As we enter the holiday shopping season, cyber criminals are sharpening their cyber-scam strategies. We like to remind our readers about the enhanced risk during the holidays [view related posts here, here, and here]. There has been an increase in online shopping over the years, and particularly since the pandemic began. The holiday
Privacy Tips
Privacy Tip #307 – Credit Card Skimming Devices Found at Costco
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Credit card skimming fraud continues to affect companies and their customers, causing businesses such as Costco to routinely inspect their PIN pads for the devices. According to news reports, following a routine inspection of its PIN pads, five card-skimming devices were found at four Costco stores in the Chicago area.
According to Costco, fewer than…
Privacy Tip #306 – Quick Read on Data Privacy Issues in 2020
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
I’m on vacation this week, and while most people read novels while on vacation, I catch up on data privacy articles and publications that I have set aside and haven’t had a chance to read. I just finished one that I thought was a quick and good summary of current data privacy issues entitled 5…
Privacy Tip #305 – Vishing, Smishing, and Now QRishing!
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
We have previously alerted you to vishing and smishing schemes [view related post]. A new scheme, using QR codes, is called QRishing or quishing. According to security company Abnormal, between September 15 and October 13, 2021, it identified a new way for hackers to try to get around security measures put in place to…
Privacy Tip #304 – Scammers Impersonating IRS Employees with Economic Impact Payment Scheme
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Scam Alert to consumers notifying them that scammers are impersonating employees of the IRS promising a third Economic Impact Payment if they access forms through a link in an email or over the telephone.
The IRS warns consumers that governmental agencies, including the IRS, never call…
Privacy Tip #303 – Russian Hacking Group Targets Gmail Users
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
If you think the Russians are only targeting U.S. companies and the defense industry, think again. The cyber war between Russia and the U.S. has escalated since the President threw down the gauntlet on Putin, and the retaliation is to attack Gmail users in the U.S. Yes, Gmail users are part of the war.
According…
Privacy Tip #302 – A Rough Week for Facebook/Instagram: Seize the Opportunity to Chat with Your Kids
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Facebook had a rough week on many fronts, including the publishing of “The Facebook Files” by the Wall Street Journal, segments on CBS Sunday Morning, the revelation of on 60 Minutes of Frances Haugen as the whistleblower, and culminating with the testimony of the whistleblower before Congress.
Haugen alleges that Facebook knew that its…
Privacy Tip #301 – Can Your Co-Worker Guess Your Password? Probably!
By Linn Foster Freedman on
We talk about passwords a lot. As you know, I am a fan of passphrases instead of passwords as they are hard to guess and easy to remember—a perfect combination for security data.
Despite emphasizing how important passwords and passphrases are in protecting data, most individuals are not trying very hard to think about and…
Privacy Tip #300 – Apple iPhone Users: Update Your iPhone iOS ASAP
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
We have noted before how important it is to update the operating system (OS) on your mobile phone as soon as you receive notice from the manufacturer. This week, Apple issued an update to the iOS that is considered urgent.
Apple released two patches this week to address two security vulnerabilities in iPhones, including to…
Privacy Tip #299 – Creepy SpyFone Banned by FTC
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
In a second case against stalkerware apps and the first where the FTC has banned a company from doing business, the FTC announced on September 1, 2021, that it has “banned SpyFone and its CEO…from the surveillance business over allegations that the stalkerware app company secretly harvested and shared data on people’s physical movements, phone…