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Safe Not Scammed

Rebecca Morris

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Cybercriminals Offer $300 per SIM swap

Issue #12 Cybercriminals Offer $300 per SIM Swap Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about how cybercriminals are bribing employees of major cell carriers to carry out SIM swaps. What is a SIM swap? First, a bit of background. A SIM swap allows an attacker to steal your phone number. It happens when a cybercriminal convinces your cell carrier to transfer your number to their phone, meaning all your calls and texts go to them. If you receive 2-factor...

7 days ago • 1 min read

Issue #11 Eclipse-Themed YouTube Scams Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Let’s talk about YouTube scams again this week, as there’s been more scam activity on the video sharing platform. As I explain in the latest post on Safe Not Scammed, fraudsters have been exploiting Monday’s eclipse to lure viewers into a classic crypto giveaway scam. This scam works by asking victims to send crypto to a specific address and promising to send double the amount back. Of course, anyone...

14 days ago • 1 min read

Issue #10 Malware Lurks on YouTube Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about YouTube. If you need a tutorial about anything computer related, YouTube is a great place to look! Unfortunately, hackers know this, and are using it to trick viewers into downloading malware. Proofpoint, a cybersecurity company, released a report earlier this week describing what’s been going on. Essentially, the unknown cybercriminals are creating YouTube videos describing how...

21 days ago • 1 min read

Issue #9 Don’t Trust Links From AI! Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). This combines AI with Google Search to provide an AI generated answer to your questions. Lily Ray, an SEO specialist and DJ, found that SGE includes malicious links as part of its AI generated answers. If you search for “Walmart auto center,” for example, she found you’ll get an AI generated summary of Walmart’s auto services,...

28 days ago • 1 min read
A laptop with a "No Entry" sign on the screen and a panic emoji

Issue #8 Don’t Get Locked out by 2FA Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Today I want to ask you a question: If you lost or broke your phone, would you still be able to access your online accounts? If you have two-factor authentication (2FA) turned on, you might find the answer to that question is “no.” That’s because the most common forms of 2FA use your phone to confirm you really are who you say you are whenever you log in, either by sending you a code via text or having...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Issue #7 How to Spot a Scam Shopping Site Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, I want to talk about how to spot a scam shopping site. Imagine that you want to buy a particular pair of shoes. Unfortunately, they are out of stock everywhere, except for this one website you’ve never heard of before. Is it safe to buy from the site? Or is it a scam? The WHOIS Database One tool you can use to help answer this question is the WHOIS database, which collects a lot of useful...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Issue #6 That “App Optimization” Job Is a Scam! Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Today I want to talk about the job market. Because it’s tough out there, and, unfortunately, scammers are making it even rougher! The Offer On Wednesday, I received a text message from someone calling themselves Sarah. She told me she worked at ACCUR Recruiting and had gotten my phone number from a “recruiting database.” “Can I share some job opening information with you?” she asked. Despite...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Issue #5 Ignore That Wrong Number Text! Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Ever receive a text message that was clearly meant for someone else? If so, watch out! Innocent seeming “wrong number” texts could be part of a scam trying to steal your money! Beware friendly strangers texting you! I received one such text a few months ago from a person calling themselves Anna. It read: “Hi Jasmine , long time no see, when are you going back to Thailand.” (The grammatical errors were...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read
A laptop with the message "This site has been seized" displayed on the screen.

Issue #4 Hackers Got Hacked Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Prolific ransomware gang LockBit had a terrible week this week. Law enforcement from multiple counties turned the tables on the cybercriminals by hacking them, seizing their websites and servers. Police also shutdown thousands of third party accounts used by the gang and even arrested some of the hackers, significantly disrupting their criminal operations. Who is LockBit? LockBit is one of the most active...

2 months ago • 1 min read

Issue #3 All Good Things Come to an End Image made using Canva Ahoy there fellow Netizens! This week we have two reminders that all good things come to an end: Skiff and Authy desktop. Skiff Skiff is (or was) a privacy focused productivity suite offering end-to-end encrypted email, calendar, notes and storage. It’s relatively new but was becoming more and more popular. In fact, as of November 2023, it had nearly 2 million users. Unfortunately, last week users found out Skiff will be shutting...

2 months ago • 2 min read
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