Tis the season—an e-card warning

The days of paper Christmas or “Seasons Greetings” cards are largely past and many have turned to e-cards. We’ve received some wonderful e-cards in the previous years—from the hilarious singing Santa and reindeer to the gorgeous snow-covered cabin that would make Thomas Kincade drool with envy. The problem is, e-cards, despite their intended purpose, can also conceal malware.
In a post on scambusters.org, the watchdog organization said, “Most people never consider the dangers of ecards—and unfortunately, there are plenty of dangers.”
Just like email, most e-cards are safe. However, as the number of providers grows, the potential for abuse also grows. Here are two of the potential dangers involved with e-cards:
• The card, when clicked or downloaded, adds a virus or malware to your computer.
• When you agree to the e-card company’s Terms and Conditions, you might be downloading adware or spyware or start sending fake e-cards to everyone in your address book.
The rules for staying safe from e-card dangers are identical to those for avoiding email scams. You should treat an e-card as if it were an email message.
• Never open an e-card from someone you don’t know.
• Check the URL of the e-card. Does it look legitimate?
• Do not agree to the Terms of Service for a company you don’t know.
• If an e-card has an attachment, do not open it. Attachments are one of those places where a virus, trojan, or malware can easily reside without being found by security software.
• Be alert. If the spelling on an e-card is incorrect, if there are errors or anything else that is unprofessional, beware of the dangers and be careful.
It’s a shame that something with as much potential to bring joy to others as an e-card has been compromised by scammers, but the realities of the online world dictate that these cards carry a risk factor that paper cards never did.