Dallas, Texas, November 2013 – The holiday season has arrived, and unfortunately, it’s the time of year when the crime rate will invariably increase. The Howard IT Solutions team feels it is important to reiterate some IT suggestions to hopefully make your holiday season safe and secure.

The following are a few red flags to look out for:

• Any request for sensitive information (social security number, account numbers, passwords, etc.). Generally, no vendor will ask you for that information unless it’s for verification purposes because you called them, not the other way around.

• A stranger calling and requesting remote access to your computer because you’re “infected”. We have a device at Howard that tells us specifically who’s infected. Your Internet provider can also tell if you have certain infections. They’ll usually call and tell you to clean your machine or shut off your Internet until it’s taken care of. If someone calls you from your provider, hang up and call them back on their support line.

• Links in email. You can make a link say anything. For example, this link https://www.amazon.com says you’ll go to Amazon. If you actually click on it, you’ll go to our new Howard site. Most emails allow you to see the actual address by simply hovering over the link. It’s a good practice to get into and one that we try to teach our clients.

• Using your credit/debit cards. When making purchases online, at the very least, make sure the website has a lock either in the address bar (where you type in “www”) or lower-right corner when you check out. A best practice is to limit purchases to reputable companies and not some obscure business.

For more information on how Howard IT Solutions can keep your tech needs safe and secure, please contact:

Chris Barnes, MCSE, MCITP
Phone: 214.346.0761
Email: itsolutions@howarditsolutions.com
Website: howarditsolutions.com