I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me...

In George Orwell's book "1984", The main idea is "Big Brother is Watching You".  Here it is 27 years later and to a point there is a big brother watching us.  This is a list of who and how you are being watched because of your computer, phone or other device that can access the internet.

Your Cell Phone:
If you have a smart phone, your cell company can track your whereabouts by GPS, but even if you have a basic phone they could track you based on the distance from different cell towers.  If you are lost, this feature could save your life, there have been a few cases where this has happened.  Some people use the GPS feature to post their location on Facebook.  If you allow friends of friends to see your posts you could be telling criminals that you are not home so they can safely break in to your house.  Verizon Wireless has a product called Chaperone which uses the GPS to allow parents to see where their kids are since the kids are always attached to their phones.

The iPhone and iPod touch have a feature that comes from the factory turned on that gives the location of all pictures when you take them.  When you post these pictures on Facebook it is possible to find the exact location of the photo.  This could be dangerous for kids especially.  Dangerous people could find out what school they go to and where they hang out.  The best thing to do is turn off this feature as soon as you get your new iPhone or iPod touch.

Since your smart phone can access the internet it could be vulnerable to hacking just like your computer.  This is important since you have all of your contacts on your phone so make sure you have strong passwords on your phone.

In the United States, cell phone companies are not required to reveal what information they collect from their subscribers.

Your E-mail:
Many people have an e-mail account with their employer that they need to do their job.  The main thing to remember about your work e-mail is that there is no privacy from your employer when using their e-mail system.. It is almost a guarantee that every e-mail that you send or receive on their account is stored on a server somewhere and you cannot delete it.  The rule of thumb is - If you would not say it with your boss or HR standing next to you, don't say it in a company e-mail.

Even with your private e-mail account, the company that provides it collects information from your e-mails.  This is why some of the ads that you see on your e-mail supplier's website will look like they are tailored specifically for you.  They are.  This doesn't mean that a person somewhere is reading all of your e-mail, these companies use software to scan the contents looking for specific words that they in turn use to advertise to you.  If you talk about your golf game a lot in e-mails you might see more ads for golf equipment and trips.

Some people use free e-mail services like Gmail or Yahoo to create anonymous e-mail accounts, but if you use it at home the IP address associated with the e-mail will point to your home.  This information has been used successfully by prosecutors in criminal cases.

Your Cable, Satellite Provider or Movie service:
Cable and satellite systems have come along way.  Most of these systems are basically computers that deliver shows to your tv.  They know what kind of movies and other content that you purchase to view on your tv.  One cable company has been experimenting with targeted commercials based on what you watch.  This could be a good thing.  If you mainly watch kids programming and PG movies you wouldn't get ads for Viagra and those annoying ads to discourage meth usage for example.

The bottom line is that there are many ways that your activity is being watched usually by a computer.  The moral of the story is be careful what you do and say when you use your devices, especially if you are doing something illegal.

New way to an old scam "Smishing"

There is a new scam that is targeting your bank accounts and using your cell phone to access them.  They send you text messages that claim your account is frozen and they give you a number to call to correct the problem.  Don't call the number and don't keep private financial information on your phone.  Here is a link to the article.
http://austin.bbb.org/article/avoid-being-smished-by-scammers-30634 .  Just like your email, don't respond to messages claiming to be your bank.  If you think the message might be real, contact the bank by their PUBLISHED phone number.  Remember, your bank won't contact you in this manner.  Don't be a victim.

Beware! Fake iPads for sale online

With the Christmas season fast approaching, this is a good reminder.  I saw a news story today about fake iPads being sold on the internet.  These iPads have the Apple logo on them and they look legitimate.  The only way to tell is when you get them home and try to access iTunes or other Apple  aps, they will not connect and you won't have a warranty.  These were being sold for about 30% off of the regular price for an iPad.

You can follow this link http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/buyers-beware!-fake-ipads-for-sale-online. to see the whole story.

This will serve as a reminder when buying online that you should always follow a few simple rules.

1. Only buy from sites that you know and trust such as Amazon.com, Target.com, Walmart.com or something similar.
2. If the price seems too good to be true, It probably is!!
3. If you are not sure about a site, try "Googling" the name and see if there are any complaints.
4. Compare prices at a few sites, if most have about the same price and one is much lower, see #2 above.

Everyone loves to save a few bucks but remember Buyer Beware!!

Your PayPal account has been limited

Recently, I have received two emails from PayPal.  I will include them below but basically they both say that I need to follow their link to "update" my account.  One claims there has been some strange activity on a credit card tied to my PayPal account, while the other just needs me to verify some of my account information.

Here are the two emails, I will show what is wrong with them below:
**********************************************************************************

Warning Notification

Dear PayPal Costumer,

It has come to our attention that your PayPal^® account information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update your personal records you will not run into any future problems with the online service.

However, failure to update your records will result in account suspension. Please update your records before oct 30 , 2011.

Once you have updated your account records, your PayPal^® account activity will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

Click here to update your PayPal account  (I removed the link)

**********************************************************************************

Dear PayPal Member:

Attention! Your PayPal account has been limited!

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.We requested information from you for the following reason:

Our system detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account.

Reference Number: PP-259-187-991

This is the Last reminder to log in to PayPal as soon as possible. Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access.

Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure account safety.

Click here to activate your account (I removed the link)

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologise for any inconvenience..

Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department

Copyright ? 1999-2011 PayPal. All rights reserved. PayPal Ltd. PayPal FSA 

 Register Number: 226056.
PayPal Email ID PP059

Protect Your Account Info

Make sure you never provide your password to fraudulent websites. To safely and securely access the PayPal website or your account, open a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the PayPal login page (http://paypal.com/) to be sure you are on the real PayPal site. For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please review our Security Tips at https://www.paypal.com/us/securitytips

Protect Your Password

You should never give your PayPal password to anyone. ********************************************************************************* First of all, I don't have a PayPal account so I know these are fake.  Here are the problems with these emails. Both emails did not have any names listed in the "to:" field.  Financial institutions will not send out blanket emails to their customers. The links in both emails went to other locations.  One to scattertones and the other to hayesauto.  (Always mouse over a link before you click it to see where you are really going.) There were miss spelled words in both emails, Costumers instead of Customers in the first and apologise instead of apologize in the second. Valid companies will not send unsolicited links to their customers.  If you did not initiate this action don't follow a link.  (Sometimes a company will send you a link to reset your password if you tell them that you forgot it.  This is initiated by you.) The second email even tried to act like the real thing by putting a fraud warning on it.  Take their advice and go to the real website, don't follow the link. The people who make these emails send out hundreds or even thousands at a time hoping for even one credit card account to steal from.

If you have received something like this and followed a link, contact PayPal and freeze your account.  Also find an Anti-Spyware program and clean up your computer.  If you need help with this please contact me: www.DuanesReliableComputerServices.com

Starbucks Scam on Facebook

According to Starbucks...

Starbucks

There is a scam on Facebook offering a free $50 Starbucks Card. Don't click on it, it isn't real.

Warning: Facebook Free Starbucks and Tim Horton's is a Scam

mashable.com

In the last two days American and Canadian coffee lovers have been targeted by would-be phishers offering free Starbucks and Tim Horton's.

If you have fallen victim to the scam, we advise you to change any passwords associated with your Facebook account or email login as a precaution (as well as any logins that share those same passwords).


These are posts from Facebook, on the Starbucks page and the Mashable page.




Once again, If it seems too good to be true...It probably is!!

Wells Fargo Bank is a big target.

I just received in an e-mail the Wells Fargo scam that has been going around recently.  I saw it on the news last night, they said that one in three of us has an account with Wells Fargo and that is what makes this so lucrative for the thieves.

Here is what the e-mail looks like:

Wells Fargo Bank, Encrypted Key: wf-101g/n7kdj48v51nmzl

Dear Wells Fargo Customer,

Wells Fargo Bank, is committed to maintaining a safe environment for our customers.

Please Update Your Wells Fargo Account
To prevent an interruption with your Wells Fargo, please take a few moments to update your
information today. Failure to update your account today might cause your account to go inactive.

To get started, please see:

Your Wells Fargo Account (THIS WAS A LINK THAT I DELETED)

Thanks,
Leah John - Wells Fargo Bank Accounts Review Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2011 Wells Fargo Bank, Inc.

I know this is a fake since I don't have an account with Wells Fargo.  Remember, your bank won't send out messages like this.  It was sent without any name in the "To:" field in my e-mail.  If you receive this or any correspondence from your bank, go to your bank and talk to someone about it.  Do not follow the link.  They are trying to steal your account info so they can clean out your account.

Safe Surfing and E-mailing, doesn't have to be complicated or expen$ive.

There is no excuse for not having up to date anti-virus software on your computer.  It can be very dangerous for your hard drive, data and identity to let your anti-virus subscription lapse.  In this article I will discuss many options for anti-virus software, many of these are free!  Like I said...NO EXCUSE.

On my computer and all computers in my house, we have Norton (http://us.norton.com/).  This is a very powerful anti-virus product and it comes with a few extra tools to help you keep your computer running great.  I like the registry manager which keeps your registry from getting clogged up by orphaned files from uninstalled software and other programs.  The Startup Manager is helpful to quickly free up memory from programs that load at startup even if you don't need for them to.  It also comes with an online backup that can further protect your data.  They have several versions and different price points based on your needs, you can get started for about $60 per year.  That is $5 per month to keep your computer safe from disabling threats.

I used to have McAfee (http://home.mcafee.com/store/).  They have similar products to Norton above and start at around $50.  There are many other packages for sale that are comparable such as Kaspersky, Trend Micro Titanium and many others.  I found a review on PCMag.com (http://www.pcmag.com/reviews/antivirus#fbid=vgF_BRTxCE3) it lists many types and prices.

Before you run out or go online to purchase anti-virus software, check with your ISP.  Many internet providers include a subscription with their service.  For example, where I live the two biggest ISP's are Comcast and CenturyLink (formerly Qwest).  They both offer Norton to their subscribers for free!

Another alternative is free software.  I have been recommending and installing Microsoft Security Essentials lately because it isn't a heavy memory user.  Other free and reputable packages are AVG, Webroot, and Avast.

Like I said before there is no excuse to stay unprotected.  Kepp your system clean from viruses by installing and updating your virus protection.

Top Ten signs that the e-mail you just got is a scam

Here are the top ten ways to tell if an e-mail you received is a scam:

10.  The E-mail is to "undisclosed recipients" or a list of many but it has supposed private information only for you.  (I receive e-mails all the time where the sender tries to sound like they know me personally but the e-mail is sent to undisclosed recipients.  This is called phishing.  They send out an e-mail to hundreds or ever thousands and hope to get even one response so they can steal money from that one unsuspecting victim.)

9.  It says it is from a company that you do business with and they want you to follow a link to sign in or verify your account.  (Never follow a link in an e-mail that isn't a response from an e-mail that you sent to a company.  Instead go to their website and login from there or go to their contacts and find someone to e-mail about the unsolicited e-mail that you received.)

8.  IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, It is a 99.99 percent chance that it is a scam.

7. It is from a company that you don't do business with and they are telling you there is a problem with your account.  (Don't follow the link they give you.  This will put spyware on your computer and they can steal your identity.  Contact this company by their published phone number or go to their website to confirm that no one has set up an account in your name.)

6.  It claims to be from a legitimate business but the grammar, spelling and punctuation are very rough.  (There are people in other countries that make their living by phishing for gullible Americans they can steal from.  English isn't their first language so the translation is a little off.)

5.  Someone wants to give you thousands of dollars for helping a Nigerian Prince, a widow in England, a business owners wife in Hong Kong or some similar ridiculous story.

4.  IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, It is a 99.999 percent chance that it is a scam.

3. A banker in some foreign country wants to give you some dead guys money because you have the same sir-name but the e-mail was sent to "undisclosed recipients".  (See number 10 above.)

2.   IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, It is a scam.

And the number 1 sign that the e-mail you just got is a scam -

1.  They offer you a job that requires no experience and very little time but will pay you in the six figure range and the job title is something like "Local Business and Finance Manager. (They only want your bank account number so they can steal your money.  There have been countless small business owners, church secretaries and senior citizens to name a few that have been taken for millions by these types of scams.

JUST REMEMBER:

IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, It is a scam. 

Craigslist Scams 2

So you decide to sell your old motorcycle on Craigslist after you but that new Harley!  Great idea, the ad price is right (free).  You take a great picture and include a perfect description and a fair price.  The first day listed, you receive a call from someone calling from out of state.  They want to buy your bike, they will send a money order for the total and also some for shipping it to them.  This is going great the bike will be sold in a couple days.

When you receive the money order, it is for three thousand dollars more than you had agreed to.  Being the honest person that you are, you call the buyer and explain about the extra money.  the buyer tells you not to worry, they were doing a few transactions and got a couple of them confused.  They tell you to go ahead and deposit the full amount into your account and wire them the difference so they can get it to their other seller right away.

No problem you say, what could be wrong with this scenario?  It is possible for a money order to initially clear your bank and then "bounce" a few days later.  Now, not only do you not have the money for your bike, you are also out $3000 that you wired to the buyer.  Since wire transfers are immediate they can't be undone days later.  Hopefully you didn't already ship out your bike to the buyer.  If you did you are also out that also. The best policy is to deal locally.

This actually happened a few years ago to a person in Denver.

Sexy photo post on Facebook

You log on to Facebook and there is a post supposedly by a friend that has a provocative picture and a caption that dares you to watch the video.  Something like "You won't believe what she did in this video - it isn't even legal".  If you try to watch the video it won't appear to go anywhere but a few things probably just happened.

1. Your account info might be compromised and someone could steal your profile.
2. You might have some new spyware on your computer waiting to steal your passwords and any personal or financial information you use online.
3. Your friends might see a similar post supposedly from you so their con game can continue to run rampant across the internet.
4. You might have the latest virus.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your Facebook sessions are secure.  Look at the address bar and it should say "https://www.facebook.com" with the lock in front of that.  If your address bar doesn't say this while you are on Facebook go to Account settings and then Account Security and check the box that says "Browse Facebook on a secure connection whenever possible."

The next thing is run Anti-spyware.  If you don't have one try Ad-Aware or Spybot.  Also run your anti-virus.

This scam lives off of your curiosity, if it sounds like something this friend would not post - don't click it.  If you are not sure, send them a private message and ask them.  That would be better than getting a virus or losing sensitive information.

Craigslist Scams 1

Craigslist is a great place to unload stuff that you don't want or need anymore and in the process maybe make a little cash or find new stuff at bargain prices.  The best part of Craigslist is also the worst part - it is free.  Since it is free, many people use it to post phony ads in an attempt to steal your money.  I will talk more about these phony ads and how they steal your money in another post.  In this post I want to talk about keeping yourself safe when you advertise on Craigslist.

The first thing that tips you off about possible scams is creating an account on Craigslist.  It reminds you often that you should not respond to a link that claims to be from Craigslist but instead bring up Craigslist in your browser and sign in from there.  This is a very real threat.  I post a lot of ads and every time I post a new ad I get a few emails that appear to be from Craigslist at first but with a closer look I notice that the spelling is not quite "Craigslist".  It might be "Crigslist" or "Craigslsist" or something similar.  They always provide a link to "verify your account".  The link does not go to craigslist regardless of what the link says.  If you mouse over the link you should see the real destination.  The reason they want your account info is to steal your account to place more fraudulent ads and stay anonymous or even use your ads to steal others money or even to steal your identity with spyware.

Another way to steal from you is to accuse you of stealing their account.  Example from my e-mail: Why did you an identical ad like mine? I reported you to craigslist.  (notice the mis-spelling, a lot of these scammers are from other countries and their grammar is less than perfect.)  After this they will include a link to supposedly take you to the ad in question.  It won't go there, it will place spyware on your computer and steal your identity.

Your Bank Account has been compromised!

You receive an e-mail that is supposedly from your bank.  The e-mail claims that you need to re-verify your account number and other personal information.  All you need to do is follow the link that they provide.  If you follow the link they will attach spyware to your computer that will give them every keystroke that you type.  They can get all of your user names and passwords, your credit card numbers, account number and even your social security number if you type that somewhere.

If you receive something like this, contact your bank by their published phone number or type in their website and go to the contact us page.  DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINK.  Sometimes the link will go nowhere but other times it will take you to a login page that looks like it belongs to your bank.  Remember, any real bank will not ask for information in this manner.

In a variation of this scam you might receive an e-mail from a bank you don't use telling you that someone has attempted to change your password.  Your first reaction is that someone has opened an account in your name and you want to click the link to find out more.  Once again, don't fall for this.  If you want to pursue this contact the bank by a published phone number not one in the e-mail.

The Nigerian Scam

Probably the most well known but still successfully used scam is the Nigerian Scam.  Called this because the e-mailer claims to be a Nigerian Prince who is trying to sneak money out of the country since the current government is falling and all of his billions will be stolen.  What he needs from you is access to your bank account so he can funnel his money through your account to get it out of his country.

For your trouble he will give you 10% which will be anywhere from hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.  Once he has your bank account number, he will clean out your bank account.  The entire transaction could take place using e-mail or they might even use disposable cell phones (Prepaid phones which have no contracts and require no personal information).

There have been many cases where people have fallen for this scam.  I have even heard about small business owners, senior citizens and church secretaries falling for this.  The bottom line is: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!!

This blog will serve as an information spot where people can come for help on spotting scams in e-mails and for adding their own experiences with scams to help others. We will expose the what, why and how about these scams. Don't be a victim. Find answers and keep yourself safe!