Social Media Brings Out The Worst Scammers

Social media attacks are a favorite of those pesky cybercriminals. One might wonder why. Well, it’s because it’s easy pickin's going for those accounts. Researchers at Arkose Labs found that of 1.2 billion social media interactions, 53% of the logins were fraudulent and 25% of new accounts were phony. Millions of people use one form of social media or another, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or something else. That leaves a barrel full of phish used for targets for hackers and scammers. READ FULL STORY

There Is Plenty Of Phishing On Online Apps--Don't Get Hooked

A recent documentary aired on subscription streaming service, Netflix, that highlighted how difficult it is to detect when someone is trying to take advantage of human nature and kindness. You may have seen it. It has been discussed on various media and it may be difficult to watch. But it is yet another example of how criminals use social engineering and trust to get what they want. One interviewee tells the story of how she met a guy that matched and swept her off her feet and swept her bank account clean. READ FULL STORY

Email Scams Threaten Extortion And Blackmail

An uptick in email scams has cybersecurity professionals concerned, and for good reason. Symantec researchers found that in the first five months of 2019, they prevented almost 300 million extortion email attacks from going forward. Just some of those discovered include blackmail, sextortion, bombs, hit men, and malware threats. The researchers also determined the average cost of paying demands over a 30 day period was $1.2 million in 243 Bitcoin transactions. READ FULL STORY

Elder Fraud On the Rise-$3.5 Billion and Growing

There’s a segment of the U.S. population particularly vulnerable to online and other scams. The 60+ year old community is under attack, and the complaints are on the rise. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports last year saw an 11% rise in complaints of elder fraud over the previous year. It’s now a nearly $3.5 billion criminal scheme to defraud this at-risk group — and it’s only getting worse. The 2023 IC3 Elder Fraud Report takes a deep dive into the problem at hand including the statistics behind fraud victim complaints to the agency. READ FULL STORY

Looking for Love? You Can Keep Your Heart Break-Free From These Scams

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love never leaves the air. So many are looking for love, or searching for a dinner or movie companion to combat lurking loneliness. It's always a good time to take a look at the various online dating scams that are always searching for your love and to provide a few tips on detecting them as well as others that may come up. There is no need to despair. There are signs to look for and ways to avoid being caught out by these scams and others. READ FULL STORY