Emails and viruses
We all receive unwanted flyers and advertisements through our
letterboxes and if you have an e-mail account you’re likely to
receive them electronically as well. We call these kinds of e-mails
spam.
Although most unwanted e-mail is trivial, some may be abusive
and potentially dangerous.
E-mails can also carry viruses which, although often harmless,
can completely destroy the data on your computer.
Below you’ll find advice on how to avoid spam and viruses and
what to do if you’ve been affected.
Viruses
A virus is a program or piece of code that is self-replicating
and can be transferred to your computer without you knowing.
Most are spread by e-mail but you can protect your computer
using anti-virus software available from most PC stockists.
If you are part of a computer network and think your computer
has a virus you should contact your system administrator
immediately. If you are a home user, avoid sending e-mails as it’s
possible you’ll spread the virus further.
Be aware of e-mails warning you of potential viruses – many
aren’t true and actually carry viruses themselves.
Please do not contact Essex Police to report a virus as
unfortunately we are not able to help.
Spam
Spam may seem harmless but unfortunately these kind of e-mails
can do more than just clutter your inbox.
Special offers or newsletters
Even though the company sending the e-mail appear to know your
name and other personal details, the chances are you’ve never even
heard of them. That’s because your details have probably been
obtained from a third party.
This type of e-mail is not illegal but be wary. At best the
offer may be of interest to you but at worst it could contain a
virus.
Jokes, images or programs
Even if you’ve received the e-mail from a known source you
should be suspicious of attachments that could contain a
virus.
Be particularly careful if the attachment extension is .exe, .bat
or is a Word or Excel document that contains macros.
If you do not know the source of the e-mail you should avoid
opening it and delete it immediately.
Abuse or explicit content
E-mails that contain abusive or explicit material could become a
matter for the police. If you’ve received an e-mail that contains
personal information and threatens your safety you should contact
us.
We understand the e-mail may be upsetting but try not to delete
it as it could be used as evidence. Instead, save it to your
computer and a CD or floppy disc.
If the e-mail contains material that isn't directly threatening to
you but you believe to be illegal, you should contact the
Internet Watch Foundation. You can
find out more about the foundation in the illegal material
section.
Avoiding spam
It’s a good idea to create two e-mail accounts, a primary
account you use to communicate with friends and family and a
secondary one to use when registering on websites you might not
know too much about.
The only way to avoid spam all together is to buy special
software from a PC stockist that filters e-mails and prevents spam
ever reaching your inbox.
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