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You are here: Home / Archives for identity theft

identity theft

01/29/2020 By Jason Bean 3 Comments

Can You See the Red Flags in This PayPal Account Phishing Attempt

PayPal Phishing Email Screenshot
Click Image to Enlarge

It still surprises me the number of people that get taken by these types of spam emails, normally leading to malware installs, identity theft or other annoyances of life in the digital age. For me I hardly ever click on links in an email if I'm not expecting the email from someone already in advance. Even then I take a few quick seconds to scan the email and look for anything that seems fishy to me. Or should that be "phishy"?

Can you spot all the issues with this email I recently received:

  1. Misspelled the name of the company in the sender's name "Paypl service"
  2. Spammy looking email address! - this isn't always a reliable tell-tell sign to watch out, but more often than not it should give you a heads up. In this case the account name (prior to the @ symbol) seems odd, and in this case the server the email is coming from is also pretty sketchy looking
  3. Not always a red-flag (sadly) but there's numerous instances of letters being capitalized in the body of the message that shouldn't be if following standard grammatical rules
  4. Although not an alert all by itself, anything I see a link that's formatted as a button, I know there's opportunity for the things to be hidden, in this case we look at where the link is going to go by hovering over the link with our mouse in the browser and our browser telling us where in the bottom-left-hand corner
  5. Look at that link! //cat.jp.as.criteo.com/ now I'm going to stop right there because it's interesting to note that "Criteo" is a legitimate advertising platform, so these spammers appear to be either absolutely tracking their efforts of success or potentially spoofing this further to obscure their ploy. Taking a further look at the remaining part of the URL you'll see another website address being include after the "?r=" query string. That leads me to believe that link is being redirected even further to help cover their tracks

Here's another quick Public Service Announcement for you, don't just go clicking on links in emails even when they look like they're coming from legitimate sources. 

In this case, if you did indeed have a PayPal account and you were worried about it. Go to their website directly by opening your browser and typing in the URL of the company directly and visiting the site that way. Login to your account and see if there are any warnings or alerts posted there. If the company has a chat feature for support, send them a chat and have them verify if there are or are not any issues with your account that need to be addressed.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Criteo, email, identity theft, malware, PayPal, phishing, scams, spam, URL

12/06/2017 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

How Much Can Identity Theft Impact Your Life?

Identity Theft - Facial Wireframe

Identity theft is at an all-time high in today’s digital world. Identity theft can happen to anyone including teenagers browsing their smartphones to middle-aged families securing their nest egg. Security is no longer guaranteed and crucial steps need to be taken to make sure safety is within reach. Last year alone, 15 million people lost over $16 billion due to identity theft. Identity theft doesn’t stop with just bank accounts either.  Medical records, credit scores, and even criminal records are at a higher risk.

The most common form of identity theft starts with an unauthorized credit card or bank account charge. About 86% of fraud victims initially notice the intrusion by noticing an unauthorized charge on their bank account or credit card. Those diligent enough to find the unauthorized charges early usually have the charge taken care of within a couple of hours. Not all cases are so quick. Some identity theft cases can take years to resolve and 25% of cases are never fully solved. As a freelancer, you also need to understand the importance of protecting your credit as well.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking platforms have become a hotbed for identity theft. Social networkers have a 46% higher risk of identity theft. Online shopping also carries a higher risk. Your risk raises 30% online than in traditional brick and mortar stores. Taking steps such as clearing your card information in your browser, creating complex passwords, and securing your online shopping purchases can help protect that extra money you worked hard for safe from identity theft.

Whether you’re 18 and graduating high school or 80 and making your retirement fund last, keeping an eye on your digital footprint is more important than ever. Check out the infographic from Investment Zen below. It shows extra information on the risks of identity fraud as well as a additional information to keep you safe from harm. If you suspect identity fraud at any time, call the Federal Trade Commission and file a report.

How Much can Identity Theft Affect Your Life?

Via: InvestmentZen.com

Filed Under: Business & Career, Technology Tagged With: cell phones, finances, identity, identity theft, privacy, security, technology, wealth

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