unnecessary once you decide to uninstall the program.  Even if you used yesterday's tip and scanned your registry for leftovers after you uninstalled a program, there may still be unnecessary entries left over that Revo Uninstaller did not catch.

CCleaner will scan for both types of junk.  Download and install CCleaner, and then run it.  On the left-hand side, you will see options for "Cleaner" and "Registry".  The cleaner will scan for temporary files and a variety of other items that might be taking up space on your computer.  You can control what it searches for by selecting or deselecting the checkboxes.  Click the Analyze button and let it scan and determine what it can find.  Then click the Run Cleaner button to clear it all out.  When I ran this on my computer this week, it found 4 GB of unnecessary information to clear (that's a lot!).

You can also have it scan the registry for errors or unnecessary entries.  Click on the registry button on the left-hand side.  Then select "Scan for Issues".  After the scan, select "Fix selected issues..." to fix what it finds.  If will first ask you if you want to back up your registry, ALWAYS do this! One bad edit to the registry can severely damage your computer, so you want to have a backup in place in case something goes wrong.  (I have used this program on to clean many computers and never had any problem, but it never hurts to be cautious!)  Then, you can see the suggested edits one-by-one or simply have it fix all of them.  Once you have cleaned it, go back through the process again (I normally skip the registry backups on successive scans) until it tells you that it found no issues.  In many cases, clearing one entry will make a dependent entry unnecessary, too.

Tomorrow, we will look at another useful feature of CCleaner.

Clean Up Week: Scan for Leftovers

For those who saw the title of today's tip and thought I would teach you how to find leftover food, you will be disappointed!  While leftover food might make for an easy meal, one place you do not want leftovers is on your computer.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what most programs leave when you uninstall them using the built-in uninstaller.

When you install a program, it will copy files onto your hard drive and make entries in your Windows registry.  (A complete discussion of the registry is best left for another tip, but it is one of the major forces behind the scenes that makes your computer to run properly.)  When you uninstall it, you would think that it would undo each of the changes to the registry and delete each of the files it added to your hard drive.  However, this is not the case.  Very often, a program will leave files and registry entries behind.  Not only will these take up valuable space on your computer, but they create additional information Windows has to sort through (especially in the case of registry entries).

Fortunately, there is a way to scan for some of these files and registry entries.  Revo Uninstaller will display a list of the programs you have installed (using the Windows list we learned about yesterday).  When you choose to uninstall a program, it will launch the program's standard uninstaller, and then it will conduct its own scan of your files and registry for leftovers.  When it displays its results, you can choose what you want to delete or leave.  There are instances where you might want the leftovers, such as if you are uninstalling a program because it stopped working and you want to leave your user configuration file on the computer.

Revo Uninstaller has a free version and a paid pro version, which you can try out free for 30 days.  Unless you think you might use the pro version, I recommend you just download the free version.  The pro version comes with some additional features, but in tomorrow's tip, I will introduce you to another program that can do much of that for free!

Clean Up Week: Checking for Unwanted Programs

This week, I will be sharing a series of tips on how to clean up your computer.

I share a lot of links to programs in my daily tips because I like to try out free programs and see if they work for me.  If you are like me, it is easy for your computer to become filled with a variety of programs that you don't really need or use.  Fortunately, computers today usually come with ample storage for all these programs, but if you want to see what programs you have installed, Windows will provide a list!

Simply go to the Start Menu and click on "Control Panel".  (On Windows 8, you can access the Control Panel under "Settings" on the Charms Bar.)  Once there, you need to look for either "Uninstall a Program" (if your control panel is set to Category view) or "Programs and Features" (if your control panel is set to Icon view).  Windows will provide a list of all the programs currently installed on your computer.  If you see one you don't use anymore, double-click it to launch the program's uninstaller.

A word of caution:  don't uninstall a program unless you know what it is and that you don't use it anymore.  Manufacturers will install software on your computer to increase functionality, and some programs will rely on other software in order to work.  You don't want a component of your computer to stop functioning because you accidentally uninstalled the software that controls it.  If you are unsure what a program does, check it out online.

However, you can go to the uninstall list today to see what programs you might want to delete, but I am going to recommend you wait until tomorrow to actually begin uninstalling software.  In tomorrow's tip, I am going to discuss a better way to uninstall programs!

Listen to Free Audiobooks

If you have a long drive or just don't like to read books, audiobooks are a great way to pass the time.  I have a friend who drives a tractor-trailer and listens to 3-5 audiobooks each week while he is driving.  However, websites like audible.com can be expensive, especially if you listen to several books each month.

Fortunately, you can download plenty of audiobooks for free from Podiobooks.com.  Podiobooks splits books into smaller files of two or three chapters, combining the idea of a podcast with an audiobook (hence its name).  While the books are available for free, you also have the ability to donate to your favorite author.  If you like a book, make sure to donate to encourage that author (and maybe others) to put more books online.

See Where a Shortened Link Is Taking You

Link shorteners became popular as Twitter users searched for a way to easily share links in 140 characters or less.  However, they have become a popular way for scammers to hide where you are going when you click a link.  The standard trick of hovering over the link doesn't work because all you will see is the shortened link.

Fortunately, there is a way to find out where a link is taking you before you click it.  Unshort.me will look up the destination of the link and display it for you without taking you there.  If the site is legitimate, you can continue on to your destination.

For Chrome users, there is also an extension available.  Install the Unshorten URL extension, and then you will be able to unshorten links right in your current window.  Simply right-click on the shortened link and select "Unshorten" to see the full address.

Check for Fake Listings with a Reverse Image Search

Images have become a critical part of the web.  Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook, and online dating sites all rely on images to verify authenticity.  But what happens when you come across a listing that seems too good to be true?

While there is no way to guarantee that a listing is genuine, there is one quick test that can tell you it is definitely fake.  Both Google and Bing have an option to enter an image as your search term, and it will return other places where that image can be found.  If you find a profile picture from someone's dating profile all over the internet, chances are good that the listing is fake.  If an Ebay or Craigslist photo is actually the manufacturer's stock photo, it might not be fake, but there is definitely reason to be concerned about the item's actual condition.

To do a reverse image search, you must first find the URL (internet address) of the picture (not of the page you see the image on.)  To get the image URL, right-click on the picture, and then select the following option (depending on your browser):
Internet Explorer - "Copy"
Firefox - "Copy Image Location"
Chrome - "Copy Image URL"

Now that we have the URL, we are ready to go to Google or Bing and search:

Google - Go to google.com/images and click on the camera icon on the right of the search box.  Then click on Paste image URL.  Right-click in the box underneath and select paste.  Then, click on "Search by Image" to see a list of the pages with your picture.

Bing - Go to bing.com/images and click on "Image Match" next to the search box.  Right-click in the search box and click paste.  Then, click on the search icon to see a list of the pages with your picture.

Once again, no matches does not necessarily mean that the listing is legitimate, but numerous matches greatly increases the likelihood that the listing is fake.

Check The Value of Your Old Tech

One of my readers sent me the following question: "What do we do with our old, outdated hardware? I mainly mean modems & routers. Is there a way to recycle them? Should we just trash them? Is there a way to check if they have a resale value or not?"

Unless you are one who is constantly upgrading these devices, your old modems and routers probably have little value.  Most of us will keep our modem and router until it dies or our internet speed starts slowing down.  Even if it still works great, it is probably years behind the current standards, and it may have some security holes that the manufacturer isn't fixing.  However, it never hurts to see if your device might have some value left in it.

A good place to start is at Amazon's trade-in site:  www.amazon.com/tradein.  Some routers qualify for a credit of up to $70 (possibly more, since I didn't check each page on my search).  However, others only qualify for 25 cents.  If it isn't worth your time to trade it at Amazon, then we can check one more place.

Some people like to purchase old routers and put other software on them to expand their functionality.  If your device is still in working condition, you might find someone on eBay willing to buy it.  However, if you don't want to go through the process of setting up a listing without knowing how much it might sell for, you can check for completed listings.  Simply search for your item's model, and then scroll to the bottom of the options on the left side.  Underneath "Show Only", check the box for "Completed Listings".  This will show you only the final sale price for your item.  If you see a big price, make sure that the model number in the listing is the same before you get your hopes up!

If you know someone who likes to scrap metal, they might be interested in taking your old devices.  If you are out of options, you are not supposed to put these devices in the trash due to some of their materials.  However, many electronics stores will offer free recycling, or you can try to find a place that accepts hazardous materials for disposal.  A local environmental group or government agency should be able to help you find a place that will accept your old electronics for recycling.  (Near where I live, there is a monthly "open dumping" day where all types of materials are accepted and there is also an annual household waste clean-up day.)

When Deals Aren't Actually Deals

With Black Friday gone and Cyber Monday here, the Christmas shopping season is fully upon us.  With retailers spending so much time trying to attract our money, it is no surprise that we will see ads full of "deals."  However, with tech products (and many other categories), be careful to fully research a product before buying it.

Yes, there are great deals out there this time of year!  Many companies will offer some deals as "loss leaders".  These deals actually cost the company money (they sell the item for less than they paid for it).  Their goal is to use that deal to get you in the door so you will buy other items to make up for the loss on the deal.

However, many other products are advertised as "deals" when they are actually just the lowest-priced item in their category being sold at its regular price.  Two years ago, I got caught by a special deal on a tablet.  While it actually had good specs for a tablet and its $60 price tag was appealing, I purchased it only to find out that it was actually almost worthless for me.  For example, it advertised that you could "download apps from the pre-loaded app store", it never specified that it was referring to a third-party app store, not Google Play.  Since I had purchased it to be able to make use of a few specific apps that were only available through the Google Play app store, I quickly returned it for a more expensive version.

Also, make sure to read the fine print.  While there are plenty of "free phone" deals, you might ultimately be better off by purchasing a phone at full price and avoiding the expensive on-contract plans.

The key to getting great deals this month is to evaluate every deal before getting sucked in by a low price!  Even though the ad may make it sound like a competitor to the iPad, a $20 Android tablet (yes, I saw one in a Black Friday ad) is not going to be very powerful.  Great deals are out there; just make sure you are getting a deal and not a dud before you buy!