It’s natural to want to believe that every new account creation or online purchase signals the legitimate growth of your business. But the alarming rise in financial and data losses attributed to fraud, suggests a different reality. There are thousands of bad actors actively looking to nickel and dime businesses and consumers. In 2022, a staggering 2.4 million fraud reports flooded the Consumer Sentinel Record.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... hopefully something better than a virus (computer or otherwise). As the end of the year is fast approaching, it has not been without its fair share of data breaches, hacks, and even the return of digital piracy. As we enter December and fast approaching the most wonderful time of the year, hackers, cybercriminals, and online fraudsters are looking to end the year with a bang.
Email spoofing is a type of cyber threat where a cybercriminal sends emails to potential victims using fake sender addresses. Email spoofing works by forging a sender address to make it seem as though it’s coming from a legitimate person or company. Email spoofing is a tactic typically used by cybercriminals when carrying out phishing attacks to encourage their targeted victim to send them sensitive information.
Some of the different types of online scams you need to look out for are phishing scams, catfishing, job offer scams and online shopping scams. These online scams try to trick you into giving up your personal information, which scammers will use for malicious purposes. You need to learn how to recognize the different types of online scams to avoid falling for them.
For some, Black Friday conjures images of parasite-infected shoppers running amok in a mall. (Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie a 65% rating). For bargain hunters, it is a whirlwind of unbeatable deals and frenzied shopping sprees. Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the year’s biggest days for American merchants. The hype has crossed borders.
US authorities have seized almost $9 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to a gang engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams. The US Department of Justice has announced that the seized funds are connected to cryptocurrency wallet addresses alleged to be associated with a "pig butchering" gang that has claimed over 70 victims around the world. "Pig butchering" is one of the world's fastest-growing types of scams.
Security researchers identify growth in the use of an ongoing cyberskimming campaign that involves compromising legitimate website checkout code. We’ve all seen a video that shows someone fidgeting with a credit card terminal only to pull off a very realistic molded cover that looks identical to the actual device beneath it complete with its own circuitry to read and store credit card swipes. Now take that very same idea and put it into the digital world.
As the Thanksgiving season rapidly approaches, many look forward to the warmth of family gatherings, the aroma of roasted turkey, and the joy of gratitude. Yet, just as we prepare our homes and hearts for this festive season, cybercriminals are gearing up to unleash a different kind of feast—a cyber feast—rife with sophisticated scams targeting unsuspecting individuals and businesses alike.
No, it is not safe to accept Zelle payments from strangers because there is always the possibility of the stranger being a scammer. If the stranger is a scammer, then you could end up losing money by accepting a Zelle payment from them. It’s best to only use Zelle to send and receive payments from people you know and trust.
