It's August, which means the East Coast is gearing up for hurricane season. Sadly, with those tropical storms come the hurricane relief scams. The problem has grown to where disaster fraud is now a recurrent billion dollar social problem. That's a lot of fraud.Greed, ambition, and, yes, even qualifications, determine which hurricane relief scams these guys practice. For … [Read more...] about Hurricane relief scams — the season begins
Scams & Cons
Energy bill email scam has entertainment value
The email scam I'm covering today led off with a killer summary. "Your energy bill might be cancelled in July." The line caught my eye right away. It was obvious. This energy bill email scam was going to be something special…at least from the standpoint of entertainment value. The energy bill email scam The email subject line was, "Shocking Electrical Gadget is Changing … [Read more...] about Energy bill email scam has entertainment value
The rise of ransomware — a scary direction
If you're a cybercrook, the "next big thing" is the rise of ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks computer files and deletes them if a ransom is not paid. Typically, the criminal will require payment in bitcoins, which is an untraceable digital currency. For you and me, the rise of ransomware is scary. The rise of ransomware Ransomware took hold in 2015 and … [Read more...] about The rise of ransomware — a scary direction
Bugged by computer security popup ads?
Have you ever needed help fixing a computer problem? Maybe you thought your machine had contracted a virus or malware. Or, it had become sluggish. What if you just need someone who knows what they're doing to walk you through how to resolve an issue. Computer security popup ads have been making these claims for years. Unfortunately, the ads have become pervasive in online … [Read more...] about Bugged by computer security popup ads?
Too good to be true: Craigslist scams to look out for
If you use Craigslist regularly, you've probably been the target of a scam. From Nigerian princes to suspect personal checks, scammers see this e-commerce community as a chance to take advantage of users' trust. Craigslist may never rid itself of fraudulent activity. Here are some of the most common Craigslist scams plaguing this convenient online-classifieds platform. Ticket … [Read more...] about Too good to be true: Craigslist scams to look out for