We’ve received reports that cybercriminals are at it again, luring unsuspecting taxpayers in the United States into handing over their personal information as they rush to file their taxes before the deadline.
Here are 6 ways to help protect yourself.
1. Beware of all email, text, or social networking messages that appear to be from the IRS. Cybercriminals often send fraudulent messages meant to trick you into revealing your social security number, account numbers, or other personal information. They’ll even use the IRS logo. Read more about how the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or use any social media tools to request personal or financial information.
2. Use technology to help detect scams. Scams that ask for personal or financial information are called “phishing scams.” Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, and other programs have anti-phishing protection built in. Read more about identity theft protection tools that can help you avoid tax scams.
3. Check to see if you already have antivirus software. If a cybercriminal does fool you with a tax scam that involves downloading malware onto your computer, you might already be protected by your antivirus software. If your computer is running Windows 8, you have antivirus software built in. Download Microsoft Security Essentials at no cost for Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
4. Make sure the website uses secure technology. If you’re filing your taxes on the web, make sure that the web address begins with https, and check to see if a tiny locked padlock appears at the bottom right of the screen. For more information, see How do I know if I can trust a website and What is HTTPs?
5. Think before you download tax apps. Download apps only from major app stores—the Windows Phone Store or Apple’s App Store, for example—and stick to popular apps with numerous reviews and comments.
6. Be realistic. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. From companies that promise to file your taxes for free, to websites that claim you don’t have to pay income tax because it’s unconstitutional—keep an eye out for deliberately misleading statements.
Categories: advance fee fraud, cybercriminals, cybersafety, cybersecurity, e-mail, e-mail scams, email, email scams, fraud, hoax, id theft, Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 7, malicious software, malware, online safety, passwords, phishing, phishing filter, privacy, scams, security, spam, spyware, taxes Tags:
If you’re travelling this holiday season and you plan to be online, here are a few ways to protect yourself and your family:
Get more mobile and wireless tips.
Categories: antivirus software, Automatic Updates, automatic updating, child safety, cybersafety, cybersecurity, email, family, fraud, id theft, Internet Explorer 10, malicious software, malware, Microsoft, Microsoft Update, Microsoft Windows, mobile, online safety, passwords, Windows Phone Tags:
If you want to stay home and avoid the crowds this holiday season, you can do all your shopping online. But before you log on, make sure you know how to identify websites that won’t compromise your privacy.
Before you enter your credit card number, check for signs that a site is safe:
- Verify that the web address starts with https.
- Check for a lock icon
in the web address window.
- Look for a seal of approval from an outside Internet trust organization.
Read more about how to know whether you can trust a website.
If you trust a website, there are still things that you can do to protect your privacy:
Read more about how to make safer transactions online.
Categories: cybercriminals, cybersafety, cybersecurity, family, fraud, holiday shopping, id theft, Internet Explorer 10, malware, Microsoft, online safety, online shopping, passwords, phishing, privacy, scams, security Tags:
Microsoft has long believed that you should get to decide what information you share online and what you keep private. That’s why we’ve made privacy settings for our products a priority.
Learn how Microsoft can help you protect your online privacy.
Privacy in Internet Explorer 10
Internet Explorer includes Tracking Protection designed to help prevent details about your web browsing from being automatically sent to other websites. When you have a Tracking Protection List enabled, Internet Explorer will send a Do Not Track request to the websites you visit. Tracking Protection Lists are like “Do Not Call” lists. When you turn on a Tracking Protection List, Internet Explorer will block third-party content from any site that is listed, and will limit the info that third-party sites can collect about you. To turn on Tracking Protection:
- Open Internet Explorer from the desktop.
- Click or tap the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click or tap Tracking Protection.
- Click or tap Your Personalized List, and then click or tap Enable.
Learn more about privacy in Internet Explorer.
Watch a video about how you can use Microsoft tools to control your own privacy on the Internet.
If you’re running Windows 7, you can now get the newest version of Internet Explorer that comes with Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Download Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7
New security and privacy features
To help give you more security and increased control over your privacy, Internet Explorer 10 includes:
- InPrivate browsing – Use an InPrivate tab and Internet Explorer 10 will clear your cookies when you close the tab and will not store your passwords and webpage history.
- Do Not Track – Send a signal to marketers and websites requesting them to not collect data that enables them to track you on the web.
- Windows SmartScreen – Get help identifying known phishing and malware sites in order to make informed decisions about app downloads.
Learn more about the security and privacy features in Internet Explorer 10.
If you’re running Windows 7, you can now get the newest version of Internet Explorer that comes with Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Download Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7
New security and privacy features
To help give you more security and increased control over your privacy, Internet Explorer 10 includes:
- InPrivate browsing – Use an InPrivate tab and Internet Explorer 10 will clear your cookies when you close the tab and will not store your passwords and webpage history.
- Do Not Track – Send a signal to marketers and websites requesting them to not collect data that enables them to track you on the web.
- Windows SmartScreen – Get help identifying known phishing and malware sites in order to make informed decisions about app downloads.
Learn more about the security and privacy features in Internet Explorer 10.
From the latest scams and fraud to how, when, and why to update your computer, here are the stories that you viewed and clicked on the most this year.
Download security update for Internet Explorer. In September, Microsoft released a security update for Internet Explorer. To help protect your computer, visit Windows Update to download and install the update and ensure that you have automatic updating turned on.
Update your browser. In February, if you had automatic updating turned on, Windows Update automatically upgraded you to Internet Explorer 9. Now you can get Internet Explorer 10.
Is my computer up to date? In March, you clicked on this blog entry to learn how to turn on automatic updating and to make sure that your computer had all of the latest updates.
Beware of ransomware. Nearly a year ago, a lot of you stopped by to learn about the resurgence of this scam. It launches a pop-up window warning that illegal material has been found on your computer and then locks you out of your computer unless you pay a fee. It’s still around, and we recently offered new guidance to help you deal with it.
Protect yourself from online tracking. Earlier this year we reported on Tracking Protection, which was a new feature in Internet Explorer 9. Read more about how user privacy protection has evolved and why it is turned on by default in Internet Explorer 10.
Here are five more stories that were popular with you this year:
Categories: Automatic Updates, automatic updating, free, hoax, id theft, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft, online safety, phishing, phone scams, privacy, rogue security software, scams, scareware, security, security updates, social engineering, updates, virus, windows update, Xbox Tags:
From the latest scams and fraud to how, when, and why to update your computer, here are the stories that you viewed and clicked on the most this year.
Download security update for Internet Explorer. In September, Microsoft released a security update for Internet Explorer. To help protect your computer, visit Windows Update to download and install the update and ensure that you have automatic updating turned on.
Update your browser. In February, if you had automatic updating turned on, Windows Update automatically upgraded you to Internet Explorer 9. Now you can get Internet Explorer 10.
Is my computer up to date? In March, you clicked on this blog entry to learn how to turn on automatic updating and to make sure that your computer had all of the latest updates.
Beware of ransomware. Nearly a year ago, a lot of you stopped by to learn about the resurgence of this scam. It launches a pop-up window warning that illegal material has been found on your computer and then locks you out of your computer unless you pay a fee. It’s still around, and we recently offered new guidance to help you deal with it.
Protect yourself from online tracking. Earlier this year we reported on Tracking Protection, which was a new feature in Internet Explorer 9. Read more about how user privacy protection has evolved and why it is turned on by default in Internet Explorer 10.
Here are five more stories that were popular with you this year:
Categories: Automatic Updates, automatic updating, free, hoax, id theft, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft, online safety, phishing, phone scams, privacy, rogue security software, scams, scareware, security, security updates, social engineering, updates, virus, windows update, Xbox Tags:
Holiday shopping is in full swing and so are the scams. The following tips can help you stay safe when you shop online.
Use a modern browser. Internet Explorer 9 and Internet Explorer 10 (available with Windows 8) include the SmartScreen filter. SmartScreen helps protect you from fraudulent shopping websites that seek to acquire personal information such as user names and passwords. Learn more about SmartScreen.
Use strong passwords for online retail sites and keep your passwords secret. Make your passwords eight or more characters. Use a combination of numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters (the greater the variety of characters, the stronger the password). Also, make sure you don’t use the same password for all the sites you use. Check the strength of your password.
Be careful when you shop online using a public Wi-Fi connection. If possible, save your financial transactions for a secured home connection. Passwords, credit card numbers, or other financial information are less secure on a public network. If you have to make a purchase, choose the most secure connection—even if that means you have to pay for access. Learn more about Wi-Fi safety.
Get more advice for safer online shopping
Categories: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, fraud, id theft, Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft, online safety, online shopping, passwords, phishing, phishing filter, privacy, scams, security, SmartScreen filter, social engineering, Windows 8 Tags:
If you’re the type that likes to look under the hood of your web browser, you can download the consumer preview for Windows 8, which includes the preview version of Internet Explorer 10.
Internet Explorer 10 includes an enhanced version of Protected Mode. Protected Mode is a feature of Internet Explorer that essentially blocks off parts of your computer to limit access in case you’re attacked by a virus or cybercriminal. Protected Mode has been around since 2006, but we’re always improving it.
Read about Enhanced Protected Mode in Internet Explorer 10.
Be warned that the preview version of Internet Explorer 10 is not for average computer users. If you think you might not be ready to test drive Internet Explorer 10, download Internet Explorer 9.
Review the security features in Internet Explorer 9.
Categories: cybercriminals, cybersafety, cybersecurity, Enhanced Protected Mode, fraud, id theft, Internet Explorer 10, Microsoft, online safety, online shopping, phishing filter, security Tags:
If you are using Windows Developer Preview and have difficulty obtaining or downloading a certificate using Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), try using compatibility mode. Turning on Compatibility View is the same in IE10 as in IE9, so you can follow the instructions at “Why do some web pages look incorrect in Internet Explorer 9?” to make the chage. This tip was added to the Windows Developer Preview release notes as well.
If you are interested in general Windows 8 information as it is breaking through the technical magazines, Windows IT Pro has A Big Week for Microsoft: Windows Server 8 and Windows 8 and Redmond Magazine has: Windows 8 Details Unveiled at Build Event.
