Social Breach: Four ways to help recover compromised social media accounts

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120728/LIFE/307280029/Social-Breach-Four-ways-help-recover-compromised-social-media-accounts?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

So you have been a SMART social media user.  You have followed the regulations for creating SMART passwords, you have avoided those links that want you to click here and provide your credit card number...

Now somehow your personal space has been invaded.  Your name is showing up all over the internet saying you said this, or that you are the person tagged in a photo and on and on and on.

Well, there are ways to fight back.  Ways to revamp, regroup  and recover. 

1.  Change your password.  Go to the site of the account that was invaded and immediately change your password.  If that account cannot be accessed then research that social media to find out how to recover/change/restore your account. 

2.  Next, once you have gotten back into your account, temporarily revoke all apps and add-ons with that account.  Also, remove any app you do not need or you no longer use.

3.  Clean up your computer.  Scan your computer with a good, up-to-date anti-virus software.

4.  Delete anything that came from that account during the compromise.  Send messages to your "friends" and associates connected with that account to say that your account had been infected and security has been restored.  To be on the safe side, edit your profile to remove any spam sites that you may have gotten.

Risk is always present.  Security measures can lessen the threat but risk cannot be eliminated.  Using  SMART actions while on the internet can save you time and money but it cannot remove every risk.  But without any security, it would be like leaving the front door of your home open for all to come in.

Skout Overhauls Security, Reopens Social Network For Teens

Skout is a social media website whose motto is:  THE GLOBAL NETWORK FOR MEETING NEW PEOPLE...life is short, you are busy and people are having fun without you right now. So start Skouting and find your party, anytime, anywhere.

Seems that 3 teens were raped and/or assaulted by adults they met on the Skout website.  Skout shut down their teen portion  for 1 month to revamp their security.  They have now linked themselves with Facebook Connect which will verify their identity before hand.  They also removed the part in the teen section that shows where the teen lives. 

Social media networks have become very popular to the young and the old.  People are using these websites for business and pleasure.  When interacting with others online you must be aware of the risks that are associated with it. 

Protect your privacy.  Here are a few guidelines that will help you stay safe where you can enjoy your time online...

Don't let friends talk you into doing things online that you are not comfortable with (posting your cell number or your birthday, etc.).

Be aware of phishing scams.  Don't let scammers trick you into getting your financial information, personal information, etc..

Choose a username that doesn't have any of your personal information in it.

Associate these sites with an email separate than your personal email for your privacy.

Create strong passwords at these sites.

Only let your "friends" view your profile on social networking sites.

Learn how to use the sites privacy features.  They are there to use at your own discretion.

Be careful what you say online.  You can never erase it.  Once said it stays available to all for ever.  Be smart and safe with what you post.  Don't post pictures that you wouldn't share with your own family members.  What you post online, stays online, available to everybody online.

Fraud Alert: BBB Issues Nationwide Warning

Scams are popping up all over in all kinds of schemes.  Today I was checking my checking account balance at my local credit union.  I logged in and low and behold, there was an article about a new scam that hit nationwide.

The warning is about a scam that is sent to people thru emails, telephone calls, social media websites and various other means.  The scam says that the President of the United State, Barack Obama, has set up a federal assistance program that helps you with your utility bills.  To get the assistance the scam asks for your SS#, your bank account routing # and your bank account #.  Then the scammer gives you a fake bank routing # for you to use to pay your utility bill via a fake automated telephone service.

The telephone service accepts the payment but in a few days you will get a notice of a declined payment  because of an invalid account information.  So now your utility bill didn't get paid and someone has stolen your account information.

NEVER give your personal information (SS#, Financial Institution info, credit card #) to anyone that calls you.  If someone calls you about paying a utility bill, or if you are getting pressured to pay a bill over the phone, hang up and contact that utility company via their customer service line.  You can make your payment there if you need to.  If someone comes to your home inquiring or insisting on payment or checking your home, ask for their company ID and call the company and check on the individual.

These scams to steal your personal, financial and credit card information have become more advanced.  Use your common sense and don't let anyone pressure you to give them money or information.

Just last week a co-worker got a letter from a lawyer in Germany saying his distant relative, 78 yrs old, died 6 years ago.  It took them this long to find my co-worker who stands to inherit $118,000,000.  Of course my co-worker had a strange german name which is why he got the letter.  All my co-worker had to do was give the lawyer his bank account # and they would deposit the money into his account.  My co-worker doesn't actually remember the dead mans name ever coming up in his family circle.  He actually was thinking about giving his account # to this lawyer in Germany. 

What would you do or say?  Would you investigate the letter.  By the way, the envelope had no return address on it and the postmark was somewhere in Portugal.  Sound phishy to you?

Cyber criminals may use Olympics for phishing

Phising is the act of trying to obtain money or information like userids, passwords and credit card specific by disguising themselves as a  honorable entity in an electronic communication.

Apparently, there has been a warning to all that the scammers and phishers out there will be trying to use the 2012 Olympics, this summer in London, to get over on the people.  They are warning everyone to be really careful when purchasing Olympic apparel, items of interest, tickets, etc., from the internet.  There are fake sites that can and will draw people.  These sites, will attempt to sell you Olympic merchandise and when you give them your financial info they will take it and run.  Also, when you are preparing for your trip, beware of what connections you use to move your money.

Wow!  Can't even get ready for a trip to the Olympics because dishonest people are watching and waiting to take advantage of you.  What a wonderful world we live in.

How Identity Theft Might Happen Thru Social Networking Sites

I am sure we all know what it takes to sign up on one of the social networking sites.  They ask for too much information.  The more information out there, the more at risk you are of getting your identity stolen.

Here are some reasons that can make you more susceptible to the enemy:

*  Low or no privacy settings
*  Connecting with any or everyone (hard to figure out the good guy from the bad guy)
*  Downloading free apps to use on your profile
*  Sharing your password or profile information (TMI)
*  Participating in quizzes, divulging more information (questions like "How do you know me")
*  Clicking on links that others send you (doesn't matter if you know them or not...don't click)
*  Falling for a phishing scam (example-you get an email that says to please update your social networking profile) (that's a no no)
*  Not keeping your anti-virus and security software up to date (or even not having any at all)

Don't take the chance.  One mans unintended is another mans fortune.  They are out there everywhere just waiting for the opportunity to steal your identity.  Don't hand them the opportunity on a silver platter.  Be smarter than that.