At the end of the note, subscribers were asked to jump to a World Wide Web page where they were asked to enter their name, address, home phone number and credit-card numbers to update AOL's computers. That scam is the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated online ploys to wrest personal information from AOL subscribers and Internet users in general. Industry specialists estimate it is costing consumers millions of dollars a year. Such a scam isn't possible with a local system, he said, because subscribers are known to the company. Computer users need to exercise normal caution, he said.
Some people have the perception that if it's on a computer screen, it's for real.
That's not true. It's no harder to lie on a computer than it is anywhere else. At Amarillo On Line, William Vilardell voiced the same assurances and caveats. They may sign up by fax, but when they join us, we have direct contact with our customers. There's a lot of hacking that's attempted.