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Anyone who is actively using the Internet has been the target of some sort of scam from casually receiving, clicking on, or falling for. These cyber scoundrels are very crafty to disguise their deceptions.

The most common form of scams are found in emails. Each day, we will get a handful of said emails wanting us to click on a website or someone wants to give us a small fortune or someone is seeking companionship or a friend needs money stranded in a foreign country. These are just few that come to mind and I dare say you get them, too. Simply put, this is a cyber thief’s calling card. Just hit delete!

Borrowed

It’s tax season.  Everyone needs to be aware of scamming tactics.

There’s an interesting article CNNMoney highlights 12 cons cyber thieves and shady tax preparers are using to steal taxpayers’ identity and money. Be on guard!

This past February, our windows based laptop computers was hit by a vicious type of malware known as Ransomware. You can read about it, here.

How does Ransomware work?

Most victims click on a bogus email or instant message or website link which in turn locks the computer. An official looking message will flash on your computer screen from a law enforcement agency which says: pay us to get control of your computer.

 Keep all security programs up-to-date!

AARP claimed 70,000 computers got hit with this sort of scam-ware in 2012 and 3% of those computer owners actually paid the fake fine. Based on own experience, we were told pay $300 to unlock our computer. That means these scammers could have stolen more than $600,000 last year along! This year scammers will be more savvy and to fix the problem will be more difficult.

Graduation is just around the corner. Right now, parents and their seniors are bombarded with college and scholarship offers.  It can be really tricky to tell legitimate institutions and agencies from scam artists. The BBB highlight Six ways to spot a scholarship and financial scams:

1. “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.” In reality no one can guarantee that they will get you a grant or scholarship. The refund guarantees offered usually have so many conditions or strings attached that it is almost impossible for consumers to get their money back.
2. “You cannot get this information anywhere else.” Actually, scholarship information is widely available in books, from libraries and financial aid offices and on the Internet, if you are willing to search for it.
3. “We will do all the work.” Only parents and students can really figure and give the financial information needed to complete the forms.
4. “You have been selected by a national foundation to receive a scholarship.” If you have not applied for a scholarship sponsored by the foundation, be skeptical about this claim.
5. “May I have your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship?” This is never a need for a legitimate scholarship offer. Don’t give out your financial information in this kind of situation.
6. “The scholarship will cost some money.” Legitimate scholarship offers never require payment of any kind.

Common Sense Approach to Protecting Your Identity and Money:

• One of the biggest scams is “spear- phishing” were the hacker wishes to gain personal information to sensitive data such as banking or credit card accounts. When an email looks fishy, then expect the potential of foul play and promptly delete the suspicious email without reservation or hesitation. It’s easier to take matters in your hand instead of giving free rein to an anonymous email address holder.
• Be careful with what you download. It may not be what you’re wanting. Cons may promise a PDF file, but in fact may deliver an executable file that analysis the victims keystrokes to gather your user account names and passwords. They call this “bait and switch”- major scary! Usually targeted are large companies payroll departments for this activity, but the same principle can be used on just about anyone.
• Limit your world-wide web personal information. Cyber scammers troll popular websites such as Craigslist, message boards, and Facebook to make a quick buck. What people aren’t realizing is, highly publicized details of one’s life is like a flashing neon light for bad guys, that reads: Come screw up my life!

Be proactive, even paranoid like I am about who knows what about your life. I hope this information has been useful. You work hard for your money, don’t allow cyber thieves to make a victim out of you!

1. Have you ever been scammed by an email requesting sensitive information?
2. What do you do when you get an unfamiliar email – open or delete?

Bonus: Has there ever been a time recently you clicked on a link (inside an email or website) which resulted in your computer being infected with spyware or malware?

Visit Miss Jenny and the rest of the Alphabe-Thursday classroom for more homework assignments of the letter “S” and while you’re hopping around, be sure to play along with Miss Amanda in her latest edition of Thursday Two Questions.

Pssst…I was not around much last week and this is why. To learn more click on the below links!

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