Article: Phishing attacks now using phone calls
November 30, 2006
USA Today reports Phishing attacks now using phone calls
Phishing is the scam where a fake email or Web site is used to try to scam an unsuspecting consumer into revealing personally identifiable information that can be used for identity theft or credit card fraud.
“And the victims are no longer just the usual targets, including customers of AOL, eBay, PayPal, Citibank and Bank of America. Early this year, phishers began preying on customers of regional banks and credit unions.”
“The deceptive e-mail messages and websites have also gotten much craftier. One recent phishing attempt actually warned customers about phishing and asked them to update their information for security reasons. To assure wary users, the legitimate 800 phone number of a targeted company was included in the e-mail.”
For several years, legitimate companies have tried to educate their customers not to reveal personal information online and encourage them to call customer service if in doubt.
Savvy fraudsters are now setting up fake telephone numbers in the attempt to trick consumers. In some instances, they are actually calling consumers directly trying to con them out of some piece of information. Wary consumers who hesitate are often bullied into revealing more than they should.
It happens all to fast. A skilled con man can set a person at ease with polite tone and a scrap of information about his mark to gain trust. Over the course of innocent conversation, the victim will reveal little bits that can all be pieced together.
Key take aways:
- Scrutinize everything, whether online, mail or telephone.
- Be cautious when clicking links in emails. Better yet, if you weren’t expecting the message, just delete it.
- Don’t allow any stranger on the phone to bully or pressure you into providing any information you are not comfortable about.
Be wary, stay safe, and don’t be afraid to say no.
-Roland
Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional concerned about how companies handle personally identifiable information. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.
©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.
Free List of Mobile Friendly Web Site URLs - updated 11/30/2006
November 30, 2006
Cell phone, smart phone and PDA users — please bookmark this url in your device:
http://chaos365.com/mobile/
It’s an updated list of mobile friendly Web sites. These are Web sites that provide content and functionality without clutter, and should be easily viewable in a mobile device. As of this writing, the URLs all resolve to functioning (not abandoned) Web sites.
This combination of URLs are certain to help you maximize your downtime while in a waiting room or during your commute. Or help you when you are out on the town.
I hope you find this useful. Please let me know if you have additional suggestions.
Enjoy!
-Roland
Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional and Palm Treo fan. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.
©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.
Geeky holiday gift ideas
November 27, 2006
Make magazine published its open source gift guide, sure to raise your coolness factor in the eyes of that special geek in your life. The guide include various build-your-own robots, MP3 players, mods for used devices and more.
Confession: The inner geek-marketer in me wants to check out the openEyes open-source open-hardware toolkit for low-cost real-time eye tracking, useful for the analysis of eye movement data. Yikes, that’s geeky, or sad, not sure which.
Enjoy!
-Roland
Article: Linkin Park fan hacks phone data
November 25, 2006
The Associated Press reports that a woman used a computer at a national laboratory to hack into a cell phone company’s Web site to get a number for Chester Bennington, lead singer of the Grammy-winning rock group Linkin Park.
“This is the Internet version of a groupie hiding in Mick Jagger’s dressing room. We’re in a different age, and fans have more skills than they used to.”
Most identity theft begins in the offline world
November 25, 2006
According to research by Javelin Strategy & Research:
“While keylogging software, phishing e-mails that impersonate official bank messages and hackers who break into customer databases may dominate headlines, more than 90% of identity fraud starts off conventionally, with stolen bank statements, misplaced passwords or other similar means.”
“Shredding financial documents certainly protects you from dumpster divers. Yet only 1 percent of all cases of ID theft employ that technique.”
“In contrast, you’re 15 times as likely to have your identity swiped if your company loses control of its financial records – and 30 times more likely if you lose your wallet. And who are ID thieves? They might be your friends, coworkers, or neighbors. They’re not going through your trash; they’re rifling through your filing cabinet while you’re in the kitchen fixing drinks, or they’re checking out the 401(k) forms you submit at the office. Still, despite the hysteria, only 29 in 1,000 people will ever get their identity stolen.”
Related links:
Protect your privacy at home
Tips to keep your search history private
Protect your personal info. Tips for data safety.
Article: How to foil wiretaps at home
November 25, 2006
Wired posted a tip for the super paranoid. To foil wiretaps in your home, they cited a University of Pennsylvania research study that suggests to simply play a C-note continuously during a phone call. This indicates to some (not all) recording equipment to not record.
Related links:
Wired
Crypto.com
Holiday tradition: Re-gifting
November 24, 2006
It’s that time again. Your opportunity to re-gift. You know you want to.
Wikipedia cites the following rules of re-gifting etiquette:
- The primary rule is not to give a gift back to the person who gave it to you.
- Similarly, re-gifting to someone who knows the original giver carries the risk of exposing both your lack of attachment to the gift, and your failure to select and purchase a new gift for the recipient. (Made popular on the ’90s sitcom, Seinfeld.)
- One should remove any cards and other indicators that the gift was originally given to you.
- Finally, using the gift before re-gifting it — so that it is no longer “new” — is generally considered inappropriate.
Etiquette guru Emily Post suggests that re-gifting should be done only rarely, and under specific criteria:
- You are certain the gift is something the recipient would enjoy.
- The gift is brand new (no cast-offs allowed) and comes with its original box and instructions.
- The gift isn’t handmade, or one that the original giver took great care to select.
According to results of the November 2005 Re-gifting and Holiday Credit Card Use Survey posted at Regiftable.com:
- More than half of surveyed consumers do not find re-gifting rude
- Nearly 4 in 10 people have practiced re-gifting
- Women 35-54 years old are more likely to regift than men
- Re-gifting is more practiced among those who are college educated
- One third of re-gifters do so to save money
In general, don’t regift the following:
- Used or opened items
- Expired items, such as last year’s Dilbert desk calendar.
- Champagne/alcohol
- Eclectic items the receiver might not be interested in
If your feeling tacky about the whole idea, give your stuff to a charity or resell on CraigsList, Amazon or eBay.
Related links:
(You’ll enjoy this song) Regifting for the Holidays by The Alice Project
MSN 12 rules for regifting without fear
That’s all folks. Let the re-gifting begin!
-Roland
Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional who doesn’t regift. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.
©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.
