BrandProtect Offers Ten Tips to Avoid Being Targeted by Email Scams

TORONTO--(Marketwire - June 4, 2007) - Phishers continue to find ways to circumvent anti-phishing technology as approximately 1.07 percent of all emails contain some form of phishing attack or scam, according to a study issued in January 2007 by MessageLabs. These messages can occur in the form of 'spoof' emails that lead consumers to counterfeit Web sites designed to trick them into divulging financial data such as credit card numbers or other sensitive account information, or even chain emails sent illegitimately from a user's email to those on their address list. To help protect email account holders from being targeted by these types of email scams, BrandProtect, the industry leader in online brand protection, today announced the top ten ways to avoid having an email account compromised.

"With the growing complexity of online fraud and brand abuse on the Internet, it has become increasingly difficult for consumers and email account holders to identify fraudulent mail and they are often times subject to attack simply by opening the email," said Hugh Hyndman, CTO, BrandProtect. "BrandProtect analysts are experts in identifying and taking down online threats and are able to apply this expertise to provide a list of preventative measures to help avoid being a victim of online attacks."

"Ten Tips to Avoid Email Attacks"

1. Avoid entering in your email address on any mass email sites. For example: newsletters, "Joke of the Day" emails and coupon distributions.

2. Do not click on unknown emails you receive. Spam emails can contain reply scripts that inform spammers that your email account is active -- and that you click on links!

3. Stay clear of chain emails and do not reply to any you receive. Often times, these can be illegitimately sent from an email account address book.

4. Avoid publicly listing your email address on any Internet forums.

5. Do not participate in sending any mass forwarded emails. You don't know who your email address can be passed along to in the chain.

6. Set up a spam filter that will weed out emails with malicious coding.

7. Use an alternate email address for your banking information that you do not share elsewhere. This will help you to avoid confusion when receiving inbound emails regarding banking accounts and also better protect your personal information.

8. Use a separate low-limit credit card for online transactions. If the information is 'hijacked' somehow, there is low credit limit to which fraudulent charges can be made.

9. Avoid the checkboxes during any online transaction. These boxes are often pre-selected, including your email on a mailing distribution or permitting it to be 'shared.'

10. Be proactive and stay aware of current email scams. Many organizations and IT publications report on current trends and spreading emails scams.

To learn more about how to protect your personal information and/or brand from online infractions, please visit: www.brandprotect.com.

About BrandProtect (www.brandprotect.com)

Incorporated in 2001, BrandProtect is an online brand security company protecting an organization's clients, brands and revenues from fraud and other abuses. It is also the sister company for BrandIntel, a research company that analyzes online consumer-published content to advance business decision-making. With over 150 clients, BrandProtect is recognized for transforming the way Fortune 1000 companies address brand risks and opportunities due to the growth of the Internet. BrandProtect's mission is to leverage the combined power of technology and human analysis to make business strategy, sales/marketing and operations better, faster and more efficient. The company's award-winning technology platform creates an incredibly rich market opportunity for companies to take advantage of the Web in order to manage, protect or grow their brands. By leveraging the company's extensive experience in operations, business development, industry verticals and technology, BrandProtect provides its clients with a distinct competitive advantage. BrandProtect is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with offices in the United States, Singapore and London. For more information, visit www.brandprotect.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Lauren Drost Lois Paul & Partners 781-782-5732 lauren_drost@lpp.com