It’s kind of hard to believe, but a LOT of people are still falling victim to scam emails, also known as phishing emails.  When “phishing” is spelled that way, it just means that there is a scammer looking to grab some personal information in order to steal your identity and your money.

There are often some telltale signs that an email is nothing more than a scam.  Here are a few:

Misspelled words – since a lot of scams originate outside the US (commonly in Nigeria or Russia), the creator might not know English very well.  So misspellings and bad grammar are often seen.  Not something you normally see in an email that’s actually from your bank.

Wrong web addresses – this one can be very tricky, because the scammers have gotten very clever about it.  When an email directs you to a website, it’s easy to disguise the actual address of that site.  For example, you might think you are looking at “bankofamerica.com” but it’s really not the bank’s site at all.  Look at this address:

http://BankofAmerica.com.fjkdjfkadsjlaruiewy.483948324.scott.com

At first glance, it looks like the Bank of America website.  But the only name that really counts is the last one just before the last “dot com”.  Everything prior to that is meant to be a distraction.  So that website is actually scott.com and has nothing to do with any bank.

Requests for information – if an email, or a website that came from an email, asks you for your credit card number, checking account number, PIN, Social Security number, or any other personal identity information, it’s a scam.  Your bank or Paypal would never ask for that information.  But a scammer sure would!

Attachments in .ZIP format – if an email attachment comes in .zip format, your antivirus program probably won’t spot it.  You shouldn’t open email attachments anyway, but again, this one tricks a lot of people.

What happens is this:  you get an email from UPS or Fedex (not really from them of course) and it says something to this effect: “We tried delivering your package today but were unable to deliver it.  Please see the attached report for information on how to pick up your package.”  This is so clever!  It works a lot of the time, because the recipient just happens to actually be expecting a package, so the email seems completely natural.  They open the attachment, and suddenly their computer is infected with a virus or spyware.

To help illustrate this, I made a short video pointing out some of the “red flags” in a phishing email I received recently.  For best viewing, click on the “Full Screen” icon in the lower right corner of the video.

Have you received any clever or tricky phishing emails?  Tell us your experience in the comments below:

I’ve been getting emails and Facebook messages asking about a topic that is currently in the news.  There is a story circulating that claims hundreds of thousands of people could lose their internet connection in July.  A story like that might sound a lot like the typical “forward this email to all your friends” hoax.  But in this case, it’s true.  Today I’ll give you the full scoop, and tell you how you can make sure you don’t lose your internet when that day arrives.

Background:

It all started when a bunch of bad guys created a Trojan called DNSChanger.  If a computer is infected with DNSChanger, you will have trouble getting to the websites you intend to visit.

For example, if you try to go to your favorite news website, you might be instead redirected to a site that looks similar to your news site, but in fact is filled with malware and spam advertisements.  This just adds more infection to your computer, and when anyone clicks on those ads, the bad guys make money.

And they made a lot of money – millions – until the FBI arrested a bunch of them back in November of last year.  The FBI confiscated their servers.  But, that meant that all of the hundreds of thousands of people that were infected with DNSChanger would no longer have ANY internet access, since their computers used the criminal’s servers.

So, the FBI set up temporary, clean servers in order to keep that big blackout from happening.  Key word: temporary.

The FBI originally planned to shut down those temporary servers on March 8.  However, there were still a LOT of computers that were infected.  So they delayed the shutdown – and now it is scheduled to happen on July 9.  It has been estimated that over half of the major corporations in the US as well as government agencies are still infected.  That’s in addition to over 500,000 individual users.  This is big!

How to check your computer:

If you use the security software that I recommend, you almost certainly don’t have a problem with this infection.

Checking your computer is easy.  Go to this website:

http://www.dns-ok.us

That site will automatically check your DNS settings.  If you’re okay, you will see a green image like this:

If your computer is infected, you will see this image:

If your computer comes up with the red image, you need to get this taken care of as soon as possible.  There will be a link to some of the removal tools/software that have been found to be effective.

If you prefer, I can take care of this for you.  This is handled only through my Remote Support service.  Once you have that set up, we can connect and get this problem resolved.  I can also fix this in person, if you are local to me.

It seems like every day there is something in the news about maintaining your privacy while on the internet.   One extreme is not wanting ANY of your information available to anyone else (which means you pretty much have to not use any electronic devices).  The other end of the spectrum is just throwing it all out there for anyone to know what they want about you.

For me, I am somewhere in the middle of those two views.  I don’t think a website needs to know everything about me, but I also am not all that paranoid about keeping every detail private.  I think common sense has a lot to do with it.

That being said, I don’t think a website that I visit needs to know where I am physically located.  You know how on some sites the ads seem to be coincidentally about your city?  From an advertiser’s standpoint, that’s a great advantage – when the ad is more specific to the user’s location, the click-through rate will be higher and the ad will make more money.  I just prefer to not give that information to every site I visit (and I know a good percentage of users feel the same way).

Internet Explorer 9 has a setting that will allow you to enforce that preference.  To turn off Internet Explorer 9 geo-location tracking, first click on the little cogged wheel in the top right corner of the window:

In the new menu that pops up, click on Internet Options:

In the next window, click on the “Privacy” tab, and then check the box that says, “Never allow websites to request your physical location”.  Then click OK.

That’s it!  Enjoy browsing the web with IE9, secure in the knowledge that websites won’t know where you are.

What if you don’t use Internet Explorer 9?  Here are the options for other browsers:

Internet Explorer version 8 or earlier: the solution here is to upgrade to IE9.  It is more secure and overall better than IE8.  If you are still using Windows XP, you don’t have the option of upgrading to IE9 – which is why you should upgrade to Windows 7.

Firefox:  Firefox states that location-aware browsing is always optional in Firefox.  However, to disable the feature permanently, go the address bar and type in: about:config and hit “Enter”.   Now type geo.enabled.  Double-click on the geo.enabled preference.  Location-aware browsing is now disabled.  You can get more information here.

Chrome: Click the wrench (settings) icon in the top right corner, and choose Options.  Click “Under the Hood” on the left side of the page.  Click the button at the top that says “Content Settings”.  Scroll down to the “Location” section, and choose the option you prefer.

One of the great advantages of having a laptop computer is the portability.  You can just pick it up and take it anywhere, and these days you can find a wifi signal in lots of public places.  However, there is a downside with that portability benefit – laptops are easily stolen.  One minute you are sitting in an airport waiting for your flight, you turn your head for a second, and before you know it you are missing a laptop.  Smart phones present the same problem because they are so small.

If you have ever had a laptop stolen, you know that there is very little chance of recovering it.  Sure, you can check Craigslist for someone trying to sell it, and you can check with the local pawn shops.  But the reality is you might as well plan on buying another one.

UNLESS…

Unless you take a simple precaution ahead of time, and install a FREE program on your laptop that will allow you to track it after it gets stolen.

(Here’s the sad part of this… at some point in the future, one of you will be thinking, “Why, oh why didn’t I just install that little program on my laptop when Scott told me about it?  Now I’ll never get my laptop back!“  Will that be you?  I hope not.)

The free program is called Prey.  You can get it here.  On the site, click “Log in”, then click the green button that says “Not registered? Sign up!”

Here’s how it works:  you install this little program on your computer.  It really doesn’t do anything until you “wake it up”.  Should your laptop get stolen, you can send the “wake up” message from any other internet-connected computer, or even as a text message from your phone.

When the program is activated, you are able to gather some important information – including its location.

Here are some features:

• 100% geolocation aware (this can be done via GPS, if the device has it, or through the use of nearby wifi signals).
• Does your laptop have a webcam?  Take a picture of the thief without his or her knowledge!
• Grab a screenshot of activity – you might even catch the thief while he’s browsing Facebook or reading his email (no webcam is needed for this feature).
• If you want, you can even completely lock down your PC remotely – so the thief will not be able to use it at all.

There are paid versions of Prey, for individuals or companies with lots of machines to keep track of, or if you want some more advanced reporting features.  But for most people with a single laptop or smart phone, the free version is adequate.

Check out some of the stories of how Prey helped people get their laptops back:

You have probably heard about the malicious software programs that suddenly pop up a window and tell you that you have 97 severe threats on your computer and you need to take action to get rid of them.  You close the window, and it just opens up again a few seconds later.  Sometimes lots of windows – and they prevent you from doing anything else.

Some people would say that is the most annoying kind of virus in existence.  Well, while that type of thing is certainly frustrating, it is definitely not the most dangerous.

The malware that can do the most damage is the one that you don’t see at all.

There is a new type of virus/spyware emerging, and it employs a rather clever technique.  It is called the “post transaction” attack.

Here’s how it works:

The malware finds an unprotected computer and gets in.  Then it just sits and waits – no obnoxious pop-up windows or anything.  To the computer user, everything seems to be working fine.

What the program is waiting for is a bank account login.  Eventually the owner of the computer logs into his or her bank account, and when that happens the hidden software records the user name and password and other critical personal data.  That is Step 1 of this scam.

Step 2 is immediately put into place – an instantaneous redirect.  This means that the next time that computer tries to go to that bank account website, it is immediately sent to a different website – one that LOOKS identical to the user’s bank account, but is in fact just a fake page that is designed to look normal.

In the background, the virus is using the bank account to make fraudulent purchases, and if the user logs into what appears to be the account, it all seems fine – at least for a while.  Eventually it gets figured out, but the software achieved it’s purpose – discovery was delayed by hours, days, maybe even weeks.  Scammers love having all that extra time to get away with your money and cover their tracks.

So, for those of you that think you are protected because you check your online bank account regularly, please consider that you might not be doing enough to protect yourself.

How to prevent this from happening

There are 3 security programs that I use and recommend.  2 are free, and the other is a cheap, one-time investment.  Here they are again:

1. Microsoft Security Essentials (antivirus – free – click here to get it)

2. Malwarebytes paid version (antispyware – $24.95 one time – click here to get it)

3. SuperAntispyware (antispyware – free – click here to get it)

Take a few minutes to get these programs on your computer, and save yourself hours of grief.  I can put them on  your computer if you want – I have installed them on hundreds already.  However you do it, make sure you do it.

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You have probably heard the term “firewall” sometimes, in relation to computers and security.  Let’s talk about what a firewall is, and if you need to make any changes to your computer setup in order to be secure.

First of all, what is a firewall?

Basically, a firewall is what its name suggests – a tool that blocks some access to your computer.  When you are connected to the internet (which for most users is 100% of the time), there are all kinds of little bugs and bots and malicious people that would like to get into your computer and take a look around.  You don’t want any of these bad things having access to your computer.

Second – do you really need a firewall?  Yes, you do need a firewall.  The good news is, you are probably already protected.

There are essentially 2 types of firewalls: hardware and software.  Hardware means an actual piece of physical equipment that acts as a firewall, and software means a program running on your computer as the firewall.

Think about your computer, and how it connects to the internet.  In most situations, the internet signal comes in to a modem, and the modem is in turn connected to a router.  Then, your computer gets the internet signal from the router (either wirelessly, or by a direct cable).  In some cases, the modem and router are actually a single combination box (that’s how it is with my Verizon FIOS connection – the modem is also the router).

If your computer connects to the internet using a router, you already have a firewall built in to your security, because the router acts as a hardware firewall.  In my opinion, that’s all that most people need.

If you want the additional protection of a software firewall, your Windows computer has this already built in to the operating system.  You have the choice of turning it off or on – just go to Control Panel and look for Windows Firewall.

Some people will tell you that Windows Firewall is insufficient, because it only blocks traffic one direction – from the internet to your computer.  Their point is that if something infects your computer and is trying to access the internet, Windows Firewall won’t block that access so you need another third-party software that blocks access both directions.

This is where other firewall manufacturers come into the picture, such as ZoneAlarm, Norton and Comodo – and of course if you ask them, you definitely need their software in order to be protected. I would say they are a little biased because they want your money.

Obviously, the final decision is yours, but I will tell you two things:

1. I have not run a third-party firewall program on my computers in a long time – probably more than 15 years.

2. In many cases, where I am checking a computer with problems and it can’t connect to the internet and/or get email, the issue traces back to a software firewall that is blocking access (usually because of being configured incorrectly).  Get rid of that program and the problem goes away.

What is your opinion?  Let us know in the comments area below.  And if you find this helpful, please do me a favor and click the Like and +1 buttons at the top or bottom of the post.  Thanks!

Like a lot of people that do business online, I use Paypal every day for both sending and receiving money.  It’s really the easiest way to conduct business.  To receive payments from clients who wish to pay by credit card, I don’t need to have a merchant account – the money just goes directly to my Paypal account, and I can have it transferred directly into my bank (or get cash from any ATM).  To make a purchase, I pay with Paypal and the money either comes from my checking account (immediate transfer) or is charged to my credit card.  Simple!

Well, not always that simple.  Here is part of an email I received this week:

This week has been kind of a nightmare for me.  Both of my Paypal accounts have been shut down…Forever they tell me.

It was a form letter telling me that my account has been “limited”, and saying that this was a “result of a routine account review activity”.

I called the “contact us” number through my account and spoke a surprisingly friendly woman named Audrey, who assured me that this was nothing more than a standard review of my personal and business account.

Two days later I received a message that “my appeal has been denied”, my personal and business accounts had been terminated, and that they will be holding over $5000 of my money for the next 180 days.

Can you imagine the nightmare?  What if the money in your Paypal account was needed to pay your bills?  What if you needed that account to conduct your business?

I am putting this on my blog today to help you avoid being in that situation.

Garry Sayer, a respected internet marketer in the UK, has written a fantastic guide on how to protect your Paypal account.  It’s called Paypal Buddy: How to Stay on the Good Side of Paypal.

I bought this guide and highly recommend it.  It’s something that you want to have handy if you should ever receive a notice like the one above.  You will learn not only certain things to do ahead of time to avoid a problem, but also exactly what actions to take if you should get an email from Paypal about a problem with your account.

The information is very inexpensive and could come in handy some day (and Garry offers a 60-day money back guarantee if you’re not happy with it).

Get your copy here

Happy 4th of July!  Today is a pretty big holiday here in the US so I am taking a break from the regular “computer tip” blog post. Hey, even we computer guys have to get away from the computer every once in a while!

This is just something that I find interesting and a bit scary.  We should all at least be aware of it, even if there’s not really much we can do about it.  Details in the video:

You probably search Google most commonly for websites that have information that you want or need. However, it has become more and more popular to search Google images as well (particularly if you are look for a picture of something). If you search in Google Images, you are fairly likely to come upon a malicious website or two.

What happens is you are happily searching along and clicking on some pictures to see them full size.  From a scammer’s point of view, this is ideal – lots of people just clicking on all kinds of stuff, not even knowing what is behind that picture.

(In my opinion, this is where Google is dropping the ball.  When you click to look at a picture, Google automatically loads the associated website behind the picture.  Whether the website is good or bad, it’s going to load whether you like it or not.  That’s a dangerous practice, and I think Google will have to change that at some point.)

At some point you click on a picture, and suddenly you start seeing reports on your screen that your computer is infected with viruses.  There are all kinds of official-looking images and graphics that say your computer must be about ready to die with all those threats.  Finally a window appears offering a “solution” to your computer’s problems.  All you have to do is click to download this program and you’ll be fine.

As you already know, this is a complete scam.  If you click on that download button, you will be anything but “fine”.  The real solution is this:  close that window.  You can either close the tab, or you can click the X to close the whole window.  Problem solved.

Here’s a real life example:

You can go to Google images (here) and do this search:  ikea covers

When you see the array of images, look on the left side and click on Large.  (This means the only images shown will be large ones.)

Scroll down a few rows and you will see this image:

When you click to view that image, you might wait a few seconds, then suddenly the warnings start to appear to get you to start panicking:

Who knows what garbage I would be putting on my computer if I clicked on “Erase infected”.  Don’t be tempted to do that!  Just close the tab or close the page and you will be fine.

There are a few more “advanced” pages that not only show you these warnings, they will also immediately reduce the size of your browser window down to about 1 inch square on your screen.  Same strategy – if you see your window get small immediately, you know what is happening – just close it with the X.

If you have concerns about online privacy and security, I have information here that you need to pay attention to.  The subject of today’s post is: geotagging.  You might not be familiar with that term.  If you take a picture with your digital camera and upload it to a website such as Google’s Picasa, or Flickr, or Facebook, you are often given the option of adding some data such as the date and location where the picture was taken.

For most digital cameras, this is not a big deal.  The camera just creates the digital file and no other information is included with it.  That’s because your standard digital camera does not have any location (GPS) capability.

But your smartphone does.

And how are most people taking pictures now?  With their phone.  When your phone creates an image file, it most likely includes the location information as part of the file.

So how does this work?  Check out this video:

To disable having this information on the pictures you take with your smartphone, here are complete instructions for the various types of phones:  instructions here