Central New Yorkers should beware of a phishing scam showing up in email boxes. If you receive a warning to pony up for an unpaid parking violation within 48 hours or else lose your license, delete it without forwarding it to anyone or clicking on any links. Otherwise, you'll risk disclosing some personal and private information and also exposing your computer to viruses.

Here's what to look for, and some dos and don'ts, according to a warning from New York State's Office of Information Technology Services:

  •  Keep an eye out for poor spelling or grammar, the use of threats and URLs that don’t match a legitimate site. If the message does not feel right, chances are, it is not.
  •  Be suspicious of links embedded in an unsolicited email.
  •  Don’t open unexpected email attachments.
  •  Don’t send personal information via email.
  •  Don’t post sensitive information online. The less information you post, the less data you make available to cybercriminals.
  •  Use strong passwords with a combination of upper- and lower-case letters as well as numbers and symbols. Don’t use your name, birthdate, or common words. Use a different password for each of your accounts.

Consult the DMV's website for more information.

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