Cryptocurrency: Deposits with No Returns

Cryptocurrency: Deposits with No Returns

Cryptocurrency is not a topic that many people know about or understand. Crypto, such as bitcoin and Ether, is a type of digital currency that in most cases exists only electronically in a digital wallet. You are able to buy it using your device, computer or a cryptocurrency ATM. But why would you? People buy it as an investment, to quickly pay for things and to avoid transaction fees that a traditional bank would charge. Another advantage of paying with crypto is because it offers some degree of anonymity. Crypto can also be earned through a complicated process called mining.

Scammers are banking on the fact that the general population doesn’t know much about this topic and crypto-related scams are popping up quickly. The Federal Trade Commission offers several tips on how you can avoid such a scam:

– Don’t trust companies who make big promises or guarantees. Only scammers guarantee big money in crypto with no risk.

– Do your homework. Research the company or specific type of crypto platform by using search engine terms such as “scam,” “complaint,” “review” and “news.”

– Understand that crypto accounts are NOT backed by the government like traditional Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) bank accounts are.

– Learn as much as you can about cryptocurrency and scams so you can recognize the red flags when they pop up.

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family, and your employees from the damages of identity theft. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Member Services team immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD).

Photo credit courtesy: John Tuesday via unsplash.com

Triple Date Breach Climbs to 25 Million: TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and Gemini

Triple Date Breach Climbs to 25 Million: TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and Gemini

Our security teams have recently discovered that over 25 million people have been impacted by data breaches involving TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and Gemini.

Both TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate are subscription-based websites owned by PeopleConnect that allow users to do background checks on people by utilizing public records. The breaches for both companies occurred on April 12, 2019. While TruthFinder’s breach involves eight million account holders, Instant Checkmate’s is even larger impacting 12 million. Stolen account holder information includes users’ email addresses, phone numbers and passwords for both sites. Parent company PeopleConnect has confirmed that all customer accounts created between 2011 and 2019 have been impacted and that the published list originated inside their company. Learn More

Gemini (Gemini Trust Company, LLC) is a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian that allows customers to buy, sell and store digital assets. The American-owned company operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. The breach size of 5.4 million originated December 13, 2022 as a result of a third-party incident. The company has declared that some customers have been the target of phishing campaigns from that third-party vendor exposing millions of email addresses and partial phone numbers. Learn More

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to protect you, your family, and your employees from the damages of identity theft. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Member Services team immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD).

Photo by https://unsplash.com Erfan Parhizi

 

The Biggest Ransomware Attack Ever

The Biggest Ransomware Attack Ever

On Friday, July 2nd, an affiliate of the REvil gang (Russian-linked) infected millions of victims in at least 17 countries via the US IT software company Kayesa. Our cybersecurity team has learned that the company’s software was used to slip into victims’ systems, which they’re now holding hostage.

 

The hackers have demanded $70 million in cryptocurrency to end what is now the biggest ransomware attack on record. The attack was specifically timed for the 4th of July holiday weekend when most office workers would be out of office. As reported in The Washington Post, most of the 1,500 victimized organizations were public agencies and small businesses.

 

The ransomware attack “has temporarily shutdown hundreds of Sweden’s Coop grocery stores because the cash registers locked up. The full scope of the attack probably won’t be known for quite some time.” The Associated Press noted that “due to the potential scale of this incident, the FBI and CISA may be unable to respond to each victim individually.”

 

Unfortunately this is not REvil’s first attack. Last month, timed with the Memorial Day weekend, the group extorted $11 million from meat supplier JBS after forcing it to shut down all of its manufacturing facilities.

 

Please contact us 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD) if you have any concerns or suspect identity theft. Additionally, you can email [email protected]. Day or night, we’ve got your back and will always be open for you.

 

Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash