[Anonymouse]

Originally Posted by mark777

Is there a simple web page anywhere that explains the key issues and what people should do about it?

Apart from Virgin's own? Well, if you start from the beginning, this thread explains it pretty well. Yes, I know that is now a lot of reading...but we, the regulars, can't overemphasise the importance of the issue. Your best bet is to tell your more technically-minded colleagues (particularly anyone who's savvy with networks and communications) about this thread; they can then pick out the tech bits and clarify where necessary. Also point them in the direction of The Register.

One key point, though is that the supposed benefits and security offered by the Webwise system simply aren't needed - IE7 and/or Firefox, plus antivirus/firewall software, are quite capable of providing protection from phishing scams, spyware and the like. You don't even need to be a techie; Firefox blocks ads by default, and you can tweak it as much as you like. There has to be someone who actually likes ads, I suppose...

Beating phishing scams re bank details is easy - you don't need any software. All you need do is remember two very simple rules:

1) Your own bank will not, under any circumstances, send you any unsolicited email. EVER. Any email you receive from your bank will either be sent by secure email - especially if you sent them a secure email in the first place - or it will be in direct response to an email you sent. But they're far more likely to simply phone or write to you. They do not, EVER, ask you to "confirm" your details via email, secure or not - at least my own bank (Barclays) don't. I asked about that the first time I received one of these emails, suspecting from the slightly odd phraseology that English wasn't the first language of whoever had sent it; a manager at my local branch confirmed their policy re unsolicited emails, i.e. they never ever send them.

2) Any email you receive from any bank with whom you have no dealings can be safely deleted, unread. If you're not one of their customers, the email is definitely a phishing attempt. Just delete it or forward it to the bank in question; Barclays, for example, have an email address for that specific purpose, and I don't doubt others do as well.

Where in those rules did I mention Webwise? Oh, that's right, I didn't.