McAfee's 12 Scams of Christmas - 2010

Before you head out to the malls on this upcoming Black Friday or log on to your computer on Cyber Monday, take a quick minute to check out McAfee Inc.'s recently released "The Twelve Scams of Christmas" -- the 12 most dangerous online scams this holiday season.

“Scams continue to be big business for cybercriminals who have their sights set on capitalizing on open hearts and wallets this holiday season,” said Dave Marcus, director of security research for Santa Clara-based McAfee (NYSE:MFE) Labs. “As people jump online to look for deals on gifts and travel, it’s important to recognize common scams to safeguard against theft during the busy season ahead.”

1) iPads: With Apple products topping lots of shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads. McAfee Labs found that in the spam version of the scam consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad.
In the social media version of the scam, users take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.

2) Help me! This travel scam sends phony distress messages to family and friends requesting that money be wired or transferred so that they can get home.

3) Fake gift cards: Cybercrooks use social media to promote fake gift card offers with the goal of stealing consumers’ information and money, which is then sold to marketers or used for ID theft.
One recent Facebook scam offered a “free $1,000 Best Buy gift card” to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page, which was a look-a-like. To apply for the gift card they had to provide personal information and take a series of quizzes.

4) Job offers: As people seek extra cash for gifts this holiday season, Twitter scams offer dangerous links to high-paying, work-at-home jobs that ask for your personal information, such as your e-mail address, home address and Social Security number to apply for the fake job.

5) Smishing: Cybercrooks are now “smishing,” or sending phishing SMS texts. These texts appear to come from your bank or an online retailer saying that there is something wrong with an account and you have to call a number to verify your account information. In reality, these efforts are merely a ruse to extract valuable personal information from the targets.

6) Holiday rentals: Cybercrooks post fake holiday rental sites that ask for down payments on properties by credit card or wire transfer.

7) Recession scams: Scammers target vulnerable consumers with recession related scams such as pay-in-advance credit schemes. McAfee said it has seen a significant number of spam e-mails advertising prequalified, low-interest loans and credit cards if the recipient pays a processing fee.

8) Greetings: E-cards are a convenient and earth-friendly way to send greetings to friends and family, but cybercriminals load fake versions with links to viruses and malware.

9) Price traps: Shoppers should be cautious of products offered at prices far below competitors. Cyberscammers use auction sites and fake websites to offer too-good-to-be-true deals with the goal of stealing your money and information.

10) Charity scams: Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans’ charities, children's causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe.

11) Downloads: Holiday-themed screen savers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats especially when links come from an e-mail or IM that appears to be from a friend.

12) Wi-Fi: During the holidays many people travel and use free Wi-Fi in places like hotels and airports. This is a tempting time for thieves to hack into networks hoping to find opportunities for theft.

McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:

• Stick to well-established and trusted sites that include trust marks (icons or seals from third parties verifying that the site is safe), user reviews and customer support. A reputable trust mark provider will have a live link attached to its trust mark icon, which will take visitors to a verification website of the trust mark provider.
• Do not respond to offers that arrive in a spam e-mail, text or instant message.
• Preview a link's web address before you click on it to make sure it is going to an established site. Never download or click anything from an unknown source.
• Stay away from vendors that offer prices well below the norm. Don't believe anything that sounds too good to be true.
• Make sure to use trusted Wi-Fi networks. Don't check bank accounts or shop online if you're not sure the network is safe.

Read more: Full Story at Biz Journal

THANKSGIVING SAFETY TIPS

Thanksgiving....A day full of good food, family and friends and the chaos that goes with trying to feed and entertain a large gathering. In addition to your cooking and entertaining, remind your families and loved ones to take a minute to focus on safety so that your holidays are happy ones.

• Cooking fires are more than three times as likely to occur on Thanksgiving Day than on any other day of the year.
• An estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings are reported to US Fire Departments each year. These fires cause an average of 5 deaths, 25 injuries and $ 21 million dollars in property damage and loss.
• Smaller confined fires account for 71% of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings.
• Thanksgiving Day fires occur most frequently in the afternoon hours from 12 to 4 p.m. with the peak time from noon to 1 p.m.
• Cooking is the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 69%. Nearly all of these (97%) are small confined fires with limited damage.

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE KITCHEN:
Although you get busy with the preparations, make sure safety is still a top priority:

• Keep the cooking range free of clutter. Even though you have multiple dished to prepare, don't overload a cook top with too many pots and pans. Grease can be more easily spilled onto a range and cause a fire.
• Do not try to hold children while cooking. Holding a child while cooking is an open invitation for a burn for either the child or the parent or both. It's best to keep children out of the kitchen while all of the cooking is going on.
• Never put a glass casserole dish or lid over a hot burner. If it gets overheated, it can explode and send shards of glass in all directions.
• Evaluate all appliances and look for the UL mark. When purchasing electronic appliances such as slow cookers, warmers or electric knives, be sure to look for the UL or Underwriters Laboratory mark. The UL Mark is one of the most widely recognized and trusted symbols among consumers.  Manufactures use it to indicate that their products have met specific safety standards and passed rigorous testing procedures.
• Avoid using Turkey Fryers. Turkey fryers pose a number of distinct safety measures, not limited to burns and fire hazards. For those reasons, Underwriters Labs does not currently certify any turkey fryers. If you choose to use a turkey fryer for your Thanksgiving feast, be sure to take all recommended precautions and check the UL website for turkey fryer safety tips here.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use it. Make sure the extinguisher is UL listed and rated for grease and electrical fires. Read the directions carefully and know how to use it *BEFORE* an emergency occurs.
• Remember, P.A.S.S or Pull the pin, Aim the spray nozzle low at the base of the fire, Squeeze the nozzle to spray the contents, Sweep back and forth as you spray the base of the fire.
• Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy while doing any cooking.  If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on a flame resistant mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner and do not remove the lid until the pan and food has cooled.
• Never wear loose fitting clothing while cooking.  Long, open sleeves can easily ignite and catch fire from a gas flame or hot burner. Wear short, close fitting garments or tightly rolled sleeves. Remember to wear long hair pulled back from your face.
• Keep smoke detectors connected while cooking. Smoke alarms save lives. Make sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries and that the unit is working.
• Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking. Most kitchen fires occur because food is left on the store unattended.
• Turn pot handles away from the edge of the stove. Make sure that pot handles are not hanging over the front of the stove. Pot handles can be to easily bumped or grabbed by small children. Turn all handles toward the back of the stove for safety.

By keeping the above tips in mind, not only on Thanksgiving but everyday, you will keep your family and loved one's safe. Don't become a holiday fire statistic - Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!