Twelve Scams of Christmas (Part 3)

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December 4th, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee has revealed "The Twelve Scams of Christmas," the most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports' 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

Since I'm on McAfee's Consumer Advisory Board, I'm advising you to beware of the following scams.

Scams 1-6 are here and here.

7. Christmas Carol Lyrics Can Be Dangerous – Risky Holiday Searches

During the holidays, hackers create fraudulent holiday-related websites for people searching for a holiday ringtone or wallpaper, Christmas carol lyrics or a festive screensaver. Downloading holiday-themed files may infect one's computer with spyware, adware or other malware. McAfee found one Christmas carol download site that led searchers to adware, spyware and other potentially unwanted programs.

8. Out of Work – Job-Related E-mail Scams

The U.S. unemployment rate recently spiked to 10.2 per cent, the highest level since 1983. Scammers are preying on desperate job-seekers in the poor economy, with the promise of high-paying jobs and work-from-home moneymaking opportunities. Once interested persons submit their information and pay their "set-up" fee, hackers steal their money instead of following through on the promised employment opportunity.

9. Outbidding for Crime – Auction Site Fraud

Scammers often lurk on auction sites during the holiday season. Buyers should beware of auction deals that appear too good to be true, because often times these purchases never reach their new owner.

Stay tuned for the final three scams of the season. And in the meantime, protect your identity.

Get a credit freeze. Go online now and search "credit freeze" or "security freeze" and go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but an identity theft protection service can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses viruses in Christmas gifts on FOX News.

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.

Twelve Scams of Christmas (Part 2)

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December 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee has revealed "The Twelve Scams of Christmas," the most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports' 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

Since I'm on McAfee's Consumer Advisory Board, I'm advising you to beware of the following scams.

Scams 1-3 are here.

4. The Dangers of Holiday E-Cards

Thieves cash in on consumers who send holiday e-cards in an effort to be environmentally conscious. Last holiday season, McAfee Labs discovered a worm masked as Hallmark e-cards and McDonald's and Coca-Cola holiday promotions. Holiday-themed PowerPoint e-mail attachments are also popular among cybercriminals. Be careful what you click on.

5. "Luxury" Holiday Jewelry Comes at a High Price

McAfee Labs recently uncovered a new holiday campaign that leads shoppers to malware-ridden sites offering "discounted" luxury gifts from Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer. Cybercriminals even use fraudulent logos of the Better Business Bureau to trick shoppers into buying products they never receive.

6. Practice Safe Holiday Shopping – Online Identity Theft on the Rise

Forrester Research Inc. predicts online holiday sales will increase this year, as more bargain hunters turn to the web for deals. While users shop and surf on open hotspots, hackers can spy on their activity in an attempt to steal their personal information. McAfee tells users never to shop online from a public computer or on an open WiFi network.

Stay tuned for the rest of the season's top scams. And in the meantime, protect your identity.

Get a credit freeze. Go online now and search "credit freeze" or "security freeze" and go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but an identity theft protection service can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses Black Friday and Cyber Monday on FOX Boston.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElaJirHSI8[/youtube]

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.

I am a Carbonite subscriber. My computer recently crashed. I changed from Windows to a Mac. How do I get my service changed to my new computer?

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December 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Kent

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q: I am a carbonite subscriber. My computer recently crashed. I changed from window to A Mac. How do I get my serviced changed to my new computer?

A: We've had a number of questions about transferring Carbonite accounts. We covered that a while ago, and you can read our post on that here. According to Carbonite's tech support, you can use your remaining subscription on your new computer.

Your question did get us thinking about whether you could restore your previously backed-up PC data on your new Mac. After all, Macs and PCs have fundamentally different system architectures. It turns out that it presents a problem for data restoration. According to Carbonite's help section:

Due to the differences between PCs and Macs, Carbonite for Mac handles files and subscriptions in a different way than our PC-compatible products do. That means that users unfortunately cannot restore files between PCs and Macs…

We are working to add support for cross-platform restores and subscription transfers in future Carbonite releases.

Don't worry, you're not totally sunk. Until Carbonite works out that detail, you can use a little work around to restore your important PC documents on a Mac:

1) Log onto the Remote Access section of the Carbonite web site.

2) Manually restore your documents, music, videos, etc. using the web interface.

This is not as effortless as the one-button restore you get when you're restoring to the same platform, but at least you can get your important documents back. You probably won't get preferences back, since they're managed rather differently on a Mac.

New Avast! discount: 25%

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December 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Kent

Avast! is fighting viruses for less with a 25% discount. Avast! is highly rated by both AV-Comparatives (earning Advanced+ and Advanced ratings in malware detection and removal, respectively) and the Virus Bulletin 100 (passing all of its 2009 tests). We weren't wild about the user interface, but Avast! has gathered a loyal following on the Internet. The 25% discount brings the price down to $29.96, a pretty good deal. In fact it's one of the best deals out there for Internet security software. No coupon code is necessary, just follow any of our links to Avast!

Phishing emails promise vaccines but deliver viruses

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December 2nd, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

This week, millions received emails that appeared to be sent by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, directing them to an official government website to fill out a vaccination form. Those who followed links in the emails were actually sent to a page that automatically downloaded malicious software onto their PCs. Once the hackers who sent the phishing emails gain control of a PC, they use it to commit identity theft, attack other computers, or serve up more spam.

It's typical for hackers to take advantage of major stories in order to entice potential victims with spam emails. In addition to flu vaccines, recent phishing emails have purported to offer information related to Tiger Woods' car crash and holiday shopping. If you receive an email from an unknown sender that prompts you to click on a link or download a file, even if it appears to be legitimate, look more closely at the email or web address. Rather than trusting a link in an unsolicited email, seek out desired information yourself.

Be sure to install Internet security software on your computer, in case you do inadvertently find your way to a malware-infested website, and set it to update automatically. And consider investing in identity theft protection, to guard against the ultimate goal of most phishing emails and other online scams.

Twelve Scams of Christmas (Part 1)

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December 2nd, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee has revealed "The Twelve Scams of Christmas," the most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports' 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

"Cybercriminals' use their best schemes during the holidays to steal people's money, credit card information, social security number and identity," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. "These thieves follow seasonal trends and create holiday-related websites, scams and other convincing e-mails that can trick even the most cautious users."

Since I'm on McAfee's Consumer Advisory Board, I'm advising you to beware of the following scams.

1. Charity Phishing Scams – Be Careful Who You Give To

During the holiday season, hackers take advantage of citizens' generosity by sending emails that appear to be from legitimate charitable organizations. In reality, they are fake websites designed to steal donations, credit card information, and the identities of donors.

2. Fake Invoices from Delivery Services to Steal Your Money

During the holidays, cybercriminals often send fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to be from Federal Express, UPS, or the U.S. Customs Service. They email consumers asking for credit card details to credit back the account, or require users to open an online invoice or customs form to receive the package. Once completed, the person's information is stolen or malware is automatically installed on their computer.

3. Social Networking – A Cybercriminal "Wants to be Your Friend"

Cybercriminals take advantage of this social time of the year by sending authentic-looking "New Friend Request" emails from social networking sites. Internet users should beware that clicking on links in these emails can automatically install malware on computers and steal personal information.

Stay tuned for the rest of the season's top scams. And in the meantime, protect your identity.

Get a credit freeze. Go online now and search "credit freeze" or "security freeze" and go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but an identity theft protection service can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses Christmas scams on Mike and Juliet.

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.

Can I install 2 antivirus at the same time, i.e., AVG and AVAST?

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December 1st, 2009 - Posted by Kent

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q: Can I install 2 antivirus at the same time, i.e., AVG and AVAST?

A: While it seems that the two products used in combination would make you safer (like using a seatbelt and an airbag), most experts agree that multiple Internet security software installations can actually conflict with one another. Since the programs are working diligently behind the scenes to keep your computer safe, the firewall activity of one product may look like an exploit to the other.

Now, it would probably be ok to use a program like Avast! for your complete security (firewall, antivirus, antispyware, etc.), and the on-demand virus scanner from another program for additional scans. But you need to be sure that only the on-demand scanner is installed, and that the installation does not uninstall any important components from your complete security solution.

If you really want a second opinion, try occasionally running an online scan from a reputable company like Symantec or McAfee. These run right from your web browser. Just be sure it's from a trustworthy company, such as those we've reviewed. There are a number of fake "free virus scan" sites that will actually deposit more viruses on your hard drive than you had to begin with.

Webs.com is $99.95 a year. Where is webs.com ranked? Is this a bad deal?

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December 1st, 2009 - Posted by Kent

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q: I have a free website with webs.com and I haven't had any traffic at all in 5 or 6 months!  I want to get a domain name but I don't know whether to cancel my website and make another one with someone else or what.  They are wanting $99.95 a year to free domain and the price is for the enhanced premium package.  I think this is high compared to other companies.  Where is webs.com ranked?  Is this a bad deal?  What is your suggestion on what I shoul do?

A: That's a big decision. There are tremendous benefits to having your own domain name (though that alone won't guarantee traffic). We did a little research on webs.com to see how it might compare to the products we've reviewed. It's a little frustrating, because they don't give a complete rundown on what they offer for $99.95 a year (even finding out the price was not easy, until we'd signed up for their free account).

Unfortunately, you don't get that much more for your $99.95: The ads go away, you get 5 email addresses, and your own domain. There are storage limitations, though at 1000GB it's not a real limitation. The 30-item limitation on your web store could be. Strictly by the numbers, you'd do better with just about any web host we've reviewed.

Webs.com comes closest to Yahoo! Small Business hosting in terms of ease-of-use, though Yahoo! is a much more scalable solution and has far fewer limitations. While your first year is cheaper with Yahoo! ($89.55), your second year will cost more ($120.00). You get a far better bargain with a multi-year plan from FatCow or HostMonster (which charge around $4.00 per month), but there's a slightly higher learning curve. Lunarpages has a great site builder, and is fairly easy to use (though not as user-friendly as Yahoo! Small Business) though it too gets a little expensive after the first year. Depending on your needs, GoDaddy could even be a good option for you.