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To avoid viruses, be extra careful of the following file types:

1. .exe .bat .com .vbs .pif .scr are program files and should only be opened if someone is actually sending you a program (which is rare); .zip files are compressed and can be any type thus can also be risky
2. .doc .xls .pub .ppt .mdb are Microsoft Office files and should only be opened if someone is actually sending you a file
3. .gif .jpg .png are images and .txt and .rtf are text-only files and are your safest bets (as long as you are up on your windows updates and the extension is the LAST few characters of the file);
4. .pps and .pdf are presentation formats which are generally safe (but you should still save to desktop and scan before opening)

Spam is unwanted email. There are many ways to avoid spam. However, the effectiveness of each methof varies depending on the type of spam you are getting and how you use your email. We offer custom spam solutions that will give you the most bang for your buck and allow you to get on with reading legitimate email. Contact us to arrange a consultation, or use some of the following free tips and tools:

• The best option is to use a learning filter like K9 that learns from its own mistakes as you correct it and results in a custom spam filtering system for you. After 3 weeks of use, I found this program filters ~500 spam messages correctly per week, with only 3-5 corrections (spams not identified as such) needed per week to keep the filters up to date and zero legitimate emails accidentaly filtered. Note: you will need to set up a mail rule to filter your messages into a different folder.
• Set up email filters using unwanted keywords and subjects to sort emails into a “likely spam” folder – you can check this occasionally to ensure legimitate emails did not get filtered unintentionally
• Filter known email addresses into a “safe” folder
• Block senders
• Fight back and report spammers with Spam CSI
• Hide your address with Spam Motel which is of limited use depending on how you use your email. There are other ways of hiding your email address, including replacing email links on your website with contact forms. Search on google to be sure someone isn’t publishing your email address on their website!
• Change your email address and notify your friends, then use spyware removal tools from the start and make sure your email address isn’t on any websites. Set up an automated response from your old address to phone and obtain your new address.
• Server side filtering – depends on your email host but effective methods like procmail and SpamAssassin may be available.
• Make spammers remove you by bouncing emails back to them with MailWasher – note this can have unwanted side effects (check with your ISP if they recommend use of MailWasher or not)

Fake warnings about viruses or public safety etc. are all over the internet. Throw in a few keywords from the email into Urban Legends or Snopes and you should get a report on whether it is real or not. If you get no luck there, try Google before calling in the cavalry. If you still have no luck, pass it along to us and we will sort the real from the hoax for you.

Before responding to any internet email, even ones that purport to be asking for donations to excellent causes, or promise to net you great riches if on you give out your credit card or bank info, always check out Scambusters where you can search their library and join their list.