Open Source Intelligence 101

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 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...

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...

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...

Don’t be fooled, Instagram can be just as dangerous as Facebook! Even though this social media network is a favourite for those who love to share every detail of their lives through photos, making sure your account is secure is an important step to take. Keep these five tips in mind and stay safe on Instagram… -- Don’t add your phone number to your profile In the private information section of your profile, keep in mind that less is always more! Even though your cell phone number is meant to be private, it can still be used to help you be “found” on Instagram, so it is best just to leave it out. -- Avoid tagging your location It may seem fun to snap a picture, upload it and tag your location, but remember that you are sharing this information with complete strangers. It’s not ideal that you post on Facebook that you are going away for a week, so it’s not ideal to tag all your Instagram posts. -- Be careful of linked accounts Linking your Instagram with...

In this day and age, it is so easy for criminals to use a digital device to carry out a traditional crime. A traditional crime such as blackmail which, back in the day, would usually be done using newspaper cuttings collaged together to create a ransom note is now being done in a completely different way using the power of digital devices as well as the internet. These days, it is so much easier for criminals to just use a computer to carry out a range of crimes such as, blackmail, identity theft, social media scams, ticket scams, dating bots, data theft and so much more. Some examples of other traditional crimes where a digital device can be used include instant messaging, which is often used to commit harassment. Criminals also continue to pose as your bank where they will SMS you and try to scam you into paying fake accounts, etc. Email is also used by cybercriminals on a regular basis to commit fraud by using phishing scams. It seems that the list is endless and ...

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...

Online ticket scammers usually target various, popular events or destinations to try and take advantage or all the people who are desperately rushing and searching for tickets for buy. Fake tickets for various events include: - Concerts - Conferences - Plays - Sporting events - Live performances - Shows - Flight or train tickets - Other special events In general, all the tickets that these scammers sell are completely fake. Other times the tickets don’t exist, to begin with, so you pay but never receive anything. Since 2015 online ticket scams have been increasing and occurring more often. Scammers have been having a field day because of all the popular shows and events that are happening these days. Here are some tell-tale signs to lookout for: - The prices are much higher than the regular ticket price OR the prices are suspiciously low. - Before you buy tickets from a website, always check the contact details to make sure it’s legitimate. - If t...

Social media has made it possible for people to interact with each other from all over the world – everyone knows what everyone else is doing, where they’re going on vacation, when they got married, etc. However, social media networks have also made it possible for more users to become victims of scams. Over the last few years, social media scams have basically quadrupled with fake accounts popping up everywhere. Don’t become the next victim of a scam – here’s how to spot, prevent and deal with social media scams: - There is an ad or poster offering an amazing deal or job that sounds too good to be true. - A job, prize or loan application asks you to pay upfront beforehand. - A popular company uses a Yahoo or Gmail email account to contact you. - You are urged to act immediately! - They ask you to share your private information. - You get a friend request from a “friend” but they ask you random questions or for money. How to prevent social media scams fro...

Cyber criminals are everywhere, they’re even terrorizing your social media news feed! In this day and age your personal information such as where you go, what you do, who you chat to and what you like can be used as valuable data by cyber criminals. These cyber criminals will sell your private data to people who will use it to target ads, launch campaigns and other malicious operations. You may be thinking to yourself, I’m only one person; no one is going to target me. Well, you’re very wrong! Should you fall victim to a social media scam it not only affects you, it affects your entire network of friends and contacts. Make sure you know these common social media scams and avoid them as best you can… 1. Quizzes, Surveys & Contests. These scams are cute enough to make you think they’re completely innocent. And while you might think it’s all fun and games when they ask you your mothers date of birth or maiden name so you can see what Game of Thrones character yo...