Phishing is an attempt to steal money or identity by acquiring personal information such as user names, passwords, bank account or credit card details while posing as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication such as an email or pop-up message.

Posts

Don't unsubscribe from spam
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The danger of unsubscribing from unwanted emails

Unsubscribing from spam emails is risky because if the email turns out to be a phishing email, you can find yourself with malware and/or viruses on your device and your network. Malware and viruses make you susceptible to being hacked and breached.…
Cyber Tips
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Six fraud avoidance tips from FBI Special Agent

At a recent Cyber Security/Fraud event in Los Angeles, I learned new and valuable information from an FBI Supervisory Special Agent that I want to share with as many people as possible. To that end, I'm passing along what I learned with a…
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Privacy: How to Deal with What We Cannot Control!

There are moments when I feel helpless and hopeless as I watch privacy diminishing rapidly before my own eyes. Not a day goes by without one type of privacy breach or another and frequent news reports and articles make it feel like cyber attacks…
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Seniors Beware! What is Vishing? (And 3 Ways to Avoid It)

Switching from Windows XP to Windows 8 meant something as simple as shutting down his computer became a challenge for my seventy-something year old dad.  When he coincidentally got a call from "Technical Support" as he was struggling with…
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4 Simple Home and Work Cyber Safety Tips

Upon arrival at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for cyber security training by a division of Homeland Security, I asked for a password to access wireless internet but my request was denied. I was surprised by the lack of Internet…
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6 Social Media Privacy and Safety Tips

I am a huge fan of Social Media but I dislike it when privacy or safety are compromised by private photos and information being shared accidentally or maliciously. My own tales include identity theft, credit card fraud and being reprimanded…
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Cyber Security: 2 ways to Protect yourself, your Family and your Community – Part I

I recently completed two Cyber Security classes provided by TEEX, a Training and Education Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  I wanted to learn how local communities prepare for and respond to cyber threats and I hoped the…
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How to Avoid Identity Theft – Prevention is so much Better than Cure

When it comes to Identity Theft, I unfortunately write from a position of experience.  The good news is that in spite of having to cancel my personal credit card after someone enjoyed a $5,000 shopping spree in New York with a counterfeit…
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How to Prevent Child Identity Theft

Child identity theft is on the rise. The greatest increase has been seen in children under 5 years old but the reality is that child identity thieves are targeting children of all ages. This is because the personal information of young children…
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Chase’s Response to Fraudulent Email

I always forward phishing emails to the misrepresented organization (most often Bank of America) but have never gotten a response back.  The lack of acknowledgement made me wonder if anyone ever reviewed the forwarded emails or if I was just…
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How to Avoid Phishing Scams

I've received several emails that appeared to be from Bank of America but poor grammar and spelling coupled with urgency to provide personal information set off warning bells for me and with a little research, I quickly realized these were fraudulent…