Hackers may have your e-mail address

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - If you received an e-mail Monday saying that a hacker might have your e-mail address, you are not alone.

The marketing firm Epsilon, which many large corporations and financial institutions share your e-mail address with, has been hacked. The breach means that your e-mail could be in the wrong hands.

You can help protect yourself online by making sure you trust where you shop.

• Look for sites that have a Verisign logo or web pages that have a padlock; that means they use encryption to protect your data. You can click on that padlock to see exactly how it's encrypted.
• Some e-mail providers offer authentication services that put a green check next to an e-mail sent from a reliable source.

Epsilon is concerned that whoever has your e-mail address might try to send you forged e-mails from websites that you actually use.

With the popularity of online shopping and banking---22News wanted to know if people feel safe on the internet. “Someone got a hold of my bank information. I don't know how, but they did and I got over $500 taken from my bank account,” Misty Zalewa of Greenfield said.

“I don't feel safe having my personal information out there in computer cyber space. It just doesn't feel safe for me, I'd rather shop at a local store,” Clarice Rivera of Turners Falls said.

Remember, financial institutions will never ask you for your username, password, or social security number, so don't ever give it out. If you get an e-mail that looks suspicious, it’s a good idea to call the company and ask them to verify it.