Author: Jesse Mueller (Page 1 of 41)

The Muse Scam

July 24, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Most people assume scammers are targetting older victims, but that’s not always the case. The Muse Scam tends to focus on younger people, as they may not be as familiar with how fake check scams work. In any case, you should know about this scam, if you are active on any social media platform.

How This Begins

This scheme begins with someone reaching out over Instagram or other social websites. Their initial messages will be easy and complimentary about something they’ve seen on your profile. “I love that one photo of you where you are doing the thing. So graceful! So inspiring… It awakens the muse in me to create something new.”

From there, they will ask to use your photo or image. They’ll describe using it in a painting or collage or new art creation, and offer to send you a free digital copy of the finished product for you to keep. It all sounds flattering and appears to have no strings attached.

And even better, the artist will insist on paying you for your photo or likeness! But here is where the danger lay. Much like the Mystery Shopper Scam, this will soon attempt a confidence trick using personal checks.

The Art of the Switcheroo

If you’ve coooperated this far with The Muse Scam, then the perp will now ask about sending you your commission. They will be very much intent on getting a payment check to you ASAP. Some will even guide you through accepting a e-Check directly into your bank account. And if you question things, they will emphasize that they want to keep everything on the level and properly pay for the photos they use.

But nothing here is on the level. They will want to pay you $500, but send a $1000 check. Or perhaps they will offer $2000, but the check is much higher than that. They will explain that the extra money is for someone else. You will need to send that money on to the artist, for them to buy their art supplies. Or that overage needs to be transferred over to the art studio to cover the rent or overhead expenses.

And cooperating with this is how you lose. Supposing you accept that deposit into your bank account, then you will see that money appear on your balance. You might then send the extra funds on to the “artist” and relax with your free money… until the bank catches up and notices something wrong with the initial deposit. Then you’ll be notified, days or even weeks later, that:

the deposit was found to be fraudulent and has been reversed
you are being assesed extra fees for depositing a bad check
your outbound transfer, that you made to cover the artist’s bills, stands as a separate and valid transaction, and cannot be reversed

Of course, if you’ve suffered this loss, the people you’ve been dealing with on social media will have blocked you, erased their tracks and moved on to scam others. You may inform he authorities about the crime, but sympathy is the most you’ll get from that effort.

Everyone Needs to Know

This scam is especially successful against the younger generation, because it isn’t immediately obvious where the danger lay. Depositing a bank check may feel solid and trustworthy. But cybercriminals know how to game almost every financial system that we have. It takes a while for a bad check to be invalidated, and the scammers rely on that lag-time. Teach your teenagers that there is no such thing as a free lunch!

Punchbowl Phishing

July 22, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Punchbowl is a legitimate website that offers online invitations, much like Evite. And scammers are phishing for victims, by sending out email that looks like Punchbowl invites. Don’t be fooled! Here are the details:

A Good-Looking Fake

Here’s what some folks are receiving right now:

This message, should you receive it, may come from an email address known to you. But please don’t trust this. This is all a sham. Anyone tricked into clicking the Open-button will be taken to a website that looks similar to Punchbowl. That impostor site will ask them to sign in with an email and password. That info is then passed on to cybercriminals, who will log on to that email and use it for other nefarious purposes.

Dos and Don’ts

If you receive this message:

Don’t reply to this message.
Don’t Block the Sender (because it really did come from one of your friends).
Don’t click on any links.
Don’t type in any passwords or other important info.
Call the sender, or contact them outside of email, to let them know about this.
Encourage the sender to change their email password or otherwise secure their account. They have likely been compromised, and someone bad is abusing their email address!
If problems persist, mention to the sender that they can reach out to BlueScreen for direct help!

Facebook’s Malvertising Problem

July 16, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I posted briefly on my Facebook page about a rash of dangerous posts. Many people were clicking on Facebook content and then running afoul of scammy popups. This sort of thing is very common around the internet. But since that day, I feel like there is quite an increase in this threat, and all originating with Facebook. We need to talk about Facebook’s malvertising problem.

Malvertising is (yet another) tech portmanteau, blending together the words “malware” and “advertising”. Malvertising is when online ads and ad-networks are used and abused to infect your computers and bring tech-harm into your life. Wherever advertising occurs on the web, malvertising is possible. And right now, Facebook is where a lot of it is cropping up.

And Meta’s problem seems to be getting worse, not better. It started with posts about deceased celebrities and other tragic (fake) news. And right now, it’s ramping up into offers for free software and games. And the threat is changing, from fake virus alert messages to real computer infections. Sadly, Facebook can’t seem to get a tourniquet on things.

What to Know and Do

While malvertising happens on many websites, including LinkedIn and YouTube, most of the reports coming to my door right now come from Sponsored Posts on Facebook. So while my general advice is to run an ad-blocker for extra protection, my specific advice here is: Do not trust or click on any Sponsored Post you see on Facebook.

This is especially true of anything that looks salacious, too good to be true, or alarming. Tempting sponsored posts on Facebook can be traps and might lead to something entirely different. Even benign-looking sponsored posts can be dangerous. Reason being: bad actors are compromising and stealing Facebook accounts, and misusing them to spread viral content.

It gets even trickier, because Facebook is putting posts in your feed that may or may not say “Sponsored Post” in the corner. Some may be labelled “Suggested For You”. A few may simply want you to “Follow” them. And others may have no special marker or call-out. I have to prescribe a healthy amount of dubiousness for any unexpected or unfamiliar posts you encounter on Facebook!

Besides this BOLO, I can also recommend:

Run an ad blocker or a browser with built-in ad-blocking. Even the FBI recommends using an ad blocker!
Use the 3-dots button next to any Facebook to Hide or Block content that you don’t care for
Consider using the F.B. Purity extension
Do not call phone numbers on unexpected pop-ups. Also, think twice before giving out your email or phone number to anyone asking for it through Facebook
Use Facebook less!

Ringless Voicemail

July 10, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Ever get a voicemail and wonder why your phone didn’t ring? You should know that it is possible to bypass someone’s ringer, and jump straight to the number’s voicemail-box. Ringless voicemail is a service that’s been around for awhile, but most people don’t know about it.

Also known as direct-to-voicemail calls, ringless voicemail has recently gotten some federal attention. Our government is cracking down on mass-produced ringless voicemail, considering such messages to be the same as robocalls. It doesn’t stop companies from sending out ringless voicemail messages, but it does allow for stiff penalties if a business is caught doing so without permission.

And you, as an individual, may also send a ringless voicemail. It’s free and legal, as long as you aren’t using it to commit a crime. Consider SlyDial. This company allows anyone to dial any mobile number (sorry, no landlines!) and jump right into the voicemail to leave a message. Slydial would love to sell you a service plan with fancy options, but they allow anyone to use their basic service for free. Just dial 267-759-3425, listen to an ad, dial the destination number, and leave your message after the beep.

While I must admit that I have tried this service before, I don’t fully endorse its use. There’s a fine line to be walked here, between discreet and “sus” behavior. Please be kind and polite when using this tool. I do think it’s important, though, that more people know that this technology exists.

End Task Options

June 30, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Sometimes, a program freezes, or locks up, and you need a way to close it. If clicking File -> Close or the ‘X’ button doesn’t work, you’ll want to “End the Task” to break free. Ending the Task will help you avoid a full reboot, and you should know your End Task options. Not to sound like a listicle, but the last one on this post may blow your mind!

Task Manager

Press Control + Shift + Esc to make the Task Manager appear. Once you have Task Manager open, feel free to right-click on any line item and then left-click End Task. That app should soon close.

If you’re old-school, you may have Control + Alt + Del come to your mind. And that still works, but you’ll have to click Task Manager on the screen that appears. Not a problem, just an extra step.

Keyboard Shortcut

If an app has locked up and is still foremost on your screen, try to press Alt + F4 on your keyboard. In many cases, this will act as an End Task for the active program.

Windows Settings

Maybe you have an app that is all locked up and you can’t quite see it or identify it in Task Manager. Some apps can be ended through the Settings Panel:

Start -> Settings -> Apps -> Installed Apps

Once here, scroll down the list of all of your programs. Select an app and click the 3-dots to the right of it. If it can be ended here, you’ll have an option for Advanced Options. Click that and then look for the Terminate button.

Directly from the Taskbar

Windows 11 allows you to End Task right from the Taskbar. But this feature must be turned on, first. Go to:

Start -> Settings -> System -> For Developers

In here, find the option for End Task and turn it on. Now, if you need to End a Task, simply right-click the app’s icon on your Taskbar, and you’ll have End Task as an option to click on!

U.S. Ban on Kaspersky Antivirus

June 21, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Kaspersky is a well-known antivirus provider, that has fallen out of favor in the US, over the years. It’s largely due to its perceived ties to Russia, whom the US considers a “foreign adversary.” In 2017, Kaspersky software was forbidden from use in any part of our government. And now in 2024, we’re about to see a complete prohibition, a full-on U.S. Ban on Kaspersky Antivirus.

The US Government explains the ban on the Bureau of Industry & Security website. But that makes for really dry reading, so I’ll also summarize: Kaspersky is being shown the door, because our government is worried about cybersecurity threats that their software could bring to American computers. Threats such as espionage, malware, and data theft. This decision has been made, so if you are a current Kaspersky software user, here’s what you really need to know and act on:

Kaspersky customers in the USA are not in any trouble. You will not be punished, fined or otherwise harassed for your use of the Kaspersky software.
You can keep using Kaspersky software, if you care to, with no ill-effects or penalty. However, your antivirus will no longer receive updates after 9/29/2024. That essentially means that you need a different antivirus in 3 months time.
I don’t know what this means for automatic renewals! So to be safe, all Kaspersky customers should log in one last time at their Account website. Delete all stored payment methods and turn off all recurring renewal fees or subscriptions.

If you need any help with your conversion to a new antivirus, give me a call!

Windows SlideToShutDown Shortcut

June 20, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

The Windows SlideToShutDown Shortcut is adorable. And apparently, it’s been hiding on PCs since WIndows 8. If you want to try this out on your PC:

Right-click on your desktop wallpaper, mouse over “New” and then click Shortcut
In the entry field, type slidetoshutdown and click Next.
Type any name you like for this shortcut, or accept what is already in the field, and click Finish.

Now you have a desktop shortcut that can power off your computer. When you trigger it, you’ll see a window-blind swoop down for you to use. Slide it down to turn off your PC. Swipe it up and away if you’ve changed your mind.

Spotting a Fake Company on Facebook

June 13, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

Someone recently asked about a business page on Facebook: “Hey, is this company legitimate? Am I going to be scammed by them?” I took a quick look and quickly saw the danger. Please check out the details below to become better at spotting a fake company on Facebook.

The Basics

The page that I was reviewing today was Asphalt Specialist & Driveway Maintenance. In case Facebook removes that page, I’ll also link to an archived copy of that page, for anyone to review.

On the surface, this looks like a perfectly ordinary business profile. I see a local phone number and address, plenty of good reviews, and solid English used on the posts and descriptions. No obvious red flags for the casual observer!

Digging In

On this profile, I started by clicking About and then Page Transparency. This asphalt company showed:

From this, we see that the page was created only 5 months ago, and is managed by people in the US… and Spain? A rural West Virginia paving company with a connection to someone across the ocean?

Checking the Basic Contact Info

Next, I copied the phone number and threw it into a Google search, and also into DuckDuckGo. And these searches immediately connect with paving and sealcoating services. But the results link to companies with different names. And different locations. Nothing matches up with the contact info on the Facebook profile.

So I regarded the address. Copied & pasted it into Google Maps, Bing Maps and Mapquest (yes, they’re still around!). Each mapping service quickly put a pin down and offered directions to that location. But none of them mentioned a business at that pin. And something’s seemed off, satellite imagery didn’t show buildings right at the pin drop.

So I got a bit analysis-retentive. I learned that the address was in Berkeley County, WV. Most counties have a handy GIS/mapping website for their properties, and Berkeley County’s was easy to find. It wasn’t the easiest to use, but I persevered and found that the address shown on Facebook doesn’t exist.

Digging Deeper

I returned to the Facebook profile to admire their posts and photos. The logo looked like an AI creation, but I see that happening more and more with real businesses, so I moved on. Browsing through the photos, I picked a fairly unique one, showing a man finishing a driveway job. I right-clicked that photo and chose “Search Image with Google”.

Google quickly popped out a side panel, showing similar photos and one exact match. The exact match was on a different paving company’s page. A company in Michigan.

I repeated this with a different photo on their Facebook profile. And that photo tracked back to a Craigslist post:

It was starting to look like their images were all copied from other websites. A business that’s copying images, as well as contact info? Definitely shady, enough for me to be sure about this outfit and turn them in to Facebook. But I found one more bit of copy-fraud:

The Glowing Reviews

This profile showed a high rating, from the get-go: 4.9 Stars, from 57 reviews! Pretty good for a page that’s not only a year old. And most of the reviews are wordy and very detailed and using proper English. But the devil is in the details.

Scrolling through these reviews, I soon noticed repetition. Different people had posted the exact same verbiage as each other. Next, I clicked through to look at these people posting the reviews. Most of them seemed off. They appeared to be posting various glowing reviews for a wide variety of services. I started to wonder if they were sock puppet accounts. And that perhaps all of the companies they were reviewing were bogus, like our Asphalt fakers.

By the way, this fake review technique has a name: Astroturfing. It’s sort of the opposite of review bombing.

Case Closed

I’m convinced that this Asphalt profile smells of fraud, so I did report it to Facebook. If somehow this is a real business, then they’ve been dealing with fraudsters to get reviews and other people’s photos on their profile. Please be ready to report anything shady to Facebook… even though it doesn’t do much.

Facebook is like the wild wild west. There’s a pretense of law & order, but it’s just too big to police. Or perhaps they don’t care to. Keep in mind that this scammy page is actually paying Meta to run their ads, while you are using Facebook for free. In other words:

What’s That Song They’re Playing?

June 12, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 0 Comments

It happens to everyone, eventually: You’ll be watching a commercial, sitting down at a stadium or strolling through the grocery. And that song playing overhead will stop you in your tracks. You know this tune, but the name will elude you. What’s that song they’re playing? You’ve just got to know!

Good thing you have a smartphone on you. It should be able to tell you immediately what song is playing in the vicinity.

Android Users

Go to Settings -> Sound & Vibration -> Now Playing. In here, you’ll find options to turn this function on and have it show on your Lock Screen. When you want to identify a song, the Lock Screen will give you the info or a button to press to identify whatever it hears.

If your Google-based phone doesn’t offer this under Settings, then your next option would be to try out the Shazam app. Free to download through the Google Play Store, Shazam can be called upon to identify music at any time.

Apple iOS users

On iPhones and the like, Shazam technology is built-in for identifying audio. Just ask Siri: “What’s the name of this song?” or tell her to “Shazam this song!”. She’ll think about it for several seconds and then pop-up the info you want.

There are a lot of advanced settings available for this on your iDevice. Check out this Apple article and you can learn how to create a Shazam button, buy the music you’ve heard and more.

Defeat Windows 11 Advertisements

June 7, 2024 / Jesse Mueller / 2 Comments

Microsoft doesn’t care about your ad blocker. They want advertising revenue and they can get it, by adding ads directly into Windows 11. It started off subtle, but it’s gotten downright obnoxious. If you want to put Microsoft in their place, here are a bunch of ways to defeat Windows 11 advertisements:

Pinned Apps

Windows 11 computers come with a ton of apps for you to try, and many are pinned on the Start Menu. You’ll see them as soon as you click the Start button. But many people don’t care a whit about Candy Crush, Spotify, ClipChamp…

If you see something there you don’t care about, just right-click it and choose Unpin from Start. Once unpinned, you can always find the app later, under All Apps. Alternatively, you may right-click any Pinned app and choose Uninstall to remove it completely.

Start Menu Recommendations

Microsoft may “recommend” new apps and games to you, on your Start Menu, below your Pinned items. Recommendations will appear next to your Recent Files and apps, below Pinned Apps. Essentially, these are ads mixed in with your personal data.

To turn these off, go to Start -> Settings- > Personalization -> Start. Find the category for “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more” and turn it Off.

Lock Screen Ads

Is your Lock Screen all gobbed up with panels of ads, stock quotes, new items? Can’t appreciate the pretty background photo anymore? You can turn off most of that junk if you go to Start -> Settings- > Personalization -> Lock Screen.

Your Lock screen may be set to “Windows spotlight”, and if it is, find the setting for “Lock Screen Status” below it. If you change this drop-down menu to None, you have less junk on your Lock Screen.

But there will still be some baggage that comes along with Windows Spotlight. If you want to take further, switch the first option “Personalize your lock screen” from “Windows Spotlight” to “Picture” or “Slideshow”.

After that, look below for the setting for “Get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen” and turn that Off!

Widget Ads

Windows 11 moved the Start button in from the left, to make room for “Widgets”. Those are just another way to grab your attention and push ads in front of you. I don’t know about your experience, but if I accidentally mouse-over the widgets in the lower-left corner, so much stuff pops up that half of my screen is gone!

You can turn off Widgets if you right-click the Taskbar and then click on Taskbar Settings. You’ll see an option for Widgets; turn that Off.

Notification Area Ads

That bell in the corner of Windows 11? Useful for popping notifications about email, virus concerns, reminders… Not useful for also including ads for whatever Microsoft is schilling at the moment. To defeat these:

Go to Start -> Settings- > System -> Notifications. Scroll down to the bottom and clock on “Additional Settings”. Uncheck all of the revealed boxes.

Search Ads

Microsoft will inject ads if you use their Search tool. That’s the search field or icon right next to your Start button. To quell these ads, go to Start -> Settings- > Privacy & Security -> Search Permissions. Towards the bottom is an option for “Show Search Highlights” that you should turn off. Feel free to review the other options in this panel and turn off any others you want.

Device Usage Ads

When you first setup your Windows 11, Microsoft may have casually asked you how you plan to use your computer (Gaming, School, Business, etc.). Well, that was another trick, they just wanted to know how to advertise to you. Go to Start -> Settings- > Personalization -> Device Usage and turn off all of that nonsense.

Settings Ads

All of these steps have been taking you through the Windows Settings area. Did you know that you might encounter ads even in Settings? We can turn those off, as well:

Go to Start -> Settings- > Privacy & Security -> General. Turn off “Show me suggested content in the Settings app”. Actually, consider turning off the other items in here! All of these options serve Microsoft’s ad-monster and not you.