Tag: computer crime

Stay Safe Online – EE scam phone calls – Fake WhatsApp messages – Who Called Me?

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Dane

Stay Safe Online

If your computer goes wrong, don’t automatically throw it away – unless it’s very old – we can probably fix it. We had a computer arrive the other day that had overheated – the customer said it was smoking! He did the right thing and quickly turned it off at the main socket, then unplugged it. He was lucky and, not only did we manage to retrieve all his data, we were able to replace the power supply – and it’s good for another few years; he can work on a computer he is familiar with and all his files are back where they were. So, before you give up on your computer – give us a call.

CURRENT SCAMS

EE Scam phone calls

We had a phone call the other day: “Hi, this is EE, you’re eligible for a free upgrade on your phone.” They then asked for personal information that the real EE would have already had – like full name, birth date and other phone numbers I had. I gave a false name and date of birth – so if EE ring again and ask for Rob Jones – I know it’s a scam! But the best thing to do is say: “Great, I’ll call you back, what’s your name?” which they are unlikely to agree to. If you want to check – or report the call – you can just type ‘EE Phone Number’ into the Google search bar and you will get the real EE.

Scam phone calls

If you get a phone call and don’t recognise the number, don’t answer it – if it’s someone you know they will most likely leave a message and you can call them back – if you really want to know who called you – you can look it up on who-called.co.uk

Which? Warn of scam WhatsApp messages with job offers – if you reply to a message the scammer sends more information about the job then asks you to pay for things like security checks or work equipment – termed ‘advance fee fraud’. Scammers also use fake job ads for money laundering purposes or to obtain your bank details or identity documents such as passport. Which? Have warned Fastnet that scammers are using their name to offer fake job opportunities.

If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.

Sign up for Which? Scam alerts: https://campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alert-service/ Find details of recent scams here: www.actionfraud.police.uk and on our Facebook page: Rainford-it-stay safe online and on our blog on our website.

Rainford-IT are part of Strawberry Fields – Nominet Channel partners and Cisco network partners.

We register and renew domain names. We manage our own servers, email, IT and website hosting. We can fix most hardware – Macs as well as PCs. It’s a family business and we provide a personal service.

Published in the February edition of the Whitchurch Gossip

#staysafeonline @actionfrauduk @WhichUK #WeFixMacs

Stay Safe Online – Protect Your Phone, Loan Fee Fraud, Email scams

Posted on January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 by Dane

Stay Safe Online

New free app protects your phone from scam calls

Call Protect is a free spam and robo call blocker with automatic Caller ID tool that safeguards you against known telemarketers, robo-callers, scammers, surveys, spammers, and other unwanted callers. With Call Protect, you can have peace of mind while it silently works for you to reduce the number of unsolicited phone calls you receive.

Call Protect maintains the latest list of active spam and robo callers which is monitored and updated in real-time. Each time you activate Call Protect this list is updated onto your device. High risk numbers identified as harmful are automatically blocked; whilst other, potentially harmful numbers, are added onto your phone with their caller ID information containing a warning message. This alerts you when you receive a phone call from suspicious callers. Call Protect is free but also offers additional features for a small monthly fee.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/call-protect-robo-blocker/id1357820531

Which? Warn of loan fee fraud

Which? report that cases of loan fee fraud are up by a fifth compared to last year. It’s a scam where a fraudster asks you for an upfront fee, usually between £25 and £450, in order to take out a non-existent loan. They usually target people who have been searching for loans online.

If you are looking for a loan – always check the legitimacy of the lender by using the FCA’s website to ensure they are registered www.fca.org.uk

Email scam

If you receive an email like this, just ignore it. You don’t have suspended emails and if you click on the attachment it is likely to get you to reveal your password or instal a virus – or both.

If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.

Find details of recent scams here: www.actionfraud.police.uk

Published in the January edition of the Whitchurch Gossip

Stay Safe Online – Facebook Alert!

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Dane

Stay Safe Online – Facebook Alert!

Which? Warn that there’s no such thing as an NCG list (National Community Grant). If you get a message from a Facebook friend starting with “Hello, how are you doing mate?” their Facebook account may have been hacked.

The fraudster then goes on to say they saw your name on the NCG list that assists government employees, pensioners, the disabled, etc. with cash. No such list or grant exists. The fraudster claims that they have received a grant for thousands of pounds and sends you a link to make an application. If you click on the link, you will be sent to a dodgy website requesting your personal details – and you may find that the link also downloads malware onto your device.

If you receive a Facebook message like the above, ignore it and try to contact your friend using another method to let them know their account has been hacked.

If it’s your account that’s been hacked, visit www.facebook.com/hacked to secure the account. Consider turning on two-factor authentication (2FA) for added protection against any further attempts.

In recent years there has been a massive increase in the number of websites losing the personal data of their users – for the consumers the after-effects of targeted hack or identity theft can be devastating.

2FA is an extra layer of protection to ensure the security of online accounts.

After entering a username and a password, an extra piece of information is required such as:

Something you know: like a PIN (personal identification number)
Something you have: like a credit card
Something you are: like a fingerprint

With 2FA, a potential compromise of just one of these factors won’t unlock the account. So, even if your password is stolen or your phone is lost, the chances of a someone else having your second-factor information is highly unlikely. Learn more about two-factor authentication and download the Authy app for IOS, Android and Chrome at: https://authy.com/

If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.

Stay Safe Online – Energy scams and bank scams – be scam-aware

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Dane

Stay Safe Online – Energy scams and bank scams – be scam-aware

Energy scams

Which? Warn that they have received reports of phone calls to households, pretending to be from the council and asking for card details to make a £150 energy rebate payment. They also report that scammers impersonate Ofgem through emails, texts and websites asking people to enter their banking details to qualify for fake energy refunds. The latest scam focuses on the Government’s new energy grants – it’s a text that asks you to click a link to sign up for the grant. The Government are not sending text messages as the grant will be applied to your energy account automatically.

This text comes from various phone numbers – you can check phone numbers on the website ‘who called me’ which will tell you if a number has been reported as suspicious. Make sure you don’t click on any links in messages like these. Instead forward the message to 7726 to report the scam and then block the phone number.

Santander scam

Watch out for fake emails saying that your account has been suspended – I knew this was a fake because I don’t have a Santander account – but the email address <jp> was also a clue!

Be scam–aware:

Were you expecting a call from this company? If not hang up, check for the correct number on their website – and ring them back.

Are you being asked for personal details? Don’t give out any personal informal information or bank details unless you are sure you are talking to the real company.

Watch out for premium rate phone numbers beginning with ‘09’ which can cost you up to £3.60 per minute.

Is the offer too good to be true? Then it very probably is a scam.

Are you being pressurised to make a decision now? Legitimate companies will always give you time to discuss the proposition with other people and think it over.

Are there spelling and grammatical errors in the message or email? Professional companies write professional emails that are checked – poor English is a sure sign of a scam.

Beware – fraudsters are getting very good at impersonating big companies – using their logos to make emails look real.

If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.

Rainford-IT are Mac specialists – got a problem – give us a ring – advice is free.

Published in the November edition of the Whitchurch Gossip