It’s no secret that scammers use peoples’ Social Security numbers for identity theft, and there are lots of ways they go about it. They have learned many lessons along the way that work only too well, like the ones shown here. Social Security scams are the most popular form of government officials’ imposter fraud, which is where criminals pose as government officials to get you to send money or give up personal and financial data for use in identity theft.
The Internet is for everyone, including young kids and teens. It’s a great avenue for them to play games, text, make videos, etc. and to stay connected with their friends online. In real life (IRL), it is easier to recognize when someone is up to a con.
People are on the move again. Vaccinations rates are up and COVID numbers are down, and a lot of people are traveling, especially now that pandemic restrictions are easing. Maybe you are planning a trip but haven’t scheduled your air travel, yet somehow flights are showing up on your Google calendar.
If you happen to stumble upon a USB drive of any kind, DO NOT USE IT. It could easily be a hacker baiting you for what is known as a Rubber Ducky USB attack. Don’t be fooled by its name. This attack is more serious than it sounds. This innocent looking thumb drive packs a powerful payload of malicious malware to infect any device it is plugged into and wreak havoc.
Online impersonation is growing more prevalent every day. When it comes to infiltrating an organization, cybercriminals have more tricks up their sleeves than just phishing attacks these days. Social media sites, including LinkedIn, have become the new and favored trend in cyberattacks.
Malware is a catch-all term for any software that is meaningfully designed to cause extensive damage to a network, server, single computer or any mobile device or to gain unauthorized access to a network. It comes in many forms, such as viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, rogue software, etc.
Your business is like a machine. Every department is a cog, well-greased and moving toward a similar goal. Machines work well when all other variables are controlled, but they fail to operate if one cog falls out of line. Your IT infrastructure is the operator of your machine that oversees all of the cogs.
Although you cannot completely prevent identity theft – for example, your personal information is compromised in a data breach – there are many ways you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim. To avoid the time and money required to provide reports and affidavits proving the theft and which accounts have been compromised and then working to recover your identity, here are 10 typical identity theft scenarios to help you protect yourself from identity theft.
Sextortion is a sensitive subject AND now is one of the top three online scams that people need to be aware of. Trust me it happens! I have assisted three clients with this over the last year. Cybercriminals use sextortion mostly to exploit victims to extort money, or blackmail.
When it comes to protecting your small-to-medium-sized business (SMB) against cyber attacks, your managed service provider (MSP) can only take your cybersecurity so far. It is best to always remember the first line of defense is the user. User error is the greatest risk that exist in businesses everywhere.