privacy - PSafe Blog

Avoid the Tinder Swindler: how to date online safely

Bianca Moura — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 14:18:16 +0000

Good con artists have a strange relationship with emotion: many of them demonstrate an almost uncanny ability to manipulate and elicit emotions in others, yet they’re often detached from their own emotions. This frightening combination is in evidence throughout the recent independent film sensation The Tinder Swindler.

The film tells the story of a conman who uses the Tinder app to insinuate himself into the lives of three female victims. In the film, Simon Leviev sets up elaborate romantic cons to appear as a wealthy diamond heir, then uses the trust he has gained to steal information, then money – only to use that money to fund the con for his next victim.

It’s a taut and dramatically told story, but without a clear moral or ending. (The New York Post has reported that Leviev has signed with a Hollywood agent, and “wants his own dating show.”)

How To Stay Safe: Five Scammer Prevention Keys

But the moral for users of Tinder — and social media in general — are still the same: proceed with caution! Below are a Five Keys to help you stay safe as you navigate dating apps like Tinder — they’re also useful guidelines for people you might meet on any other social app like Facebook:

Do some research — and take your time. Before meeting in real life with anyone you’ve met online, take the time to do a little background research and find out if the person you’re speaking to is who they say they are.

Consider bringing a friend for the first date(s), and meet in public. Yes, this will keep you safer, and it might also help provide a more casual atmosphere where you can learn a little bit more about your new friend.

Be sensitive about peculiar information requests. Spoiler alert: The Tinder Swindler orchestrated reasons to get Passport information, and then quickly put it to nefarious use. Whatever the reason given, a quick pivot to requests for detailed personal data is always a sure warning sign, especially in a new relationship.

Keep your purse, phone, and ID’s close. Don’t overlook simple physical sources of data like these. Don’t leave them unattended.
If you have any suspicions, check in to things. If anything seems odd in terms of your interactions, don’t bury your head in the sand. A good security solution like dfndr security can help you track where your data is going and also protect your physical phone from theft. Stay on top of your bank and credit card accounts.

Remember: Most Scammers Don’t Do A Lot of Romancing

The Tinder Swindler is also a healthy reminder that most scams are not quite as elaborate as those cooked up by Simon Leviev. But most scams operate on the same human emotions of romance and self-interest.

Set some clear rules for yourself in the dating world – and also for when you’re answering emails and text messages — or when you’re looking for work on a job site. If it looks too good to be true – it probably is!

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How to Hide Private Files on Your Computer or Smartphone

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 22:00:15 +0000

Organizing data is sometimes the last thing we want to deal with, but if you have critical financial documents or collections of embarrassing party photos lingering around, these are the types of files you should keep private in case of snoops or hackers (it does happen!). Having a passcode on your device is smart, but it’s not always enough if you share your computer or phone with friends and family. Be even smarter and limit access to your hidden world with the following tips.

Windows
A simple trick for Windows is to merely place your sensitive information within a folder and then mark the folder as ‘hidden,’ which will hide it within the file explorer. To hide a folder, right click on the folder and select the properties option. Once the properties dialogue is open, ensure there is a checkmark next to the hidden label – that’s all there is to this method! When you want to view that hidden folder, simply select the view tab within the file explorer and check the option to display hidden items.

MacOS
The process isn’t as easy on Mac and does involve a bit of time in the Terminal application. If you’re unfamiliar with using Terminal, we suggest checking out a quick tutorial first. Start by opening the Terminal app from your Applications folder and navigate to the directory in which your folder is placed. Once you are within the proper directory type the following command, followed by the enter key,’ to hide the folder: “chflags hidden [name of folder].” For example, if we have a folder named ‘photos’ which we want to keep hidden, we would type: “chflags hidden photos.”

Android
Due to the open nature of the Android platform, one of the best options for hiding sensitive data is a third-party solution. One such option is dfndr vault, an app that easily allows you to create a hidden gallery of photos and videos; it even offers a feature known as applock, which can prevent access to certain apps by letting you add a secure passcode. No need to worry anymore about friends snooping around your Tinder profile or co-workers discovering embarrassing snapshots. Android users can also take advantage of dfndr performance, which has a ‘quick cleaner’ feature to remove any private information that might be in your device’s temporary files.

iOS
If you’re an iPhone or iPad user, you can choose to add your private photos or videos to a ‘hidden gallery’ built into the device. Simply visit your Photo app and navigate to the media you wish to hide, once there tap the share button (the square with the upward facing arrow), and select hide from the menu. The photo you just chose to hide will no longer be viewable from the main camera roll or any of the adjacent photo features. To view the private collection, head to your albums and locate the folder named Hidden. Sadly this option won’t keep the most curious of individuals out, but it will prevent any private images from popping up while scrolling through your camera roll.

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Going to College Next Year? Beware of Cyber Attacks

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:00:21 +0000

If you’re going to college next year, make sure you know about cyber attacks that are hitting post-secondary schools. There are more cyber crimes than ever in 2018, but you can avoid these with the right security software.

One wickedly smart way to protect your Android or IOS phone is by using dfndr vpn, a virtual private network that hides your IP address and location, especially on campus Wi-Fi. With a VPN, you can keep your gaming, snapchatting, or Facebook sessions totally anonymous from snoops or hackers.

Here’s what you should know about cyber attacks before you land at college.

The Stats
Last year alone, there was an average of 12 DDoS attacks per week. These types of attacks can infect entire colleges by hitting multiple computers or devices at once, causing them to lose Internet access. Additionally, about a quarter of all colleges or universities were the victim of cyber attacks in 2017.

Devices Get Targeted
Plenty of institutions have a policy that requires you to bring your own device, which can expose any personal info stored on tablets or smartphones to potential hacking attempts. Criminals sometimes take advantage of anyone not using security apps or VPNs and hack into their devices to steal data, oftentimes planting ransomware in order to get a fast payoff.

Your devices should always have security software downloaded, as well as the right authentication methods to make sure cybercriminals have a hard time gaining access.

How Do Hackers Target College Kids
In addition to attacking single devices, hackers also target full-on networks with DDoS attacks and viruses. Phishing scams are also common, so steer clear of any weird emails that could contain malware. Make sure your password is randomized and has a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. While it feels like a hassle, change your passwords frequently, at least every 6 months during college life.

And while it’s fun to exchange files with your friends, don’t download any files when using a public computer because these are accessed by other people (ahem, potential hackers). Always log out of public computers after you use them, especially if you send a file from your smartphone to your email or vice versa.

Bad News… Colleges are Huge Targets
The main reason why hackers go after higher education institutions is that they can easily access a lot of personally identifiable information (PID) such as social security numbers, payment information, medical records, and more. Also, the average cost of a data record belonging to a university is worth roughly $200 with registration, which can net hackers money if they steal school records and put it for ransom.

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The Equifax Breach Might Have Compromised Your U.S. Passport

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:00:24 +0000

Back in September 2017, a massive security breach within the credit monitoring service, Equifax, led to over 148 million customer records falling into the hands of hackers. Shortly after, collections of sensitive data including social security numbers, credit cards, and driver’s licenses appeared for sale on the dark web. Now, a new report notes that approximately 3,200 digital passports were also stolen in the attack. But, what can you do if your passport was part of the breach?

How to Check if You’ve Been Compromised
To begin, head over to Equifax’s security website and use your social security number to check if your private information was included in the stolen data. Unfortunately, Equifax does not detail exactly what parts of your private data was compromised. With the scary possibility that your personal information is going to the highest bidder, we recommend obtaining identity theft protection as soon as possible. Luckily, Equifax provides this service at no charge.

If you have reason to believe that your passport may have been included in the Equifax breach, take a few measures to enhance your security. For example, the DMV recommends that you contact them in regards to the stolen document. A passport is an official piece of government identification that could allow malicious individuals to impersonate you.

Replace Your Passport
If you’re a frequent traveler, you can quickly replace your passport through a United States passport agency office in under 2 weeks. Otherwise, you can visit a local post office to have your passport renewed, but the process may take over 2 weeks to complete. Don’t forget to bring a secondary piece of identification such as a driver’s license when applying.

Besides replacing your passport, you should also be aware of any activity on future credit reports. If a cybercriminal decides to use your information, your credit report will log this. To be safe, consider ‘freezing’ your credit report so that none of them can be used without prior authorization.

Look Ahead at Credit Reports
If you discover possible fraudulent activity on your credit report, go to this Equifax page to report any fraudulent activity, The reporting tool will also alert the 2 other major U.S credit bureaus, Experian and TransUnion that fraud may be at play.

Equifax’s critical data breach is a cybersecurity blunder that affected us all, but with careful attention, we can all remain safe by being diligent and aware.

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Want Facebook to Stop Tracking Your Browser History? Ask Them

PSafe Newsroom — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 12:00:10 +0000

If you have concerns about how Facebook has been tracking your browser history and if the site has been targeting you with ads related to your history, there’s finally something you can do about it. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced that you can now prevent the social media site from tracking your browser history by simply asking them.

Sounds so simple, but some users would like this option to be more obvious; however, learn more about this new feature and how it works.

What Brought This About?
Facebook faced plenty of backlash over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that revealed the company was harvesting the personal information of users, and selling the information to third-party companies so specific ads could be targeted to users that search for products or services.

Zuckerberg admitted at the company’s recent F8 conference that, by default, Facebook still tracks the activity of users and sends them ads connected to the information they search for. In the immediate future, users will be able to stop this practice with a new feature.

How Can Users Change This?
Supposedly the new feature will be similar to how you clear cookies and history in your web browser. Facebook’s feature will allow you to view your browsing history on the site and clear it, including what you’ve clicked on, app history, websites you’ve visited, and more.

Essentially, you’ll be able to choose to not have this information stored in your account. But, Zuckerberg warns that turning off function will eliminate some of your preferences the same way deleting cookies does, which will require you to sign onto sites again since the information in any auto-fill forms will be gone.

The Effect This Could Have
The move could bring many users back to Facebook because the will have the power to not have their preferences tracked. Zuckerberg added that the new privacy control will be called Clear History. He warned it would take the company about 3 years to become more proactive at policing content, which means you might still see content that doesn’t fit your preferences if you choose to keep your data tracking intact.

However, deleting your browsing history will result in the company removing identifying information so a log of sites and apps you’ve used won’t be connected to your account, which is a step toward more privacy.

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Hackers Can Now Break Into Your Hotel Room

PSafe Newsroom — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 12:00:42 +0000

There’s a new scary threat that hackers have developed which allows them to can break into your hotel room. Cybercriminals engineered a ‘Master Key’ that exploits a vulnerability in hotel keys with an RFID or magstripe. The vulnerability can gather the digital information of a key and this discovery has hotel chains understandably worried.

There are only a few reports of hotels receiving complaints about a small subset of criminals entering rooms and taking personal items through this technology, but the vulnerabilities in keycard technology suggest it’s only a matter of time before these crimes go mainstream.

How the Master Key Works and is Built
To get a master key to access a room, hackers book a hotel room and copy the data on an electronic keycard, which then gives them access to any room. In some cases, they don’t even need a keycard because the process can be done remotely by standing close to a hotel guest or a hotel employee. The ‘Master Key’ can be unlocked through a design flaw that’s common in most electronic lock systems.

Hackers then buy a portable programmer for a few hundred dollars to overwrite the key and create a master key within minutes. Once this is accomplished, the cybercriminals generally target travelers who store their laptops, passports, and cash in hotel rooms.

How the Key Opens Doors
This device, which is an RFID reader and writer, is simply held close to a door lock. The Master Key will run different key combinations within a hotel’s electronic database in less than a minute, cracking the master key combination to a particular room and unlocking the door. This can be done with a custom-tailored device or by writing the master key back to a hacker’s keycard.

A Temporary Fix
Being alerted to this flaw, Assa Abloy, the company who manufactures the portable programmer issued a software fix to keep hotel guests and their personal items safe. The company recommends that hotels worldwide update their keycard software to ensure these cyber attacks don’t occur in their facilities since new vulnerabilities can show up over time.

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Tabnabbing Attacks While Your Back is Turned

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:00:35 +0000

Phishing attacks have always been based on the principles of trust and deception; hackers find a way to manipulate you into giving up your private data. With these types of scams on the rise, many consumers have started following tips to prevent themselves from falling victim – carefully checking website URLs for their validity, double checking information requests, and avoiding any links that may lead to malicious content. However, a new type of attack, called tabnabbing has arrived and it waits until your back is turned to steal your sensitive information.

How Tabnapping Attempts to Trick You
This is how tabnabbing works. Say you stumble onto a website – maybe you found an interesting web article, clicked on a link sent by a friend, or are researching a specific topic. Often when we’re busy, opening several tabs to save a page or blog post to read later is normal multitasking, but this is where tabnabbers get you. When you open a new tab to work on something else, the malicious page begins to transform in the background while you’re occupied and not looking.

The bogus website’s icon, known as a favicon, suddenly changes to something else like the Google logo, with the entire webpage following suit. When you tab back to where you were before, you’re presented with a fake Google account login box. You quickly assume that you were automatically logged out of something and enter your credentials, but what you don’t realize is you just fell for a dubious phishing attack. And now a hacker has your login information.

Tabnabbing are targeted attacks — hackers scour for vulnerabilities in HTML script, image loads, and various web browsers. Methods like this allow hackers to detect which site a user is visiting, or what sites a user visits regularly. For example, if you use Facebook daily, a hacker could simply switch out a tab to the Facebook login screen and ensnare you to enter personal details.

There is Hope for Protection
Keep following necessary security standards such as always checking the website URL, not only once it loads, but whenever you’re being prompted for a password or other personal information. Implementing two-factor authentication can also make it more difficult for hackers to access your account even if they’ve managed to get a hold of your password.

Finally, always have an antivirus software installed on all your devices, both computer, and smartphone. dfndr security is a well-rated app for Android devices and offers advanced technology based on AI machine learning. There is a full virus scan feature that scans your device from top to bottom and detects malware or viruses, and the anti-hacking feature blocks any malicious links before you even click on them.

The big lesson here? Your data is at risk, but the good news is you don’t have to go it alone.

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Fake App is Designed to Take Over Your Twitter Account

PSafe Newsroom — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 12:00:09 +0000

Phishing scams and other online cons are growing in volume and they are now coming for your Twitter account. There’s a new fake app designed to take over your account, giving cybercriminals the ability to change your information and promote their phony app through your profile. Watch out for this scam because it’s overtaking a large amount of Twitter accounts and yours could be next.

When you’re on the go and tweeting for pleasure or for work, make sure you follow common sense, especially with your Android phone. Download a security app like dfndr security, which has a full virus scan feature that does a thorough scan of your device, memory card, and SD card for any threats, promptly eliminating them. Things do happen, so remain aware of how this latest Twitter scam operates.

“Who Visits Your Twitter Profile?”
These online scam artists are talented because they’ve advertised the fake app as a tool to see who is visiting your Twitter profile. However, divulging this information is a breach of privacy and Twitter doesn’t allow this type of information to be shared. The phony app counts on people who want to grow their follower base or just terribly curious, and have successfully lured in victims with hollow promises.

Once downloaded, the app asks for permission to read tweets from your timeline, see your followers, follow new people, update your profile, and post tweets on your behalf. Yup, it can actually tweet for you, but in the form of spam. Scams, fake news, and even phishing scams are all taking your Twitter name in vain. The ultimate goal for these cybercriminals is to hook more people in and rack up a financial gain.

How to Get Rid of It?
Many have gone on Twitter to warn users about the pitfalls of this app, which seems enticing on the outside, but has caused a world of pain to many who’ve fallen for it. Thankfully, you can get rid of it without much hassle when you access Twitter on a computer.

Go to your Settings section on the site, then click Privacy, scroll down to Apps until you find the app that says “Last visits 24 hours.” Once you reach this point, click “Revoke Access” and you should be free from the app once and for all.

What Else Should I Know?
Be wary of anything you see on Twitter that seems too good to be true or asks you to click on a link without any information preceding it. These kinds of tweets are likely a scam or a phishing trap to get you to click through. Having a security app installed can help thwart threats and guard your social media accounts.

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What to Do if Your Credit or Debit Card is Compromised

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 12:00:15 +0000

We live in a time of data breaches where payment or personal information is always at risk. Hackers have found a gold mine in stealing large swathes of data from companies that include credit and debit card numbers that could be used to make minor fraudulent transactions.

These often go unnoticed because of how small each transaction is, but the severity of these crimes is still massive because when the toll is added up — hackers end up accumulating millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims. Cybercriminals don’t just ‘break-in’ to a company’s network, they actually use various techniques to begin their online assault. Malware, phishing scams, ransomware, and other trojan horses are a few ways information is stolen from companies, employees, and their customers.

Understanding how credit and debit card breaches are carried out and what to do about them can help you not fall prey to these attacks.

How They Happen
Cybercriminals first look for vulnerabilities in a company’s security protocols and exploit these by targeting specific people, systems or networks. Network attacks and social attacks are the 2 main ways hackers strike.

With network attacks, hackers are monitoring for weaknesses in applications, infrastructure, or in an entire system itself.

Social attacks entail phishing scams or other ways of tricking employees into providing hackers with access to a company’s network. These attacks can be done through fraudulent emails with malicious attachments that appear to be from an important figure in the company, or through fake login screens that an unaware employee populates with a username and password, thus giving full access to a hacker.

After a hacker gains access to a computer or device, the network is cracked open and confidential company data is stolen, such as credit and debit card numbers.

You Aren’t Helpless if Your Info is Compromised
The Office of Consumer Protection urges consumers to watch out for these scams and data breaches. One thing you should do is periodically look at your credit card statements for any odd or unknown charges. If there is any, contact your bank to report suspicious activity.

We recommend setting up new login information for your account immediately, but don’t stop there. Take further measures by placing a fraud alert and a security freeze on your credit bureau reports. Make sure you frequently check these reports for any strange activity.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that you’re eligible for a free annual credit report from each of these 3: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Call 877-322-8228 or visit AnnualCreditReport.com to claim your free credit report.

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Learn the Psychology of Digital Fraud

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 12:00:04 +0000

Hackers are merely another type of con person, they might be armed with a computer, some tech know how, and advanced software skills, but their final goal is to manipulate you. If you play into the hands of a hacker, they can extract information they want from you for financial gain. When a machine has a security loophole we blame the programmers, but when your mind and vulnerability has been toyed with, who is to blame? Let’s look at a few methods hackers might use to manipulate your actions.

While you focus on ensuring that a hacker doesn’t manipulate your trust, your mobile device is still vulnerable to cyber attacks. Available for Android devices, dfndr security offers antivirus capabilities that scans and removes malware, and an anti-hacking feature that warns you if a link is dangerous. A quick download will go a long way towards making you feel safer.

Targeting Your Stressors
One psychological technique that’s used to manipulate is to target someone who is under stress and likely feeling vulnerable. When we’re stressed, we tend to make rash decisions to push away the source of stress. This might include a situation like receiving an email asking you to send password information to your ‘IT department’ because it’s ‘urgent.’ No matter what’s going on around you, be sure to take a deep breath and handle tasks with your full attention. Why? That email from IT could be a scam.

Email From the Big Boss
We tend to bow to pressure in the face of authority quite easily; this basic psychological idea has been showcased in psychology tests as far back as the 1960s – and it’s just as relevant today. If you see an email from your boss, you’re more likely to address the request quickly. However, always double check that email to ensure it isn’t fraudulent. Your boss will thank you for preventing a possible phishing attack.

Respond Quickly or Else
Lastly is the psychological manipulation of placing a time limit on your decision-making capabilities. We’ve seen the tactic used in both phishing scams and television commercials – you need to act now before time runs out! Don’t allow anyone to control how fast you move, caving in can tear down your ability to rationalize. The next time you see an email that stresses urgency, slow down, and take the time to consider the proposal – your future self who doesn’t get hacked will be grateful.

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