Be on the lookout and be extra cautious for phone scams this holiday season. They usually come out in full-force around this time as perps like to take advantage of people looking to score big on merchandise for the holidays.
One example such as this is a friend of mine who received a call from someone stating that their name was randomly selected, they won a large sum of money, and that they would need their bank account info in order to complete the deposit. <red flag> Don't EVER give your personal info, let alone your bank account info to an untrusted individual or company. The best thing to do is write down the date/time that you received the call, as well as the phone number & name from the CallerID, then disconnect the call. Promptly call police and inform them of the scam. This is what my friend had done after receiving the call.
My friend was kind enough to give me the CallerID info, and I went the extra step as well and did a lookup of the area code. Come to find out that the call originated from Seattle, Washington. Although the CallerID info was most likely spoofed, the call can still be traced back to its origin. I sent the info in an email to the FBI branch in Seattle, informing them of the scam.
Just to note...A majority of the scammers will prey on senior citizens as well. So if you have elderly family members or neighbors, make sure you educate & inform them about these scams.
Stay safe!!
--ma
Michael
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
The holidays are among us... And so are the threats & risks....
Well, I am back.... After getting my homework & midterm done for school, as well as the final exam, I'm all done until late January. Time to catch up on some blogging!
A lot of has happened in the InfoSec world since I've been away, but I'm not going to discuss any of that here. However, since the holidays are right around the corner, so aren't the risks of shopping online. With the infamous "Black Friday" vastly approaching, as well as Christmas, the cybercriminals will be in rare form, as they use the holiday season to take advantage of weary & unsuspecting customers looking to cash in on sweet deals.
With all the holiday hooplah going on, always keep your guard up. Thieves will do anything and everything to get a hold of your creditcard, personal, or banking information to siphon your bank accounts. Beware of emails purporting to come from some online retailer with exclusive sales on good & services. Especially if they come from a retailer that you've never heard of or have not signed up for. This could very well be a phishing scam aimed at getting your personal or financial info.
Be weary of online retailers that you plan on doing business with. There are various ways to check their online reputation (score) to ensure that they're legit and safe. Once you've decided on an online retailer make sure their website is secured (https:) and has a verified seal at the bottom of the website. It's also a good idea to only shop at websites that are located in the USA. Again, checking the retailers reputation should divulge where they're located if you aren't sure.
When paying for purchases online, NEVER use your bank's checkcard or debitcard. That's a huge no-no. Using your debitcard could potentially allow cyber-thieves to have complete access to your entire checking account if in the event your debitcard info is compromised. Use either a creditcard or a prepaid debitcard with the amount allotted to your purchases (including taxes and shipping costs). Using a creditcard is better, because under certain laws you will be protected if you spend a certain amount and unauthorized purchases are made. Not to mention that your bank will usually refund you the amount of losses if your creditcard number is stolen and used for fraudulent purchases.
After you made your purchases keep an eye on your account statements to ensure that unauthorized transactions weren't made using your card. If there were any made, you can take care of them right away.
Before embarking on any online shopping spree, make sure your browser is up-to-date. I've posted a blog entry a while back about the "Qualys Browser Check add-on" for all the major web browsers. It'd be a good idea to install and run that tool prior to your shopping spree to update your browser and computer, and patch any security holes. Cybercriminals will almost certainly be infecting legitimate websites to serve up malware (malicious software) to infect your computer. There are also various browser add-ons that you can use to alert you of fake online websites used to phish your info.
Lastly... Don't forget to make sure an anti-virus program is installed, working, and up-to-date!
Good Luck & be careful... The Internet is a scary place!
--ma
Michael
A lot of has happened in the InfoSec world since I've been away, but I'm not going to discuss any of that here. However, since the holidays are right around the corner, so aren't the risks of shopping online. With the infamous "Black Friday" vastly approaching, as well as Christmas, the cybercriminals will be in rare form, as they use the holiday season to take advantage of weary & unsuspecting customers looking to cash in on sweet deals.
With all the holiday hooplah going on, always keep your guard up. Thieves will do anything and everything to get a hold of your creditcard, personal, or banking information to siphon your bank accounts. Beware of emails purporting to come from some online retailer with exclusive sales on good & services. Especially if they come from a retailer that you've never heard of or have not signed up for. This could very well be a phishing scam aimed at getting your personal or financial info.
Be weary of online retailers that you plan on doing business with. There are various ways to check their online reputation (score) to ensure that they're legit and safe. Once you've decided on an online retailer make sure their website is secured (https:) and has a verified seal at the bottom of the website. It's also a good idea to only shop at websites that are located in the USA. Again, checking the retailers reputation should divulge where they're located if you aren't sure.
When paying for purchases online, NEVER use your bank's checkcard or debitcard. That's a huge no-no. Using your debitcard could potentially allow cyber-thieves to have complete access to your entire checking account if in the event your debitcard info is compromised. Use either a creditcard or a prepaid debitcard with the amount allotted to your purchases (including taxes and shipping costs). Using a creditcard is better, because under certain laws you will be protected if you spend a certain amount and unauthorized purchases are made. Not to mention that your bank will usually refund you the amount of losses if your creditcard number is stolen and used for fraudulent purchases.
After you made your purchases keep an eye on your account statements to ensure that unauthorized transactions weren't made using your card. If there were any made, you can take care of them right away.
Before embarking on any online shopping spree, make sure your browser is up-to-date. I've posted a blog entry a while back about the "Qualys Browser Check add-on" for all the major web browsers. It'd be a good idea to install and run that tool prior to your shopping spree to update your browser and computer, and patch any security holes. Cybercriminals will almost certainly be infecting legitimate websites to serve up malware (malicious software) to infect your computer. There are also various browser add-ons that you can use to alert you of fake online websites used to phish your info.
Lastly... Don't forget to make sure an anti-virus program is installed, working, and up-to-date!
Good Luck & be careful... The Internet is a scary place!
--ma
Michael
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Be back soon...
Hi all,
Sorry, been busy with school and trying to catch up with getting my midterm and one of my last homework assignments of the semester done.
As soon as class is over (Nov 14th), I'll be back to posting routinely.
Thanks for your patience....
--ma
Michael
Sorry, been busy with school and trying to catch up with getting my midterm and one of my last homework assignments of the semester done.
As soon as class is over (Nov 14th), I'll be back to posting routinely.
Thanks for your patience....
--ma
Michael
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