Easy to Overlook

Two years ago we paid $10 each to credit agencies Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion to "freeze" information about our data, which will make it more difficult for identity thieves to take out credit in our names. Last week's heavily publicized data breach at Equifax has made us glad we took that precaution.

Everyone's hypersensitivity to Internet security is being exploited by other crooks. On Sunday we received an email purportedly from the "Apple Store" (right). Of course, it wasn't from Apple; there are dead giveaways in the content of the email, the to and from addresses, and the grammar--foreign scammers have difficulty with the proper usage of articles "the", "a", and "an".

One has to be vigilant about passwords for not only one's bank and loan accounts but also other websites, like Apple's iTunes and Amazon, that are linked to credit cards. The Internet has made our lives much easier, but the costs are easy to overlook.