Subscribe in a readerHidden Camera in a TV Set Top Box
There’s a video being posted around the internet that claims digital TV set top boxes have hidden cameras inside and that the government can use these to spy on you.
It’s a hoax, the guy who made it thought it would be funny (and it is). Set top boxes don’t have hidden cameras, and governments aren’t interested in spying on families.
The video is shown below, and here is a web site with more information.
Facebook Get Rich Quick Scheme
There were some ads on Facebook promising to make you rich by signing up to a Google advertising program. The ads had bogus testimonials, trying to make it look real.
If you click on the ad it takes you to a page branded "EMillionaire". It tells you to submit your details to see if you’re eligible to join the program.
The details it asks you for include your credit card number. It said that you would be charged US$1.90. Maybe some people were ok with this charge.
However, instead of being charged a small amount and being told the secret of becoming a millionaire, they charge US$197 to your credit card.
This is a scam. Facebook said they’ve removed the ads but people have reported that some still exist.
Also watch out for "Work at home" ads, they’re usually a scam as well.
Locked Visa Accounts
If you get an email telling you that your credit card is locked and that you need to click on the link to unlock it, treat it as a scam. It’s an example of email scams where they start with a story that sounds urgent (your credit card is locked), and that you need to click on the link right now (before you have time to think or research the email).
What usually happens is the link they give you is fake. It might look like a real company’s link, but if you hover your mouse pointer over the link you’ll be able to see where it really points to. And usually it’s a scammer’s web site in places like China or Russia.
Then when you get to that page, it’s been designed to look just like a real company’s site, and it prompts you to enter all your personal details including passwords. This information goes straight to the scammer who set up the fake site. He then sells it on a black market. Then someone buys your account details and uses it to commit fraud. It’s a large complex network that steals billions of dollars a year.
Below is an email claiming to be from Visa. When you receive emails like this, copy and paste it into Google, then Google will show you web sites like FraudO telling you if they’re scams.
Your Visa card is temporarily locked and the last transaction is on hold. Please understand we work to ensure your account safety. To restore your card and regain access you are required to register your Visa card in the Verified by Visa program, its a free, simple-to-use service that confirms your identity with an extra password when you make an online transaction.
It’s easy and only takes a few moments to activate your card. You can do it by clicking on the link below that will take you to Visa secure website.
[link removed - it looks like a Visa web site]
This is an outbound message only. Please do not reply to this email. If you have any questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), or contact us. You will receive a response within 2 business days.
Thank you for using Visa Cards.
If in doubt just call your credit card company on the phone. They’ll reply immediately, not in 2 days, and you can be sure you’re speaking to a legitimate company.
Thanks to Erik for sending this one in. If you find other scams or fraud attempts you can send them in using our contact form.
How Not To Configure Limewire
Limewire is a P2P file sharing program that’s been around for a long time. People use it to share files, and unfortunately most people use it to trade illegally copied music and movies (copyright violation).
When you install Limewire you need to turn some options off, otherwise it could also share your personal documents with everybody. Personal documents include Word files, your photos, etc.
If you use Limewire versions 4 or 5 click on this link and follow the instructions shown.
And if you’re wondering who would be silly enough to share private documents on a P2P network, here are some real life examples the article gives:
- An executive at a Manhattan production company accidentally leaked over 2,700 documents including the names, birth dates, and social security numbers of contractors, as well as scripts of episodes currently in pre-production
- A paralegal/transcription service leaked more than 5,000 documents including medical records and confidential attorney/client information
- A bookkeeper at a food service company leaked thousands of files including scanned driver’s licenses, social security, and insurance cards
Twitter "Don’t Click"
Just recently something happened: people using Twitter started seeing messages saying "Don’t Click". Most people are curious so they clicked. The link had an iframe with some hidden code that sent a Twitter message using your account, telling others not to click. Technically this is a virus because it propagated through a network.
The result was that a message saying "Don’t Click" quickly spread through Twitter. No harm was done. But it could have been harmful. Whoever came up with the idea managed to get lots of people to click on an unknown link, and it could have had malicious code on it.
Twitter says they’ve fixed the problem that made this possible. But it highlights a problem with Twitter, that people are seeing links they don’t understand and are clicking on them.
More info here.
Facebook Privacy Settings
AllFacebook has listed 10 privacy settings they recommend if you worry about how your personal details are shared with the public. The settings are listed below, together with my comments:
- Use Your Friend List – This is just grouping friend according to your own social circles, and you can apply privacy policies to each group. Makes sense since not all friends are created equal.
- Remove Yourself From Facebook Search Results – This prevents people finding you on Facebook, good for school teachers etc.
- Remove Yourself From Google – This prevents Google indexing your details. I believe this is a good thing, sometimes Google knows too much about about people.
- Avoid the Infamous Photo/Video Tag Mistake – This setting lets you control who can see photos of you.
- Protect Your Albums – This is similar to item 4, it also limits who can see your photos.
- Prevent Stories From Showing Up in Your Friends’ News Feeds – It basically stops gossip.
- Protect Against Published Application Stories – Some Facebook applications are silly and embarrassing, this tip explains them.
- Make Your Contact Information Private – You can control who gets to see your phone number, email address, etc
- Avoid Embarrassing Wall Posts – You can prevent friends posting embarrassing things on your Facebook wall.
- Keep Your Friendships Private – You can prevent others seeing your friend list.
The article explains these 10 things in great detail, with screen shots. It’s easy enough for anyone to follow. Read it here.
Microsoft Patches
Microsoft has released some critical updates today for Windows XP and Vista. If you use Windows perform a Windows Update to receive the latest patches. If you don’t then someone could take control of your PC just by visiting a hacked web page.
Valentine’s Day Malware
Every year Valentine’s Day brings new web sites with new malware.
One in particular sends you an email with a random love note and a link to a web site. The web site has a bunch of hearts for you to click on. If you click on any it asks you to open a file called you.exe.
Any file that ends with .exe is dangerous. In this case it infects your computer with malware.
Below is what the web site looks like:
If you see this close the window and ignore it.
Fake StudiVZ Toolbar
There’s a toolbar that claims to help users of the web site "StudiVZ". It’s not really from StudiVZ, it’s a keylogger that captures your passwords.
If you see this toolbar don’t download it or install it.
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