[pchelpers] Re: Firefox toolbar add-on

Hi Arlene

> I can't remember (pretty sure it was Mozilla)  but it is all being  re-done 
> today (maybe) ; well, you say it is safe if it was an extension on The  
> Firefox 
> homepage. It was an extension added to the Firefox toolbar.

If you give permission to criminal or just annoying malware (malicious 
software) to install itself on your computer, there is nothing Firefox 
or any other browser can do to prevent that. And it can very well appear 
as part of a Firefox toolbar even if it's malware. Firefox prevents 
malware from installing itself without asking for permission, which can 
happen on less safe browsers like Internet Explorer.

If you're not sure where the extension came from, get rid of it 
immediately. Go to Tools > Extensions rightclick and choose Uninstall, 
and check to make sure it's gone from that list when you restart Firefox.

*Only* as long as you get Firefox extensions from reputable sites like 
the official Mozilla website, is there no danger whatsoever; there are 
too many eyes watching in open source projects for any malware to sneak in.

> and now, 5 minutes ago,  a click on a link and a "membership charge"  to MY 
> debit card number, fortunately only in the amount of $15. 

What??? What link? What membership? If you click on a link and enter 
debit card info, Firefox will not prevent that even if you click on a 
criminal link that looks like the real one. (Well, Firefox can prevent 
some phishing but not all.) You yourself are responsible for any clicks 
on links and any personal information entered on websites and any 
program installations on your computer.

> and in case  anyone 
> ever needs these addresses, even though my bank will intercept internet  
> fraud, 

This is nonsense; if you send personal information to a criminal 
website, there is no way that your bank can know about that or intercept 
it. If you use your debit card to pay money to a criminal, your bank 
cannot prevent that unless they know about the criminal, and one can 
easily register new accounts and especially new websites and run before 
banks or the authorities start to block either.

> abby (thanks); changing my AOL password immediately at this  moment.......

A new AOL password does not protect you in any way against criminal 
websites or against you clicking on dubious links or sending money to 
criminals. Let's hope you knew what that link and membership were...


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