Open Source Intelligence 101

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...

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...

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...

An online shopping scam will usually include a scammer using a fake website or fake social media account/ store to trick you into buying something from them. The scam will usually also involve using fake adverts to try and lure victims in. A scammer will try and use unbelievable deals and services such as shipping overnight and free delivery to trick victims into not thinking twice and just acting on instinct. The goods that the scammer is offering are usually fake or you just never receive them. They will often ask you not to pay by card, but to use an EFT payment, gift card or cryptocurrency. Not only that, but a scammer will try and trick you into giving out your personal information, such as your bank information, by asking you to fill in a form to finish the order or to sign-up. Online shopping scams continue to increase every year, here’s how to spot and online shopping scam: - You receive an email from an online store, but you cannot find any info about...

It is vital that you do not fall into an online scammers trap, especially recently as online scams have been on the rise in South Africa. Here are the most common signs of these four popular online scams that you need to be aware of in order to not become the next victim. Online Goods. Scammers love to target those who are selling valuables online. They may tell you that they want to meet and pick up the goods and pay via EFT. Either they will reverse the transfer once they have received the goods or they will send you fake proof of payment. Always meet in a safe, public environment and rather accept payments in cash only. Account Information. If you receive an email or SMS from your bank claiming that your account number or information has been changed, be very wary! A lot of people fall for this and end up paying a scammer for absolutely nothing, believing that it is a legitimate message from their bank. If you receive messages like this, rather contact your...

The dark web and the deep web consists of many unsettling and disturbing content and activities, where you can find just about anything. The real question is, what are you going to find if you ever wander into the shadows of the internet? DRUGS  This is an obvious one, people like to use the dark web to buy and sell drugs. Before sites like the infamous Silk Road, those who needed drugs would have to go to a bad, dangerous side of town and possibly get robbed or caught by the police. Now all you have to do is order them online from the comfort of your own home. WEAPONS Firearms are easily accessible on the dark web. Not only can you buy weapons that are illegal to sell online, but you can also buy weapons that are illegal everywhere! Such as a secret agent pen gun, explosives and even uranium. ID DOCUMENTS Many dark web vendors offer anything from fake drivers’ licenses to fake ID’s and passports. You may be thinking that these things are just used by ...

A holiday scam is a type of scam that will take advantage of potential travelers who are looking to go on holiday by tricking them with falsely advertised fake holiday packages. Often, these fake holiday packages will include ideal accommodation or timeshare. It is easier than you think to fall for a holiday scam as the packages look legitimate as well as the websites they are advertised on. How does a holiday scam work? -- You will come across a website with an unbelievable holiday package. Alternatively, you could receive an email promoting an amazing holiday package. -- The deal is only running for the next few hours, so you need to pay for the package on the fake website before the time runs out and you miss the deal. -- You input your private details on the seemly genuine website, therefore giving away your card details. -- The purchase goes through, but you never receive the holiday package that you paid for. -- The cybercriminals now have access t...

While most of us are used to using Facebook and social media networks, a lot of teens are just starting out and exploring the online work. Unfortunately, there are many bad guys online, especially on social media platforms such as Facebook, who are there to take advantage of new or naïve members. Use these safety and security tips and share them with your teen to ensure everyone has a safer experience. Never register for Facebook if you’re under the age of 13. Some teens want an account when they’re only 11 or 12 – not even a teen yet! However, Facebook specifically forbids anyone younger than 13 from registering. Avoid using your real first and middle name. Facebook does not allow fake names, but you can use your nickname as your first or middle name. This will keep online criminals and potential predators from obtaining more information about you. Set strong privacy settings. Not just anyone should be able to see your profile as well as your content and pho...

As the internet expands so do the online scams and how sophisticated they are becoming. What online scams all have in common is that they prey on your fear, greed, and ignorance – here are some of the most sophisticated online scams on the internet that everyone seems to fall for. Phishing – One of the most popular scams out there is email phishing. Victims of phishing scams will be tricked into giving out their passwords through legitimate emails and seemingly trustworthy businesses. According to a recent study, nearly 100 000 attempts of phishing are reported each month. Learn more about phishing scams here. The Nigerian Prince Scam – One of the oldest online scams in the books is the Nigerian prince scam. You’ll receive an email from a Nigerian prince or investor offering you a chance of financial gain, the catch is you need to pay a small portion upfront or give out your private banking information. Ticket Fraud – Victims of the ticket fraud scam will be...

Facebook Marketplace is kind of like Craigslist, where it offers a place for people to search for goods to buy from people in their local community as well as sell items in their community.  All you have to do to use Facebook Marketplace is have a Facebook profile and selling something is as easy as taking a photo, setting the price, posting and then selling! Buying the items are just as easy! However, Marketplace comes with a range of annoying scams, including fake items, catfishing and even hacking. Because of the downside to Facebook Marketplace, you need to always be on the lookout for these common Facebook Marketplace scam scenarios… - Someone will be selling authentic items at a very low price, but it turns out they’ve sold you a counterfeit. - There are a range of dating scams (catfishing) that include someone using a fake photo to lure the desperate in. - A family members Facebook may be hacked and a user will receive a plea from them for money. - ...

Twitter is one of the original giants among social media networks and because it is so handy and easy to use it is a great way to communicate with your friends or associates. While Twitter is a great social media network, it is also a way for scammers and bots to potentially pose a threat to users, including teens and young kids. When it comes to staying safe on Twitter, parents need to make sure their children are as safe as possible. Read all about how to spot a Twitter scam here! 1. Always be smart with your passwords – Your password should always be at least 12 characters with a mix of letters, numbers and special characters.   It is also important not to use the same password for all your accounts. 2. Configure privacy settings – Everything you post on Twitter will pop up when it is searched for, so it is best to enable “Protect My Tweets” so your posts stay invisible to search queries. 3. Never share personal info – There are many people lurking on...

Twitter is a social media network that is a great way to stay in touch with what is happening in the world. You can take a look into celebrity lives, connect with your local business and communicate with friends. However, not everyone that uses Twitter is there to use it in a positive way, many users are on Twitter to try and scam you. So how can you spot a Twitter scam? At the moment Twitter scams seem to be targeting the financial world because almost all users like to stay involved with their bank online. For the common user, these scams can be quite hard to spot. So firstly, a Twitter user may need help logging onto their account or they simply have a general question. A scammer will join in the legitimate conversation and steer it towards them. How do they do this so easily? The answer is that they use a fake profile they have created. These fake profiles can easily trick users because they are so hard to spot! Spend a few minutes studying the profil...

Guess what, dating bots are a real thing and falling for one is easier than you think. Online dating is supposed to be fun and convenient, you get to chat with new, fascinating people that could potentially turn into love interests plus it takes away that first-date awkwardness. But it’s never that simple. Dating online has many pitfalls including dating bots that clog almost all the online dating sites you use. Did you know that almost 60% of traffic online is generated by bots? This includes dating websites and social media sites. Online dating bots are specifically designed to chat with you and trick you into paying membership fees on dating websites; they can even trick you into giving out your private information such as your banking details. Here’s how to recognize a dating bot: Their profile picture is a professional glamour shot. They profess their undying love for you a day or two after chatting. They make promises to meet you in person, but somet...