LifestyleIf even Barack Obama and the heads of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon can fall victim to hackers, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Saturday, 8th August 2020, 11:45 am
The recent revelation that all of them, amongst other prominent Twitter users, had been the victims of a fraud concerning the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, exposed just how hard it is to spot genuine messages from take ones.
But for every one of these attention-grabbing cases, there are thousands that fly under the publicity radar. The worrying thing is that the hoaxers are getting more and more convincing.
It used to be easy to spot a scam: emails that purported to be from a financially embarrassed Nigerian prince, or addressed to Dear esteemed customer had obviously come from people up to no good.
But the one that arrived on my phone the other week took longer to decipher. The mobile network O2 had been unable to process my bill, it said, and that if I were to avoid fees for late payment I should update my payment details. The link it gave appeared to contain an genuine O2 address but of course it was nothing of the sort. It led to a clone of O2s site which had been put there to harvest the login details of anyone who cared to type them in.
No-one knows how many other people received the same message, but the consumer group Which? said it knew of many, and that customers of the GiffGaff network had been targeted in exactly the same way, a few months earlier.
Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for cyber crime, says another scam in current circulation advises recipients that they are eligible for a free TV licence as a result of the Covid pandemic. Those who fall for it are taken to a site that looks exactly like the real TV Licensing site.
This business of cloning websites is not confined to collecting sign-in details. Action Fraud also says that more than 16m has been spent on copies of shopping sites which collect the money but dont deliver the goods. The sites most at risk of cloning are those aimed at 18-26 year-olds, with victims in Leeds, Sheffield and elsewhere. Amazon is among those also targeted in a practice known in the industry as phishing.
So how can you reasonably tell which of your messages are genuine? The golden rule is that anything which arrives in your inbox, either by email or text, which invites you to click a link to an official site, is almost certainly bogus. No respectable company, least of all one that collects money from you, will ever send you such a message, for exactly the same reason that hackers will.
But while never clicking a link in an email or text message is good advice, its not always possible to heed. Thats why you should look for the padlock symbol next to the address bar on any website that prompts you for your account details. Its present on phone browsers as well as on PCs and it tells you that the owner of the site has registered it with an electronic key which proves ownership of it. If you dont see the padlock, dont use the site.
If youre worried that you have inadvertently entered your details on a bogus site, log into the real one and change your password immediately. And check your statements for any transactions you dont recognise.
You can also try installing an app like Call Blocker UK on your phone. This doesnt intercept problem texts but it does try to shield you from malicious phone calls, using its own database of suspicious numbers, and optionally sends you updates about current scams. We have yet to hear if Mr Obama has signed up to receive them.
Editors note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.
Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Posts journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdogs Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.
And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshires National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.
Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting http://www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.
If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.
Here is the original post:
How to spot fake emails and texts from the real ones - Yorkshire Post
- Golden Rule Plumbing, Heating & Cooling - December 19th, 2016 [December 19th, 2016]
- Golden ratio - Wikipedia - December 30th, 2016 [December 30th, 2016]
- Golden Rule: Treat People as You'd Like to Be Treated - January 2nd, 2017 [January 2nd, 2017]
- Rockwell's "Golden Rule" - Norman Rockwell Museum - The Home ... - January 2nd, 2017 [January 2nd, 2017]
- Golden calf - Wikipedia - January 16th, 2017 [January 16th, 2017]
- Live by the Golden Rule (pledge/petition/proclamation ... - January 19th, 2017 [January 19th, 2017]
- Matriarchy - Wikipedia - January 23rd, 2017 [January 23rd, 2017]
- The Golden Rule | Our Daily Bread - odb.org - February 1st, 2017 [February 1st, 2017]
- Golden LivingCenter Golden Rule - February 1st, 2017 [February 1st, 2017]
- Opinion: No room for walls in Gospel's Golden Rule - The Catholic Register - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Let the Golden Rule be our response locally and globally - Berkeley Independent - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Rev. Jeff Bobin: The Golden Rule - GoErie.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- No Gods, No Masters: Live the Golden Rule - Dissident Voice - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Good neighbors and the Golden Rule - WiscNews - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Shock on The Voice UK as coaches break a golden rule of the show and meet rejected Blind Audition singer Ciara Harvie - Radio Times - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Health Insurance to Meet Your Needs & Budget | UnitedHealthOne - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Trenton man reminded of Golden Rule in wake of Quebec attack - Northumberland News - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Following the golden rule in times of tumult - College Heights Herald - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- The Golden Rule of Business - Times-Citizen Communications - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- A Fool's Golden Rule - Word and Way - Word and Way - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- h3cz: The Golden Rule of Twitter - Dexerto - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- LETTER: Living by 'Golden Rule' would defeat ISIS - Daily Record - Daily Record - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Motivating Your Team: Why The Golden Rule Doesn't Always Apply - Forbes - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Would golden rule survive if we were under siege? - Port Huron Times Herald - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Apply the Golden Rule to lift results - Business Management Daily - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- 57th District It's the Golden rule: J. Central moves into 7th straight finals - The Independent - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- The Golden Rule of Social Selling: Solve Your Customer's Problem - Business 2 Community - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- From mushroom picker to deputy sheriff: Herc Avello relishes golden rule - Daily Local News - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- United Way to present Golden Rule-Lightkeepers, Fabric of our Community Awards - Jacksonville Daily News - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Ron Forthofer: To live by the Golden Rule, we must recognize the 'others' - Longmont Times-Call - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Measuring life by the Golden Rule ... not a cellphone app - Bristol Herald Courier (press release) (blog) - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Apply the Golden Rule to immigrants - Statesman Journal - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Five golden rules to always be in profit when you invest in equities - Economic Times - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Email and The Golden Rule - Memphis Daily News - Memphis Daily News - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Is the Golden Rule Still Alive and Well in America? - Huffington Post - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Engineering's Golden Rule - Sourceable - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Golden Rule of Chaplaincy: Thy Shoes Matter - Boston.com - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Career Corner: The Golden Rule - Journal Record (subscription) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Much to be gained from Golden Rule - Jackson Clarion Ledger - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- OPINION: If only our institutions practiced the Golden Rule - Opinion ... - Nantucket Island Inquirer - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Biffy Clyro swap The Golden Rule for the Golden Can as they receive Tennent's Lager award - Glasgow Evening Times - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- In the Neighborhood: A Meditation on the Golden Rule, Cheaters, and Prophets - Patheos (blog) - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Ferrari's Golden Rule: No Pink Cars - The Drive - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Letter: Remember the Golden Rule - Asheville Citizen-Times - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Remember the Golden Rules During ATV Safety Week - Legal Examiner - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- The ATRA Golden Rule Warranty Program - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Historic Golden Rule Peace Boat on its way to Noyo Harbor! - Ft. Bragg Advocate-News - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- The Golden Rule is universal - Montrose Daily Press - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Lawmakers should practice the Golden Rule - Times Daily - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Golden rule - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Argentina's national football team reaches out to The Golden Rule ... - Coconuts - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- What Is the Golden Rule? - East Texas Review - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- The Not So Golden Rule - HuffPost - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Let's give the 'Golden Rule' a try; it can't hurt - Montana Standard - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- The Golden Rule of Online Dating - HuffPost - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Golden rule: Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5, clinch championship - Arkansas Online - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Apple's Stock Will Treat You Just Fine If You Remember This One Golden Rule, Jim Cramer Reveals - TheStreet.com - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Anti-nuclear peace boat moors in Bodega Bay - Sonoma West - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- At this water park, inclusion is the golden rule - Mother Nature Network - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Kiwanis Club honors students for following the Golden Rule | Local ... - Chippewa Herald - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Bishop: A Golden Answer to Every Problem - Florida Today - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Golden Rule Charter School - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- The Three Golden Rules of Tax - MinuteHack (registration) (blog) - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Heimerman: Officer reminds us of the golden rule | Daily Chronicle - DeKalb Daily Chronicle - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- REV. TONY ELDER: Be a person of integrity in dealing with others - Rockdale Newton Citizen (press release) (registration) - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Kids Learning Golden Rule Applies to Treatment of Animals ... - Noozhawk - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- The Golden Rule of Online Dating Photos - The Good Men Project (blog) - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- The Golden Rule Manila Bulletin News - Manila Bulletin - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- A golden rule from Golden, CO: Please stop driving so loudly - 9NEWS.com - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Following the Golden Rule will help keep everyone safe while out enjoying the lakes this summer - Stanly News & Press - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Profiting from the Golden Rule - Valdosta Daily Times - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Sheriff's Tips: The Golden Rule - American Rifleman (press release) (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- OPINION: The 'Golden Rule' in the face of a negative climate - Petoskey News-Review - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Golden Rule boat sails to Sacramento promoting nuclear ban | The ... - Sacramento Bee - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Promoting civility and practicing the Golden Rule every day - The Hill (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Golden Age Design Pops up at the Golden Rule in Excelsior - Midwest Home Magazine (registration) (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Is the Golden Rule Still Golden? - HuffPost - August 6th, 2017 [August 6th, 2017]
- Following the Golden Rule - Register Pajaronian - August 6th, 2017 [August 6th, 2017]
- Religion column: Follow the 'Golden Rule' - Daily Press - August 6th, 2017 [August 6th, 2017]
- Golden Rule Peace Boat moors in Monterey on voyage against nuclear weapons - Monterey County Herald - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]