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Stay Safe from Holiday Scams Nov 12, 2024 | posted by Lily Chavez #scams #fraud #holidays #onlineshopping #security Stay Safe from Holiday Scams The holiday season brings more online shopping, making it a prime time for scammers. Here's how to protect yourself: Watch Out for Fake Websites and Apps Scammers often create fake websites and apps that look like trusted retailers. These sites steal your payment... Full Article
FTC Scam Awareness: Why It's Not Rude to Ignore "Hi, How Are You?" Text Messages from Strangers From the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Blog By Gema de las Heras, FTC Consumer Education Specialist Jun 6, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security #education #ftc-article A text message from an unknown number that simply says: hi, how are you? seems harmless. Your first instinct might be to respond to see if it’s someone you know. Or maybe tell them they made a mistake. But it’s best to ignore these type of text messages. Scammers are using this tactic as a... Full Article
Tech Term of the Month - May 2024: .exe May 16, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security #education #technology Have you ever received an email with file type .exe attached to it and wondered what is was? Or maybe you've downloaded an app or program to your computer that ran a .exe file to initiate the download and setup? Like a .jpg, .png, .mp4, .mp3, or .doc, .exe is a naming extension that denotes a... Full Article
Scam Email Claims to be from 'BCT E-Mail Support' May 7, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security #education We have received multiple calls and emails from members inquiring about a suspicious email message they received claiming to be from 'BCT E-Mail Support.' THIS IS A SCAM. Do not open the attachment or click on any links. It is also good practice to mark the message as Spam or Phishing Attempt in... Full Article
BCT "Final Notice" Email Scam Alert Apr 5, 2024 | posted by Erica Meyer #scams #security Many BCT members have reported receiving an email like the one below recently. This is a scam and NOT from BCT. DO NOT CLICK on the provided link. Delete the email. These are bad actors trying to phish your personal information. How can you tell? Look at the highlights below: 1. Return email... Full Article
Watch Out for this Text Message Scam Targeting BCT Members Mar 26, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security Our Member Services Team has been notified of a new text scam going around pretending to be from BCT. In this scam, the message threatens that the recipient’s services will be turned off if they do not click a link to update their expired payment information. This is a scam. BCT does not send... Full Article
The IRS Doesn't Send Tax Refunds by Email or Text From the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Blog By Larissa Bungo, Senior Attorney Feb 20, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security #ftc-article Got an email or text message about a tax refund? It’s a scam. IRS impersonators are at it again. This time, the scammers are sending messages about your “tax refund” or “tax refund e-statement.” It might look legit, but it’s an email or text fake, trying to trick you into clicking on links so... Full Article
How Are Robocallers Getting Your Phone Number? From the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Blog By Andrew Rayo, Consumer Education Specialist Jan 18, 2024 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #security #ftc-article Does it ever feel like you’re getting more robocalls than calls from actual humans? Illegal robocalls aren’t just annoying — they’re also often scams. But you might be wondering — how did they get my number in the first place? Sometimes robocalls are random. But sometimes, a company tries to... Full Article
Stay Up To Date On The Latest Scams! Jan 2, 2024 | posted by Jason Nugent #scams #security #tips Grandparents Scam You receive a call or text message from someone impersonating a grandchild or loved one asking for money to help with an emergency and providing instructions on where to send the money. These... Full Article
Tech Term of the Month - December 2023: Vishing Dec 14, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #security #education #technology #scams Vishing , short for 'voice phishing' is the fradulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages pretending to be from legitimate companies or organizations intended to get people to reveal personal information. Vishing is similar to phishing, which is when scammers attempt to get... Full Article
Scammers Hide Harmful Links in QR Codes to Steal Your Information From the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Blog By Alvaro Puig Consumer Education Specialist Dec 6, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #tips #security #scams QR codes seem to be everywhere. You may have scanned one to see the menu at a restaurant or pay for public parking. And you may have used one on your phone to get into a concert or sporting event, or to board a flight. There are countless other ways to use them, which explains their popularity.... Full Article
Think twice before taking that social media quiz Oct 16, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #security #scams #tips #education Your childhood pet’s name, your mother’s maiden name, your first car. Why would a random social media quiz about which Harry Potter character you’d most relate to need to know these things? Well, there’s a chance it’s a scam.  These types of topics are all common account security questions... Full Article
Watch out for package delivery confirmation scams this holiday season Sep 27, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #security #scams #tips As the holidays approach and more folks order items for delivery, scams like the one in the image above tend to increase. The sender pretends to be a company reaching out to confirm or schedule the delivery of a package.  These kinds of messages almost always have a button or link that they... Full Article
Tech Term of the Month - September 2023: Malvertising Sep 13, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #technology #security #education Short for malicious advertising, malvertising uses what looks like legitimate online advertising to distribute malware and other threats with little to no interaction required from users. Typically, scammers submit graphic or text ads infected with malware to legitimate advertising networks,... Full Article
Scammers impersonate well-known companies, recruit for fake jobs on LinkedIn and other job platforms From the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection Blog By Larissa Bungo, Senior Attorney, Federal Trade Commission Aug 16, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #security #scams Scammers are lurking on LinkedIn and other job sites, posing as “recruiters” for well-known companies. But instead of looking to hire you, they’re really looking to take your money and personal information. It starts with a direct message on a job search site like Indeed or LinkedIn. The... Full Article
Watch out for automatic account renewal scams Jul 20, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #security #scams Have you received an email or text message that looks like the image above? In this scam email that was sent to a BCT team member, the sender is posing as Norton, a company that offers anti-virus software. An invoice has been included in the email that details a subscription to "Norton 360... Full Article
Tech Term of the Month - July 2023: DoS/DDoS Attack Jul 19, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #security A  Denial of Service  or  Distributed Denial of Service  attack is an attempt to make a network-connected device or resource, like a computer or website, unavailable to its intended user(s). DoS/DDoS attacks usually target websites or services hosted on better-known web... Full Article
Scammers Are Impersonating Best Buy’s Geek Squad: Here’s What You Need to Know By Office of the Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum Jun 19, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #security #scams Don't fall for these phony Geek Squad invoices and customer service numbers. Consumers and small business owners are being targeted by a scam that involves fraudulent invoices and customer service numbers posing as Best Buy’s Geek Squad. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is urging... Full Article
Watch Out for Gift Card Scams May 18, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #security #scams Scammers continue to evolve their methods in the hopes of getting people to fall for their schemes, and sometimes they can be hard to spot. But one telltale sign of a scam is when someone asks you to pay for a service or help with a gift card. They might say to put money on a certain kind of... Full Article
Be Careful When Using Public Device Charging Ports Apr 20, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #tips #technology #security The list of things to be careful plugging into your devices grows as officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation warn travelers and shoppers to avoid public free phone charging ports. They warn that scammers or bad actors could use these ports, which usually include USB or USB-C, to... Full Article
Keep Your Personal Information Safe When Spring Cleaning Apr 19, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #tips #technology #security Ashley found an old Roku in the back of the closet while she was spring cleaning. She had a neighbor that wanted one, so it seemed like a perfect fit. It seemed like the only thing to do was to plug it in and see if it still worked.  Ashley was navigating through the settings... Full Article
Watch Out for "Account Suspended" Scams Feb 15, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #tips #security #scams A new favorite tactic of scammers is to try and convince you that one of your accounts has been suspended and that you need to take action to regain access or lift the suspension. The image above is from an email recently received by a BCT staff member that says, in rather poor grammar, their... Full Article
Tech Term of the Month - February 2023: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Feb 15, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #tips #security Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Factor Authentication is an online account security protocol that adds an extra step to the login process to ensure the right person is accessing an account. MFA usually involves a code being sent to a smartphone or email address after the username and... Full Article
Update Your Passwords to Keep Accounts Secure Feb 1, 2023 | posted by Conner Williams #education #tips #security Today on National Change Your Password Day, we want to share a few tips for creating strong passwords, keeping them secure, and most importantly, remembering all of them. Try to use a pass phrase rather than a pass word. Pick a 4-5 word phrase, and then include capital letters and symbols... Full Article
'Tis the season to spot and avoid gift card scams By By Kira Krown, Federal Trade Commission Consumer Education Specialist Dec 12, 2022 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #tips #ftc-article #security #education Article courtesy of the  Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice blog Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Here’s one for you: Keep your hard-earned money safe from scammers by spotting and avoiding gift card scams. Then help others spot and avoid them, too. Scammers want you to pay with gift... Full Article
Amazon "Prime Account Report" Email Scam Alert Oct 18, 2022 | posted by Conner Williams #news #security #scams #email ❗ Amazon scam alert ❗ The holidays are approaching, and folks are making more purchases online. Scammers take this opportunity to do what they do: try to trick you into giving up your money or personal information. Be on the lookout for scam emails from seemingly-reputable... Full Article
Stay Safe from Many Online Threats with Umbrella Defense This online safety feature is included with every BCT Internet subscription. Sep 1, 2022 | posted by Conner Williams #security #technology #company information #wifi #announcements BCT has implemented Umbrella Defense - a cyber security solution from Cisco - to help protect internet subscribers. Umbrella Defense is a complimentary, included service that protects all subscribers on a BCT internet connection from accidentally visiting reportedly known websites that may... Full Article
Don’t click on that random text. It’s a scam By Gema de las Heras, Federal Trade Commission Aug 16, 2022 | posted by Conner Williams #scams #news #tips #ftc-article #security Sorry to burst your bubble. That unexpected text from the Postal Service (USPS), Costco, or The Home Depot telling you about an unclaimed package or a survey you can complete to claim a freebie is NOT from them. It’s a scam. The FTC has seen a spike in reports from people getting text messages... Full Article
Create and Store Strong Passwords with a Password Manager May 5, 2022 | posted by Conner Williams #technology #tips #security Let’s talk passwords – it’s World Password Day! We all know having strong passwords is important, but are you reusing the same one across multiple websites? This opens the door for vulnerabilities in the event of a data breach.  Image caption:  The LastPass password generator tool... Full Article