‘Phishing’ for the uninitiated out there is the fruadulent use of emails in an attempt to gain information from a user by pretending to be from an authoritative source. Most common of these being a bank. Here’s a typical layout of such a “Phishing” email (minus any URLS for your safety) -

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for banking with Citibank.
Sincerely,
©Citibank Customer Service
Code #843934022

I have chosen a bank email as a example because over 90% of phishing scams come from these. Reason I am posting this? Maybe it’s just me but I have seen a recent increase of these appearing in my inbox. Along with a newer flavour of scam which takes the form of an email ‘claiming’ to be from a reputable media company such as CNN with a most likley fictitious link to a story.

ALWAYS BE WARY OF ANY EMAILS ASKING FOR PERSONAL INFO

just wanted to make that abundantley clear, generally banks will NEVER email you for personal information or to ask you to update your personal information, even if the scam email threatens your account will be closed; it’s a lie!!!! If you are concerned simply contact your bank directly either on the phone or even in person and confirm whether or not they are canvasing customers via email (which I seriously doubt).

Same goes for the dubious CNN emails that have started appearing of late, unless you remember specifically going to CNN’s website and signing upto regular emails from them - HIT THE DELETE BUTTON AND WALK AWAY!

Ok….the walking away bit is optional….

Sermon over. I’m off laters!

Intuitively I feel I am entering unchartered waters. Shame I never really learned how to sail I guess? I’ve been living on the ‘flip side’ as I like to call it (living in New Zealand), for just over six months now. I have a whole bunch of friends! A cool boss, I’m in the most technically challenging brass band of my life?! However, if I said I don’t miss anything about the UK I’d be lying…

There are still the few of you over there that remain in my thoughts - you know who you are! Apart from people though there are other things I miss. Predictability is one of them, over here every single day is unique, and you are constantly living a Russian Roullette especially in Wellington - which could experience another major earthquake any day. I don’t say this last thing to diminish in any way what has happened in China by the way. That truly is a sad occurance; though my gut tells me the worst isn’t over yet.

….Hmm…guess I’m in a bit of a rambling mood tonight - feel free to switch off and surf on.

Every day, it seems a new distraction in escapism is invented. A new way to escape or displace yourself from reality. I ask myself the question is this truly the right direction for humanity? To run and hide in some video game, or tv show? instead of facing the real world around us? We have become accustomed to the hyptnotic addiction of the media that surrounds us so completley, it is often too easy to trust it. I fear that many in the world have forgotten what it is to be human. There’s so much death and brutality; almost like it’s a game! Well I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna run out of any lives - and I am buggered if I know the cheat codes for life…..not that I am thinking of hitting the reset button any time soon, that would be silly.

Baby’s are born without the proper manual to live in a world like this. It’s not the mothers fault, these primary values of ‘being a parent’ aren’t taught any more. Lifes priorities changed with the invention of the humble television and more crucially the continuing domination of the world by accountants and bankers. Well if you believe recent signs in the news with regard to banking and money, then like me you will suspect sumewhat of a global financial timebomb waiting to go off.

I know I probably have it all wrong, and that the National Reserve of ‘whatever’ country has their interests covered? I just wish the markets were a little less uncertain so I could sell my house in the UK. It’s proving to be a real cancer in my ability to move on.

…I must live in hope, the glass is half full right?