With the cooler weather, holiday shopping, and more time spent indoors, we always see a large increase of computer use among our clients. We rarely have slow times at DeBug, but we've found that fall and winter are probably our most active times.
With inclement weather, and all of us watching our bank accounts, online shopping is on the upswing this season - an excellent time to remind our valued clients of the importance of being safe online. There are awesome deals to be found, and perhaps a few too good to be true - buyer beware!
When shopping online, there are a few secrets to keep you safe. Personally, I always "Google" the product I am looking to purchase. Once I have decided upon my purchase, I search for reviews on the online shop, and see how other users rate them. Are products represented accurately? Are there hidden shipping and handling costs? What is the store's return policy? Do they charge a restocking fee? Do they ship in a timely manner? No matter how great the shopping source may be, there will always be a few not so good reviews, don't let that scare you off - though bad reviews should be the minority. Also, many sites will by default want to add you to their mailing lists, so be sure to uncheck any boxes offering to keep you informed, or install "toolbars", or other unwanted software. Most importantly, use a credit card that protects you against fraud from online purchases.
Recently, we are seeing a tremendous increase of online community use - Facebook, MySpace, etc. Again - exercise CAUTION! We see so many people infected with spyware, viruses, and malicious software - up to 15 to 20 computers a day on average. You may get a pop up warning you of a possible infection or threat, and to click on the link to remove the problem. Upon clicking on this, you give your computer permission to download malicious software, which will override your antivirus software, and cause you all kinds of grief and frustration! If your antivirus software is up to date and working properly, it should automatically eradicate these threats without popups warning of impending doom. If in doubt, PLEASE, call our office and ask if the threat is legitimate - you will save yourself time and money, and we will be happy to answer your questions as a courtesy for being a loyal DeBug client. We would much rather save you the cost of a service call than to have you get infected!
Here's wishing you safe and happy computing in the coming cooler months, we are just a phone call away for any of your tech questions or needs.