Same as with any other online service, hell, even offline service: if you don't trust it, don't click it or interact with it. The old mantra of "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is." goes for this as well.

If someone out of the blue alerts you to a "nice blogpost about you" don't trust it. And never ever type a password to a service on a site that just asks for it without you signing up to something you know about. A good way to go about it is wait till some of your trusted outlets (say a podcast like This week in tech) covers the service. If they tested it, it is probably safe to use. I know this makes you less of an early adopter but it does keep you safe. Otherwise just rely on common sense: if some juicy bone you didn't ask for is thrown your way: don't grab it.

And if, after all that, you are snagged: just remember you're probably not the only one. Sometimes the phisher is just one step ahead of everyones common sense. Take a deep breath, sigh and prepare to change some passwords. Shit happens. Be sure to keep your banking and creditcard services well separated from your day to day stuff like twitter, facebook and the like. Regard them as a separate part of your online life!
Source(s):
My common sense and crossed fingers.

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report