The Technology blog and podcast

There are 3 scams that seniors may fall for more than others

I’m going to record this for the upcoming security hour on Throwback which will air at some point probably after NCSAM which we plan to do live.

The article comes from Kim Komando and her staff and its titled The scams seniors fall for most – And how to spot them and there are some sobering stats out there besides the three different types of scams.

Here are the stats:

• • Over 92,000 victims were older than 60.
• • It amounted to $1.7 billion in losses.
• • The losses increased by 74% compared to 2020.
• • The average victim over 60 lost $1,800 per scam.
• • 3,100 victims lost more than $100,000 to scams.

Here are the three types of scams:

• This is the most-reported kind of scam that targets older citizens. Through malicious email attachments or pop-ups on a website, they usually inform the
• Confidence fraud/romance scams
• Government impersonation

I suggest and they want you to send this article to those who need it. Seniors are not the only ones affected by these scams. Remember the best email ever? That best email ever was tricked in to turning over my email account for God knows what.

What about the other email I posted where they wanted me to call because I was supposedly charged for a service I wasn’t? All the same type of thing.

Questions? Feel free to ask, post them and lets discuss this one.

Comments (0)

Love them or hate them, Social Media can’t censor anymore

Hello folks,

I recently heard a Kim Komando minute which I thought I’d post about.

In a nutshell, it states that social media can’t censor people’s thoughts anymore. This is according to a Texas ruling about their law that states this.

For a limited time, Download this 1.43mb daily minute file to hear all about it. It’ll be up for two weeks.

Suffice it to say, it says that no matter what happened with our former president Trump’s account, they can no longer do this. I feel that Donald Trump may have violated their terms of service, but I can not prove this, and I do not work for Twitter.

Whether this is upheld or not, there are some things that must stick. If the terms of service are violated, take the necessary action on the account deemed necessary based on the violation.

For example, if Donald Trump did violate terms of service by telling people to cause problems at the White House, than he should have gotten suspended at least.

I remember the time i reported an account because of what I saw on their timeline. Looking up the terms of service, I searched for terms like threats and found things that I felt were applicable to what I saw. So, I went ahead and marked tweets for review and left it in Twitter’s capable hands.

This is definitely something we need to be aware of, because Social Media not necessarily like what we post or publish. I wonder if this is going to stick or whether it’ll be sent to the supreme court? I’m not sure, but you guys can listen to this file and make your own decisions.

When this gets retweeted, you’ll have onemore week to get this file. After that, go search it out. I hope that social media is forced to follow their terms and ban who needs to be banned, suspend who needs to be suspended and run it right.

Comments (0)

Tech Support scams that have a new twist, porn

There is no shame about watching things that might be of interest to you, an that may include porn. According to the latest from Komando’s web site, scammers are turning up the heat on the classic tech support scam and claiming that the reason for the troubles are because of pornogrophy.

While porn may be a cause for computer trouble as the web sites may bring up popups and popunders, you can easily close it an things will be fine.

The article goes in to some very crazy scenarios in which they’ll claim that a few people to hundreds of people watching porn on your machine alone.

To solve this, they say, you need to download and pay for software. The cost for this software? Anything from $200 to $1,000 will be what you pay and the software may be dodgy at best.

For complete details on this, please read the komando article Yikes! Watch out for this porn scam that could cost you and please be informed.

Make sure you call your trusted tech support company such as Dell, HP, a friend or the correct Geek Squad if you use them.

While I’ve never used the Geek Squad, I did talk about how I’ve gotten email claiming that I was billed some $300 if not more for the service which I was never billed of course.If you do use them for support, find out what number you need to use to call them directly, because those emails are going around too.

Just make sure you’re safe, and do your due dilligance. Thanks so much for reading!

Comments (0)

Here comes some great news, botched Crypto mugging lands three in jail

On the heals of the topic for Wednesday which we recently posted for those who want to read it, we learn about 3 who recently got arrested in the United Kingdom for a similar ordeal in which we’ll be talking about.

Incidently, this particular article besides referencing the previous story, talked about Plugwalk Joe. We covered Plugwalk Joe in podcast 55 according to the search for him on the podcast and blog web site.

In the only other article from the search, we have this one titled PlugwalkJoe plugged people … 1 person at a time in different ways, now arrested which probably links to the Krebs article.

While these arrests are a good thing, the article I’m linking to from Krebs mention several others besides Mr. Allen who was mentioned in the previous article.

The article this time coming from Brian Krebs is titled Botched Crypto Mugging Lands Three U.K. Men in Jail and it was posted just recently, I believe today.

The second paragraph of this article states:

Shortly after 11 p.m. on September 6, a resident in the Spalding Common area in the district of Lincolnshire, U.K. phoned police to say three men were acting suspiciously, and had jumped a nearby fence.

While the target they were looking for wasn’t home, someone who was alert called Police and they were arrested shortly after.

I suggest you read this entire article, because it talks more than just this case, and opens your eyes in to what is really going on in this world today.

Its sickening to say the least, but we must be alert! We must know! And, we must pass the stories on because our sighted counterparts will need to know!

This community may not be targeted per say, but we just never know. Why take that chance? I urge all my readers to read this article in full so you understand what might be going on in your own neighborhood.

Thomas Green, 23, Rayhan Miah, 23, and Leonardo Sapiano, 24 were all charged with possession of the weapons, and “with intent to cause loss to another to make an unwarranted demand of Crypto Currency from a person.”

The article continues:

KrebsOnSecurity has learned that the defendants were in Spalding Common to pay a surprise visit to a 19-year-old hacker known by the handles “Discoli,” “Disco Dog,” and “Chinese.”

The peerson named above was apparently not home, says the article, and they were responsible for hacking and leaking a user database according to the article. Lots of linked material here so I give you a bit of a glimpse in to what it covers without giving much away. Just be aware of what is happening around you, its getting dangerous.

Comments (0)

This week’s topic: Violence as a service

Hello everyone, welcome back to the blog after a weekend break. On this episode of the security box, we’re going to cover Brian Krebs’s article Violence-as-a-Service: Brickings, Firebombings & Shootings for Hire which has been covered on multiple podcasts that I know about including episode 88 of the Smashing Security podcast.

I’ll write this up more in show notes for discussion, but suffice it to say, this is definitely an eye opener

The program airs at 11 am PT, 1 PM CT on the kmix, and rebroadcasted on bluestreak.

Hope to see you there and check out the article!

Comments (1)

AntiVirus Popups on the rise, seen this before, butnow with legitimate Antivirus brands

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a scam, however maybe now a day it is possible. The term that was used when we first saw this was called scareware.

The basics of this is to get you to download a program, in this articles case Macafee, and pay for a subscription that you probably don’t need.

These popups are like the ones claiming that they were AntiVirus2022, as an example, and got you to click the download now button which would in fact get someone to download a program.

These programs are called scareware because it flags legitimate files that are needed for your computer to run and they will go ahead and tell you that files are infected even if they aren’t.

While Mcafee is the target here, they could use any Antivirus name they want in this field.

The article is titled Antivirus warning: What to do if you see this warning from McAfee and is something we need to review again.

Thanks komando staff for bringing this to our attention again. Its a must need in this stragne time on the internet.

Comments (1)

The Security box, podcast 112: Actors want our OTP codes, more in our business endeavors than personal

Welcome to the Security box, podcast 112. If you’re not subscribed to RSS than just click the link to subscribe using your favorite catcher.

Don’t want to mess with RSS? download the 131.64mb file here.

We hope you enjoy the program as much as we have bringing it together for you.

Here comes the show notes!

---

Who Knew! Podcast 112 is going to talk about one time passcodes being a corporate liability to business, as actors or cybercriminals can take advantage of the common user to give up these codes so they can log in and take control of one account. How 1-Time Passcodes Became a Corporate Liability is the article we’ll be referencing, and there is no wrong answer when giving your opinion on this one.

This article comes from Brian Krebs, shortly after the fiasco that we didn’t talk about last podcast which the article that finally got published covered, his blundering mistake which wasn’t IMHO.

With that said, we’ll have news from around the landscape and we’ll see what others within the club have to say about this or anything else on their mind.

---

We even had someone knew joining us, and while they didn’t stay through the whole show, we hope that they’ve learned something and will return.

Thanks so much for listening and participating! It means a lot.

Stay tuned, we’ll have much more coming on the blog and we have our next topic for next week too.

Comments (0)

Fell for a scam? There are things you can do

So, you’ve fallen for a scam, because we’re just all human. Even the best of us, and even a security expert fell for one. Some of us are more vulnerable than others, but we all could be vulnerable if it is done just right.

There are three steps that could be taken and probably a must depending on what happens.
Please check out the article 3 immediate steps to take if you fell for a scam by komando staff and see if any of them are things you need to take. There’s no judging.

Comments (0)

komando.com reports that u-haul is the next Breach victim

This might not affect a lot of us since U-haul is a trucking company and they rent trucks for people to move all their stuff. However, if you know people who may have moved recently, this may be for them.

The article is titled Moved lately? U-Haul breach leaks 2.2M driver’s license numbers and this affects at least 2 million people between November 2021 and April 2022.

Just because a lot of my readers are disabled, doesn’t mean we can’t do our job and let people know of the breach. We deal with the sighted on a regular basis and so there is an awareness of this we can pass along.

That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Comments (0)

Its Time for Windows Update, several zero days are out there this month

Hello folks, welcome to another write up of iour favorite time of the month, Windows Update!

While Kim Komando’s team covers one CVE, Brian Krebs covers several more. This is why I have decided to link to each of the articles so that you can choose which article fits your needs and what might interest you.

• Update your PC! Microsoft patches 63 flaws – including a zero-day komando.com
• Wormable Flaw, 0days Lead Sept. 2022 Patch Tuesday KrebsonSecurity

This month, besides the wormable flaw, we’ve got 62 other flaws that were fixed, several of them are RCE which stands for Remote Code Execution.

Instead of me covering the various things covered in each article that might be of interest, please check them out as both have info that might be of interest and value to you.

Thanks so much for reading!

Comments (0)

Do you want to know why there are two IOS updates?

There is probably a good thing why there is a choice, and komando.com indicates that 15.7 fixes some vulnerabilities that may already be in the wild and some CVE numbers are given. This is the main reason why 15.7 is released for those who can’t update to 16.

I’ll at least update to 15.7 for now, as I do use the focus modes and there are some issues of it not speaking among others.

Update your phone! Why there are two updates for iPhones is the article title you need to read, and I hope you all take the best option that is best for you.

Comments (0)

For those who don’t know, what is Google Safe Browsing and how can it help you?

I don’t think we’ve seen an article talking about Google Safe Browsing. Chrome and Firefox has it, Google in their browser and Firefox with the API.

Komando.com says that this is the popup that you should not ignore as it protects you from potential mistakes. Even if it says that it could do something, you could see what it says and proceed with caution.

Some things you just don’t want to do, and it’ll tell you that.

For complete details on this, Malware alert: Do not ignore this warning on your phone and thanks for reading!

Comments (0)

8 accounts you can’t delete

This is quite interesting, and I understnd why deleting an account may be of value since actors can take advantage of it and have things billed under you if they choose.

This article talks about 8 accounts which can’t be deleted according to a site called justdelete.me. I’ve heard of this once, I think it was through Kim’s site, but I don’t remember now.

Article is titled 8 online accounts that are nearly impossible to delete and maybe some of this might be of interest to you.

Comments (0)

Apple releases Mac versions 12.6 and 11.7

Apple today released 11.7 and 12.6 of the respective versions of the Mac operating system which fixes some Kernel issues among others. This apple vis post Apple Releases macOS Monterey 12.6 and macOS Big Sur 11.7 With Security Updates has instructions and links to Mac Rumors who covers it more.

Comments (0)

12 tips to use the Internet safely

Hey folks,

I’m not going to tell people what they should do when it comes to their internet browsing. Some of this could be common sense, some is more curiosity, but if you read my Twitter conversation after yesterday’s Facebook post, (or was it saturday) you’ll know what we’re talking about.

Being skeptical is a good thing, questioning every single site gone to, and even understanding what’s a bot or a real conversation as an example could just save you.

Some of these things I don’t do, but sometimes I just love to read the spam email to see the email address and what they’re trying to pitch. And while some of the email leads to videos which are actual videos I’ll listen to just to see what type of things they’re talking about as it talked about a health issue, it isn’t as bad as some of the other things that are listed within this article written by Kim and her staff over at Komando.

Number one on the list is: “Don’t give correct answers when setting up security questions” and the explanation makes perfect sense! While these security questions are the keys when we forget our passwords, its a gold mine to find the answer. The perfect example is your mother’s maden name.

That got me in trouble and I told this story how a company used this to get access to my credit card many years ago, and now I don’t use the company. They said I need to do a verification check, then my information was changed. Second time, a charge was made.

Next time I select that one, I’m not putting the real answer, and it makes sense.

Here are the rest of the items starting with number 2.

• Did an ad send you to a new site? Don’t click any download buttons
• Don’t fall for fake posts
• Don’t skip 2-factor authentication
• Don’t reuse passwords or password formulas
• Don’t use public Wi-Fi
• Don’t fight on social media
• Don’t post sensitive photos online
• Don’t post vacation photos or updates while you’re gone
• Never diagnose yourself on WebMD or similar sites
• Don’t drunk shop online
• Don’t take quizzes online (especially on Facebook)

As I said, some of these are common sense, but others may not be. Items 4 and 5 (whichmay be 3 and 4 here) are good ones. Don’t use the same passwords and password combos and not skipping two-factor when available.

I’m not going to judge, but which one of these have you done? What haven’t you done?

Komando’s article is titled 12 things you should never do online where you can read explanations on each and every one of these items.

Thanks so much for reading, participating and learning with us! Its a pleasure working for you.

Comments (0)

What is going on with HP and why are they so slow?

I love my HP machine, its the last baught for me by my dad. Sadly, I have no idea when patches are available because they don’t come to me. I tried to navigate web sites like HP’s to download things I need, but I have no idea what I’m looking for or even if what I’m getting is correct.

With that said, I’m not in disagreement that we need to check for updates by the manufacturer, but I think we need to have them come to us like Windows Update does for Windows.

Have an HP computer? These dangerous bugs have been unpatched for a YEAR is the article, I hope I could figure out if I’m vulnerable. Don’t know if I’ll be able to do that though.

Comments (0)

Metal in starbucks bottled drinks?

While not security related, we can use technology to help identify products especially when we’re disabled. Unfortunately, there are cases of starbucks drinks being recalled and Popular Starbucks drink recalled: Metal fragments could be inside which comes from Komando.com has the full details on this recall.

Good thing I don’t get tripple shot drinks.

Comments (0)

5 ways to think like a hacker, starting today – Komando.com

Thought I’d blog this one cmes from the komando newsletter and its important enough.
all three of these articles are good and I’m starting with this one.

Your online security is in your hands. Here’s how to think like the bad guys to protect yourself.

Source: 5 ways to think like a hacker, starting today – Komando.com

Comments (0)

IOS 16 news for blind and low vision

Armando sent me a direct message of Apple Vis’s blog post by Scott Davert who is deaf-blind. The blog is titled What’s New in iOS 16 Accessibility For Blind and DeafBlind users and it covers quite a bit for us.

Maybe you’ll find it of value, so I’m going to make the post available for all to have and do with it as they wish.

Comments (0)

IOS to be released today for version 16

Hello everyone, welcome back to the blog. In case people don’t know, IOS version 16 will be released today. Its got some bugs in regards to Voiceover and Braille, and I’ve reviewed the list that is available on Apple Vis which we’ll link to shortly.

Only one serious bug, which is a plus.

Remember that your mileage will vary, and your experience with these bugs may not happen or if it does, they may be different than what is listed.

As customary, Applevis has been doing these yearly roundups since version 7 of IOS to give the community a glimpse in to issues they may experience.

Would you like to learn more? The Accessibility Bugs Introduced and Resolved in iOS 16 for Blind and Low Vision Users is the blog post and they link to other blog posts that might be of interest.

Thanks so much for reading!

Comments (0)

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

go to sections menu

---