And speaking of scams

Yesterday I received an email from "Windstream" that I needed to re-verify and confirm my windstream online account, and if I didn't, my account would be closed.

Again, this is a scam. They provided a link to click on, so that I could "verify" my account. In doing so, I would give a hacker my account sign-on, and therefor, access to all my emails, contacts, and a basic history of my life therein.

This is actually a pretty common form of PHISHING, a term you have no doubt seem before. Sometimes it's from a bank, sometimes from UPS, it can be from anywhere. The point is, these are phishing scams designed to get your userid and password. Clearly the scam must work, as it continues in it's various forms. Once the scam does succeed, the next emails may be from someone in that contacts list which you may know.

If you receive a link in an email, QUESTION IT! Do not simply click on a link, even if you know the sender. It may not actually be from that sender, it may be from a hacker using that sender's name that was gotten from a successful phishing email to someone you know. A few years back I got an email from my daughter with a link in it, which I clicked on immediately. I realized immediately what I had done and restarted my computer and ran several scans. It wasn't from her, and had nothing personal in it, which she wouldn't have done, so I was just being a dufus, so you really have to pause and think about it first.

If you get an email with a link, make sure you not only know the person it's from, but that the email 'sounds' right. It should have some personal reference in it telling you it's actually from a friend. So, if you are sending legitimate links out in an email, make sure you say something personal in it, so the receiver knows it's legit.