Accidentally Clicked on a Phishing Link – Now What

Accidentally Clicked on a Phishing Link – Now What

You know that searing flush-faced feeling when you pretty much know you made a mistake with a slip of the finger? Sometimes it’s sending a text too soon or responding to an email without editing your response. Other times it’s when you click on something you likely shouldn’t have … and then the “uh oh” escapes … and then the big sigh.

 

When we multitask, whether it is at work or at home, we do tend to slip up at times and open something that we shouldn’t. Then enters adware, malware, ransonmare, spyware, and whatever-else-is-next-ware into our lives.

 

Oops! Now what?

 

There are some imperative steps to take to alleviate harm to you and/or the network you may be connected with:

– Try not to panic. This happens to everyone. Antivirus and anti-malware will come into play and you will need to have a full system scan. But first …

– End the session immediately by turning off Wi-Fi, unplugging from an ethernet cable or completely shutting down all of your devices.

– Initiate a back up of your files. Since you won’t be connected to the internet at this point, you won’t be able to accomplish this to the cloud. Having an external drive, DVD or thumb drive are always nice to have on hand during times like these.

– Change your login/password to email account(s) and enable two-factor authentication if this hasn’t already occurred.

– If you are employed by a company or organization, reference your manual and let your network administrator know of the potential issue.

– After all is said and done, check your antivirus/anti-malware software and run a full scan.

 

Being informed of what steps you may need to take before a slip up happens can help ease the potential damage (and your stress level) if it does. As always, if you need help or have any concerns, we are available 24/7/365 for you.

DNA – Genetic Testing Hacks

Yes, we all would love to know more about our pasts … some from a medical necessity and others just from plain curiosity. Unfortunately, genetic testing is one of the newer “gotcha” identity theft hacks. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of Inspector General has just alerted the public about this new fraud scheme.

 

What is Genetic Testing?

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, genetic testing is a voluntary medical test “that identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.” With more than 1,000 genetic tests currently in use, genetic testing labs are sprouting up all over the country, and in some circumstances, health insurers now pay for the testing. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pays for next-generation sequencing for people with advanced cancer or a family history if the test is medically necessary and ordered by a treating physician. These tests may cost $10,000 or more.

 

How Does Genetic Testing Fraud Happen?

Genetic testing fraud occurs when, in this case, Medicare is billed for a test or screening that was not medically necessary and/or was not ordered by a treating physician. For example, Mr. Smith, a retiree, attended a county fair and stopped by a booth offering “free genetic testing.” Not realizing that a treating physician’s orders would be needed for Medicare to cover the cost of the test and being naturally curious about his family’s risk of cancer, Mr. Smith provided his Medicare personal identifying information to the booth worker prior to getting his cheek swabbed. In some cases, sample kits are mailed to the victim. He was then told to expect test results in about three weeks. Medicare was billed for the test and denied the claim. Mr. Smith was then charged the full amount of the test and likely never received his results. Basically, Mr. Smith’s scammer found a laboratory willing to split the profit from the testing once the DNA samples were in hand.

 

How Can I Prevent This?

– If a genetic test is mailed to you unsolicited, do not accept it. Just write ‘return to sender’ on the envelope and send it back.

– Understand that there are schemes that say genetic testing is free. Although it may falsely appear as a no cost test, realize that there are no free genetic tests. Someone always has to pay.

– Only a physician that you know (and trust) should be discussing genetic testing with you or ordering it.

– If someone you do not know asks for your health insurance or Medicare information, do not provide it. Only provide this type of information in person at your physician’s office.

– Be aware that anytime your personal information is compromised, it may be used in other fraud schemes. Closely monitor your credit report and make sure your identity theft resolution services coverage is current.

 

If you suspect genetic testing fraud, please contact the HHS OIG (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General) hotline at 1.800.HHS.TIPS or email [email protected] immediately. Not sure what to do or have concerns about this topic? Contact us day or night. We are always open for you.

 

 

Zoofari 2019

Zoofari 2019

Join us! We are a proud sponsor of Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Zoofari event, which will take place Friday, September 13, 2019 from 6:30 pm to midnight. This year’s theme is A Masquerade Ball.

 

Zoofari attracts over 2,600 guests and raises integral support for the Zoo’s initiatives, including the care and sustenance of more than 500 animal and 3,000 plant species, ground-breaking conservation efforts and educational outreach programs that reach more than 330,000 students annually.

 

The event is usually sold out so get your tickets fast. We hope to see you there!

 

Follow #Zoofari2019

New American Express Phishing Attack

New American Express Phishing Attack

A new form of phishing attack has recently targeted Amex cardholders and is more sophisticated than what experts have seen in the past. A phishing attack can arrive via email, text, social media message or even as a phone call and appears to be coming from someone you know (a person in your contact list or a company that you regularly interact with, such as your financial institution). According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, “the link embedded in the current American Express phishing attack comes via email and is two different parts. This way the hacker can insert malicious code into the link while also confusing the recipient’s antivirus software. Instead of warning about a harmful link, the software does not recognize it as malicious.”

 

How can you tell if an email is a phishing scam? The Amex email itself was very typical of a phishing attack – it was filled with grammatical errors including spelling and punctuation mistakes. Along with being on the lookout for language errors, here are some additional tips to keep in mind:

 

– Verify that the information is legitimate. If an email comes from your supervisor, call them and make sure. If an email comes from a company that you regularly do business with, ignore it and go directly to their website and check your account.

 

– Don’t click on a link or download an attachment from an email or message that you aren’t expecting.

 

– Double-check the sender’s address or the website address. For example, if it says, “AmazOn.com,” it is probably fake.

 

– Remember that caller ID is not trustworthy.

 

If you think you have received an American Express phishing email, don’t click on any of the links. The company suggests that you forward it to [email protected] so they can act to close down the phishing link. After the email is forwarded, delete it from your inbox.

 

Please call Guard Well Member Services at 888.966.4827 (GUARD) or email [email protected] if you feel you have been a victim of identity theft. We are always available for you – 24/7/365.

 

 

Capital One Breach Alert – 100 Million Impacted

The Wall Street Journal reports that this latest massive consumer data breach stands to be one of the worst for U.S. consumers because of the type of financial information that was accessed. The hacker accessed personal information of Capital One credit card customers and applicants in the U.S and 6 million in Canada. “This valuable consumer financial information can be used to figure out the identities of the most creditworthy or affluent consumers and open a card or loans in their name.” READ MORE

 

Take Action
Though Capital One says login information wasn’t compromised in this hack, reusing old passwords is a major security vulnerability. We suggest that you immediately:

– Change your passwords

– Set up two-factor authentication

– Closely monitor your credit card activity and credit reports

We Are Here to Help!
Please contact our 24/7/365 Member Services team at 888.966.GUARD (4827) if you think you may have been a victim. You can also visit our website and click on Let’s Talk, where you can:

– Schedule an in-person meeting or call

– Make a payment

– Send us a file

– Leave us your comments

– Access your account

– Click-to-call Member Services immediately

Do You Know What Alexa, Google and Siri Are Up To?

Do You Know What Alexa, Google and Siri Are Up To?

Not everyone has a smart speaker in their home or office, but most of us do have a smart phone. When setting up your device, you were likely asked whether or not you wanted to activate your assistant. Doing so doesn’t take very long … you say a few phrases when prompted so it can get to know your voice and that’s pretty much it … you officially have a virtual assistant. Have you ever wondered how your assistant actually works?

 

Virtual assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant, use artificial intelligence (AI) to parse what is said or typed and then provide useful information back. Want to know something quickly without lifting a finger? Simply say a wakeword phrase such as, “Hey Siri,” or whatever your smart application is called, and ask away. You could say, “Who wrote Gone with the Wind?” or “What is 23.5 times 6?” or “Play I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” When you talk to a smart phone or speaker, you know that your voice is being recorded and that there will be a result – sometimes it’s an answer, other times the correct action is taken or occasionally there may be an inquiry back to clarify the request. But, just as false starts happen in races, false positive recordings can be triggered by something as simple as someone zipping up their jeans because it sounds to Siri like the person’s muffled voice. If you have ever experienced Siri being accidentally activated during a time when not requested, you know that it can be a bit embarrassing … and a little unnerving.

 

If privacy is a big concern of yours, you might want to throw your smart speaker or device out the window. These instruments are indeed paying attention to us, but does this mean that they can listen and record all of the time? Amazon hopes so. A newly revealed patent application filed by the company is raising privacy concerns over an envisaged upgrade to the company’s smart speaker systems. This change would mean that, by default, the devices end up listening to and recording everything you say in their presence. The idea is similar to Apple’s live photos, where video is recorded before and after a user takes a picture. Since the application is being asked to do something for us, then we are basically acknowledging that our privacy isn’t desired at that point in time.

 

Amazon.com, Inc. employs thousands globally to help improve the Alexa digital assistant through its line of Echo speakers. Rene Ritchie explained in his latest blog (July 28, 2019) titled Why People Are Freaking Out Over Siri Privacy Right Now, that “the team listens to voice recordings captured in homes and offices. The recordings are transcribed, annotated and then fed back into the software as part of an effort to eliminate gaps in Alexa’s understanding of human speech and help it better respond to commands.” Ritchie remarked, “If Amazon does decide to use the tech in its products, it’s unclear whether customers would be able to opt out of the ‘always on’ recording.”

 

Ritchie continued on with detail about Amazon’s patent application. “While the patent application explains devices would record audio in 10 to 30 second increments and automatically delete unneeded clips, privacy experts say it is cause for concern because it demonstrates tech companies’ growing ability to surveil customers at all times and potentially misuse collected information.”

 

Let’s take a glance at another tech giant, Apple, who recently told The Guardian: “A small portion of Siri requests are analyzed to improve Siri and dictation. User requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID. Siri responses are analyzed in secure facilities and all reviewers are under the obligation to adhere to Apple’s strict confidentiality requirements.” The company added that a very small random subset, less than 1% of daily Siri activations, are used for grading, like whether the request was intentional or a false positive that accidentally triggered Siri, or if the response was helpful. They added that those snippets used for grading are typically only a few seconds long.  But, what if those few seconds just happen to be you discussing a very private medical issue with your doctor or a very sensitive issue with a family member? How can you prevent being part of a company’s grading process? Currently, the only way to have peace of mind that a random stranger won’t listen in on your Apple device is to stop using Siri entirely.

 

Heidi Messer for The New York Times wrote that “consumers should not be so paranoid about privacy. “The right to absolute privacy no longer exists and excessive regulation of tech companies will only stifle innovation and prevent job creation.” Privacy in the digital age may not be completely deceased but it is hanging on by its fingernails. Just remember, when you agree to use these products, you’re often giving up much more than you think.

 

 

 

 

Flying This Summer? How to Prevent Juice Jacking

Flying This Summer? How to Prevent Juice Jacking

Vacations are indeed wonderful. Traveling to a new destination or to a familiar favorite locale is a treasured experience with memories that can last a lifetime. On the other hand, traveling on business might not be as fun, but it is a must for many. Going from point A to point B can be stressful at times. Weather, flight delays, overbooked flights, long layovers or not having enough time between flights causing you to miss your next connection … you name it, it can happen. Next thing you know, your device battery is getting low. So, what do you do? Is it safe to recharge at a public charging station? Not always.

 

Juice jacking is a type of cyber attack and typically involves public USBs. Public charging stations, such as those found in airports, train stations, hotel lobbies, and even your rental car, can make your personal data very vulnerable and open your device up to malware.

 

As reported in Forbes, a growing number of nation-state hackers have been training their sights on travelers. New research from IBM, in the 2019 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, reveals that the transportation industry has become a priority target for cybercriminals as the second-most attacked industry — up from tenth in 2017. Since January 2018, 566 million records from the travel and transportation industry have been leaked or compromised in publicly reported breaches.”

 

What steps can you take to prevent juice jacking from happening to you?

– Don’t leave home without a fully charged battery.

– Carry a charging cord with you so you can use a wall socket instead of a public USB.

– Purchase an external battery pack.

– Turn off your phone to save your battery when feasible.

– Learn how to optimize your device’s battery settings.

 

 

 

Top 10 Identity and Access Management Solution Providers – 2019

Top 10 Identity and Access Management Solution Providers – 2019

An Intelligent Way to Protect Your Employees

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions was listed as one of the “Top 10 Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions Providers – 2019” in Enterprise Security Magazine. “What has intrigued us the most is that Guard Well always takes the driver’s seat in addressing the identity theft and restoration challenges through its full resolution solutions, cutting edge advanced monitoring tools and proprietary API technology. The company has been on the pinnacle in combining their 24/7 availability and an intense focus on customer service to provide the best IAM solutions today,” remarked Michael Brown, Managing Editor.

 

You can read the entire article HERE.

Two-factor Authentication Phishing  Scam

Two-factor Authentication Phishing Scam

Have you tried to log into an account of yours, such as your insurance or financial institution, and been told to confirm your identity in order to keep your credentials safe? You then receive a code either via text or email which is required for you to enter. Also known as 2FA, this SMS multi-step process has been the trusted security step to protect your accounts … until recently.

 

Unfortunately, there is an automated phishing attack on 2FA, which utilizes two tools: Muraena and NecroBrowser. Reported by Fortune, “The two tools work together like the perfect crime duo. Think of Muraena as the clever bank robber and NecroBrowser as the getaway driver.”

 

The attack was first demonstrated at the Hack in the Box Security Conference in Amsterdam last month. A video of the presentation was posted on YouTube on June 2nd bringing renewed attention to how hackers are getting better at penetrating extra layers of security, despite people using stronger tools, like 2FA.

 

So, what do you do? Do you still want to utilize SMS-based 2FA for your accounts? For the most part, the answer is yes.

 

Think of it like this. Say you want to put a lock on your front door to protect your home. Security professionals are arguing that the best type of lock available is way better than cheaper locks. Sure, makes sense. But if that more expensive lock isn’t available to you, isn’t having a cheaper lock still better than not having a lock at all?

 

As discussed on How-to-Geek’s website, there are some people who are more likely than others to be targeted by sophisticated hackers and should avoid using this SMS-based 2FA. For example, if you’re a politician, journalist, celebrity, or business leader, you could be targeted. Also, if you’re a person with access to sensitive corporate data, such as a system administrator, or just very wealthy, SMS may be too risky.

 

But, if you’re the average person with a Gmail or Facebook account and no one has a reason to spend a bunch of time getting access to your accounts, SMS authentication is fine and you should absolutely use it rather than using nothing at all.

 

If you suspect that your login credentials have been compromised, change your passwords as quickly as possible and report the website to the FTC and/or your identity theft resolution provider.

 

Sources:

https://conference.hitb.org/

https://Howtogeek.com/

 

 

Preventing a Mortgage Closing Scam

Preventing a Mortgage Closing Scam

Searching for a new home, can be as exciting as it is stressful, tedious and time-consuming. It will likely be one of your most memorable life moments, especially for first-time buyers. So when you do find that perfect home for you, your bid is accepted and the inspection comes back great, you and your family celebrate and start down the long check-list of things to do prior to your move.

 

As that closing date approaches, unfortunately, the risk of being a victim of a phishing scam does as well. The ultimate cost could be the loss of your entire life savings and there is usually not an insurance policy that will recover your money if this happens to you.

 

The FBI has reported that scammers are increasingly taking advantage of homebuyers with very complex, sophisticated schemes with reports of mortgage fraud rising over 1,100 percent each year. There was an estimated loss of nearly $1 billion in real estate transaction costs in 2017 alone.

 

How would mortgage fraud happen to you? Mortgage fraud, a sub-category of financial institution fraud (FIF), typically starts with a phishing email that appears to be coming from a trusted professional involved in your property purchase. The email claims to be notifying you of changes to your wiring instructions or that they had made a mistake and previously discussed the wrong wiring instructions with you. Wire fraud is so prevalent that many attorneys, lenders and realtors are starting to include a warning about it in their emails. “We do not accept or request wiring instructions or changes to wiring instructions via email. Always call to verify.” But, be wary that even phone conversations may be fraudulent.

 

What can you do to prevent mortgage fraud from happening to you? Consult the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Mortgage Closing Checklist. Identity two trusted individuals involved in the closing process and have multiple ways for you to contact them. Real estate professionals suggest that you create a code phrase that is only known to the trusted parties involved in the transaction in case there is a need to confirm their identities in the future. Be mindful that email is never a secure way to send financial information or closing details.

 

What if mortgage fraud happens to you? Try to ask for a wire recall with your financial institution. Being swift in reporting the crime can greatly increase the likelihood of recovering your funds. Report the fraud to your identity theft resolution provider. Lastly, file a complaint with the FBI.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/white-collar-crime/mortgage-fraud

https://consumerfinance.gov

 

Photo credit:

Tierra Mallorca via Unsplash