Don’t Fall For Scams

By Greg Hartwig, Webmaster for www.levitt.com

Cyber robots attack levitt.com and levitt.tv every day. They try to break in using common passwords or other exposures. Our system blocks an average of 350 attacks per day from hackers in Korea, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Columbia, Ukraine, Venezuela, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, as well as within the U.S.

We have defenses in place to automatically block these attacks, and all important data — addresses and credit card information — is encrypted to prevent theft.

Hackers and scammers target individuals, as well. You’re probably aware of scams like the “Nigerian prince”— a stranger who promises you a large reward in return for helping him transfer money into the U.S. — or “rich” people who want to give you money if you’ll just provide your bank information.

The Tricks

Because most of us know not to give personal information to strangers, scammers have gotten creative, posing as a friend or an authority so you’ll feel comfortable giving them information. These ruses are called “phishing” schemes — they “fish” for information.

Fake Authority

  1. You receive an email stating that your account has been locked. It reads: “Click here to unlock” and links to what looks like the official website logon page. However, it’s a fake; a trap to learn your user name and password. — Check the link address by hovering over it and you’ll see that it’s a fake. Don’t click or sign in.
  2. You receive an email or phone call from your “neighborhood watch” or some other authority. They ask for simple things, like your wife’s name. “She’s a Johnson, isn’t she?” “No; a Robinson,” you respond. You’ve just given away her maiden name, a common security question on websites. — Don’t confirm or correct strangers’ information.
  3. You receive an email “receipt” from Amazon showing a credit card charge of $1,195 for a new laptop. It reads: “Click here to dispute the charge.” “Yikes … you bet I will!” You click quickly. You know what comes next. — Check the website address:  It won’t be amazon.com, even though it may look official. Don’t try to sign in!
  4. You receive a phone call or email: “This is the IRS and we have a warrant for your arrest. You can resolve this by sending us $500 right now, or you can face expensive litigation. How do you want to fix this?” — Hang up!

Fake Friends

  1. A friend emails that she’s traveling and lost her passport and money. Can you lend $500 to get her home? More likely: She (or a friend) fell for one of the above traps and scammers got your email address from her contacts list so they can try to scam all her friends by impersonating her.
  2. You receive a phone call that sounds fuzzy and distant. “Grandma?” you hear. “Is this Jimmy?” you ask. “Yes. I’m in trouble with the law! Can you send me $500 right away and not tell my parents?” It’s not Jimmy and you just gave them his name.

Threats and Ransoms

  1. “We have locked your computer files. Send us $500 right now and we’ll give you the password to unlock them.”
  2. “We’ve been watching you through your computer and have all your friends’ contact info. We will send them incriminating information about you unless you send us $500 in the next 48 hours.”

How will they use this information?

They will try to:

  1. Get you to send them money quickly, before you think better of it.
  2. Use your credit card to buy things or open new accounts.
  3. Use your email account to phish your contacts, using the above
    tricks.
  4. Break into your financial accounts and transfer money.

What should you do?

  • Be aware that cyber criminals want your online accounts.
  • Use strong passwords
  • Be suspicious of emails that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies don’t conduct important business by email out of the blue.
  • Most importantly, always check the website’s address in your web browser before divulging any information. Answers to security questions like birthdates or where you went to school may help crooks break into your accounts.
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