Vet your email

From time to time I receive email from friends and family warning me about scams or other issues of concern. For instance, here's one I just received from my friend Helen:

Something to think about & maybe make a change?

Be careful how you list names on your cell phone! This lady has changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc. was stolen. Twenty (20) minutes later when she called her husband from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our PIN Number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn.

The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the PIN Number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from the bank account. Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.

And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked thru texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you. Someone could be setting you up to be burglarized, or worse.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON.

Whenever I receive such a message. I always check with snopes.com to see whether it's an urban myth. Often it is, but this alert is apparently legitimate. Another helpful site is http://www.scambusters.org/.