Category: Scam

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Preparing for Theft

Unfortunately, I’ve had several clients who have been robbed. The most recent was when a laptop was stolen from a car. There are some actions that you can take to avoid the worst outcomes if a theft does happen.

  1. Set Up Passwords:
    • Use strong, unique passwords or passcodes for both your device and your accounts.
    • Enable biometric authentication methods like fingerprint or facial recognition if available.
  2. Enable Remote Tracking and Wiping:
    • For smartphones, enable features like Find My iPhone (iOS) or Find My Device (Android). For laptops, use tracking software like Find My Mac (Apple) or Find My Device (Windows).
    • Set up remote wipe options to erase your data if the device is lost or stolen.
  3. Backup Your Data:
    • Regularly back up your device’s data to an external drive or a cloud service. This ensures you can recover your important files even if the device is stolen. Both Apple and Microsoft offer cloud backup services.
  4. Protect your Passwords
    • Especially important today, don’t let people see you type your phone or laptop login password. This “shoulder surfing” is now common before a theft. Once people can log in, they can change your password and actually lock you out of your accounts.

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Uninstalling Apps in Windows 10

Windows often fills with malware and junk when kids are trying to install games. These are often “browser helpers,” alternative browsers, or other search tools. To fix these junked up computers, many users install more malware that is pretending to be helpful software.

Much of the software can not be removed using the standard “Add or remove programs” tool built into Windows. That’s when I turn to Geek Uninstaller, a lightweight tool that can force the removal of pernicious software and related traces left in the operating system registry.

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Fake Websites

There are lots of fake websites out there designed to fool you into thinking they’re real. Sometimes they’re sites that you’re sent to because your system has been compromised, such as through DNS Malware. Other times they’re just mistyped URL’s. I recently typed “yourube” instead of “youtube” and got this:

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Bogus PCI emails

Anyone who owns websites will get bogus emails about domain name expiration. New to the scam list are these emails about PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. This is an email to a website that does not collect any credit card or other user information. So there is no merchant processor to be non-compliant with.

They start by claiming to be your PCI service provider, which they are not. Then they threaten fines, which they guess at.

We appreciate providing your PCI services.

Unfortunately your PCI service has expired, and you are now eligible to receive non-compliant fees from your merchant processor. These fees are between $19.95 and $39.95 per month; potentially from $240 to $480 per year.

This non-compliance fee may show on your merchant statement as “NON-RECEIPT OF PCI-DSS VALIDATION FEE” or “PCI NON-COMPLIANCE FEE”.

We can help you stop paying PCI non-compliance fees by successfully reporting your compliance to your merchant processor.

Call immediately at (800) 557-4684 to continue your PCI compliance program and we will:
– review your PCI compliance requirements
– provide options to simplify your PCI process
– answer any questions or concerns
– help you save on PCI related costs

If you have questions, please call us at (800) 557-4684.

Thank you,
SecurityMetrics
compliance@securitymetrics.com

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Spam Scam

This will be my last post. I’m retiring since I won “some huge amount of United States Dollars” in the lotto. How did I win when I’ve never played the lotto? It’s easily explained in this email I got today. I just need to send the Lieutenant General or General all my personal information. I literally can’t believe my luck.

I am Lieutenant General Peter A. Blay (Chief of the Defense Staff (Ghana). I am mailing you in respect, of the present development going on here in my country GHANA.

I decided to contact you, after much investigation which was carried out by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the Ghana Police Service, to make sure our country is free of these fraudulent activities,which is going on here in Africa and for our country to bear a good name.

The Airport Authority detected some trunk boxes after been scanned the authorities detected that the boxes contains funds on your name and email that has been tempered on, they were been smuggled into the country by foreign Personnel who were on transit from London.

These men were trying to enter the country with the trunk boxes, when the airport authority detected that these boxes contains, some huge amount of United State Dollars. After much investigation we found out that these men were among those men, spoiling the good name of Africa.

They opened up to us that, they actually work with a Lotto company before their dismissal and used the opportunity to perpetuate their crimes, they told us that the funds inside the boxes was won by you, but now they planned to turn back on you and decided to take the money all to themselves out of the country. We later found out on the investigation that was carried that, these men are truly members of a well established organization to act on their criminal activities.

As I write you this mail now, the three(3) men that were caught are now in the custody of the Ghana Police Service over here in our country Ghana,while we are trying to track the others left, because they have proved to us that they belong to one organization.

That is why we have to reach you by your mail address and name that was tagged the boxes, so we can make the arrangement on the transfer of the funds to your designation.

Your urgent response will be very much appreciated as soon as you have received this email.

Thank you for your kind attention, for us to make sure our beloved country Ghana, bears a good name.

Please in your reply include your
A: FULL NAMES
B: ADDRESS
C: DIRECT CONTACT PHONE NUMBER
D: SCANNED COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT OR ANY RELEVANT IDENTIFICATION PASSPORT.

As this information will be required, by the authorities in Ghana to draft the new change of ownership in your name as the rightful owner of the funds in our custody and also to verify the information given to us because the documentations covering the boxes have been tampered on.

Regards,
General Peter A. Blay