Typical Facebook Scams

Scams continue to abound on Facebook, despite efforts and apologies from the man at the top. If you’re going to use this platform, please be aware of these typical Facebook scams, so that you don’t get taken: Hair Stylist Scams If you’re looking for a new ‘do, please be cautious you don’t get taken by … Read more

Evite Phishing

There’s a phishing email going around that looks like an Evite. Here’s what you need to know about it: Phishing Photos The bogus message looks like this: This email, if you receive one, may have one of your friend’s email at the top. But please don’t believe in this thing. This is all a sham. … Read more

Facebook Guest Chat

Update as of 2/13/2024: Readers recently brought to my attention that they couldn’t follow the steps below. After I looked into it, I can see that Meta has changed their Settings Pages, and you may not be able to disable this feature. But as it turns out, that’s OK. Because they’ve disabled the entire Chat … Read more

Scam Electricity-Saving Devices

This post is not really a computer tip, per se, but I’ll cover it anyway. Scam electricity-saving devices are rather tangential to what I write about here, and quite a few people are asking me about them. So heads up! Here’s what I can find and say about these things: Power Saving Devices These things … Read more

Xfinity’s 2023 Data Breach

Has Xfinity contacted you recently to change your password? This was probably a legitimate request, and prompted by Xfinity’s 2023 data breach. (I’ll call it the 2023 data breach, because they also had one in 2022!) It looks like cybercriminals exploited and intruded upon Xfinity’s systems in October of this year, and we’re just now … Read more

How to Recognize Spam

For some, it’s easy to spot spam in your inbox. But for others, it can be a real challenge. Spammers use a variety of tactics to make their email look tempting, believable and worthy of attention. But much like a spoiled brat or a passive-aggressive boss, we don’t want to encourage a spammer any more … Read more

Vishing

I didn’t think we needed a specific term for scam phone calls, but here we are. Following in the footsteps of smishing and quishing, we also have the term vishing. Vishing is another portmanteau, created from voice + phishing. When you see or hear about vishing, they’re referring to any phishing/cybercrime carried out over the … Read more

Apple NameDrop

If you use Apple devices, there’s a new feature in the latest OS updates called NameDrop. This function allows you to quickly and easily share contact info with other Apple device users. Simply place the two devices near each other, and NameDrop will appear! Each device user will get a pop-up, asking if they want … Read more

Low-Hanging Fruit

In the technology world, people are jeopardized by two separate yet equally scary groups: the big tech companies, who care only for monetizing their users’ data; and the opportunistic scammers, who prowl the web looking for victims. These are their stories. Dear Xxxxxx, I’m writing this letter to you about your kiddo. Please don’t worry, … Read more

Zelle Scam Refunds

A year ago, I blogged about Zelle and why scammers often push their victims to use it. Money sent through Zelle is generally transmitted in an instant and that means the transaction is irreversible. Scammers want your money, and they don’t want you to be able to claw it back. They know that Zelle doesn’t … Read more