After the September 26 attack on AOL's "MoneyWhiz area, the area's editor apologized in the MoneyWhiz bulletin boards...

Subj: Re:Hackers?
Date: 97-09-27 07:11:19 EDT
From: Money Whiz

To all,

On Friday, September 26th, around 5:10 pm ET, we were the subject of a hacker who placed profane and lewd text on our main screen.

First, and foremost, our apologies for you to have to witness those kinds of messages. Fortunately, with the help of the Personal Finance Department and our staff, we were able to correct the problem within 20 minutes.

Secondly, and most importantly, never download anything from an AOL member that you do not know. Never reveal your password. And mostly, never send a file to someone who requests it---and you don't know that person. Even if you think you know that person, double check with them, either by phone, or actually *type out their name* in an email (don't just hit reply when writing back to them, as to avoid having AOL automatically putting the return screen name in the addressee box).

~Christy Heady
Editor, MoneyWhiz