How low can these scammers go? Too low. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is alerting consumers this week that imposters are calling people, and saying they are from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), then telling them that they may be eligible for compensation from the fund. They have spoofed New York area codes … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a scam alert this week notifying consumers that it has received an up-tick in complaints that scammers are calling consumers claiming they are from the Social Security Administration. The scammers tell the individual that there has been a computer problem at the Social Security Administration and that they need … Continue Reading
Who knew—but yes, next week is Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. How sad is it that we have to have a week devoted to education and awareness on this topic? It’s tax season (“busy season” as my CPA friends call it), and prime time for identity thieves to reap millions in fake and fraudulent tax … Continue Reading
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) potential reversal of the Obama Administration’s ‘Net Neutrality’ rules have been a constant headline lately. Most media coverage goes to the core principals of net neutrality, including blocking, throttling and pay for priority of internet content; however, privacy is also a factor. Primarily, the FCC issued broadband privacy rules in … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has concentrated on small businesses this year with the launch of www.FTC.gov/SmallBusiness , which provides data security awareness information to small businesses. The site includes articles about data security, how to develop a data security plan, what happens when ransomware affects your business, what to do in response to a … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on September 5, 2017, that it has settled with Lenovo regarding allegations that Lenovo “harmed customers by pre-loading software on some laptops that compromised security protections in order to deliver ads to consumers.” According to the FTC’s complaint against Lenovo, it pre-loaded “man in the middle” software, VisualDiscovery that … Continue Reading
It has been so difficult to watch the news reports of the devastation and havoc left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and now anticipated this weekend by Hurricane Irma, which is being reported as the most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean and the southeast in almost a century. Not only do those who … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved TRUSTe’s proposed modifications to their Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) safe harbor program this week. COPPA requires, among other things, that commercial website and mobile app operators that knowingly collect personal information from children under age 13 post comprehensive privacy policies on their websites and in their mobile … Continue Reading
Last January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched the IoT Home Inspector Challenge, a contest that requested participants to come up with a tool that would identify security issues that are caused by out-of-date software in IoT devices to better educate and protect consumers about the security vulnerabilities of IoT devices. To remind you of … Continue Reading
We all dream about winning the lottery or the Publishers Clearing House folks secretly coming up our walkway and knocking on our door telling us we won millions of dollars. Well, I do. Unfortunately, because we all wish for such luck, criminals prey on our wishes and have come up with a scam where they … Continue Reading
Ashley Madison, which suffered a data breach in 2015 [view related posts here] involving the loss of 37 million users’ personal and financial information, has settled the suit for $11.2 million. Ashley Madison’s parent company previously settled data security allegations with 13 states and the Federal Trade Commission for $17.5 million, but ended up paying … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it has settled its Complaint against operators of the lead generation business Global Media, LLC and its CEO Christopher Kay for $104 million. The judgment has been suspended because the defendants are unable to pay it. It represents the amount the defendants made by selling loan applications. … Continue Reading
This week (May 8-12, 2017) is Privacy Awareness Week—an annual initiative of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum (APPA) that concentrates on sharing information about privacy practices and rules. The APPA is an interesting group made up of privacy regulators from Australia, British Columbia, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macao, Mexico, New South Wales, … Continue Reading
As was expected, President Trump signed into law the rescinding of the broadband privacy regulations adopted in 2016 by the Obama administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The now rescinded regulations would have required internet service providers (ISPs) to obtain consent from a customer before using or selling the customer’s Web browsing history, app usage history, … Continue Reading
I frequently get complaints from small businesses that they don’t have the resources or resilience to properly address cybersecurity and that it is overwhelming to them. Well, it is. We frequently tell businesses that they must be prepared as they might not think they are targets, but they are. But what happened to the relevance … Continue Reading
On March 6, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released tips and a video to businesses that have been impersonated by Phishing schemes. The guidance, entitled “Has a phishing scam hooked your company’s good name?” provides businesses with several tips to respond to being impersonated through a phishing scheme. The tips include: Notify and alert customers … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced this week that March 5-11 is National Consumer Protection Week. The FTC will announce different programs and events throughout the week that are designed to educate consumers on how they can protect themselves and understand their rights. As a consumer, one thing that is easy to do and very … Continue Reading
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and ten states settled charges against the Florida-based cruise line, Caribbean Cruise Line, Inc. (CCL), for an illegal telemarking campaign that inundated consumers with billions of unwanted robocalls. In settling these charges, CCL’s owner, Fred Accuardi, and all of his companies are barred from robocalling and illegal telemarketing. … Continue Reading
My friends and family frequently ask me about the newest scam, so they can stay vigilant and keep on top of the latest ways fraudsters are trying to get our information. But many times, they alert me to scams that they are experiencing. Such was true this week. We all know by now it is … Continue Reading
Just when I thought everyone knew about the continued W2 schemes, where phishing emails are used to get company employees’ W2 forms so the thief can file a false tax return and get a refund, several additional clients have been hit with the scheme and the thieves were successful. Just like after holiday sales in … Continue Reading
I know a lot of people who have looked for and been successful in finding an apartment and/or a roommate on Craigslist. If you are looking for an apartment on Craigslist right now—listen up. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced yesterday (January 18, 2017) that it has charged Credit Bureau Center LLC and three individuals … Continue Reading
Florida-based tech support scheme, Inbound Call Expert, doing business as Advanced Tech Support, will pay $10 million for consumer redress in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final order. The FTC, and the State of Florida, charged Inbound Call Expert with deceiving thousands of consumers by using high-pressure sales pitches to telemarket tech support … Continue Reading
I received a call last week on my home land line and when I picked it up (hardly anyone I want to actually talk to calls my home telephone number) the caller on the other end informed me that he was from “Microsoft 10,” that I had a terrible virus in my computer and that … Continue Reading
Turn, Inc. (Turn), a California based company that enables sellers to target digital advertisements to consumers via a website or mobile app, settled allegations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it deceived consumers by tracking them online and through their mobile app even after consumers opted out of such tracking. Director of the FTC’s … Continue Reading
