The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a news release urging parents and families to be wary of the risks posed when sharing home devices, shopping online, and using social media.
Veterans, thank you for your service!
NOTICE: Security Federal Savings Bank will be closed on Monday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
AVISO: El Banco estará cerrado el jueves, 11 de noviembre en conmemoración del Día de los Veteranos.
While this idea can be alarming and unsettling, there are ways to protect your private information, and conversations, from these always-listening devices. To help you stay safe from these devices, here are some tips:
They will pretend to be from the government, a bank, or another trusted organization, and they’ll ask you to make a small, initial “administration fee” in order to claim the amount that is supposedly owed to you.
Computers, tablets, phones and other personal devices hold your emails and your financial and tax documents (with your Social Security numbers).
The bad guys are currently using fake legal threats to scare you into downloading their malicious attachments. These email scams typically inform you that your organization is going to be sued. You’re instructed to review the attached file for details and to respond within a few days or further action will be taken against you. Once you open the attachment, which is usually a Microsoft Word document, your computer is instantly infected with Malware.
Who Does it Affect?
“Elder abuse”, or the mistreatment of older adults, occurs among people from all income levels and walks of life. Citizens above age 65 are most susceptible. It can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse.
The perpetrators of financial abuse are typically family members, friends, or trusted advisors that are well aware of the senior’s financial situation. Someone tries to develop a level of trust with the older adult so they will voluntarily give away their assets.
Over the past few months, there’s been an increase in the bad guys taking advantage of this trusted file type. They’re finding ways to hide malware in PDFs so they make it past the security filters your organization has in place. Most often, the malware is executed once you open the PDF and click on a misleading link in the file.
Using free public WiFi at a coffee shop or airport hot spot is great for convenience, but bad for security.
Most free access points do not make use of encryption. This is done for convenience and ease of access. If every person had to ask the barista or gate attendant for the WiFi key, it would get unruly, and no actual work would get done.
Keep in mind that you are sharing those wireless airwaves with anyone that is within range of your wireless communications.
Phishing is when you get emails, texts, or calls that seem to be from companies or people you know. But they're actually from scammers. They want you to click on a link or give personal information (like a password) so that they can steal your money or identity, and maybe get access to your computer.
THE BAIT
Scammers use familiar company names or pretend to be somone you know.
