$200 million: The amount people were ripped off by online dating scams in a year. DUI: dating while under the influence…of the quest for love…is costly to countless people. A nytimes.com article notes that this quest impairs judgment, making it easy for con artists to bilk lonely people. Or are some people just plain stupid?…
Here’s one for the know-it-alls: Kids are 35 percent more likely to become victims of identity theft than are adults. Betcha didn’t know that! This startling news comes from a 2015 Javelin Strategy & Release study. Needless to say, the bulk of parents aren’t on top of this problem, unaware that thieves go after children’s…
Some people believe that monitoring your kids’ online activities crosses the line of privacy or trust. But monitoring and controlling online activities is, essentially, no different than controlling access to the cookie jar or TV or even locking a liquor cabinet. Which brings me to a way that parents can always know exactly what their…
13.1 million people were stricken by identity theft last year in America, reports a study by Javelin Strategy & Research which reveals: Many people who don’t trust their banks are unwittingly doing things that make crime easier for crooks. This includes not using the bank’s protection services such as e-mail alerts. Oddly, there are more…
Cyber criminals have been attempting to extort money from individuals and companies for many years, and the latest attempt to take advantage of others is by using Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS. A ransomware virus infects a computer when a user clicks a link and unknowingly download a malicious file. The ransomware virus then…
I hate to say this, but…any dummy can learn to pick a lock. This means that the locks on your house’s doors are probably very “pickable” unless you have a top-flight lock system—which few homes actually have. An article on lifehacker.com describes how easy it was for the writer to pick a lock from a…
Once a thief knows your Social Security number…you’re at very high risk for having your identity stolen. A report on bankrate.com says that the IRS is warning of a cyber attack on its electronic filing PIN application. Thieves infiltrated it with malware in an attempt to claim other people’s refunds as their own. Over 450,000…
Identity thieves are after children’s Social Security numbers. With this number, a thief can do so many things like open a credit card account and rent an apartment. Kids’ SSNs have great appeal to crooks because: A child’s record is usually very clean. This means fertile opportunities for new credit lines. Kids usually don’t check…
You may be putting your company at risk simply by hiring a new employee. Why? Because that person could have a hidden, malicious agenda. This is known as an inside threat, and it means that someone within your organization is planning or conducting activities meant to harm the company. There is a pattern that most…
If you’re using the app Strava for example, your bike could get stolen, says a report on the manchestereveningnews site. Strava, like many other location apps, isn’t the badguy here. Bicyclists in Greater Manchester are being warned that Strava’s tracking could lead thieves to their bikes and even homes. That’s because it’s already happened. One…
