Tip of the Day #002: Don’t fall for Scams

Practical Help for Your Digital Life gives you tips on what to watch out for to avoid being scammed at work or at home. Chris Gardner describes the most common ways that scammers try to trick you into bypassing your home, personal or office security, so you can recognize a scammer by their behavior. Printable tip sheets are available for our members below.

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For a handy printable tip sheet, please click this link: DontFallForScams.pdf (Adobe PDF, get free reader here)

Today’s tip is about how the bad guys use social engineering to fool you into letting them hack into your computer, and what you should watch out for. These are often tried in the workplace, but can also happen at home. Some of the tried-and-true methods are:

• You’re entering your workplace, and someone’s right behind you, maybe with arms full of packages. They ask you to hold the door for them.
• Someone is impatient and acting frustrated because they need to get inside your building and the guard won’t let them in without a pass. They get more and more upset until the guard gives in or someone else ‘vouches’ for them without even knowing them.
• Someone’s hanging around an outside designated smoking area. As workers come and go, they just follow one inside.

Once inside, they find creative ways to get into your computer, such as:

• Someone comes into your cubicle or office saying they’re from IT and need to update or check your computer. They may even have a company badge. This could also just be a phone call where they ask you to give them remote access.
• Someone comes in and asks to test or fix something under your desk, like a plug. While there, they put a little device between your keyboard and your computer to record your keystrokes.

Social engineering can also take advantage of your trust in email or social networking websites. For instance:

• You get an email from someone you know (at least by the email address), saying they’re trapped somewhere and asking you to send them money.
• You get an email asking if you’ve seen something online about you (a blog, news story, etc.). Of course the link is fake.
• You get an email with a link from a business or bank asking you to click and log into your account.
• You get an email, phone call or door-knocker asking for donations to help a worthy cause (like last year’s Hurricane Sandy relief). Or with free gift or gift card offers.
• You see a post on Twitter or Facebook with a shortened link, like the popular bit.ly. Who knows where that link will take you.

Don’t fall for these and other scams. Hackers are creative and inventive, coming up with new schemes every day. It’s unfortunate but important for you to be wary and suspicious. And if it’s free, there’s always a catch?

Lastly, you need to know that anyone can send an email that looks like it comes from anyone else. It’s ridiculous that emails can be so easily faked. Social networking sites are a little harder to fake, but it’s certainly do-able. And anyone can knock on your door with papers or identification that they ginned up themselves. I’m sad for the legitimate non-profits, but there are just too many scammers out there these days.