If you read the column regularly you will know that I occasionally give you general warnings about viruses, scams, etc. However, there is one running like crazy right now that I feel I need to talk about. I interrupted the regularly scheduled column this week to let you know about it.
A lot of my readers use Facebook. It is a neat site and different people like it for varying reasons. My wife likes it to keep up with friends, relatives and see baby pictures of all of those peoples’ offspring (and their offspring).
Me, I like to read strange thoughts people choose to talk about in public. 15+ years ago they would only tell their psychologists these things. I also like to see if the old high school jocks are still jocks or fatter slobs than me. I win sometimes!
Over the last week or so many of us have been receiving emails purportedly from Facebook. The emails subject line states, “Facebook Password Reset Confirmation Customer Support”. It has an attached zip file and includes a short message about “providing safety to our clients” and you can find your new password in the attached file. 
OK, red lights should start flashing as soon as you get this. First off, if you did not ask Facebook, or anyone else for that matter, for a new password you will not get one.
Second, if it were really a new password, why would it be in an attached file much less a zipped file? If it is a new password it would be just that, a “word” typed in the email not anything you would have to open. By-the-way, the antivirus software company McAfee states that after testing it was found that, if opened, this attachment can, “potentially access any username and password combination utilized on that computer.”
Opening the email that is safe but DO NOT open the attachment. You may receive the email multiple times. All you should do is delete the email and be done with it.
Third, if you are like me and have several email accounts for miscellaneous uses and it arrives in an email account you do not use with Facebook, well…think about it.
If you are interested in Facebook’s opinions and what they are doing about spam and viruses you should go to “facebook.com/security” and see what they say. I stumbled on this site while doing research for this article and found it to be interesting.
If you are a Facebook user, visit the Double Click fan page on Facebook and become a follower.
