scams

How To Steal A Car: Hack It!

No more jimmying doors with a Slim Jim, bricks through windows, extracting lock cylinders with a dent puller, or hot-wiring ignitions. Automobiles today are being built to include wireless capabilities that allow for remote unlock, remote start, and of course, there’s global positioning systems (GPS) and services like OnStar and ATX, which offer “telematics,” or Read more…

Tags: Consumer, Cybercrime, firewall, hacking, identity protection, malware, McAfee, Network Security, scams

Phishing Scammers Target Macs

On Christmas Day, 2011, Apple product users were targeted by a major phishing attack. The Mac Security Blog reported, “A vast phishing attack has broken out, beginning on or around Christmas day, with emails being sent with the subject ‘Apple update your Billing Information.’ These well-crafted emails could fool many new Apple users, especially those Read more…

Tags: anti-phishing, Consumer, Cybercrime, identity fraud, identity fraud scams, identity theft, internet security, Mac antivirus, Mac security, malware, McAfee, McAfee Internet Security for Mac, phishing, Safe search, Safe surf, scams, site advisor, spam, web security

Facebook Accounts Compromised by ‘Giveaway’ Scam

A recent social engineering attack that targeted Facebook accounts hit very close to home. One of my friends mentioned to me that his account was no longer accessible and that his password was not working. He even found his primary email address changed to another email. So I went onto Facebook to see his wall Read more…

Tags: facebook, identity theft, scams, social media, social network

The 6th Scam of Xmas – Mac Scams

For the sixth scam of Christmas, the criminals gave to me, Mac scams! Many Mac users (I think) still do not think this affects them. However, Mac Malware increases by 10% every month. As I have said many times before, where the people go – criminals follow. Apple’s increase in market share has made them Read more…

Tags: christmas shopping, mac, online safety, scams

Fake AV Propels Visa Card Scams

More old wine in a new bottle: Spammers have used the same payload that we saw in an earlier UPS scam to target more victims. Looks like the spammers ran out of new binaries. Last weekend McAfee observed scams spread across the world that claimed to have come from Visa Customer Services. The mail had Read more…

Tags: fake alert, fake anti-virus software, fake-av, rogue anti-virus software, scams

Fake-Alert Scams Growing Again

Fake-alert Trojans, also known as scareware, fool consumers by claiming imaginary threats, and insisting its victims purchase a product to repair the “infected” systems. They exist in Windows and Macintosh environments. In my recent report explaining this threat, I included a table showing the approximate number of scareware products with their known release dates: After Read more…

Tags: fake anti-virus software, scams, trojans, web threats

So Predictable: St. Patrick’s Day Scams

I have blogged many times about how cybercriminals and scammers use holidays, sporting events, and disasters as lures in their never-ending schemes. Just like with tax season, every Valentine’s Day we see more scams. Most high-profile sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, inspire them; and certainly recent events like the earthquakes in Haiti, Read more…

Tags: Cybercrime, Data Protection, Endpoint Protection, Family Safety, identity protection, identity theft, malware, scams, spam

Need Olympic Games Ticket Information?

Are you looking for information on the London 2012 Olympic Games or tickets to the games? Then call the London Olympics 2012 Ticket Information service on: …Actually please don’t! Their grey small-print ad declares that calls cost £1.02 per minute and rightly (but pretty much illegibility) claims “this service is not connected with the London2012.com Read more…

Tags: 2012 London Olympics, Cybercrime, Data Protection, identity protection, identity theft, Olympic scams, olympics, phishing scams, scams

World Record for Disaster Scam Site?

Approximately two hours after an 8.9 earthquake hit northeast Japan we spotted the first potential donation scam site. We’ve seen this before of course, but for a scam site to appear in just two hours–indexed and with content–is pretty damn quick in my experience. Hundreds of domains that could be related to the disaster have Read more…

Tags: Charity Phishing Scams, Cyber Security Mom, Cybercrime, malware, phishing, scams, spam

Surfing for the Na’vi could give you a virus!

I don’t know about you but I loved all the glitz and the glamour of the Oscars, all those gorgeous designer dressers and of course the gorgeous A-listers themselves!  I’ve only seen one of the movies that was nominated this year – UP! – of course!  Although my kids have seen Avatar, I just haven’t Read more…

Tags: celebrities, dangerous searches, scams, virus