Scammers will even use something negative to ply their trade. With the South African Post Office strike going on for 3 months, companies that usually made use of the Post Office are resorting to using couriers to do deliveries. Scammers have made use of this and are flooding e-mail boxes (and sending scam SMSs) with messages from “courier companies” – like Fed-Ex and DHL – about parcels that need to be delivered. These mails trick you into filling in personal details on a  website to obtain the tracking code, or to download an attachment containing details of the shipment etc. Some might even address you personally.

In all cases these are phishing and spear-phishing attacks, no links or attached files should ever be clicked on or opened up as they might contain malware, compromise your security and personal details. In one particular case I received a mail from FedEx ( I was expecting a parcel) that was addressed to me personally, and only my naturally suspicious nature protected my computer from being infected with a particularly nasty Trojan virus. I was lucky this time but it only takes a click, opening up a infected attachment to ruin your day!

Please be very careful when receiving mail from couriers, especially if you are expecting deliveries. In most cases companies will contact you directly on your phone number or the original sending company will send you a tracking number to trace the progress of the parcel.

It’s nerve-wracking when you can’t find your phone – whether it’s really lost or just stuck down the back of your settee. Over the next few weeks, we’ll give you all the information you need to protect and track your phone and your information.

First up this week, Windows phones.

Find My Phone can help lay your worries to rest when your phone has suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. This free service in the My Phone section of windowsphone.com can ring, lock, erase or show your phone on a map from any Internet-connected computer. Find My Phone makes it easier to recover your phone – or to prevent someone from using it without your permission.

To learn more about what you can do at My Phone – such as seeing your OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) pictures and reinstalling applications – see My Phone FAQ.

Note

If you’re having trouble getting Find My Phone to work, see Error messages when using Find My Phone on windowsphone.com/my in Microsoft Support.

1. To map your phone’s location

1. On your computer, open a web browser and go to windowsphone.com.
2. Navigate to the My Phone drop-down menu, located in the top-right corner of the screen, then sign in with the same Windows Live ID you use on your phone.
3. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
4. Click Find My Phone, then follow the instructions in the dialogue box (you’ll only need to do this once – after that, your phone will automatically show up on the map when you go to Find My Phone).
5. If your computer is connected to a printer, click Print to make a hard copy of your phone’s location.

Tips

• Not seeing the latest location? Click Refresh.
• If you’ve scrolled the map and lost track of your phone’s location on it, click Centre on map.

2. To make your phone ring

1. On your computer, open a web browser and go to windowsphone.com.
2. Navigate to the My Phone drop-down menu, located in the top-right corner of the screen, then sign in with the same Windows Live ID you use on your phone.
3. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
4. Click Ring, then follow the instructions in the dialogue box (you’ll only need to do this the first time you ring your phone).

Tip

• When you ring your phone, it will ring even if the volume is off or it’s on vibrate mode.

3. To lock your phone and show a message

1. On your computer, open a web browser and go to windowsphone.com.
2. Navigate to the My Phone drop-down menu, located in the top-right corner of the screen, then sign in with the same Windows Live ID you use on your phone.
3. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
4. Click Lock, then follow the instructions in the dialogue box. If you don’t already have a password set up on your phone, you’ll need to enter one – you’ll use it to unlock the phone when you get it back. You can also type a message to display on your phone’s screen. Typically you’d enter an alternative phone number or an email address, so someone who finds your phone can contact you.

4. To erase your phone

1. On your computer, open a web browser and go to windowsphone.com.
2. Navigate to the My Phone drop-down menu, located in the top-right corner of the screen, then sign in with the same Windows Live ID you use on your phone.
3. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
4. Click Erase. On the confirmation screen, do one of the following:
   • To start erasing your phone, select I’m sure! Please erase my phone now, then click Erase.
   • If you’ve changed your mind, click Cancel.

WARNING

Be careful! This is your last chance to back out.

Note

It’s a good idea to let your mobile operator know that you’ve lost your phone.

5. To change settings for Find My Phone

You can set up Find My Phone to save your location every few hours or to use push notifications instead of text messages to send commands to your phone. Change these settings on your phone, not on your computer.

1. On Start, flick left to the Application list, then press Settings.
2. Press Find My Phone.
3. Select one or both of the following:
   • Connect to these features faster (may use more battery). The Find My Phone service uses text messaging to send commands to your phone. Check this option to use push notifications instead. Why? Push notifications can be faster than text messages, and if your mobile operator charges you for each incoming text message, push notifications might also be cheaper. Also, My Phone can only send 15 text messages to your phone in a three-day period. With push notifications, there’s no limit.
   • Save my location every few hours for better mapping. Microsoft can save your phone’s location details every few hours so that if your phone is out of range or the battery dies, we can still show your phone’s last-known location on a map.

In two weeks’ time we’ll look at tracking on Android, Blackberry and Apple phones.

[Information supplied by M.Ridoh Rylands, IT HUB]