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Terry Ambrose

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Scams & Cons

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Beyond two-step authentication — is the password dead?

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On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama issued a statement supporting the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. initiative and asked “Americans to move beyond just the password to leverage multiple factors of authentication when logging-in to online accounts.” In other words, he’s asking for two things. First, people should use two-step authentication when it’s available. Second, more […]

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Three tips to avoid a housing rental scam

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In many markets across the country, apartment and home rentals continue to be scarce after the housing boom crash. Many who foreclosed or short sold their homes at the end of the last decade are still forced to rent because their credit hasn’t recovered. People also choose to rent to remain flexible if new job […]

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Protecting yourself against synthetic identity theft

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More than 12 million Americans became victims of identity theft in 2014, representing a new victim every two seconds and costing consumers $16 billion, according to Javelin’s 2015 Identity Fraud Study. The most prevalent form of identity theft is synthetic identity theft, which rose at a rate of 125.9 percent between 2010 and 2013 and […]

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Data Privacy Day — a day to stop, think, connect

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Data Privacy Day occurs each year on January 28. The theme of this year’s Data Privacy Day is Respecting Privacy, Safeguarding Data and Enabling Trust. This is an international effort to create awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information for the consumer as well as the business community. Last year on Data […]

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Easy tips to avoid the cable company scam

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All “Larry, the Cable Guy” jokes aside, cable consumers now have a new cable company scam to watch out for—and this cable guy doesn’t even work for the company. Crooks have discovered that by presenting themselves as an employee of a cable company, they can gain easy access to a consumer’s home or finances. The […]

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Brain training apps — to buy or not to buy?

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Brain training apps — can they really help improve memory? Problem solving? Forestall dementia? Not according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On January 4, Lumo Labs, makers of the popular Lumosity app, agreed to modify its marketing tactics to no long make such grandiose claims. Brain training apps — the claims If you’ve ever […]

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Mailbox skimmers make the rounds

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In my post about holiday package scams two weeks ago, I warned about scammers who follow package delivery trucks and steal delivered packages from in front of homes before the package can be taken in. There’s another type of theft that is becoming more prevalent and it also has to do with deliveries. Instead of […]

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Watch out for a last minute Christmas offer scam

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With Christmas just around the corner, the “sales” and Christmas offer scam emails are in full swing. These “opportunities” range from “holiday flooring specials” to holiday gift baskets to sales at Tiffany’s to digitized memories and more. Here are just a few examples you should avoid. Christmas Tree Ornaments This email offers Custom Christmas Tree […]

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Holiday package scams to watch out for

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With the holidays approaching, the scammers are seeing green. Here are three holiday package scams showing the different ways that a package delivery can result in money for them and a ripoff for you. Three holiday package scams The “surprise” package According to WBAY TV in Green Bay, WI, this scam begins when you receive […]

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Reviewing online reviews — are they naughty or nice?

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Do you use online reviews to make a purchasing decision? Whether we’re shopping for a book, a vacation resort, or a new car, those of us who shop online go looking for reviews made by others. Those online reviews can be very helpful, but are they always reliable? In a word—no. There are really two […]

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