The 12 scams of Christmas 2010
Here are scammers' top online plans to steal your money or your identity this holiday season.
Posted by Karen Datko Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:51:00 AM
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, consumers are urged to beware of the most commons scams of the season.
To help you do that, McAfee, the Internet security firm, has revealed its "12 Scams of Christmas" -- the 12 most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season.
"As people jump online to look for deals on gifts and travel, it's important to recognize common scams to safeguard against theft during the busy season ahead."
IPad offer scams. With Apple products topping many shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads. In the spam version of the scam, consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad. Of course, victims never receive the iPad or the other items -- just the headache of reporting a stolen credit card number.
In the social media version of the scam, users take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week. Post continues after video.
"Help! I've been robbed" scam. This travel scam sends phony distress messages to family and friends requesting that money be wired or transferred so that the "victim" can get home. McAfee Labs says there's been an increase in this scam and predicts its rise during the busy travel season.
Fake gift cards. Cybercrooks use social media to promote fake gift card offers with the goal of stealing consumers' money and information, which is then sold to marketers or used for ID theft.
One recent Facebook scam offered a "free $1,000 Best Buy gift card" to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page, which was a look-alike. To apply for the gift card they had to provide personal information and take a series of quizzes.
Holiday job offers. As people seek extra cash for gifts this holiday season, Twitter scams offer dangerous links to high-paying, work-at-home jobs that ask for your personal information, such as your e-mail address, home address and Social Security number, to apply for the fake job.
Smishing. Cybercrooks are now "smishing," or sending phishing SMS texts. These texts appear to come from your bank or an online retailer saying that there is something wrong with an account and you have to call a number to verify your account information. In reality, these efforts are merely a ruse to extract valuable personal information from the targets.
Cybercrooks know that people are more vulnerable to this scam during the holiday season when they're doing more online shopping and checking bank balances frequently.
Suspicious holiday rentals. During peak travel times when consumers often look online for affordable holiday rentals, cybercrooks post fake holiday rental sites that ask for down payments on properties by credit card or wire transfer.
Recession scams. Scammers target vulnerable consumers with recession-related scams such as pay-in-advance credit schemes. McAfee Labs has seen a significant number of spam e-mails advertising prequalified, low-interest loans and credit cards if the recipient pays a processing fee, which goes directly into the scammer's pocket.
Grinch-like greetings. E-cards are a convenient and earth-friendly way to send greetings to friends and family, but cybercriminals load fake versions with links to computer viruses and other malware instead of cheer. According to McAfee Labs, computers may start displaying obscene images, pop-up ads, or even start sending cards to contacts that appear to come from you.
Low price traps. Shoppers should be cautious of products offered at prices far below those of competitors. Cyber scammers use auction sites and fake websites to offer too-good-to-be-true deals with the goal of stealing your money and information.
Charity scams. The holidays have historically been a prime time for charity scams since it's a traditional time for giving. Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans' charities, children's causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe.
Dangerous holiday downloads. Holiday-themed screensavers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats, especially when links come from an e-mail or IM that appears to be from a friend.
Hotel and airport Wi-Fi. During the holidays many people travel and use free Wi-Fi in places like hotels and airports. This is a tempting time for thieves to hack into networks hoping to find opportunities for theft.
McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:
Stick to well-established and trusted sites that include trust marks (icons or seals from third parties verifying that the site is safe), user reviews and customer support. A reputable trust mark provider will have a live link attached to its trust mark icon, which will take visitors to a verification website of the trust mark provider.
Do not respond to offers that arrive in a spam e-mail, text or instant message.
Preview a link's web address before you click on it to make sure it is going to an established site. Never download or click anything from an unknown source.
Stay away from vendors that offer prices well below the norm. Don't believe anything that sounds too good to be true.
Make sure to use trusted Wi-Fi networks. Don't check bank accounts or shop online if you're not sure the network is safe.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Big scary words…
There are lots of them;
Spider
Tornado
Broccoli
Foreclosure
Blizzard
Cancer
Cancer. That’s the worst one.
You can kill a spider.
You can take cover from a tornado.
You don’t have to eat broccoli.
But the word cancer strikes fear in your heart. There are just so many unknowns.
A lot of people survive cancer these days. My Mom did. But it isn’t easy. In the beginning, you worry about a hundred things…chemo, radiation, what if I lose my hair, what if I can’t work, how sick will I be. How is my family going to handle the news. Then you have all the tests done to determine how advanced your cancer is and a course of treatment is decided. I can only go that far because Mom’s cancer was relatively easy to beat. But even so, she has 3 more years to go before she can say she’s “cured”. Yep. Cancer is a big scary word. Mom’s doctor kind of danced around the word. He said it once, in a vague sort of way. He was good. He made it a lot less scary. Maybe because he deals with women? Women handle things much differently than men do. I can’t pretend to know how a man would feel or what his worries would be. In general, I’m guessing that his machismo would take a serious hit. Past that I don’t have a clue. Unfortunately though, I’m about to find out.
Cancer sucks.
Spider
Tornado
Broccoli
Foreclosure
Blizzard
Cancer
Cancer. That’s the worst one.
You can kill a spider.
You can take cover from a tornado.
You don’t have to eat broccoli.
But the word cancer strikes fear in your heart. There are just so many unknowns.
A lot of people survive cancer these days. My Mom did. But it isn’t easy. In the beginning, you worry about a hundred things…chemo, radiation, what if I lose my hair, what if I can’t work, how sick will I be. How is my family going to handle the news. Then you have all the tests done to determine how advanced your cancer is and a course of treatment is decided. I can only go that far because Mom’s cancer was relatively easy to beat. But even so, she has 3 more years to go before she can say she’s “cured”. Yep. Cancer is a big scary word. Mom’s doctor kind of danced around the word. He said it once, in a vague sort of way. He was good. He made it a lot less scary. Maybe because he deals with women? Women handle things much differently than men do. I can’t pretend to know how a man would feel or what his worries would be. In general, I’m guessing that his machismo would take a serious hit. Past that I don’t have a clue. Unfortunately though, I’m about to find out.
Cancer sucks.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving
Even if you don’t realize it, there are just about a thousand things to be thankful for every day.
When I look around in the morning, from the second I open my eyes…
I’m thankful for another day.
I’m thankful for the glasses and the new eyeball lens that help me see the day.
I’m thankful for my big pillow and the warm blanket on our comfy bed.
I’m thankful for the gas that heats the water so I can take a hot shower.
I’m thankful for electricity so I can see to put my make-up on so I don’t scare anyone.
I’m thankful for the coffee maker, non-dairy creamer and artificial sweetner.
See? I haven’t even gotten dressed yet and I’m thankful for a hundred little things!
When I look around during the day…
I’m thankful for my car (8 years old and still my dream car), covered parking (especially in the winter), my job, co-workers that make me laugh, my desk fan, lots of great places to walk at lunch, a tunnel to walk in when the weather is bad, light traffic and green lights all the way home!
When I look around at night…
I’m thankful that my husband is there and that he never forgets to smile at me and say, “I love you” And look at those cute little dogs wiggling like crazy because they’re so happy to see me too. I’m thankful for the salmon in the fridge and the fresh green beans. I’m thankful for the ice cream maker in the freezer – what a great convienence! I’m thankful for the home grown-straight from the hive honey in the pantry. I’m thankful for the stereo that’s playing my favorite country tune right now (a snappy little number by Tim McGraw). I’m thankful for cable and our DVR – set up to record my favorite soap opera every day. I’m thankful for my PC and internet connection so I can send this to you today.
Look around.
Look at everything you have. Look at everything you have that you don’t need!
Isn’t it amazing how much you have to be thankful for and how blessed you are?
Look ahead. The holidays are right around the corner. Time for family and friends, love and celebrations. After that, there’s a brand new year waiting to be filled with normal every day things, special things and extraordinary things to be thankful for.
Look back too. Was your calendar full of appointments, fun things to do, places to go, and people to see? Did something special happen this year? Did you overcome a particular challenge or achieve a personal goal? Did you get to vote this year?
I had more than enough to be thankful for this year. My Mom celebrated 2 years cancer free! Every day is a blessing. She also bought a lovely home in our neck of the woods and I’m delighted to have her right up the street. My brother and his bride celebrated their first wedding anniversary - Love ROCKS! I was lucky enough to get tickets to the final Brooks and Dunn concert, in Nashville –Yeehaw! Bill made it home safely from another big motorcycle ride with the guys – whew! There was Moto GP, the symphony, July 4th fireworks and elephant ears at the state fair. And in between all of those were a million little things to be thankful for. A million little things that make my life so beautiful. A million little reasons to smile. A million little blessings.
Take a moment, look around, smile and be grateful.
Life is full of joy, bee happy!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
When I look around in the morning, from the second I open my eyes…
I’m thankful for another day.
I’m thankful for the glasses and the new eyeball lens that help me see the day.
I’m thankful for my big pillow and the warm blanket on our comfy bed.
I’m thankful for the gas that heats the water so I can take a hot shower.
I’m thankful for electricity so I can see to put my make-up on so I don’t scare anyone.
I’m thankful for the coffee maker, non-dairy creamer and artificial sweetner.
See? I haven’t even gotten dressed yet and I’m thankful for a hundred little things!
When I look around during the day…
I’m thankful for my car (8 years old and still my dream car), covered parking (especially in the winter), my job, co-workers that make me laugh, my desk fan, lots of great places to walk at lunch, a tunnel to walk in when the weather is bad, light traffic and green lights all the way home!
When I look around at night…
I’m thankful that my husband is there and that he never forgets to smile at me and say, “I love you” And look at those cute little dogs wiggling like crazy because they’re so happy to see me too. I’m thankful for the salmon in the fridge and the fresh green beans. I’m thankful for the ice cream maker in the freezer – what a great convienence! I’m thankful for the home grown-straight from the hive honey in the pantry. I’m thankful for the stereo that’s playing my favorite country tune right now (a snappy little number by Tim McGraw). I’m thankful for cable and our DVR – set up to record my favorite soap opera every day. I’m thankful for my PC and internet connection so I can send this to you today.
Look around.
Look at everything you have. Look at everything you have that you don’t need!
Isn’t it amazing how much you have to be thankful for and how blessed you are?
Look ahead. The holidays are right around the corner. Time for family and friends, love and celebrations. After that, there’s a brand new year waiting to be filled with normal every day things, special things and extraordinary things to be thankful for.
Look back too. Was your calendar full of appointments, fun things to do, places to go, and people to see? Did something special happen this year? Did you overcome a particular challenge or achieve a personal goal? Did you get to vote this year?
I had more than enough to be thankful for this year. My Mom celebrated 2 years cancer free! Every day is a blessing. She also bought a lovely home in our neck of the woods and I’m delighted to have her right up the street. My brother and his bride celebrated their first wedding anniversary - Love ROCKS! I was lucky enough to get tickets to the final Brooks and Dunn concert, in Nashville –Yeehaw! Bill made it home safely from another big motorcycle ride with the guys – whew! There was Moto GP, the symphony, July 4th fireworks and elephant ears at the state fair. And in between all of those were a million little things to be thankful for. A million little things that make my life so beautiful. A million little reasons to smile. A million little blessings.
Take a moment, look around, smile and be grateful.
Life is full of joy, bee happy!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
DON'T SMOKE!
Today is the Great American Smoke Out. I would love to participate but...
I DON'T SMOKE!!!!
Hooray for me :-)
I DON'T SMOKE!!!!
Hooray for me :-)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Odd story
updated 11/16/2010 3:01:02 PM ET 2010-11-16T20:01:02
LOS ANGELES — DNA tests show two mummified infants found in a steamer trunk wrapped in 1930s newspapers were the children of a nurse who died 16 years ago — but the way they died may never be known, investigators said.
The remains were discovered in August by women cleaning an apartment building basement near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.
The bodies were inside two leather doctor bags in a trunk that also contained ticket stubs from the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
"Coroner's investigators believe the two babies were brother and sister. One was a fetus, while the other appeared to be a full-term baby," a police statement said Monday. Exact ages were not determined.
The female baby had thick brown hair and her legs were folded up to her chest.
Investigators could not determine when or how the children died. It was not known whether the mother miscarried or may have had abortions.
There were no signs of injury, and drug reports were inconclusive so the cause of death probably will never be known, the police statement said.
The trunk's owner was identified as Janet M. Barrie, a Scottish immigrant who was born in 1897 and worked as a nurse in Los Angeles before moving to Vancouver. Investigators linked the children to Barrie through a DNA sample from Barrie's niece, Marlene Brown of Alberta, Canada.
Barrie lived in the Westlake building for decades. She was a private live-in nurse for Mary Knapp, the wife of dentist George Knapp.
Barrie married Knapp after his wife died of breast cancer in 1964. He died four years later and she moved to Vancouver, where she died in 1994. Her ashes were placed in the same urn as the Knapp couple at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.
LOS ANGELES — DNA tests show two mummified infants found in a steamer trunk wrapped in 1930s newspapers were the children of a nurse who died 16 years ago — but the way they died may never be known, investigators said.
The remains were discovered in August by women cleaning an apartment building basement near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.
The bodies were inside two leather doctor bags in a trunk that also contained ticket stubs from the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
"Coroner's investigators believe the two babies were brother and sister. One was a fetus, while the other appeared to be a full-term baby," a police statement said Monday. Exact ages were not determined.
The female baby had thick brown hair and her legs were folded up to her chest.
Investigators could not determine when or how the children died. It was not known whether the mother miscarried or may have had abortions.
There were no signs of injury, and drug reports were inconclusive so the cause of death probably will never be known, the police statement said.
The trunk's owner was identified as Janet M. Barrie, a Scottish immigrant who was born in 1897 and worked as a nurse in Los Angeles before moving to Vancouver. Investigators linked the children to Barrie through a DNA sample from Barrie's niece, Marlene Brown of Alberta, Canada.
Barrie lived in the Westlake building for decades. She was a private live-in nurse for Mary Knapp, the wife of dentist George Knapp.
Barrie married Knapp after his wife died of breast cancer in 1964. He died four years later and she moved to Vancouver, where she died in 1994. Her ashes were placed in the same urn as the Knapp couple at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.
OK, so the dead baby part is odd but everyone grieves differently. What really struck me was the last part. They were all buried together? I think I could make up a story that would make that seem less weird, but still...
In my corner of the world, I FINALLY got all the bulbs planted! Geez. I don't know why I was dragging my feet about that. I actually like yard work too.
We watched Iron Man 2 over the weekend. It was fun. You know I love Robert Downy Jr :-) And we tried to watch Amelia, as in Earhart. It was very slow and about 1/2 through it I had to bail...I know how ends though.
I also got the Christmas tree up in the sun room! Chuck's daughter was right...it makes me smile and I'm happy for the cheerfulness.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Beware chocolate lovers...
I'm not a chocolate lover so this isn't the end of the world for me, but if you L*O*V*E chocolate;
The $11 chocolate bar?
A tough growing environment in Africa has led some cocoa farmers to drop their crops -- spurring predictions of a world shortage.
Posted by Kim Peterson Wednesday, November 10, 2010 12:16:49 PM
Time to start hoarding Hershey's (HSY)? Some experts in the cocoa industry say that the world could run out of affordable chocolate within 20 years, according to The Independent.Cocoa is headed for a shortage, they say, and eventually a single chocolate bar could cost $11 on average. The price of cocoa has already shot to an all-time high lately."In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar," said a conservation researcher in Ghana, a hot spot for cocoa production. "It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it."The problem is that it's becoming too difficult to farm cocoa in traditional fields in Africa. The soil is depleted of nutrients, one expert says, and a labor shortage is hurting production. That's affecting cocoa crops on the continent, although cocoa can still be grown in South America, the Caribbean and Asia.
Oh wait...I love chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. Oh no!
The $11 chocolate bar?
A tough growing environment in Africa has led some cocoa farmers to drop their crops -- spurring predictions of a world shortage.
Posted by Kim Peterson Wednesday, November 10, 2010 12:16:49 PM
Time to start hoarding Hershey's (HSY)? Some experts in the cocoa industry say that the world could run out of affordable chocolate within 20 years, according to The Independent.Cocoa is headed for a shortage, they say, and eventually a single chocolate bar could cost $11 on average. The price of cocoa has already shot to an all-time high lately."In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar," said a conservation researcher in Ghana, a hot spot for cocoa production. "It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it."The problem is that it's becoming too difficult to farm cocoa in traditional fields in Africa. The soil is depleted of nutrients, one expert says, and a labor shortage is hurting production. That's affecting cocoa crops on the continent, although cocoa can still be grown in South America, the Caribbean and Asia.
Oh wait...I love chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. Oh no!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
finally
We watched Avatar over the weekend. I started to loose interest about 2 hours in. Not because it wasn't good, it really was. But my little kitten attention span was struggling. I even missed the ending completely and had to rewind the last 10 minutes ~ twice. The 2nd time was the next day, so I got it :-) Man there was a lot of fantasy in that movie. Right up my alley. But it was too long. I want someone to do a show about the people who think those creatures up. Like on Star Wars...what are those people like, that actually made up in their heads what Yoda should look like. I bet those people are pretty interesting.
And Sunday morning I watched, How to Train Your Dragon. It's a must if you have kids. It was pretty stinkin' cute. I had to put it on a DVD so I could watch it again. Every once in awhile, I really miss having kids in the house. But then I get over it.
This weeks temperatures are back in the 70's. I have a 4 day weekend coming up. Thursday (Veteran's Day) I AM going to plant the bulbs!!! I hope it's not too late? Friday I'm taking off to be moral support when Bill has his biopsy. The rest of the weekend is open! Woohoo! I've been quilling snowflakes the last few days. Well, I've only gotten 3 done. But I feel like I'm on a roll :-) And I was thinking about getting the Thanksgiving things out but decided to skip it this year and go right to Christmas instead. Chuck's daughter is right...I need some cheerfulness around.
And Sunday morning I watched, How to Train Your Dragon. It's a must if you have kids. It was pretty stinkin' cute. I had to put it on a DVD so I could watch it again. Every once in awhile, I really miss having kids in the house. But then I get over it.
This weeks temperatures are back in the 70's. I have a 4 day weekend coming up. Thursday (Veteran's Day) I AM going to plant the bulbs!!! I hope it's not too late? Friday I'm taking off to be moral support when Bill has his biopsy. The rest of the weekend is open! Woohoo! I've been quilling snowflakes the last few days. Well, I've only gotten 3 done. But I feel like I'm on a roll :-) And I was thinking about getting the Thanksgiving things out but decided to skip it this year and go right to Christmas instead. Chuck's daughter is right...I need some cheerfulness around.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
this and that
Halloween was A LOT more fun at Moms place than ours! I'll be better prepared next year :-)
Except, she has this wacky neighbor that talks tooooo much...because he drinks too much. But he's a happy fellow so it's entertaining. Oh, and the Play-Doh was a hit. My brother said he dressed up as Slash for Halloween, complete with zebra print spandex pants. I'm gonna need a picture of that for sure! I don't know, my brother and spandex don't seem to work well in the same sentence.
I had a nice day off yesterday - you should only shop at Party City if you need party supplies!!! What a fantastic place! Mom and I went over to check it out. Good prices and just about anything you would need.
I'm glad the election is over now. I was really getting tired of all the snarky comments.
We're supposed to have flurries, as in snow, on Thursday! Whoa. I'm just not ready yet. But...I think I like Chucks daughters idea about putting the Christmas stuff out early this year. She's right, I like it so much and it makes me feel good so why not? I used to be one of those 'one holiday at a time' kind of gals, but I have to admit, all those cheerful decorations would sure bee nice to have around now.
Except, she has this wacky neighbor that talks tooooo much...because he drinks too much. But he's a happy fellow so it's entertaining. Oh, and the Play-Doh was a hit. My brother said he dressed up as Slash for Halloween, complete with zebra print spandex pants. I'm gonna need a picture of that for sure! I don't know, my brother and spandex don't seem to work well in the same sentence.
I had a nice day off yesterday - you should only shop at Party City if you need party supplies!!! What a fantastic place! Mom and I went over to check it out. Good prices and just about anything you would need.
I'm glad the election is over now. I was really getting tired of all the snarky comments.
We're supposed to have flurries, as in snow, on Thursday! Whoa. I'm just not ready yet. But...I think I like Chucks daughters idea about putting the Christmas stuff out early this year. She's right, I like it so much and it makes me feel good so why not? I used to be one of those 'one holiday at a time' kind of gals, but I have to admit, all those cheerful decorations would sure bee nice to have around now.
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