Scams

You need to know about these stimulus check scams that are stealing people’s money

September 8th, 2021

Andy Meek

There’s one very unfortunate and annoying thing that’s gone hand-in-hand with the federal government’s distribution of stimulus payments in recent weeks and months. It’s a plethora of stimulus check scams, that can separate unsuspecting victims from their money if they’re not careful. The IRS sent out a warning about specific scams to watch out for, …

Tech

South African investment firm vanishes along with $3.6 billion in bitcoin

June 28th, 2021

Chris Smith

Bitcoin has had a huge year, rising all the way up to $64,000 per coin in mid-April. The rise of bitcoin increased the valuation of every other digital coin as well, with some hitting new all-time highs. Bitcoin has been falling steadily since mid-April, with a series of factors impacting the course of this brutal …

Tech

Amazon is suing to stop illegal text scams from using its name

May 12th, 2021

Jacob Siegal

As indispensable as our phones have become, they are also a conduit for some of the most pervasive and persistent scams humanity has ever encountered. About 90% of the phone calls I receive on a weekly basis are spam, as are an increasing percentage of my texts. You’re probably in the same boat, and among …

Lifestyle

Your latest job offer on LinkedIn might actually be a phishing scam

April 7th, 2021

Jacob Siegal

Looking for a new job is always stressful. Looking for a new job in the middle of a viral pandemic is decidedly more stressful, and to make matters even worse, some total jerks are taking advantage of the situation to sneak malware into the inboxes of desperate job seekers. This week, security firm eSentire published …

Tech

Don’t be fooled by these insidious Instagram DM phishing scams

March 29th, 2021

Jacob Siegal

From robocalls to spam texts to mysterious login attempts, account security is as important now as it has ever been. You should be doing everything in your power to keep your online accounts safe and to avoid any blatant scams. The big problem is that not all scams are as obvious as a call telling …

Tech

If you get a text message for a free year of Netflix, you’re being scammed

January 20th, 2021

Jacob Siegal

The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker has received “numerous reports” about text message scams offering a free year of Netflix in recent weeks. Fraudulent text messages are being sent to victims with links to websites that aren’t run by Netflix in an attempt to collect their private information. Some victims have entered credit card numbers …

Tech

Google’s new Scam Spotter site could help curb coronavirus scams

May 28th, 2020

Jacob Siegal

Google launched a new program called Scam Spotter this week that aims to help people spot and avoid common scams on the internet. The three golden rules of scam spotting are to take your time, do your research on the person or group that has gotten in touch with you, and refuse to send anything …

Science

Idiot doctor with a coronavirus ‘miracle cure’ charged with fraud

April 17th, 2020

Mike Wehner

California doctor claimed to have a “miracle cure” for COVID-19. Dr. Jennings Ryan Staley is charged with mail fraud after admitting to illegally importing drugs from China and selling “treatment packs” to patients. There is no cure for the novel coronavirus, and while vaccines and treatments are in development, nothing has been approved or made …

Tech

This brilliant new AI will fight email scammers by wasting their time

November 10th, 2017

Jacob Siegal

Netsafe, a New Zealand-based non-profit online safety group, introduced an AI email bot this week that will fight back against phishing scams by wasting their time. As Netsafe explained in a on Tuesday, the bot replies to scams “with a never-ending series of questions and anecdotes so that scammers have less time to pursue real …

Tech

Watch a security developer exact sweet revenge on IRS scammers

June 25th, 2017

Yoni Heisler

Over the past few years, one of the more prevalent and successful scams going around has involved individuals posing as IRS agents and demanding payment of back taxes. By preying on individuals who are either elderly, unsophisticated, or have limited English-language proficiency, the scammers are able to convince some individuals that they might be subject …