Seeing the victims in Kentucky following the devastating floods is heartbreaking. Even more distressing is seeing those who are trying to help by donating funds to the relief effort victimized as well....more
It is tempting to get into the world of cryptocurrency investments. News items of early investors banking millions of dollars fuel the temptation.
But it is an investment strategy that is fraught with fraud, so investors...more
The Federal Trade Commission kicked off Pride Month yesterday, acknowledging that “some of the most egregious scams and abuses target the LGBTQ+ community.” The scams that those in the LGBTQ+ community experience include...more
6/2/2022
/ Cybersecurity ,
Dating Services ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Geolocation ,
LGBTQ ,
Mobile Apps ,
New Guidance ,
Scams ,
Vulnerability Assessments ,
Vulnerable Victims
CYBERSECURITY -
DOJ Takes Down RaidForums' Website -
In an action against what has been described as one of the largest hacker forums in the world, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 12, 2022, that...more
4/15/2022
/ Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Management ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Microsoft ,
Network Security ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Scams
In addition to teaching your kids about financial literacy, teach them (and yourself) to identify scams that are designed to steal from you.
One scam that has made a comeback and is surprisingly successful is spoofing...more
CYBERSECURITY -
Cyber-Attackers Politically Aligned -
The most recent Accenture Global Incident Report (the Report) shows that cyber-attackers have political views and are divided between support for Russia or Ukraine....more
3/18/2022
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Right To Know ,
Russia ,
Scams ,
Vulnerability Assessments
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a press release on March 15, 2022, stating that it was taking action against CafePress “over allegations that it failed to secure consumers’ sensitive personal data and covered up a...more
3/18/2022
/ CafePress ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Section 5
It’s an old trick, but it works, so alerting our readers is worth repeating. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Scam Alert this week warning consumers that fraudsters are impersonating FTC officials....more
There is a federal law, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), that requires app developers to obtain parental consent before collecting information from children under the age of 13. The law has been on the...more
3/11/2022
/ Children's Products ,
Children's Toys ,
Connected Items ,
COPPA ,
Data Collection ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Information Technology ,
Mobile Apps ,
Mobile Device Management ,
Online Safety for Children ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Smart Devices
2021 will go down in our minds as many things, including the year in which more people reported fraud and the highest dollar amount of fraud losses in history. Not a great statistic....more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released data showing that more than 95,000 consumers reported losses totaling $770 million from fraud schemes that started on social media. ...more
CYBERSECURITY -
New Mexico County Recovering from Ransomware Attack -
Another day, another governmental entity hit with a ransomware attack. If you are a resident of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, and you need a marriage...more
1/14/2022
/ Army ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Drones ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Genetic Testing ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Mobile Apps ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Ransomware ,
Russia
CYBERSECURITY -
FTC Warns Companies of Enforcement for Failing to Patch Log4j Vulnerability -
In what I would describe as an unusual but interesting move by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), on January 4, 2022, it...more
1/7/2022
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Drones ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Search Engines ,
Vulnerability Assessments
In what I would describe as an unusual but interesting move by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), on January 4, 2022, it issued a warning to companies “to remediate Log4j security vulnerability” or face an enforcement action...more
Another fall-out from the pandemic is that impersonation fraud has increased dramatically. According to the Federal Trade Commission, “the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a sharp spike in impersonation fraud, as scammers...more
Gift card scams continue to be one of the most frequently-reported scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to its recent Scam Alert entitled Scammers are tricking more people into buying gift cards, “40,000...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Final Rule on October 27, 2021, amending the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information, known as “the Safeguards Rule,” under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which is applicable...more
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Scam Alert to consumers notifying them that scammers are impersonating employees of the IRS promising a third Economic Impact Payment if they access forms through a link...more
CYBERSECURITY -
FBI Warns of Hive Ransomware Following Attack Against Hospital System -
On August 25, 2021, the FBI issued a Flash Alert to warn companies, especially in the health care industry, about the proliferation...more
9/3/2021
/ Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
FBI ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Hackers ,
Maritime Transport ,
Mobile Apps ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Surveillance ,
WhatsApp
In a second case against stalkerware apps and the first where the FTC has banned a company from doing business, the FTC announced on September 1, 2021, that it has “banned SpyFone and its CEO…from the surveillance business...more
CYBERSECURITY -
Cryptoheister(s) Return Stolen Booty -
Cryptocurrency platform Poly Network, which allows users to swap different types of digital tokens, was the victim of a cryptoheist that resulted in the thief...more
8/13/2021
/ Agribusiness ,
COPPA ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Dark Web ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Drones ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
In an unusual but significant move, on August 4, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) removed Aristotle International from the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Safe Harbor List. ...more
Another post pandemic fallout is the fact that rental car agencies have sold their fleets, for obvious reasons. In doing so, there aren’t enough rental cars for all of us who have been stuck at home and are now raring to go...more
Robocalls continue to be irritating and their increased frequency is distracting and exhausting, at least in my experience. We can usually spot them when our caller ID says “potential spam” or if we don’t recognize the...more
Criminals use current events to launch new schemes designed to prey on victims’ vulnerabilities or fears. Throughout the pandemic, criminals have used fear of COVID-19, or the anticipation of a cure or a vaccine, to lure...more
3/26/2021
/ AstraZeneca ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Email ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Moderna Inc. ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Scams ,
Surveys ,
Vaccinations