Deceptive SEO Offers

A local PTO just received the invoice pictured below. They recognized this as a scam but I worry that it could fool some people. So let’s get familiar with this: This invoice was faxed to a local public school, and then handed over to the PTO members. It looks like a legitimate invoice, but: Invoice … Read more

Television-Based Data Collection

Your TV has been collecting info about you for years now. What you watch, when you’re tuned in, how long you manage to stay awake, and more — all hoovered up and sent off to the manufacturer, for them to use and sell and share. Television-based data collection and automatic content recognition (ACR) wasn’t much … Read more

False Alerts for Shentel Webmail

For those who use Shentel-based email, you may have encountered some scary warnings on their webmail site. I want to assure you that Shentel Webmail is safe to use, and those are false alerts. Shentel Webmail has been erroneously flagged by some antivirus vendors. I’ve spoken with Shentel tech support and they are aware of … Read more

More Info on ScreenConnect Abuse

Many people are finding my 2025 blog post, detailing how ScreenConnect is used in scams. I’m glad to hear how it helps people figure things out and free their computers of this particular problem. Since that writing, I’ve seen an increase in the abuse of this remote access program. I intend for this blog post … Read more

Phishing Motherlode

An esteemed client sent me the latest example of Shentel Webmail phishing this evening. I thought I would share the details, as I have many times before, but I later uncovered a phishing motherlode behind the fake Shentel website… A Phishing Email It typically starts with an email like this: It’s pretty standard fare, here. … Read more

Trust, but Verify

I help to moderate a small group on Facebook. That group is for the residents of a specific neighborhood, and we strive to turn away all others. When someone tries to Join that Group Page, they are faced with entry questions: These questions are much needed. Even for our modest group, we consistently have more … Read more

Keyboard Chattering

So I have this older lapttop with an odd problem. As I type on it, the keysttrokes repeat for some letters. This is a sligghtly maddening glitch, especially for someone who typees a lot and wants ttheir writing to look professional. Sure, spellchheck catches most off these typos, but it really slows down the writing … Read more

The Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool

Sometimes, Adobe software will run into a problem, and it’s not an easy fix. And you may think: Oh, I’ll just uninstall and reinstall that Adobe app. But as complex as their software is, sometimes a reinstall doesn’t help. Or sometimes, the uninstall function is also broken. That’s where the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool comes … Read more

Apple Account Update Phishing

Apple Account Update phishing emails are everywhere today! If you receive the email (shown below), please know that it is a phishing attempt and a fake. There has been no update; there were no charges to your card. Do not call the phone number in the message, and just delete the email! I can understand … Read more