I usually don’t do this: if you get infected by a virus/trojan/adware etc it’s almost 100% YOUR FAULT. No way around that – you probably clicked on something and installed it. Just be safe.

But since a lot of phishing sites/bad people are getting rather clever with new sites…

Here’s what is hitting work now and in the past:
Bank alerts – Subject “Bank Of America AIert: OnIine Access Suspension Message” Link to .html internet page for phishing scam.
eCard – Subject “You have received an Greeting eCard”, Filename “ecard.zip”
Account suspension – Subject “Your internet access is going to get suspended”, Filename “user-EA49943X-activities.zip”

It’s never good practice to open zip files from any source. Some problems arise when the ecard is coming from a friend or family member, but those will never be in .zip format.

Use virus protection – a standard consumer firewall (either built-in on your wireless router or a software piece such as “zone alarm”) will NOT protect you from downloading a virus. That is a common misconception.