link-shortening
the "short links" (tiny.url and bit.ly) are convenient, esp when using Twitter. what they do is take a long URL and use a shorter one which redirects to the orig.
sadly, like many useful things, it can be turned to evil: the tiny.url actually links to a phishing site. for this reason, as TT suggests, ALWAYS check your URL in the small strip at the top of your browser to make sure you're going where u supposed to. say for example it reads "http://www.case 84759568789DF99.trouble.paypal.com," and there's a big WARNING saying yr PayPal acct and u need to click RIGHT NOW to save your balance.wow, that wasn't what you were expecting?
well, check the URL. it's so wrong...plus PayPal doesn't send out these nonsense-warnings anyway. this is a classic phish. someone's hiding behind a shortened URL.
if you KNOW the person listing the shortened URL, and where it ought to go, there's seldom a problem. TT uses "LINK HERE" and underlines it, and it goes to another part of this board. the process is known, and anything unusual will be noticed right away. very low risk of compromise, as TT is doing it right. and as he also mentions, the links embedded in emails are the ones to watch.
always, if anything seems out of place, check the URL toolbar. i've seen some of the fake "bank" sites and u will NOT be able to tell them from the real ones. although some have spelling/grammar or other style-mistakes...
JtB | |
