Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Warning: Free Valentine's Day eCards

In this age of the internet, sending electronic greeting cards has become a tradition. But many computer experts are warning consumers that using free Valentine's Day eCards services may not be as free as you think.

What's the price for using this service? They say vulnerability to more spam in you and your loved one's email inbox.

If ever you've tried sending a free eCard before, you'll notice that it is required of you to register an account, or at least, give your email - along with the email address of your recipient. After that, your friend or love one will receive the Valentine's message through their inbox and all seems well.

What you don't know is that the free eCard company now has two email addresses which they can now sell to third party companies, or themselves, to send you unsolicited mail, selling you whatever product or service they also have, over the course of time until you figured out how to unsubscribe from their mailing list.


So for this year, if you want less chances to receive more span in your inbox, try to avail your eCards from reputable websites. Paying for a few cents to a dollar is okay, if it means your loved one will not receive spam afterwards, or worse, a trojan containing malware or a virus.

Better yet, instead of sending a free Valentine eCard, why not make your own eCard by simply searching online for Valentine images, pasting them on a photo editing program such as MS Paint or Photoshop, and writing a personal love greeting.

Not as elegant or sophisticated as those you can send in other electronic card services, but it's more safe and more importantly, as sweet, romantic and as thoughtful.

Have a spam-free Valentine's Day everyone.
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