Open Source Intelligence 101

As the festive season comes into full swing, shoppers will spend millions buying gifts online using their smartphone, computer, tablet, etc. Unfortunately, cyber scams are everywhere and they are especially common during Christmas time, so while you’re busy online, whether you’re using public Wi-Fi or your own, you could be at risk of cyber scams! Don’t become the next victim; keep an eye out for these 11 common Christmas cyber scams: 1. Email banking scams 2. Phishing scams 3. Public Wi-Fi scams 4. Fake free Wi-Fi 5. Fake updates 6. Ransomware and viruses 7.Unsecure websites 8. Online news scams 9. Fake virus checks 10. Phone scams 11. Cracked downloads Cybercriminals know that Christmas time is the busiest time of the year which means users will be online throughout the day using their devices to make purchases online. It is critical that you keep an eye out for scams and stay safe. And if it looks too good to be true, it probably i...

In this day and age, many people turn to the internet and various dating apps to try and find love. However, it is sad that these online dating platforms have created so many potential victims for online scammers. Online dating scams can affect both men and women, so be sure to look out for these signs! 1. Limit the info you share. Never, ever give out your financial information, this one is obvious, but what’s not so obvious is that scammers will find out about you from your other social media pages and trick you into thinking that you have so much in common. If you suddenly have so much in common with someone, it might be a red flag. 2. Keep an eye out for professions of love. Watch out for someone who confesses their love for you after only chatting for a short while as well as asking for your number so you can chat exclusively. It’s okay if you don’t want to give out your cell phone number or your email address to someone who is professing intense feelings for y...

Thanks to the internet, these days it is so easy to just about anything, such as booking travel reservations! However, every year the amount of fake travel booking websites grows because it is so easy for cybercriminals to scam consumers. According to recent surveys, about 15 million online reservations are made every year on fake travel websites! That means that these websites trick people into thinking they are booking their reservation, but instead they are allowing cybercriminals to steal their private data such as their money and credit card information. Here’s how to avoid online travel scams… 1. When making a booking always go directly to the company’s official website, whether it is for a hotel, airline, airport shuttle service ( www.asct.co.za ) , etc. if you’re not sure if it’s the real website or not, give them a call to verify their website. 2. If you do need to use a third=party website, make sure it is a trusted and well-known brand. 3. Always try ...

If you have any sort of common sense you would know that there isn’t a prince or member of a royal African family that wants to send you their millions with no strings attached! However, even though this sort of scam has been ongoing for many years, the overall principals of a spam scam are still going strong and continue to grow and become more malicious each and every day. These are 4 of the most popular spam scams that like to pretend to come from an actual legitimate source, often tricking unknowing people into clicking on links and opening dangerous attachments. Fake password changes One of the most common scams is the password change alert or confirmation email that users will receive either from their bank, social media network or another trusted source. The scammers will trick the users into thinking their accounts have been hacked and urge them to click on a link or open a malicious attachment to reset their password. False bookings These scams ap...

Hackers, scammers and cybercriminals love the holiday season because it gives them the chance to take advantage of the crazy holiday shopping and make a nice profit out of unknowing shoppers. By using phishing scams, online scammers take advantage of the fact that your email inbox is so full of holiday specials and offers that you won’t think twice before clicking on a malicious link. Here are 5 scams to keep an eye out for this holiday season… Receipts and invoices. A lot of people do their shopping online these days and during the holiday season, there is a huge increase in online receipts and invoices that shoppers will receive via email. Scammers will hide malicious code in an attachment or link and shoppers won’t think twice when clicking on an attachment that’s apparently from Amazon! Shipping status. Just like the fake receipts and invoices, fake shipping status alerts are a great way for scammers to trick shoppers into thinking there is a problem with their...

Do not get suckered by an online scam this holiday season! We all love a good online deal, but do you know who else loves and online deal? Cybercriminals and scammers looking for an easy opportunity to trick you just like the Grinch! So how can you shop safely online this holiday season? Here are eight helpful tips to keep you safe… 1. Stay away from ransomware. Don’t ever open email attachments from a shopping website that are not trusted or well-known and be sure to back up your files on a regular basis just in case you do get infected with ransomware. 2. Be wary of phishing scams. Never, ever click on a link that is sent unexpectedly through email, SMS or other messengers such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. 3. Always use strong passwords. Use a combination of letters, numbers, special symbols as well as upper and lower case letters to ensure that your password is strong and harder for hackers to figure out. 4. Only shop on safe websites. Before you mak...

Twitter has gone from a silly, novelty social media platform to a source of news and information that almost everyone uses! But just like other social media networks, Twitter is full of trolls and scammers who aim to harass and provoke you. You need to know how to avoid scams and trolls on Twitter, here’s how. 1. Don’t be scared to block. It is vital that you know how and when to block someone, whether they are spamming you or bullying, you need to get rid of them before you end up infected with dangerous followers. The sooner you block the spammers or trolls, the better! 2. Don’t get hacked. Twitter accounts get hacked on a regular basis, so it is vital that you keep your account safe by using a strong password that has different numbers, symbols as well as upper and lowercase letters. It is best to use two-factor authentication. Even if it takes longer, it’s worth it to keep your account safe. 3. Don’t be fooled by trending topics. Twitter created trending t...

Social media users continue to grow every day, with a shocking annual increase of 17%! Massive amounts of data such as photos and posts are shared every day, some of it interesting and some of it pointless, let’s take a look at the 5 golden rules every social media user should always keep in mind… Ignore the trolls. Internet trolls are there to irritate you for fun and you can find them just about anywhere from chats to online forums. What should you do when you spot a troll? Just ignore them! Lots of people like to take the bait and start an intense debate, but someone will always be wrong so don’t waste your time and energy. Don’t post anything illegal. Did you know that you can be fined in New Zealand for trolling and cyberbullying? In other countries posts and reposts on social media networks can have all sorts of serious consequences, so always think before you post something on social media. It may seem like a joke to you at the time, but you should always kee...

The pyramid scheme has been ongoing for many years, but still, so many people continue to fall for this scheme! Why? Because it’s hard to resist an offer that promises easy money without much effort! Here’s how to spot a pyramid scheme and steer clear to avoid being defrauded. - If you ever hear the words “no risk” or “guaranteed returns” then start running! There is no such thing as an investment without any risk. Even if you keep your money under your bed there is still some sort of risk of losing it. - Almost all pyramid schemes will convince you that you’ll get incredibly high returns. Your best bet is to use the repo rate as a baseline to compare, this is usually 6.75%, so if the return rate is more than that then it’s most certainly a scam! - Do not be scared to ask the person or broker offering these investment lots of questions. Ask how long they’ve been involved, what qualifications they have, etc. Don’t be shy to interrogate them! - If you have to in...

In short, a pyramid scheme is an illegal scheme that promises you will get rich, but in fact, it just ends up costing you money. You may have heard about pyramid schemes through friends, family or old school pals you haven’t spoken to in years. The scheme will usually convince people to pay to join and then convince others to join and pay as well. In order for people to start making money they need to get a certain amount of people to join, but the truth is that’ll never happen! Those who are at the top of the pyramid scheme make their money by convincing others to join the scheme, but the truth is they pocket the fees of those who are joining and when the scheme falls apart relationships are damaged over the money that has been lost. Never promote or take part in a pyramid scheme no matter how amazing it may seem! Here are some warning signs of a pyramid scheme: - Someone tries to convince you to join a group, scheme or team where you will need to recruit mor...

Let’s face it, scammers are everywhere. On our social media platforms, websites, and emails and even on dating apps and sites, including the ones you may know and trust. Because of online dating scammers, you need to pay attention and look out for these four online dating scam signs… Spelling and grammar errors. If the person you are chatting to is English speaking, but their conversations are full of terrible spelling and continuous grammar errors then be wary. Obviously not everyone speaks English as their native language, but scammers often like to cross borders online in search of foreign victims, so spelling and grammar errors are a red flag. Copy and paste. Some messages and emails may read way too well if so be wary! Scammers love to steal information and content from other dating profiles and just paste them into their own so they don’t have to bother to write their own. If the text looks too perfect, run it through an internet search and see what pops up. ...

If you are under the impression that your iPhone is immune to malicious threats, then you are living in the past. Even though Apple iPhones are a smaller target then Android phones, it is possible to become infected by simply opening a website. Infected websites can install malware as well as spyware on your device; from there they work in the background without you even noticing it is there! The consequences of your device being infected can be serious, all your passwords, messages, call history, photos, etc. can be compromised, so always be sure to exercise caution. Here’s how to avoid infecting your Apple iPhone with malicious malware… - Make sure you regularly update your phone and ensure it is running the latest version of iOS. Always download all the updates as soon as they become available. Developers fix the issues that cybercriminals take advantage of in all the latest versions. - Never click on links in ads, emails or messages, like SMSs from someone...

Social media sites such as Facebook have a range of scams, one of the most recent being fake fundraising campaigns! The scammers will make an emotional post, provide their banking details and add a couple of sad comments as well. The post will usually be a plea for help for a terminally ill child or to help an animal rescue organization. New scamming groups appear every month, each with similar details and posts and even though they are shut down on a regular basis, people still fall for the scam and pay money to the scammers anyway. How can you spot an online charity scam? Age of the group. The fake charity group will only be a few weeks old and contain barely any posts, but they have been shared and reposted thousands of times. This is usually the first signs that the charity is a scam! A real organization or charity will take a long period of time to become established and there will be multiple posts as well as more information about the cause. Pressure to...

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people online into doing certain things such as revealing their private information or passwords! This type of online manipulation takes advantage of a victim’s naivety and willingness to help and please others, and it plays a part in many other types of online scamming. Here are some examples of social engineering: You receive an email claiming to be from your bank or a trusted organization . They ask you to click on a link and input your details such as your password and other personal information. This is usually called phishing! Someone phones you claiming to be from your bank. They ask you to give out your confidential information such as your bank account PIN in order to solve a problem. Do not give out your information! Your bank will NEVER confirm your details over a phone call. Here’s how to avoid becoming a victim of social engineering: - Never give out your private information such as your password,...

With the increase in social interactions being done online, there has been an increase in relationships that are being built over social media networks as well as apps such as Tinder, etc. Did you know that a recent study showed that 1 in 5 relationships began online? If things continue like this then by the year 2040, almost 70% of people in the world will meet their significant other online via a social media network or an app! Because everything is online these days, scammers have taken advantage of this opportunity to con those who are looking for love online. Catfishing is an online scam where someone creates a fake online identity for the purpose of starting a fake relationship and usually scamming people out of their money over a period of time. Are you dating online or thinking about dating online? The person is too good to be true – They are extremely rich, attractive and glamourous. The relationship is moving unnaturally fast – They profess their und...

Your cell phone is an important part of your everyday life. I mean, we basically need our phones for just about everything from work and play to storing personal info and data. This is why smartphones have become one of the main targets for spyware! How can spyware harm you? Once spyware is installed on your phone, it will track all your movements as well as your internet use so it can target you with the appropriate advertisements. It is frightening to think that this could happen to you, but luckily this spyware rarely affects you or your information too seriously. However, there are other, more dangerous types of spyware that you should worry about! These programs are created to gather your personal information to use for identity theft or even spy on you directly by gaining access to your smartphone camera or microphone. Because we use our mobile phones for just about everything these days, spyware is and will still become more widespread in the future. Here’s how ...

Spyware is software that infiltrates your mobile phone or computer, stealing your data and private information. Spyware is classified as malicious software that is created to damage your device, often without you even realizing it is happening. A lot of spyware can even install foreign software that allows hackers to change your settings and passwords, that is why it is so important to always keep your device updated on a regular basis. Spyware is one of the most common threats that can gain access to your computer or cell phone, it can be a massive threat to your business as well as yourself as an individual since it can steal private, personal data and cause harm to your network. Here are the four main types of spyware that you need to lookout for… Adware. This spyware will track your browser history and your downloads in order to display ads about services and products you are interested in. Adware can be annoying plus it can really slow down your devices. ...

Online scams take on new forms every day. The latest in a string of scams include reputational hijacking. We spoke to Cape Town Attorney, Farouk Mowzer, about some of these online scams sites. According to Farouk Mowzer, online fraud is indeed a big thing. It's relatively easy to set up a fake website that purports to be well-meaning and providing independent reviews, but what if that review is intentionally false? According to industry specialists, a number of websites have popped up in the past year that offer independent reviews and listings of scammers. These sites, however, are totally devoid of actual facts, trawl the internet for unrelated information and pop up the data as "reports". Conveniently, these sites have no real contact details that will lead you to be able to take the content offline. Type in the website name and remove though and you quickly find a paid for service at $1000 that guarantees removal, effectively, online blackmail. The sit...

As humans, we’re basically wired to social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And because of our obsession scammers are taking advantage and more and more people are falling for social media scams. Here are the 5 most common social media scams to look out for. 1. Chain Letters. You’ve probably seen this one before. For example, retweet or like this and we’ll donate a million dollars to charity! The truth is both the post and the claim are obviously fake. Either a post like this is done by someone looking for a laugh or simply sharing it from someone else; otherwise, it could be a scammer trying to trick you into clicking a dangerous link. 2. Cash Grabbing. We use social media to stay in touch with friends, right? But how well do you really know half the people on your friend's list? Always think twice if you get a request from someone claiming they need cash for an emergency. Rather call your friend first to double check if it’s really them o...

Smishing attacks aim to gain access to your private information by using SMSs to target victims. Smishing is becoming an emerging threat that continues to grow over the years. Why? Because mobile banking is becoming more and more commonly used these days. Here’s how smishing attacks work: - You will receive an SMS that seems legitimately from a popular bank or organisation asking you to contact them on a number or click on a link. - Once you contact them or click the link you will be asked to give out your personal information such as your account number, password or PIN. - The scammers now have access to your accounts, etc. and can do with them what they wish. In this day and age, people use their smartphones for basically everything, including online banking. There is a lot of private information at risk if your phone is exposed to a scammer. Here’s how to identify a smishing scam: - You are SMSed and asked to confirm your private details such as...