Nothing in life is free, and that’s especially true when it comes to mobile apps. Thousands of free apps are flooding the marketplace—most are legitimate and available at no initial cost. But they often come at the price of offering up data from your smartphone or tablet that you might not be aware of or Read more…
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s… going to crash your computer? Little did Batman know the search for him across the World Wide Web almost singlehandedly brought down several of his fans’ computers. Across town in her invisible jet, Wonder Woman had no clue that in searching her out, fans’ computers were getting infected Read more…
It’s not all fun and games when it comes to your favorite social media sites. Many of the top sites such as Facebook and Twitter are used for entertainment and leisure, but they also store vital information identity thieves would love to get their hands on and disrupt your online life. For instance, personal login information Read more…
It’s that time again: long sunny days, vacations in warm locales—the last thing you want to worry about as you’re planning your next summer getaway is being duped by travel-related scams on phony websites or having your identity stolen if your mobile device goes missing while on vacation. Previously, we’ve discussed best practices to keep Read more…
Mobile technology is the new frontier for fraudsters. Most of us don’t protect our smartphones or tablets—and the private information they contain—anywhere near as well as we do our wallets and PCs (even though most us would rather lose our wallets vs. our smartphones). Even the simple safeguard of a four-digit password is too much Read more…
Just like in the offline world, you leave a virtual paper trail behind you on the web. Information about the websites you’ve visited and information you’ve entered on those sites is captured and used by many parties – from web advertisers to social media platforms (for instance, when Facebook recommends people you may know) to Read more…
Used correctly, passwords help keep your personal information safe, and if you’re like me, you probably have dozens (or in my case hundreds) of online accounts and mobile apps that require one. So it’s no surprise that people have adapted some coping strategies to make passwords memorable yet distinctive. The most common mistake consumers made, Read more…
Sometimes it pays to wait to see how new technologies play out. Such is the case with Bitcoin — a virtual currency which allows users to purchase goods over the Internet. While the nascent currency is gaining a strong following of legitimate users, it still suffers from some key weaknesses. The most recent example comes Read more…
When devices are lost or hacked and your data is exposed, not only is this a pain to deal with, but you could become a victim of identity theft. Not only do victims of identity theft suffer loss of time but they also lose money that may not be able to be recovered . In Read more…
Late last week, Walmart alerted the public to an email-based scam that used the company’s name (misspelled as “Wallmart”) to illegally gather information about users. The email sported the title “Thanks for your Walmart.com order,” and after confused users clicked on links within the emails, their Walmart accounts were charged. While local police departments and Read more…