Users of the popular social media platform, Instagram, appear to be getting caught up in a mysterious hacking epidemic that is locking them out of their accounts – and no one seems to know why. According to Business Insider, victims of the data breach say their login credentials are replaced with Russian e-mail addresses, effectively…
College Students More at Risk of Identity Theft
Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports advise students heading back to school to take preventative measures to help protect their identities from being stolen. Identity thieves will often target college students because they have minimal transaction histories and have just started building their credit. The lack of history also makes it harder to pinpoint unusual…
Members of International Cybercrime Syndicate Arrested for Alleged Hacking of Several Popular Chain Restaurants
Several high-ranking members of an international cybercrime operation stand accused of stealing personal data from more than 15 million customers of popular restaurant and retail chains. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the three men – all operating out of Ukraine – were members of the prolific hacking group known as Fin7. The Justice…
Money lost to CEO scams hits $12.5 billion FBI says
According to the FBI’s Internet Complaint Center, or IC3, global losses due to business email compromise have exceeded $12.5 billion. The scam, also known as the CEO scam, targets both businesses and individuals performing wire transfer payments. The scam usually begins when fraudsters phish an executive of a company and gain access to that person’s inbox….
Catching World Cup fever? Beware of these World Cup scams
Every four years, soccer fans from around the world tune in and travel to watch the FIFA World Cup. Although many have already bought their tickets, some fans may still be looking to catch some games and flights for the right price. Here’s where scammers come into the picture. Eager consumers looking for a cheap…
“Business in a Box”: Digital Scrapbooking Company Offers Franchise Opportunity, Fails to Deliver
Phostorian, a San Antonio based company, claiming to be “The #1 fastest growing social network dedicated to preserving and sharing your precious family photos” has become the focus of a BBB investigation. The business provides a free online membership platform that allows its users to create digital albums of family photos and videos, which can…
Free credit freezes arriving soon
Credit freezes are regularly used by consumers looking to add an extra layer of protection to their credit. A credit freeze restricts access to your credit file, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. Previously, consumers would have to pay a fee to activate their credit freeze, but a new…
What GDPR means for a business and a consumer
You have probably noticed a bunch of emails in your inbox from several social media companies that say they’re updating their privacy policy. But what is it all about? This change stems from the European Union’s new law that protects data privacy. What is GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation is a law that gives European Union…
Beware of a new con called “shimming”
Scammers have typically harvested your payment information with skimmers – a device inserted into ATMs and other payment terminals where you swipe your credit or debit card. The downfall for thieves is EMV cards, the chip located on your debit or credit card, reduce the severity of card skimming due to the manner in which…
What is whaling scam?
Most people have heard or know what a phishing scam is; the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. But have you heard of a whaling scam? A whaling scam is a targeted attempt to steal sensitive…
