Scam Alert – Pinterest Hack Feeds Spam To Twitter And Facebook

Pinterest users have reported widespread account takeovers in which spammers post images promoting things such as work-at-home schemes and diet pills. The spammers delete boards, rename them, and change the contents. Since Pinterest users often link their accounts with other social networks like Twitter and Facebook, the spam images are showing up on those networks as well. 
 

The images are typically accompanied by messages such as “Omg this is so cool! Can’t wait for more!” and “Omg this is so exciting! Too excited for next ones!” Accompanying the messages are links back to the spam images on compromised Pintrest accounts.

Pinterest advises customers who have had their account taken over to change their password immediately and warns that "misleading third party apps" and "web browser extensions" often play a part in account takeover incidents. The site also advises users to have a unique password for each social networking site

Scam Alert – Don't Fall For Free Gift Card Scams

The Better Business Bureau is the latest established brand to be used by scammers to promote fake gift cards online. (Others have included Wal-Mart, Target, Starbucks, and Best Buy.) As tempting as these offers appear, especially with the holiday shopping season approaching, don't bother trying to redeem them. They're just tricks to collect consumer data; you won't receive the free gift card promised. 

It works like this: The recipient receives an email, claiming to be from the established brand, stating that he/she has been issued a gift card worth a certain dollar amount. To receive this gift card free of charge, the recipient is told to immediately go to a website and provide information such as age, street address, email address, and phone number. Don't fall for it. You would be giving out personal information and receiving nothing but more spam in return.

In addition, experts warn that used, counterfeit, and fraudulent gift cards are frequently being sold on auction websites. For this reason, don't buy gift cards from auction websites; it's not worth the risk of ending up with a worthless piece of plastic. Only buy gift card directly from the store or from a secure retailer's website.

What Should You Do When You've Been Hacked On Facebook?

Question: What should I do when I've been hacked on Facebook?

Answer: First of all, we're sorry to hear you've been the victim of a "Facecrook." You probably discovered the problem when you were denied access to your Facebook page after the hacker changed your password. But have no fear; you can reclaim your account and get your Facebook life back in order.

You'll need to reset your password and make sure it's secure. If you're not logged in, you can reset your password by clicking the "Forgot your password?" link on the Facebook login page.

If you're already logged in, you can reset your password by going to your Account Settings page located in the Account drop-down menu at the top of every Facebook page.

When choosing a new password:

• Use a combination of at least six numbers, letters, and punctuation marks.
• Don't pick a word from the dictionary.
• Don't pick something you've used as a password on another site.

To reduce your chances of getting hacked again, be careful before signing up for a new Facebook application; they are often the gateway to these kinds of problems. In particular, watch out for applications with "too good to be true" promises as well as those that request you invite half of your friends before you get full functionality.

Google Launches Account Activity Tracker

Google is today introducing a new Account Activity feature for all its users.

By signing up to the service, Google will send you a link to a password-protected report with insights into your use of Google services. But only when you have been signed in to the service, of course.

In a blog post today, Google product manager Andreas Tuerk, says:

"Knowing more about your own account activity also can help you take steps to protect your Google Account. For example, if you notice sign-ins from countries where you haven't been or devices you've never owned, you can change your password immediately and sign up for the extra level of security provided by 2-step verification."

So what possible use could you have for this dashboard? Well, it will actually be useful for monitoring your activity across the board. Remember, all your Google-ness is centralized under one account now, so YouTube, Gmail, Docs, Search, Google+, etc. all fall under one account.

You could analyze your emailing habits, to see if you're sending less or more messages. Or you could look back at what you've been searching for online from month-to-month, and which countries you've been logging in from. The service is live now, and you can opt-in here.

Google says that deletion at the data source, "e.g. in your Web History", won't impact your reports. However, it does stress that your reports can be deleted whenever you want.

Scam Warning – Beware Of Tax-Related Emails

Tax season can be frustrating enough; don't make it worse by falling victim to a tax-related email scam. Each year cybercriminals use a variety of ploys to try to convince nervous taxpayers to reveal personal information. One currently circulating scam uses the name of a legitimate tax preparation software company—Turbo Tax.

The phony email tells recipients they need to upgrade their software in order to be in compliance with new tax laws. It also provides a link which leads to a fake (but legitimate-looking) website. At this point, recipients may be asked to enter personal information to confirm they're the software holder; the cybercriminals then use this information to file tax returns and have refunds sent to them.

To protect yourself:

• Always check on the legitimacy of the tax preparation service you are going to use.
  
  
• If you receive an email from any tax preparation software company, do not open it or click on any link. If you actually need a software upgrade, go directly to the company's secure site.

On a related note, keep in mind that the IRS does NOT send unsolicited email about tax account matters to taxpayers. If you should receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, DO NOT REPLY, CLICK ON ANY LINKS, OR PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION. Visit the IRS website for more about reporting and identifying IRS email scams.

Microsoft unveils Windows 8

BARCELONA, Spain – You already knew from the early "developer preview" of Windows 8 that Microsoft released in September just how radically different this version of the company's ubiquitous operating system is from its predecessors. But now that Microsoft on Wednesday unleashed a more complete preview version of Windows 8 — which consumers can get their hands on — we really are on the threshold of a whole new era of personal computing.

The stakes for Microsoft and the entire computing ecosystem are enormous. This new era is built around tablets as much as traditional laptops and desktops, and multi-touch as much as the keyboard and mouse. At the same time Microsoft marches toward Windows 8, archrival Apple is revving up a new version of Mac OS X called Mountain Lion.

And Apple has a huge lead in tablets with the iPad, a new version of which is expected to be unveiled in San Francisco next week.

To read the entire USA Today article click below.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/story/2012-02-29/windows-8-consumer-preview/53298882/1

Nielsen: Yes, Generations Y and Z are more connected

There's a reason that some call those born since the early 1990s the Internet generation.

A new Nielsen study finds that those Americans – along with the Millennials (typically described as born between the early mid-Seventies and late 1980s – are the most digitally active and represent a larger portion of those owning smartphones and tablets. They are also among the biggest users of online video and social networks.

Nielsen and NM Incite's State of the Media: U.S. Digital Consumer Report, out today, finds that Americans aged 18 to 34 – that group makes up 23% of the U.S. population – consume more digital media than other age groups.

The researchers have coined a new term for these digital consumers, Generation C, which encompasses some Gen Y and Z. "What we think is distinct about them and why we are calling them 'Gen C' is their fundamental connectedness," says Radha Subramanyam, senior vice president of media analytics for Nielsen.
"They have grown up connected to devices and to each other in a really different way than before," she says. "If you look at all the device usage and what they literally have on their body all the time and how even when they are talking specifically to each other, they are also connecting to others who are not even in the room, through technology, then you start to get a sense of this whole connected, native Internet generation."

A breakdown of various categories, based on a metastudy of Nielsen data in the fourth quarter of 2011:

-- Smartphones. Among smartphone owners, 39% are aged 18-34. The next highest age group, those aged 35-49 make up 30% of smartphone owners, followed by ages 50-64 (20%), ages 65-up (6%) and ages 13-17 (6%).

-- Tablets: 33% of tablet owners are aged 18-34. The next highest age group, those aged 35-49 make up 29% of tablet owners, followed by ages 50-64 (21%), ages 13-17 (11%) and ages 65-up (7%).

-- Social networks and blogs. Those aged 35-49 make up 28% of those who visit social networks and blogs, but the 18-34 age group comes in next, making up 27%; Those aged 50-64 make up 22%, ages 2-17 (13%) and ages 65-up (9%).

-- Online Video: The 35-49 age group nudges out the 18-34 age group again, making up 28% of online video watchers, compared to 27% ages 18-34. Those aged 50-64 make up 22%, ages 2-17 (14%) and ages 65-up (10%).

-- TV watching: Young viewers aged 2-17 tied the 18-34 age group, each making up 23% of TV viewers, followed by ages 35-49 (21%), ages 50-64 (20%) and ages 65-up (14%).
Breaking down digital consumers in other ways, women make up a bigger percentage than men of those who use social networks and blogs (54% to 46%) and watch online video (53% to 47%). Men are more likely to own a tablet, making up 53% of tablet owners; smartphone ownership is evenly split with women and men both making up 50%.

Whites make up 79% of those who use social networks, 78% of online video viewers, 61% of smartphone owners and 60% of tablet owners. Hispanics make up the next largest group of smartphone (17%) and tablet ownership (15%), followed by African-Americans and Asian-Americans.

"African-Americans are among the few groups who actually use the phones for talking," Subramanyam says. "Their actual talk minutes are higher than other groups. They are actually relating to each other in the very kind of direct human way that the other groups have forgotten about."

Scam Warning – Beware Of Tax-Related Emails

Tax season can be frustrating enough; don't make it worse by falling victim to a tax-related email scam. Each year cybercriminals use a variety of ploys to try to convince nervous taxpayers to reveal personal information. One currently circulating scam uses the name of a legitimate tax preparation software company—Turbo Tax.

The phony email tells recipients they need to upgrade their software in order to be in compliance with new tax laws. It also provides a link which leads to a fake (but legitimate-looking) website. At this point, recipients may be asked to enter personal information to confirm they're the software holder; the cybercriminals then use this information to file tax returns and have refunds sent to them.

To protect yourself:

• Always check on the legitimacy of the tax preparation service you are going to use.
  
• If you receive an email from any tax preparation software company, do not open it or click on any link. If you actually need a software upgrade, go directly to the company's secure site.

On a related note, keep in mind that the IRS does NOT send unsolicited email about tax account matters to taxpayers. If you should receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, DO NOT REPLY, CLICK ON ANY LINKS, OR PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION. Visit the IRS website for more about reporting and identifying IRS email scams.

Scams target anti-Timeline Facebook users

What do you think about the new Facebook Timeline? Many of us are big fans, but a significant number of change-fearing consumers simply want the service back the way it was.

 

Of course, where there's unrest, there are scammers looking to take advantage of the situation. It should be no surprise that not long after Facebook rolled out its brand new function, an assortment of fraudulent pages started to pop up promising the ability to revert to the old profile.

Stop me if you've heard this one

It's a similar scenario to the dislike button hoax that sweeps the network every few months. The hoax pages, just like many others on social networking sites, require users to click Like buttons, download files, watch videos, answer questions and — inevitably — invite friends.

At the very least, pages like this are annoying, providing spammy wall posts and constant messages to friends or showing endless pages of advertising. At the other end of the spectrum, they can be quite nasty, forcing users to install malware or other unpleasant software compromising their computer security. As much as you may dislike the new Timeline, surely it's not worth virtually handing over your credit card details!

 

How the scam works 

Many of the pages offer the same promise: a plug-in for your browser that will "disable" the new Timeline functionality. The developers even add helpful hints advising users to ignore software warnings that extensions, plug-ins, and other apps "can harm your computer." The developers also suggest that you should "allow up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect," which is a cute way of covering up the fact that absolutely nothing will happen.

Here to stay

The problem: Once you opt in to the new Timeline, it's permanently switched over. Within a few weeks, everybody on Facebook will be forced into the new layout (like it or not).

As a company, Facebook has tried to educate its millions of users, pointing out options, updating security information, and answering privacy concerns. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's been enough, with more than 70,000 people joining anti-Timeline pages across the board.

What can you do?

Given the sheer number of pages and groups created every hour, Facebook does not have the time or manpower to hunt down every fraudulent entry. Instead, the company relies on you to point out things that aren't quite what they seem. On each page or group, there is an option to "report this page" shown in the left-hand menu, under Likes. By taking the time to report pages that are offensive, fraudulent, or otherwise breaching the terms and conditions of the site, you can help make Facebook a better, safer place.

Another great idea is to take a look at the Facebook Security page and click the Like button. While the page hasn't been updated to include information on this latest scam, it's still a great spot to find out what's happening on the site. Live chats with staff, security hints and tips, and information about new features — it's a great resource.

Keep your wits about you

As we've seen over the past few years, the only thing constant about Facebook (and most other social networks) is change. Everything is constantly being tweaked, updated, and overhauled — and with a customer base in the millions, the developers simply can't please all the people all the time. Sometimes, the site will make a change that you don't like, and you won't be alone in your opinion. Rather than resorting to shady pages, online petitions, and apps that don't quite look right, do a little homework and avoid spreading the hysteria.

At present, Facebook has no plans to allow users to opt out of the Timeline functionality and is actively squashing any attempts as well as plug-ins and workarounds that are designed to hide the new page layout. Solutions that worked last week no longer work today, and the trend is continuing as Facebook evolves. Sorry, but it looks like we're stuck with Facebook's Timeline for now.

Warning From Google – “Your Computer Appears To Be Infected”

Since late July 2011, Google has been issuing warnings to search users whose Windows PCs might be infected with a particular strain of malicious software, also known as malware. The move came after Google noticed some unusual activity on its network while conducting routine data center maintenance. While Google is NOT able to scan users' hard drives, it does see irregular information that is sent to it when a user with an infected computer performs a search.

As a result, certain users might see a warning atop their search results like the one displayed here.

Google says it has already been able to warn hundreds of thousands of computer users that their devices may be infected with the malware, which can result in deleted data, stolen personal information, and a slower connection to websites. The warning includes a "Learn how to fix this" link to a Google page to help users resolve the problem by taking appropriate steps. This link is safe to click on and includes information on:

• Installing or updating antivirus software
• Performing a system scan

As a reminder, it's important to carefully research antivirus software before downloading to make sure it's legitimate and not actually a malicious program. For example, Google warns NOT to install "My Security Shield," "Security Master AV," and "CleanUp Antivirus." You can also check with your Internet Service Provider for recommendations on antivirus software.

What is SOPA and why does it matter?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The tech industry is abuzz about SOPA and PIPA, a pair of anti-piracy bills. Here's why they're controversial, and how they would change the digital landscape if they became law.

Click here to read more:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm?iid=SF_T_River

Smart Washing Machines

Click the link to see the latest washing machines. This is cool.


http://www.usatoday.com/video/tech/1381504227001

Buyer And Seller Beware – Tips To Avoid Scams On Craigslist

Craigslist, an online collection of location-based classified ads, can be great for finding sofas, apartments, and even jobs. But as with all online activities, there is the potential for misuse. Scammers can be found virtually everywhere, including Craigslist, and they're out to get your money in any way they can.

Some popular tactics include listing items that don't actually exist and getting you to pay for them; getting you to pay for your purchase through a phony escrow account; getting you to pay for items through Western Union or another service that doesn't trace the receiver; getting you to reveal bank account or other financial information; and offering to pay more for an item that you've listed, then getting you to send a refund that reveals your banking information.

Craigslist offers several tips for avoiding these scams, but the #1 piece of advice that will prevent 99 percent of all scams is to deal only with local folks, and meet them in person. Here are a few more rules:

• Never send funds via a wire service such as Western Union or Moneygram.
• Beware of fake cashier's checks and money orders.
• Don't believe any guarantees "from Craigslist," since Craigslist is not actually involved in any transaction.
• Never purchase an item or rent a living space you haven't seen.
• Refuse to submit to credit or background checks until you know the potential employer or landlord is legitimate.

Source: www.craigslist.org/about/scams

For added protection, trust your instincts. Be wary of ads that look as though they were written by someone who does not use English as their primary language (check for spelling errors and awkward usage). Also make sure you are really on Craigslist; it's easy to make a typo and end up on a site that looks like Craigslist but is really a scammer site.