Author Topic: Consumer news and scams  (Read 230474 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #330 on: April 25, 2017, 07:44:31 pm »
Thanks SDQ      $good$
 it shows you how much I know about modern technology.    It was an e-mail from a relative I found out afterwards and it was the first time I had ever received one but I wasn't taking any chances and even when I Googled the number I believed it to be a scam.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #331 on: April 25, 2017, 08:13:48 pm »
 :-}}}     there I go again with the technology!   It was a text message apparently not an e-mail but thanks again SDQ


Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #332 on: April 26, 2017, 08:19:45 am »
It's not hard to become confused. In a relatively short time - around 15 years - the world has been changed to the extent that someone arriving here from the 1970s would hardly believe it was the same planet.  Texting is a prime example. The early texting was in the form of truncated alphanumeric shorthand characters, designed to be sent and read on a screen slightly larger than a postage stamp. Apple simply reinvented all that with astonishing ease and now we have Facetime, iMessage and the Android equivalents, all capable of sending small books in an instant or allowing us to communicate through video and audio with friends and family on the other side of the planet.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #333 on: April 26, 2017, 10:33:31 am »
It's not hard to become confused. In a relatively short time - around 15 years - the world has been changed to the extent that someone arriving here from the 1970s would hardly believe it was the same planet.  Texting is a prime example. The early texting was in the form of truncated alphanumeric shorthand characters, designed to be sent and read on a screen slightly larger than a postage stamp. Apple simply reinvented all that with astonishing ease and now we have Facetime, iMessage and the Android equivalents, all capable of sending small books in an instant or allowing us to communicate through video and audio with friends and family on the other side of the planet.
Very true, but I think we're coming to a point where we need to ask...is all this constant communication a good thing? Some people appear to live their lives on Facebook, instead of getting out into the real world and talking to real people. Others remain glued to their phones all day and night, terrified that they will miss a text message. Initially, it all seemed fantastic, but is it the case that the dream of instant communication is quickly becoming a nightmare?

Offline Fester

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #334 on: April 26, 2017, 11:09:57 am »
You're right Dave!
All these kids glued to their X Boxes and mobile phones, hardly moving apart from their index fingers.
When I was there age, I'd be hanging around outside the off license, hoping someone we could cobble together enough for a bottle of cider between us.
Then we'd climb on the school roof, break off some slates and throw them at rival groups of kids.
Later, there was always the obligatory fight with kids from the adjoining street, and if that didn't transpire we could always persecute the elderly woman from Poland, or the old man who twitched a lot and shouted in the street.....or knock on people's doors and run away.
Come on kids, live a little!! 
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #335 on: April 27, 2017, 07:16:02 am »
With technology changing so fast in the world today I can't see why anyone would want to go through the Cryonic process.   I know I wouldn't as it would be like waking up in an alien world.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/science/0/23695785

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #336 on: April 27, 2017, 07:29:56 am »
There's a nasty and potentially dangerous scam around which affects Chrome, Firefox and Opera. What it does is to spoof the URL address of a link;  okay - nothing new there, then, but the nasty bit is so long as you watched your URL bar across the top you could see if it was misdirecting you to a spoof site.

What this scam does is disguise your URL to make it look genuine. This is a very sneaky and nasty scam.  Now, I accept this is a bit technical, but the cure for Firefox users, anyway, is straightforward:



1.  Type about:config in the address bar of Firefox. Ignore the warnings about dragons :-)
2.  Search for network.IDN_show_punycode
3.  Set to 'True'
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline TELL

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #337 on: April 27, 2017, 08:25:16 am »
Hello Ian,
I am aged, and a technology "back of the class" type. I use Chrome, can you tell me what I should be looking out for and trying to avoid.
Thanks.

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #338 on: April 27, 2017, 08:31:33 am »
Sadly, Tell, there's no easy fix for Chrome or Opera at the moment. I would strongly urge you to switch browsers and download Firefox or Safari.  This is a particularly nasty trick which, in due course, the browser people will fix themselves, but at the moment Chrome and Opera are extremely vulnerable.

The real problem is that you won't be able to tell if you're taken to a faked page. It will look like the real one but it will have a 'payload' which could cause you a lot of trouble. Normally, all we had to do was check the address in the bar across the top of the browser, but the nasty aspect of this attack is that it fakes that address. Safari isn't affected, so the easy option for you is to switch to that until the other Browsers sort this out.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #339 on: May 09, 2017, 04:45:28 pm »
Police internet safety warning, over John Lewis free £75 voucher, advise do not click on any links.

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #340 on: May 09, 2017, 06:59:59 pm »
Pretty good advice for just about any email from any source these days, sadly.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #341 on: May 12, 2017, 11:13:51 am »
Police internet safety warning, over John Lewis free £75 voucher, advise do not click on any links.
Always bear in mind that 'you don't get owt for nowt'....

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #342 on: July 08, 2017, 12:28:24 pm »
A Facebook virus is circulating in the North Wales area.

Users of the social media site are receiving a seemingly innocent message from people on their friends list with a video link attached, which claims to be about the receiver.
But when opened, the video redirects to a false YouTube page where the user is prompted to download a file to view the video.
However, there is no video.

This malware can post your profile picture along with a URL and a video in a message making it look like your friend has spotted a video of you.
Instead those who do follow the instructions and complete the request unwittingly download a virus which in turn spams the users friends list with the same link.

Although it is unclear exactly what this virus can do, it is thought that cyber criminals may also use this or similar hoaxes to trick people into downloading malware or installing malicious apps and browser plugins.
There have been reports that some users have been unable to log out of their accounts after mistakenly downloading the virus.

But there are steps you can take to avoid being compromised.
If you receive one of these messages, DO NOT OPEN it and inform the friend who appeared to send the video that their account has been hacked.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/facebook-video-messenger-virus-malware-13299113



Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #343 on: July 20, 2017, 02:19:00 pm »
Had an Email, from Inland revenue, advising tax refund, asking for card details etc. so they could transfer refund,
NO CHANCE, We advised I.R., who confirmed the scam, and advised they do not ask for personal details by Email.

Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #344 on: July 21, 2017, 12:16:52 pm »
Just had a phone call from 02031296401 it was a recorded message something a about criminal charges to do with tax and HMRC,  I knew it was a scam so did not ring back! 

http://who-called.co.uk/Number/02031296401

21/07/2017
Attempt at HMRC-related scam

21/07/2017
Scam about criminal filings, wants you to call them back. I didn't call back but I did check with the real HMRC. Its a scam!

21/07/2017
Scam about criminal filings from HMRC, Avoid, ignore!

21/07/2017
Supposed to be from tax office message to phone them back

20/07/2017
HMRC scam, recorded message. Just hang up, they are fake NOT HMRC.

A pigeon is for life not just Christmas