"You sent a payment of…" Have you received this email from PayPal for an eBay purchase you didn't make? I did. And it stopped me for a few minutes because I don't shop on Ebay. And I typically don't send money via PayPal. Normally, I would mark the PayPal eBay email as spam and trash it immediately. But, there were enough things about this one to make me curious. A close look … [Read more...] about The PayPal eBay email scam is hard to spot — almost
Scams & Cons
Is it time to return to checks to avoid ATM theft?
Just when you thought life couldn't get any worse for the poor ATM, the bad guys have come up with a nifty new tool—the "deep-insert skimmer." Similar to the black boxes used by thieves for ATM theft, the deep-insert skimmer cannot be seen by the naked eye. Is it time to say, "Bye, bye, ATM?"Brian Krebs was probably the one to break this ATM theft story first when he wrote, … [Read more...] about Is it time to return to checks to avoid ATM theft?
The Starbucks email scam — phishing or for real?
I've been a Starbucks fan for several years now. At least, until they changed their rewards program. The program is now based on how much you spend and, quite frankly, it amounts to about a 5% reward for frequent customers. Five percent isn't much of a savings, but it does bring me to the Starbucks email scam tip.Maybe they've been around for a long time, but I don't recall … [Read more...] about The Starbucks email scam — phishing or for real?
If you are about to apply for disability — beware
Let's file this week's scam tip under the "how low can you go?" category. This is another phishing scam. And it's focused on those filing a disability claim. It's always bothered me how scammers will go after people when they're in dire straits, but such is the nature of their business. Here's what the phishermen are trying to pull on those who apply for disability.On April … [Read more...] about If you are about to apply for disability — beware
Handling the Microsoft Windows and Apple Quicktime problem
Color me shocked when I heard the news, but Microsoft Windows and Apple Quicktime are getting a divorce. Here's the bottom line: if you are using Windows and have Apple Quicktime installed, it's time to uninstall Quicktime. Windows and Quicktime have had a happy coexistence for many years, yet Apple itself suggests you uninstall Apple Quicktime for Windows. You may have a ton … [Read more...] about Handling the Microsoft Windows and Apple Quicktime problem