How did that phishing scam get into my IN box?

[--VQ--]

• We received this letter from Craig at SiliconGlen.com

Question: How did this eBay scam got past the phishing detector?

Answer:
The destructive code of a viruses has traits which can be fingerprinted against a database of threats. But for vendors with whom you have no existing relationship, the art of detecting a phishing scam is less precise. So what can you do to protect yourself.

First, this article offers tips to foil these scams, such as:

• Don't click the link to log into any account or service. Instead, open a new browser and type in the address yourself
  
• How to verify a secure connection
  
• How to give trusted sites a special "pre-approved" address - no matter where they send from

This last technique is the best way to prevent scams from any trusted business with whom you have an existing relationship, such as PayPal, eBay, or your bank. It's so simple - and yet it is our most underused feature!

Vanquish allows you to create a "trusted address" that admits mail based on the TO address rather than the FROM address. You needn't even know from what address the vendor will send mail (shipping, support, billing, etc). Details are here.