For years, I've been preaching about phone calls and pop-ups that purport to be from Microsoft and/or Apple. It's been over three years since I first posted a video warning about these scams. (See the video below. If you've never watched it, you should.) Since that time, I've written Question of the Week emails about …
Category: Security
Google Password Checker
Do you use the Google Chrome browser? If your answer is "No!" this post won't really apply to you. However, you should read it anyway because "knowledge is power." If you do use the Google Chrome browser, go to the address bar and type in "passwords.google.com" - without the quotes. Click the Enter button on …
Computer Locked
In my post titled "Doxxed," I mentioned that one step in protecting yourself from being doxxed was to keep your computer locked if it was in an area where others might access it. Just in case you've never locked your computer and have no idea how to do that, I'm here to rescue you. Let's …
Doxxed!
Today on Twitter, someone who has been helping others (financially and in other ways) revealed that his wife was very upset because they had been doxxed. I thought it might be a good idea to explain that term. "Doxxed" or just "dox" is a play on the word "document." When someone is doxxed online, it …
Stuart Rotary
Yesterday, I was privileged to be the guest speaker at the Stuart Rotary Club's weekly meeting. I felt very much at home as this was my third time presenting a program for the men and women of this great organization. Plus, a number of friends and customers belong to the club and were in attendance …
He’s Finally Out Of Jail
Kyle Milliken - you've probably never heard of him. Still, if you've been on the Internet for any period of time, you've almost assuredly seen his work. Kyle is a hacker who, according to his blog, hacked a ton of websites, including: airbnb.com, bitly.com, disqus.com, dropbox.com, facebook.com, flickr.com, groupon.com, imgur.com, kickstarter.com, kik.com, linkedin.com, netlog.com, okcupid.com, …
Class Action
"In September of 2017, Equifax announced it experienced a data breach, which impacted the personal information of approximately 147 million people. A federal court is considering a proposed class action settlement submitted on July 22, 2019, that, if approved by the Court, would resolve lawsuits brought by consumers after the data breach." That's a quote directly from …
This Is Getting Taxing!
In my June 8, 2019 post, IRS Scams, I told you about two scams for which the IRS gave us a warning. Well, guess what? There's another IRS-related scam and another warning. The current IRS alert is about an email scam. Here's how it works: you receive an email from a spoofed (fake) IRS email …
Cornucopia of Caution
For this post, I'm going to highlight some of the words of caution I've given customers over the last few weeks: Warning Phone Messages * Neither Apple nor Microsoft will call you on the phone to tell you that there's an issue with your computer or it's not up-to-date. They will try to convince you …
Scam Phone Number(s)
Yesterday, after we closed, we received a phone call which automatically went to voice mail. Since I was still sitting at my computer, I saw the call come in and I listened to the message. What I heard was a computer voice asking me to call their number. The message was repeated and then the …
Like A Horror Movie!
Yesterday morning, before we left for church, I went on to my computer to check something. When I opened my email, there were hundreds of email messages like the two pictured below. These emails indicated that something I had sent out was undeliverable. It all started around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. As I sat there, …
Speaking Of Screenshots
In our last post (Who Shot Liberty Valance?) we explained how easy it is to take a screenshot in Windows 10. Here's a screenshot for you: In the picture above, I've circled "Access Site" in red. If you are an Xfinity xFI** customer like we are, you might see this screen when you click on …
A Double Whammy
One of the themes of this blog has been Social Engineering. I never set out to make that a primary subject but circumstances have drawn my posts in that direction. Today, I'm going to relate a story of how one of my customers got the "double whammy." First, in case you missed my other posts …
IRS Scams
In my post of January 31, 2019 (The Weakest Link), I pointed out that one of the three major ways scammers use Social Engineering to steal your money is by using fear as a motivator. It's the reason you always need to stop and think about what you are being told before you act. It …
It Had To Be You
Or, maybe not. Yesterday, I went to a website I visit 3-4 times a week. I used a link from within my RoboForm password manager like I always do. When I reached the page, here's what I saw: This warning gave me two options: Go Back or Advanced. Although the Go Back button is the …
SE Via Phone
In my post of January 31, 2019 - The Weakest Link In The Chain - I talked about Social Engineering (SE). While this post was aimed primarily at Social Engineering via the computer (fake pop-ups, phishing emails, etc.), I was reminded today by one of our customers that SE can occur via the phone, too. …
The Dark Web
In this week's Question of the Week (click to read) email, we answered a customer's question about his credit card being found on the dark web. We gave a very brief definition of "dark web" but I wanted to expand that definition a bit. I'm actually going to quote and paraphrase from our October 23, …
Change Is Not Always Bad!
We've initiated three new blog-related changes. First, our entire blog is now secured with our SSL certificate. No matter what page of our blog you are on, you will see the locked padlock and the "s" as part of the https//. What this means is more security while you're on our site. Speaking of security, …
Windows License Key Expiring?
Lately, we've been getting an abundance of calls from customers saying that they've received a phone call telling them that their Windows license is about to expire. Let's see if we can set the record straight. Versions of the Windows Operating System (OS), if they have been activated, do not expire. Notice I stated "if …
Amex Scam Email
Just wanted to give you a warning regarding a scam email which purports to be from American Express. It includes an attachment with a .html extension. You should NOT open the attachment and you should NOT respond to the email. Simply delete it. I have already forwarded a copy to American Express. If you'd like …
Update Week!
This week we celebrated Patch Tuesday. That's the second Tuesday of the month when Microsoft (mainly) and other software companies release updates for the month. Your Windows PC should automatically download and install these updates but you can always check for yourself, if you like. If you're a Remote Technical Support customer (www.4kcc.com/rts), you can …
That’s 1
As I've often related to my customers, it's not always easy to go after a computer scam company. You know, the ones that call you on the phone and tell you your computer is infected. Or, the ones that cause those pop-ups that tell you your machine is infected and you shouldn't shut it off. …
Email Account Hacked?I received an email that says so! Recently, we've been deluged with emails to our different accounts saying that our email was hacked. Since I have our Spam filter turned off, I get the same email for accounts that don't even exist. Click on this picture to see one of these emails full …
Creepy or Cool?
One day last week, I was on my computer and I searched "Creating a podcast." I wanted to get information on what it takes to start a podcast, i.e., what equipment you need, how do you build your audience, etc. I clicked on a couple of search result pages and quickly skimmed some paragraphs. I …
Comic Book Hero?
As a kid, one of my favorite comic book characters was The Flash. I mean, who wouldn't want to be the fastest man alive? In the computer world, we have our own Flash - Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash has been around for a long time. It's software that works within a browser to present videos, …
Old Rule Out, New Rule In
Yesterday, I attended a security webinar presented by Lenovo and Intel with special guest speaker Vinny Troia. Vinny is a Computer Forensic Specialist and Certified Ethical Hacker, well-known throughout the computer IT world. Lenovo and Intel presented new ways they are improving hardware to make our computing safer. When it comes to software and user …
3 Most Important Things
You know the old saying in real estate which tells the 3 most important things, right? When asked what are the three most important things when it comes to selling a home, business or property, the successful realtor always gives the same three answers: location, location, location! Bringing that same thinking to the computer world, …
A Different Kind Of Fishing
On January 29, 2019, I posted about phishing. (https://www.4kcc.com/blog/?p=774) Today, I'm posting about another kind of fishing - catfishing. No, not fishing for the "freshwater or marine fish with barbels resembling whiskers around the mouth, typically bottom-dwelling." Rather, pretending to be someone else online in an attempt to deceive others. There are some real horror …
If It’s On, It’s Updated
A few months ago, one of our customers logged into Remote Technical Support (www.4kcc.com/rts) for a Quarterly Checkup. His total time in Remote was about 15 minutes. Since there were no Windows Updates needed, most other updates each took just a minute or two. However, there was an update needed for Apple's iTunes. This was …
Morning, Noon & Night
At this past Saturday's seminar, I mentioned an app that can notify emergency help if you are in a car crash. A number of people have asked me for more information about the app so, here it is! The app is called Noonlight and it's more than just a car crash app. It's an emergency …