scam · 150 words · Viewed ~221 times
*sigh* These scams are really common. And pretty easy to pull off. Renting an expensive sports car for a day is relatively cheap. Drive it to some fancy locations, wear a couple of rented designer clothes, perhaps pay for a pretty model to pose as your girlfriend, take a load of photos and you can fool Instragram users into thinking you're rich and successful. And then you tell people on…
Continue reading →phishing scam spam · 26 comments · 300 words · Viewed ~27,894 times
Yesterday, January 2nd, my wife received a billing alert from her phone provider. Luckily, she's not with EE - because it's a pretty convincing text. That domain name is specifically designed to include the day's date. If you're stood up on a crowded train, with your phone screen cracked, would you notice that a . is where a / should be? A quick look at the URl shows a trusted domain at the…
Continue reading →fraud hmrc scam · 1 comment · 150 words · Viewed ~244 times
Another day, another scam caller. Would you fall for this fraud? 🔊 💾 Download this audio file. You'd probably realise that this was a (crap) text-to-voice system and that the tax authorities are more likely to send a letter than a phone call. But not everyone is so switched-on. If you've not had many dealings with HMRC, would you know how they contact people? If you're on a noisy …
Continue reading →email phishing scam security spam · 5 comments · 500 words · Viewed ~2,517 times
Gmail is usually pretty good at stopping spam from reaching my inbox. When it slips up, it reminds me of just how terrifying the modern internet is. Early one morning, I received this email from someone I know (details redacted by me). It came from his email, it has his signature at the bottom. This doesn't look like someone hijacking his email so far. I don't put much stock by "Protected…
Continue reading →BBC BBC Interview mobile radio scam · 3 comments · 800 words · Viewed ~4,371 times
Last week I was contacted by the BBC's consumer affairs programme "You And Yours" for my expert opinion on a new type of mobile phone scam. Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentWarning! I'll be on @BBCRadio4's You And Yours shortly.Please tune your wirelesses accordingly. pic.x.com/6f3zsiwuin❤️ 4💬 1🔁 011:18 - Mon 11 April 2016 Several people had contacted the show to say that they had missed calls f…
Continue reading →android api chrome firefox HTML5 opera scam vibrate · 43 comments · 650 words · Viewed ~103,990 times
There is a new API in town! HTML5 will (soon) let you make the user's device vibrate. What fun! Obviously, it's useful for triggering alerts, improved immersivness during gameplay, and all sorts of other fun things like sending Morse Code messages via vibration. At the moment, Chrome (and other Android browsers) ask for permission before accessing features such as geo-location, camera,…
Continue reading →android mobile scam virus · 150 words · Viewed ~1,438 times
Just the look of those permissions is enough to break me out in a cold sweat! According to Lookout - the leading security solution for Android - it's a payware scam. No doubt ready to send a barrage of Premium SMS to drain my phone's credit. It's quite upsetting that a company like Yahoo would allow adverts like this on its networks. I understand that they have to look at millions of adverts …
Continue reading →NaBloPoMo scam valkee · 1 comment · 250 words · Viewed ~686 times
Ah! Valkee! For the last few years I've been blogging about this "miracle cure" for depression - in 2011 I called Valkee a technology scam and last year Valkee's website was found to be misleading the public. They claim that by sticking a light in your ear, you can cure both depression and cancer. These are dangerous quacks who need to be stopped. Earlier this year, the Finnish TV show "MOT"…
Continue reading →credit card fraud scam sms tropo twilio voice · 2 comments · 1,150 words · Viewed ~808 times
I recently read about an innovative telephone call scam. A scammer rings the mark and asks for her credit card details. If the mark refuses, the scammer tells her to hang up the phone, then dial 999 and ask for "Sergeant Scammer of the Fraud Squad". The mark does so, and is connected to what they assume is the emergency services. However, because the scammer hasn't hung up at their end, the…
Continue reading →advertising asa scam valkee · 2 comments · 300 words · Viewed ~625 times
Regular readers may know that I'm not a big fan of Valkee - the magic light you shine in your ears to improve your mood. Back in September, I complained to the ASA about the Valkee website. I felt that it was making unfounded claims, was confusing testimonial with science, and was generally misleading. In December, the ASA referred it to their counterparts in Finland for investigation. Today, …
Continue reading →airnergy scam technology trust valkee · 17 comments · 2,000 words · Viewed ~4,376 times
Why do some people in the technology community seem so susceptible to snake oil? I suspect it's because of two things. We trust our friends' judgement. We are experts in our fields and, therefore, trust our own judgement in matters we don't fully understand. Compare and contrast the following two statements. On the announcement of the original iPod, one influential pundit…
Continue reading →lottery scam · 3 comments · 450 words · Viewed ~330 times
Ever seen one of these scratch cards? They often seem to fall out of magazines or inserted into junk mail. A scratchcard I usually just throw them straight into the recycling bin. But, like the fool I am, I thought "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". I could win some serious cash here... Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! If you can't read the small print, it says... Calls cost £1.50/min from a …
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