Butchers across the country put down their weapons of choice last week and instead picked up another kind of Cleaver - at the 2009 award ceremony celebrating the best of SA's butcheries. Meanwhile, out in the wine valley, another pairing other than food and wine was taking place, with the Great Wine Capital's Franschoek and St Helena (Napa Valley, California) signing an MoU to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. This 'twinning' agreement also includes restaurant wine and wine-making exchange programmes. With the World Cup breathing down our necks, security is being stepped up to Fort Knox degrees. But while the increased manpower aims to cover the physical world, how safe are our personal bank accounts from our own virtual ignorance? Email banking scams flood inboxes daily - I receive at least four a day, mostly for 'accounts' with banks I don't even belong to. These are easy to discard, but what happens when your own 'bank' sends you one? Legitimate emails always warn that the company would not ask you to input account details or access its website from an email link. One of the latest scams I've come across is one that actually uses this line within a fraudulent email. Instead, scammers offer a link to another 'partner' site that it claims will upgrade and enhance your security from phishing attacks. Don't do it! If you're ever in doubt whether the email is legit, phone your bank or forward the email to their security department and wait for a response. Always beware. Always be safe.

Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor
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