Has Your Email Been Hacked? Here’s How You Can Tell And What You Can Do

There are any number of signs that may give you a clue that your email has been hacked. And what do you do if it has? You may wonder what you can do if you suspect that’s the case. Let’s go over a few indicators of a compromised email box and what you can do about it, if it happens to you. Fortunately, there are some indicators for to watch out for and we can provide some suggestions on how to tell and what to do if you do think someone has been in your inbox. READ FULL STORY

Good Security Habits Can Go A Long Way In A New Year

It’s a new year! And while everyone will face new cyber risks going forward, it makes it more important than ever for individuals to assume responsibility for safeguarding their devices and data. Threats stay the same, but they also evolve to become more dangerous and new ones pop up like the cork of a champagne bottle. Protecting yourself from all of this begins with education and heeding the advice of cybersecurity experts. While we all think we know all of this already, anyone can become a victim of cybercrime when the circumstances are right. READ FULL STORY

Agencies Warn Not To Click This Holiday Season

Just before the holiday shopping season got completely underway, a joint “Don’t Click December” Consumer Protection Campaign was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, and the Idaho State Police. The reason for this star-studded warning? To alert the public about the importance of exercising skepticism and caution when faced with unsolicited online, email, pop-up, or text communications from unknown sources. In other words, it’s a holly jolly phishing season! READ FULL STORY

FBI Issues Alert About Rise in Financial Fraud

You may not know that there’s a day dedicated to elder abuse awareness, but there is. While we think it’s wise to be aware of elder abuse every day, the FBI recently called attention to World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by issuing an alert about an uptick in financial crimes against older people. Unfortunately, these scams not only harm people of all ages financially, but leave a lasting emotional damage. Scammers may pretend to be romantic interests, friends or loved ones, technical support professionals, government agents, or financial advisors offering assistance. There is no end to who they may pretend to be and their targets are often elders. READ FULL STORY

While Charity Scams Never Take a Day Off, Giving Tuesday Brings Out the Grinches

The spirit of giving doesn’t depend on the season. However, when Giving Tuesday comes around every year, scammers are quick to jump on that bandwagon. They exploit generosity, posing as legitimate charities or creating entirely fake ones to steal money and personal information. Their tactics change, but the goal never does: To take advantage of your kindness. Before you donate, take a moment, a little caution goes a long way toward protecting both your wallet and your identity. READ FULL STORY

Gmail Tech Support Exposes New Threats From AI

A significant cybersecurity breach involving Gmail raised alarms across the tech community late in 2024. Hackers leveraged advanced AI techniques to create a sophisticated scheme involving account recovery phishing emails that were nearly indistinguishable from legitimate communications. And, to make it even more believable, they were followed up with a phone call from a “Gmail tech support person,” throwing everyone a phishing curveball. READ FULL STORY

What Is A Brushing Scam?

We haven’t talked about brushing scams much of late. However, there is one happening now that is significant enough that the FBI’s IC3 unit issued a warning about it. It involves mystery packages being delivered to your home with no information about where they came from and though many are harmless, some make that bargain you thought you were getting vastly more expensive. And to make it easier for you to fall for the scam, a convenient QR code is inside so you can solve the mystery easily and deliver your money to the scammers too. READ FULL STORY

You've Got Malware, We've Got Help

The world of mobile viruses can be a bit confusing, right? Don't worry, we’ve got you. While your phone can fall victim to malware, it's highly unlikely that it’s going to result in an unrecoverable situation. What you may encounter are things like adware, bloatware, or those pesky pop-ups that drive you nuts. There is no shortage of those these days. These all can hitch a ride from third-party websites, apps, or even those suspicious email and text messages you receive all the time. But here we are to help! READ FULL STORY

Security Practices To Keep Financial Fraud At Bay

In 2023, the IC3 reported some shocking numbers. It received over 880,000 complaints from consumers regarding fraud. Total losses exceeded $12.5 billion. That’s not trivial bits of change and in fact, this just further shows how much businesses and their financial institutions are at risk of considerable losses still today. Fortunately, there are some simple processes that can be implemented to help stay on top of the risks. Financial institutions are sharing advice with businesses and each other on how to mitigate such attacks. READ FULL STORY

Holiday or Not, These Scams Ignore Holiday Spirit

As the holiday season ramps up, so do scams—but make no mistake, these schemes run year-round. Cybercriminals simply turn up the volume when people are shopping more, traveling, and feeling generous. Four scams in particular continue to trap victims every month of the year, with a noticeable spike during holidays and major shopping seasons. And for good reason. We’re out and about, likely shopping more than normal, and in the giving spirit.  READ FULL STORY

Financial Sector Faces New Targeted Phishing Attacks

Banks and other financial institutions are grappling with a new form of phishing attack that leverages the popular business networking website LinkedIn to reach potential victims. The two-stage attack is notable for its sophistication, but with a smidge of awareness and vigilance, the multi-stage threat can be managed. The recent targeted phishing attacks on the financial sector highlight the importance of ongoing vigilance and careful scrutiny of online communications. READ FULL STORY

Shimming Right Along To Skim Your Payment Card Number

By now, most of us have at least one or two EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) cards. These are the payment cards that were touted as far more secure than the ones with the magnetic strips on the backs. And indeed, if you ask Visa these cards have resulted in a 75% decrease in fraud in the three years since they were introduced. Cybercriminals are of course finding ways to take advantage of the EMV cards too. Now, there are reports of a new way to skim. READ FULL STORY