What's New

October 15, 2009

*** Fraud Alert ***

To all CESO contacts,
 
A new scam e-mail is being sent to CESO contacts, disguised as legitimate correspondence. Please DO NOT respond to these message. Below are two examples to familiarize yourself with this new threat:

Example #1 

Example #2

Neither CESO nor any VA would ever contact you in this fashion. Note that if something were to happen to a VA on assignment, he/she would contact CESO head office. If you should receive an e-mail of this nature please send it to mis@ceso-saco.com as an attachment in a new e-mail so that we can attempt to track its origin. (Note: The e-mail must be sent as an attachment (not forwarded), otherwise we won’t be able to trace its origin.)
 
Security

How to protect yourself online?
 
There are a few steps you can take to keep your personal information secure and out of the hands of cyber criminals.

• Do what you can to prevent unauthorized people from using your personal computer (PC).
• Log off or lock your workstation whenever you leave your computer.
• Change your passwords often. Be sure to choose passwords that are hard for others to guess.
• Don't give your passwords to anyone. And don't record your passwords in an easy-to-find place.
• If you notice suspicious activity in your accounts, report it immediately to the appropriate parties.
• Install anti-virus, anti-spyware, and other internet security software on your PC. Use it regularly and keep it up-to-date.
• Be leery of e-mails you receive from people you don't know, and don't open any attachments they may contain. When in doubt, delete the message without opening it.
• Take advantage of your PC's security features and make sure you keep your operating system up-to-date.
• Install a PC firewall. Some computer operating systems have built-in firewalls. Ensure that yours is turned on. If your computer Operating System does not have a built-in firewall, your ISP may offer a firewall or you can purchase firewall software or hardware from a vendor.
• Scan your computer at least weekly for known spyware and viruses.
• Also, be aware of a growing e-mail scam called “phishing.” Phishers use spam to trick e-mail users into providing bank account information, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or online passwords over e-mail. The sender usually appears to be from a legitimate e-mail address, but the criminal phishers are only trying to gather the access information to steal from individual consumers. Never provide personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail.

Again, please use care when reading e-mails. If you receive an e-mail that claims to be from CESO|SACO, and you think the e-mail is suspicious, immediately send it to mis@ceso-saco.com as an attachment. Never reply to, click on, or enter any information into a suspicious e-mail.
 
What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious/Fraudulent E-mail

If you receive a suspicious e-mail, it’s always wise to delete without opening it. Do not open any attachments or click on any links (including links that appear to be "unsubscribe" links or buttons) in any unsolicited e-mail, and do NOT respond to unsolicited e-mail - doing so simply confirms that your e-mail address is valid, which can make it a more attractive target for spam and fraudulent messages.
 
How to identify fraudulent e-mails?

Identifying fraudulent e-mails is not always easy. Genuine e-mails should not ask for passwords, login details, or any personal information. Fraudulent e-mails often do, and often add a sense of urgency to the message, such as "If you don't respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed", or even the word, "Urgent". Fraudulent e-mails also normally contain links and a request or invitation for you to click the link. These links are usually "masked," meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but to a web site that is controlled by the fraudsters. Sometimes genuine links are included just to make you believe the e-mail is from a trusted source.
 
Use the BCC line

When contacting more than one person its best to use the Blind Carbon Copy line in an e-mails address line. The BCC line will prevent large volumes of legitimate addresses from being stolen by spam sniffing programs on net nodes as your e-mail travels from one destination to another.