By now many people know that “https” before a web address means that the site is secure. However, they may not understand what “secure” actually means. Even the U.S. government doesn’t seem to fully understand it, as the Census Bureau site includes this false statement: “The https:// ensures that you…
It’s that time again! Although the Census Bureau conducts more than 130 surveys every year, every ten years they conduct a massive survey to count every person living in the country. And just as surely as we can depend on the decennial count by the Census Bureau, we can trust…
Many employees are working from home to self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic. And for some employees and contractors the opportunity to work from home may continue long after the effects of the pandemic have faded away. Although avoiding a commute by working remotely can be convenient, there are security issues…
Once you have gotten your DNA tested, is it possible to remove your data from the databases in which it is recorded? If you are among the millions of Americans who have sent DNA to genetic testing labs, such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe.com, you may be wondering what you can…
Every newsworthy event becomes a hook for scammers who want to get our money or our personal information, and scammers have eagerly taken advantage of the confusion, concern and even panic surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The scams being put forth are similar to past frauds, but with a Coronavirus…
Most children spend hours every day online. Much of that time is spent messaging with others. Gaming and social media apps provide a way for children to connect with others, but sometimes those others are not what they appear to be. In this podcast we discuss where predators seek children…
As online users become more sophisticated, hackers are becoming more sophisticated as well. Early phishing attacks relied on users clicking links without paying attention to where the links took them. For example, a hacker would create a page that looked just like the PayPal login page, but it was actually…
How much does Google know about you? Probably a lot more than you realize. According to the founder of search engine DuckDuckGo, even if you do not directly use Google products, their trackers are found on 75% of the top million websites. “(Google isn’t) really a search company anymore –…
Have you ever noticed a sudden flurry of ads in your Facebook feed on a subject you recently talked about with friends—even though the conversation didn’t take place online and you didn’t search for or read online content about it? Others have noticed that, too. They wonder if their phones…
Money mules are individuals who are hired to receive and forward funds through their personal or business bank accounts. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), “Money mules help criminals launder their proceeds derived from criminal activities, by adding layers of recipients to the money trail.” This makes it…
It’s no secret that child predators seek victims wherever they can find them and, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), one current popular avenue is online gaming. The Pew Research Center notes that 97 percent of American teenage boys and about 83 percent of girls play video games,…
There is a belief that seniors are the victims of most scams, but scams affect people of all generations. In fact, data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) indicates that millennials are 25% more likely to report losing money to fraud than those over 40. However, the types of scams…
You look in your email inbox and see an email that says it is from someone you know. It even displays their picture. If you trust that this means the email is genuine, you are setting yourself up to be scammed as this is a technique commonly used in CEO…
Geofencing is used for a variety of applications, but it is commonly used in direct to consumer marketing. When customers and their mobile devices enter a defined geographic area (e.g., within a specified range of a store location), they are shown a marketing message, such as a discount or coupon,…