Tag: VpnOverview

Valentine’s Day: experts issue online threats and scams warning

On Valentine’s Day, words like “Valentine,” “chocolate,” and “date” are the perfect camouflage to entice potential victims into clicking on a malicious link, downloading malware, or saying “Yes” to a date with a shady online character. Cybersecurity experts at VPNOverview warn of potential Valentine’s Day scams and how to prevent them.  

Types of Valentine’s Day scams

Seasonally themed online scams are not uncommon. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas are notorious for ramping up cyber criminals’ efforts to lure people with money to spend or romantics with a soft heart into their online traps. Valentine’s Day especially makes people more susceptible than usual.

Cyber-related Valentine scams range from:

  • Romance scams
  • Malicious malware to spoofing websites. 

Romance scams 

Valentine’s Day can be exciting, but it can also lead to heartbreak, embarrassment, and financial loss. The Guardian recently revealed Victim Support data indicating a 38% increase in romance fraud victims needing support. Criminals will search dating sites, apps, chat rooms, and other social media networking sites attempting to build relationships to get your personal information or your money.

Once the scammer has established trust with their target, they quickly unveil a “money problem.” Common scam angles – and giveaways – are a sick relative, a medical emergency, a stolen wallet, passport or visa, or a last-minute plane ticket price hike, asking the victim to cough up the money to cover replacement or the unexpected expense.

Unfortunately, most victims of romance scams or catphishing are hesitant to report being taken advantage of due to embarrassment, shame, or humiliation. Nonetheless, it is essential to report online scams to the platform you are using and file a complaint with the relevant authorities in your country of residence.

Valentine’s Day malware

In the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, cybersecurity company Kaspersky analysed malware using the names of over 20 popular dating apps. The keyword “dating” alone revealed 1,963 unique malicious files disguised as legitimate applications. Two-thirds were masked as Tinder, and one-third of the files were linked to Badoo.

“The danger these malicious files present varies from file to file, ranging from Trojans that can download other malware to ones that send expensive SMS messages to adware, making it likely that every ping a user gets is some sort of annoying ad notification rather than a message from a potential date,” Kaspersky explains.

For example, one of the applications that looks like Tinder is, in fact, a banking Trojan that attempts to gain all rights necessary to steal money from the user. Another application declares itself as “Settings” right after installation. Next, it shows a fake error message and disappears, but there is a high likelihood that it will return with unwanted ads a few days later.

How to avoid these scams

Criminals follow money and soft hearts. Fortunately, there are various steps users can take to avoid falling victim to Valentine’s Day online threats and scams:

  • When online, be as anonymous as possible. Avoid sharing personal information, shop as a guest, and use a VPN for extra privacy.
  • Do not install apps from untrusted sources, even if they seem to be actively advertised or “recommended.”
  • Get familiar with the privacy controls on dating websites or dating apps such as Tinder or Grinder.
  • Be aware of what you click on.
  • Take note of giveaways such as email spelling errors or an unfamiliar sender.
  • Type in a website’s URL into your browser window yourself instead of clicking through from a link you’ve received or a message that popped up on social media or in a text message.
  • Choose unique and strong passwords for all of your accounts.
  • Install the latest software, patches, and app updates. They are important to your digital safety and cybersecurity and help protect your data.

Scotland’s students warned to watch out for these common online scams

As university students around Scotland enrol on their undergraduate courses this September, scammers continue to employ new and creative methods to defraud unsuspecting students out of thousands of pounds online.

With this in mind, David Janssen, a cybersecurity expert and founder of VPNOverview, has put together a list of the most common online student scams, including what to look out for and how to avoid them.

1. Student Loans Company (SLC) phishing scam

If your course is starting in September this year, then your government student loan will be paid to you in three instalments, which you should receive during September, January and April.

Scammers will choose to send ‘phishing’ emails or texts to students during these months, in which they falsely pose as the Student Loans Company asking you to verify personal banking information. These texts or emails often ask the user to log into their account and confirm their banking details via a ‘secure link’ in order to receive their first loan payment. This link will then direct the user to a copycat webpage that replicates the SLC website, which then steals your personal and banking details.

While these emails can be quite convincing, giveaways you have received an SLC scam email include; spelling or grammatical errors in the body of text, pixelated or stretched images of SLC logos and generic greetings such as ‘Dear Sir/Madam/Student.’

Remember, SLC will never ask you to confirm your bank details via email or text message. Only ever log into your student finance account through the government login portal to check or update your loan payment details. If you suspect you have received a phishing text or email, forward it to phishing@slc.co.uk or your university IT department before deleting it.

2. HMRC tax rebate scam

University students often choose to take on a part-time job in order to provide an additional source of income to help cover their cost of living. For some this may be their first time in employment, meaning they haven’t paid tax before and are unfamiliar with genuine contact from HMRC, making them more vulnerable to online scammers.

Cybercriminals will send text messages and emails to students, claiming to be from HMRC, stating that the individual is owed a tax refund. The message will then prompt the person to first confirm their details through the link provided in order to receive this money.

Much like Student Loan Company scams, these texts and emails can be quite convincing and will use images and formal language to make the user believe it is legitimate. The link will either lead to a fake website, where the user unknowingly hands over their personal details, or it will download malware onto the user’s device which then harvests their personal information.

It’s important to note that HMRC will never ask you to click through on any links in their communication with you. If you are genuinely entitled to a tax refund, HMRC will send you a letter stating so. If you are unsure whether you have received a scam HMRC email, forward it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk where they will confirm whether or not it is a legitimate correspondence. Scam texts can be forwarded for free to 60599.

3. Freshers Week ticket scam

As a new student, you are likely going to worry about missing out on key social events such as Freshers Week, where you can mix with other students during your first week of university.

Scammers will try to exploit students by posting fake student or freshers’ events on Instagram or Facebook, with the aim of pocketing your money. These events will often imply they are the only ‘official’ event and may include phrases such as ‘Limited availability’ or ‘Final Release’ in the event title, creating a sense of urgency to buy tickets so that you don’t miss out.

In reality, Freshers’ Week tickets rarely sell out, and some universities will even allow you to buy them throughout your first week of university. Even when buying a genuine Fresher’s Week ticket or wristband online, you may be required to purchase it through a separate designated website.

The best way to ensure that you are buying from the correct site is to visit your university’s official website and click through to the ticket page from there, rather than searching online or clicking through from Facebook or Instagram pages.

4. Facebook Marketplace scam

The majority of university courses require students to complete some form of additional reading outside of their lecture hours. However, as brand-new course textbooks can be expensive, many students opt for second-hand books from Facebook Marketplace or Facebook resale groups.

Scammers will often set up fake accounts, posing as a Facebook Marketplace seller promising to post the textbooks once you have bank transferred the money. Warning signs that you are dealing with a fraudulent seller include; their profile has only recently joined Facebook, they have limited or no profile pictures or there is little engagement from other users on their profile.

Even if the Facebook user appears authentic and trustworthy, avoid bank transferring money to people you do not know. Suggest meeting up on campus or in a public place, and offer to pay in cash rather than via bank transfer. Alternatively, Amazon sells used copies of textbooks through verified sellers, where you will have a level of buyer protection.

5. Student accommodation rental scam

A few months into your university experience you may begin looking for accommodation for your second year of study, which is often based off campus. Unfortunately, fraudulent landlords will be looking to make a quick buck from unsuspecting students looking to rent shared student accommodation.

One common rental scam involves the would-be ‘landlord’ listing a non-existent property online and then requesting for a holding deposit to be made in order to take the property off the market. The listing is then taken offline, and the landlord is no longer contactable.

Remember, if the price looks too good to be true then it probably is. Make sure you view the property in person before placing any kind of deposit and aim to use a trusted student letting agent to avoid falling victim to this type of scam.

Your university website or student union may also offer a list of verified and trusted letting agents located within your area.

RIP BlackBerry: Don’t bin your bricked phone

What should you do with your useless old device? We have the best top tips.

The news that the once much-loved Blackberry smartphone will stop working this week leave owners with the question of what to do with their old device.

The immediate reaction for too many people these days is to fling it into the bin, but one waste and recycling company suggests owners to look for alternatives for their now redundant devices.

UK waste collection company Divert.co.uk says that rubbish dumps are already filled with electronic devices which should have gone to recycling. Not only is this a waste of resources, but poses risks due to their contents.

The Blackberry has served us well,” says Divert.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, “and now it’s time for it to ascend to phone Valhalla. Just not via your bin.”

1001 uses for a bricked mobile

When most of us replace our old mobile phone, it’s often passed to a friend or family member, or sold second hand. And there are loads of shops and websites which will take your old device for varying amounts of cash.

But for Blackberries and other obsolete devices, that’s not going to be an option. Nobody wants to buy a “bricked” device, so they have zero cash value. The first reaction for many owners would be to bin the worthless chunk of metal and plastic.

Just hold your horses – there’s still plenty you can do with an old mobile, and we’ve come up with a list, some serious, some not so serious.

  1. Take it your local authority small electrics (WEEE) recycling point
  2. Keep it in a drawer for twenty years and donate it to a museum
  3. Give it to your grandchildren as a relic from the olden days
  4. Turn it into a doorstopper and earn £20 from Take A Break magazine by calling it a “Top Tip”
  5. Novelty paperweight
  6. Put it in a biscuit tin along with a copy of the Radio Times and a Robbie Williams CD (50p from all charity shops), and bury it in the garden for future archaeologists to puzzle over
  7. Carry it everywhere, in case you need to fashion the insides into some sort of spontaneous escape mechanism, like on MacGyver
  8. Prise off the tiny keyboard and make it into a laptop for a hamster or other small pet
  9. Give it to the Star Trek fan in your life, telling them it’s an original series medical tricorder
  10. Use the latest Ghostbusters technology to trap a ghost inside, and send the now cursed device to your enemy
  11. 991 other uses, none of which being “throw it in the bin”

“We honestly had 991 other uses,” says Divert’s Mark Hall, “but I had the list stored on my old Blackberry, and it doesn’t seem to be working any more. Sorry.”

Why you shouldn’t bin your old mobile

Throwing your old bin in the bin is what we in the recycling industry call “a very bad thing”.

Did you know that around 70% of metals that end up in landfill sites come from old electronics, the majority of which are obsolete mobile phones?

These devices contain precious and semi-precious metals such as cobalt, copper, gold, silver and lithium.

Mark Hall: “It’s madness that millions of these are buried in the ground at tips outside virtually every town when the material could be put to use elsewhere.

“Not only that, there are pollution and fire risks caused by dumped mobile phone batteries which contain lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.

“A phone battery is perfectly safe left as it is, but the moment it’s damaged by weight of other rubbish at the tip, it’s just inviting pollution, fire and other risks. “And that’s why you should never bin an old mobile phone.”

Our best advice is to either recycle or keep it as a treasured possession from years gone by. Either way, your grandchildren will thank you.

Searches for ‘SELL BLACKBERRY’ explode 1,528% as company announced the device will stop working

Analysis of Google search data reveals that online searches for “Sell BlackBerry” exploded 1,528% on 4th January, the same day BlackBerry announced they would be stopping the support for their operating system used on their phones.

Analysis by internet experts VpnOverview.com reveals that online interest for selling old BlackBerry phones skyrocketed to 16 times the average volume in one day as owners of old BlackBerry phones seek to sell their devices.

A spokesperson from VpnOverview.com commented on the findings: “BlackBerry was the go-to smartphone brand in the early 2010s with the brand’s phones being easily recognised because of their qwerty keyboards.

“In more recent years, BlackBerry has fallen behind companies like Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market. Customers could be looking to sell not only because they are unable to use the device but also to profit from the vintage aspect the phone will now adopt.

“This is a big move by BlackBerry as they look to strengthen their position in the cyber-security software market.”

Google searches for “BlackBerry phones” also increased 590% on the same day.