Symantec released new research highlighting widespread “ransomware” scams in Europe, the U.S., and Canada. The research estimates cybercriminals are *extorting* millions each year from victims. The full research can be read here.
A scam that has been targeting British Columbia businesses is now focusing on Alberta businesses.
Over the past couple of weeks, Nerds On Site has had several clients contact us for help in regards to one of the latest virus scams making the rounds – the Canada Police Enforcement Virus. Here’s some information about what it is and what you need to know about how to avoid becoming a victim of this scam.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has issued a warning about scareware messages saying a computer is associated with child pornography and demanding money to fix the problem. The government agencies insist they NEVER send out e-mails to that effect, and are encouraging people to not fall for the scams.
It’s tax season, which means there are bad guys out there looking to take advantage of those filing returns, and who may expect to be contacted for whatever reason by the Canadian Revenue Agency.
Phishing is alive and well. Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
In light of reduced SPAM as of late, I was somewhat surprised to see phishing and theft attempts as sophisticated as this come through to my inboxes today – at least one in each of my different email addresses, but all came from email accounts of friends on Facebook. I searched the major anti-virus and malware vendors as well as google and twitter and nothing turned up, so maybe I’m just one of the first to be hit.
‘Tis the season – well, almost. Gadgets and cool new technology are high on the wish lists of many shoppers. Here is a list of pitfalls and scams from McAfee that shoppers should be looking out for.
This morning I received a phishing email supposedly from QuickBooks, warning me that I would no longer be able to access my QuickBooks without first downloading their new Intuit Security Tool. I see some of you smirking already, and you’re right – I wasn’t fooled for a moment. But think of how many non-techies WILL be fooled by such an email?
Though we covered this in a blog post in May in much more detail, after seeing another report on TV of people falling victim, or very close to being one, of a telephone scam making the rounds, supposedly from Microsoft, it’s time to revisit this issue.