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Terry Ambrose

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Scams & Cons

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What you need to do about the Equifax data breach

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The past few years have been filled with news about data breaches. This constant bombardment makes it easy to become complacent about yet another. However, on July 29, 2017, Equifax discovered their US website had been compromised. Information for 143 million people may have been stolen. That’s 44% of the population. With almost one of […]

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iTunes Gift Card scams are still being used

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iTunes Gift Card scams are still being used Last month I heard from one of my readers about a scam he’d fallen for. Apparently, he’d been tricked into paying for something using an iTunes gift card. The lesson cost him $600—a stiff price to pay for letting his guard down for a few minutes. iTunes […]

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Hackers are everywhere — vigilance is key to security

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We hear lots of news these days about hackers, cyberterrorism, data breaches, and more. A hot topic right now involves questions about our last election. Was it tampered with by Russia? Someone else? These are pretty broad questions, but at a personal level, what does all this talk about hackers really mean? I’ve just spent […]

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Optimizing Your iOS Privacy and Security Settings

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Optimizing IOS Privacy Former FBI Director James Comey complained to the Senate Judiciary Committee recently about IOS security. Trying to bypass iPhone security safeguards to access encryption data was like running into an impenetrable wall, Comey said. But the fact the Bureau was still able to hack half the phones illustrates that there is a […]

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Are Bad Security Habits Putting Your Home at Risk?

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What are the odds of your home being broken into? They may be higher than you think. One in every thirty-six homes will be broken into each year, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The average homeowner suffers $2,230 in property loss per break in, totaling $4.7 billion stolen annually from U.S. […]

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Is battery reconditioning a scam or not?

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I’ve been seeing several emails lately about being able to recharge any battery. Battery reconditioning scams were popular a few years ago, and it looks like there’s still life left in the old trick. The interesting thing is if you do some research, you’ll find information about battery reconditioning on the web. Some people say […]

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The GNC Rewards email scam — a popular new lure

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Have you received emails offering you free GNC products if you take a short survey? If you have, take note. This GNC Rewards email is a scam. The email looks something like this. GNC Reward points   Click here to view. Could you use $50 worth of GNC products? Just answer a few questions and you […]

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IRS phone scam on the rise for the tax season

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I’ve written a number of tips over the years about tax scams. The one on the rise for this tax season is the “IRS Imposter” scam. The name identifies this IRS phone scam precisely, and, the IRS has a very cool infographic about it. How the scam works Of course, it begins with a phone call. […]

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Amazon email scams — off to a big 2017

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Lately, my email spam filters have been working overtime to weed out the Amazon email scams. A few of the Amazon email scams •    Your Amazon points are about to expire •    Love Amazon? Tell us about it and we’ll give you $100.00. ID – 233789639-A. Help us improve the Amazon Customer Experience! […]

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Destinations – San Diego Zoo Jungle Bells

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I’m sitting in front of my new Mac typing up this post. It’s taking the place of my normal scam tip and is really just a way to say Merry Christmas to everyone. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I’m sure you can enjoy the lights and your virtual trip to the San Diego Zoo Jungle […]

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