Pre & Post RV Facts

Scam Alert Reminder of Email Scams to Be Aware of and Tips to Prevent them

9/19/2015

I am very diligent in keeping my computer secure and have a Top Notch Security Guy (Straight Talkin Mike) who handles my Computer Security, HOWEVER, he can NOT handle me clicking on BAD SCAM EMAILS - Only I can do that. I wanted to share that in the last 2 months I almost let my guard down and clicked on 2 emails that would have taken over my computer and possibly my identity. As my business is on-line I can't afford to lose anything.

Below is some information that may help you too. With Christmas coming up, it only gets worse.

I recd this email last night that looks pretty legitimate - purchase at Sears store where I live for $359.00 - since I was not at the store and dont go there very often I knew it was not us - so I was not sure whether someone was scamming me OR maybe they set up an account in my name and charged this. Mainly because my Business was a victim of Identity Theft (that is a whole story in itself) under the email address they sent to me. A good way to tell if your emails are scam is below

#1 NEVER CLICK ON ANY LINKS. CALL THEM DIRECTLY

#2 If you take your mouse and HOVER over one of the links and it is not who it is coming from IT IS A SCAM. In my case, since it was coming from Sears it should have been SEARS.COM
In the case below it is SEASR.RSYS4.NET Guys that is Russia
It is a total scam. Delete the email and do not click on anything.

This is a good video to watch for other ways to tell if they are scams but does not include my example above.

Scam Detectors

Receipt invoice scam
How the scam works:

(with video below) You receive an e-mail from a big chain store that you purchase groceries from on a regular basis (eg. Walmart, Superstore, etc). “We are now happy to offer online your last receipt. Please find it attached to this e-mail. Thank you for shopping with us”.

Most likely the attachment will be a Zip. file, that will contain a virus, keystroke logger, or malware. Look at the domain name of the sender’s e-mail. Is it the store’s name.com or does it have extra letters and numbers (bestbuy.com or bestbuy529a5.com)?

Wtach the video below to see en explanation of this scam, as featured in the news.

Receipts Sent by Email Scam Video Below
How to avoid:

Never open attachments from unknown senders.

Make your friends and family aware of this scam by sharing it.

Dont fall for email scams

Published on Apr 14, 2014
Phishing emails try to get you to click on links that take you to fake websites - or open attachments that will do bad things. Look out for the telltale signs of a scam email.

Lastly I have several Books on Computer Security but love the Computer Security for Dummies, ID theft for Dummies..... If you are interested, here is a link for some books.

Amazon Book Link for Computer Security

Hope that helps someone out there NOT lose everything on their computer.

Have an incredible day

DON'T BE SCAMMED! I'm from the IRS and you are being sued Important Information about IRS Scam

9/1/2015

I received this today from Dan Pilla from Tax Help On Line

According to a June 25 report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the watchdog agency gets roughly 12,000 calls a week to its fraud hotline. The reason, Inspector General Russell George says, is because of the "largest, most pervasive IRS impersonation scam in the history of this agency."

Dinar Dealers - How to Check Out If They Are Licensed

8/20/2015

Repost from 2012

IMPORTANT - PLEASE CHECK OUT WHO YOU ARE BUYING FROM IT IS SO IMPORTANT!!

The Link below is the Search page for all Money Services Businesses (which is the classification for currency exchangors) You can enter the name of the company, state, etc - you do not need to know all of this information but you do need to know the Legal name of the Dealer that they are licensed under. If the name you type in does not come up, call them and ask them what name there license is listed as. Make sure you follow the other tips listed under the link below.

Check out the Latest Information by Clicking Here

I-Drive ON LINE BACK UP Special Price for one Year $15 Don't miss out on this. Its Simply the Best On LIne Backup I have ever used!!

8/17/2015

I-Drive is one of the best On-Line Back Up I have ever used. Losing Data, files pictures, games is not good. I have lost mine in a fire, also using those small back up zip drives..even lost the data on an external hard drive....

Now that I have I-Drive - theres nothing better for me. It is so easy...
Set i and Forget it and you can use it for multiple devices. AND NOW IT IS ONLY $14.88 FOR THE FIRST YEAR. Don't miss out on this Special Price. CLICK HERE

Ever lost your smartphone, or had a hard drive crash? We keep a lot of our lives on digital devices now, and that important data needs protecting Here's an opportunity to make sure you never lose your data again!

IDrive Online Backup, an award-winning cloud backup solution, is offering a special, exclusive offer this week: 75% off IDrive for only $14.88 for the first year. This is a secure, affordable way to keep your critical files safe from data disasters. IDrive also makes your data accessible from an unlimited number of devices at no extra charge!

IDrive's features include:

Universal Backup - Backup an all of your devices at no extra cost. This saves you money, and ensures that your entire network is secure and linked up.

High-level Encryption - IDrive offers the gold standard for encryption: military-grade 256-bit AES. They also offer Private Key Encryption, allowing you to choose your own unique key phrase so no one but you can unlock your data.

Cross-platform Compatibility - IDrive supports PC and Mac computers, Android and iOS devices, and a host of servers including Linux and Windows.

IDrive was recently honored with the 2015 PC Mag's Editor's Choice award, which they stated that "IDrive does just about everything you need an online backup service to do and more."

To sign up for a year of IDrive's Online Backup solution for only $14.88 (marked down from $59.50!), simply click here.
SOURCE

(Make sure you click on this link to get the 14.88 special...you will not by going to their site direct.) Click Here

Choosing Financial Rep and Know Your Financial Advisor

8/15/2015

Choosing Financial Reps and
Know Your Financial Advisor

2 "Free" Downloads

know_your_financial_advisor.pdf
File Size:	85 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

choosing_financial_rep.pdf
File Size:	91 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Fighting Fraud 101 Smart Tips For Investors~~FREE

8/13/2015

Fighting Fraud 101
"Smart Tips for Investors"

Download The FREE Book - Click on the Image

RFID: Protect Your Self~Be Aware~Resources to Protect You

7/27/2015

Reposted from Post 2012

Thank you to Karen for sending this in...

Please Take The Time To Watch This.....
IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR FINANCIAL SECURITY....

We have also added some books and resources at the bottom that you can check out to protect you and your loved ones. As we have discussed on prior calls, you can also use aluminum foil. Be Aware......

Click Link below for many acccessories
RFID - Books & Resouces

Click on Image to Purchase Book Amazon

IDrive Online Storage: Comprehensive online backup and sync service

7/21/2015

AS RECOMMENDED BY STRAIGHT TALKIN MIKE & DEBBIE.... OFFERS A FREE 5GB ACCOUNT.....
I USED TO USE DROPBOX BUT IT ONLY HOLDS 2GB...I HAD 3 ACCOUNTS...LOL....I FINALLY PAID FOR AN ANNUAL SERVICE - PRICE CANT BE BEAT...LOVE IT.

IDrive Online Storage: Comprehensive online backup and sync service

Jon L. Jacobi May 23, 2014 PC WorldIf there’s online backup that could be called “full-service” it’s venerable IDrive. Not only does IDrive provide traditional backup, real-time backup, file sharing, and syncing files across multiple PCs and devices (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android), it’s one of the few services that still offers a free 5GB account. With Mozy and others disappearing or going pay-only, that’s significant—5GB is enough to protect your most essential data (documents, tax data, etc.)

The latest hook IDrive uses in pitching its service is “NSA-proof” backup. With the NSA involved in so many open-source projects, that’s a bold claim. IDrive uses OpenSSL AES and a proprietary key generation technique according to the company. All the best sources indicate that the NSA was not involved in this portion of OpenSSL, so it should be okay.

It's easy to select data with IDrive's Windows client, though said client has a tendency to become temporarily unresponsive when dealing with the selection or deselection of large groups of files.

A pay IDrive prerequisite is the company’s 3TB physical backup service—i.e., you back up to a 3TB drive shipped to you by IDrive and send it back for safe-keeping. It will be accessible just like the data you upload using the Internet. Express is free for once a year for personal pay plans and three times a year for business plans. This makes backing up large data sets a far quicker proposition. IDrive also provides classic file sharing where you email a link to a file or files so your friends can download them. Backups are incremental to save space and archived, meaning nothing is deleted until you delete it.

Aside from the client software’s slothfulness in handling the definition of large data sets, there’s little to complain about with IDrive. It’s affordable, comprehensively capable, has clients for just about every platform, and was pretty darn fast backing up my data. It’s a must-stop on your shopping tour of online backup services.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2158125/idrive-online-storage-comprehensive-online-backup-and-sync-service.html

IDrive will generate a key, or you can use your own. Either way, the company claims it's NSA-proof.

IT types might be more interested in IDrive’s server backup features which include backup of Oracle, SQL Server, SharePoint, and Exchange data. There’s even a brick level Exchange backup that allows you to restore mailboxes without interrupting the service. Also provided is a system-state backup which includes the registry, as well as Active Directory and certificates if the system serves either.

For the most part, the Windows client software that I tested worked well, though it had a tendency to grind when I selected or deselected large amounts of data. Indeed, I could hear one of my hard drives being surveyed when this happened, despite the fact that the data I selected was on an SSD. I waited as long as 90 seconds for the program to become responsive after selecting a large repository of files. Perhaps threading the procedure? My CPU has four physical cores and four virtual ones. Please use them.

IDrive provides a free 5GB service that also includes an additional 5GB of sync space for devices, but most users have a lot more stuff than that. IDrive’s personal yearly pay plans are highly competitive: 300GB for $49.50, 1TB for $149.50, 2TB for $299.50, and 4TB for $499.50. There are also yearly business plans starting at $99.50 for 250GB and topping out with 125TB for $2999.50. However, please note that those prices are currently being halved. How long this will last is anyone’s guess, and they may simply be the actual prices with a tease ploy. No matter; 300GB of storage for $25 per for all your PCs and devices is a mad deal.

IDrive's Windows interface is pleasant, efficient, and provides helpful tool tips at first run.

IDrive backup runs as a standalone application, but when you enable the Sync feature, you get a folder under your user name as you do with Skydrive, Dropbox, and others. Drag any files you want available across devices there and the rest is automatic. I installed the IDrive client for my iPad and it backed up my photos (camera roll) and videos without issues. It also backs up the Apple calendar and contacts, but I use other services for those. Once backed up, your mobile data is available online as well as on your other devices for restoring.

A most interesting IDrive feature is its CDP, or constant data protection. When you switch this on (for files sized 500MB or less), files are saved as soon as changes are detected. It’s perfect for keeping ever changing-data safe—the minute you save your file, it will be backed up online. Alas, you’re not allowed to define a subset of data to watch, so it’s all or nothing. It might streamline performance a bit if the program were only comparing to a short list. There’s, of course, also hourly and daily scheduling.

Criminals Continue to Defraud and Extort Funds from Victims Using CryptoWall Ransomware Schemes

7/6/2015

June 23, 2015

Alert Number
I-062315-PSA

Criminals Continue to Defraud and Extort Funds from Victims Using CryptoWall Ransomware Schemes

Data from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) shows ransomware continues to spread and is infecting devices around the globe. Recent IC3 reporting identifies CryptoWall as the most current and significant ransomware threat targeting U.S. individuals and businesses.1 CryptoWall and its variants have been used actively to target U.S. victims since April 2014.

RepostAgainPrivate Banking Information

3/18/2015

Good time to re-post this.....
KEEP YOUR INFORMATION PRIVATE
AND DO NOT GIVE YOUR INFORMATION TO ANYONE ON ANY FORUM OR CHAT ROOM TO GET A BANK DEAL..YOU CAN NEGOTIATE YOUR OWN WITH THE PRIVATE BANKER OF YOUR CHOICE.....KEEP IT PRIVATE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BANKER, ETC, OF CHOICE..THERE IS A REASON IT IS CALLED "PRIVATE".

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PRIVATE BANKING AND THE QUESTIONS TO ASK THEM WHEN THE RV OCCURS, IS LOCATED ON THE PRE & POST RV TAB ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE "PRIVATE BANKING".

ALSO CHECK OUT FINANCIAL PLANNING INFORMATION" TO HELP YOU IN CHECKING OUT PEOPLE YOU ARE CONSIDERING WORKING WITH - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHECKED THEM OUT BEFORE GIVING ANY INFORMATION TO ANYONE.. CHECK THEM OUT FIRST!!! TAKE YOUR TIME - THERE IS NO RUSH!!!

Private Banking: Contacts & Websites
Link
Capital One Private Banking Group

How True Professionals and Private Bankers Can Help You (Post RV)

3/18/2015

REPOST FROM 2012

"How True Professionals and Private Bankers Can Help You (Post RV)"
- by Mr. Anonymous

Lately as we seem to draw very near to the reality of pushing that "RV Button" there has been a lot of talk about Private Bankers, Bank Packages and following "gurus" to other so-called "investment" resources.

The Lie We Live~~Freshtastical

2/12/2015

The Lie We Live by Freshtastical
Published on Jan 27, 2015
(Thanks for sharing with us Sandy)

Some great quotes in this short film...

We share a common goal. Happiness. We tear the world apart looking for joy, without ever looking within ourselves. Many of the happiest people are those who own the least. But are we really so happy with our iPhones, our big houses, our fancy cars.

For better or worse, our generation will determine the future of life on this planet. We can either continue to serve this system of destruction until no memory of our existence remains. Or we can wake up. Realize we aren’t evolving upwards, but rather falling down...we just have screens in our faces so we don’t see where we’re heading.

This present moment is what every step, every breath and every death has led to. We are the faces of all who came before us. And now it is our turn. You can choose to carve your own path or follow the road countless others have already taken.

Life is not a movie. The script isn’t already written. We are the writers.

This is Your Story, Their Story, Our Story...Watch the Video and Share

The Lie We Live

My name is Spencer Cathcart and I recently released a short film I made called "The Lie We Live" on my YouTube channel Freshtastical:

Many of you have been asking to see a written transcript of the film. While what I wrote was meant to be seen in conjunction with the images I chose in the video, I have decided to share with you the script for my video. Here it is:

Transcript:

At this moment you could be anywhere, doing anything. Instead you sit alone before a screen. So what’s stopping us from doing what we want? Being where we want to be?

Each day we wake up in the same room and follow the same path, to live the same day as yesterday. Yet at one time each day was a new adventure. Along the way something changed. Before our days were timeless, now our days are scheduled.

Is this what it means to be grown up? To be free? But are we really free?

Food, water, land.

The very elements we need to survive are owned by corporations. There’s no food for us on trees, no freshwater in streams, no land to build a home. If you try and take what the Earth provides you’ll be locked away. So we obey their rules.

We discover the world through a textbook. For years we sit and regurgitate what we’re told. Tested and graded like subjects in a lab. Raised not to make a difference in this world, raised to be no different. Smart enough to do our job but not to question why we do it. So we work and work, left with no time to live the life we work for. Until the day comes when we are too old to do our job. It is here we are left to die. Our children take our place in the game.

To us our path is unique, but together we are nothing more than fuel. The fuel that powers the elite. The elite who hide behind the logos of corporations. This is their world. And their most valuable resource is not in the ground. It is us.

We build their cities, we run their machines, we fight their wars. After all, money isn’t what drives them. It’s power. Money is simply the tool they use to control us. Worthless pieces of paper we depend on to feed us, move us, entertain us.

They gave us money and in return we gave them the world. Where there were trees that cleaned our air are now factories that poison it. Where there was water to drink, is toxic waste that stinks. Where animals ran free, are factory farms where they are born and slaughtered endlessly for our satisfaction. Over a billion people are starving, despite us having enough food for everybody. Where does it all go? 70% of the grain we grow is fed to fatten the animals you eat for dinner. Why help the starving? You can’t profit off them.

We are like a plague sweeping the earth, tearing apart the very environment that allows us to live. We see everything as something to be sold, as an object to be owned. But what happens when we have polluted the last river? Poisoned the last breath of air? Have no oil for the trucks that bring us our food? When will we realize money can’t be eaten, that it has no value?

We aren’t destroying the planet. We are destroying all life on it. Every year thousands of species go extinct. And time is running out before we’re next. If you live in America there’s a 41% chance you’ll get cancer. Heart disease will kill one out of three Americans. We take prescription drugs to deal with these problems, but medical care is the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. We’re told everything can be solved by throwing money at scientists so they can discover a pill to make our problems go away. But the drug companies and cancer societies rely on our suffering to make a profit. We think we’re running for a cure, but really we’re running away from the cause. Our body is a product of what we consume and the food we eat is designed purely for profit. We fill ourselves with toxic chemicals. The bodies of animals infested with drugs and diseases. But we don’t see this. The small group of corporations that own the media don’t want us to. Surrounding us with a fantasy we’re told is reality.

It’s funny to think humans once thought the earth was the center of the universe. But then again, now we see ourselves as the center of the planet. We point to our technology and say we’re the smartest. But do computers, cars, and factories really illustrate how intelligent we are? Or do they show how lazy we’ve become. We put this “civilized” mask on. But when you strip that away what are we?

How quickly we forget only within past hundred years did we allow women to vote; allow blacks to live as equals. We act as if we are all-knowing beings, yet there is much we fail to see. We walk down the street ignoring all the little things. The eyes who stare. The stories they share. Seeing everything as a background to ‘me’.

Perhaps we fear we’re not alone. That we are a part of a much bigger picture. But we fail to make the connection. We’re okay killing pigs, cows, chickens, strangers from foreign lands. But not our neighbours, not our dogs, our cats, those we have come to love and understand. We call other creatures stupid yet we point to them to justify our actions. But does killing simply because we can, because we always have, make it right? Or does it show how little we’ve learned. That we continue to act out of primal aggression rather than thought and compassion.

One day, this sensation we call life will leave us. Our bodies will rot, our valuables recollected. Yesterday’s actions all that remain. Death constantly surrounds us, still it seems so distant from our everyday reality. We live in a world on the verge of collapse. The wars of tomorrow will have no winners. For violence will never be the answer; it will destroy every possible solution.

If we all look at our innermost desire, we will see our dreams are not so different. We share a common goal. Happiness. We tear the world apart looking for joy, without ever looking within ourselves. Many of the happiest people are those who own the least. But are we really so happy with our iPhones, our big houses, our fancy cars?

We’ve become disconnected. Idolizing people we’ve never met. We witness the extraordinary on screens but ordinary everywhere else. We wait for someone to bring change without ever thinking of changing ourselves.

Presidential elections might as well be a coin toss. It’s two sides of the same coin. We choose which face we want and the illusion of choice, of change is created. But the world remains the same. We fail to realize the politicians don’t serve us; they serve those who fund them into power.

We need leaders, not politicians. But in this world of followers, we have forgotten to lead ourselves. Stop waiting for change, and be the change you want to see. We didn’t get to this point by sitting on our asses. The human race survived not because we are fastest or the strongest, but because we worked together.

We have mastered the act of killing. Now let’s master the joy of living.

This isn’t about saving the planet. The planet will be here whether we are or not. Earth has been around for billions of years, each of us will be lucky to last eighty. We are a flash in time, but our impact is forever.

I often wished I lived in an age before computers, when we didn’t have screens to distract us.

But I realize there's one reason why this is the only time I want to be alive. Because here today, we have an opportunity we never had before. The internet gives us the power to share a message and unite millions around the world. While we still can we must use our screens to bring us together, rather than farther apart.

For better or worse, our generation will determine the future of life on this planet. We can either continue to serve this system of destruction until no memory of our existence remains. Or we can wake up. Realize we aren’t evolving upwards, but rather falling down...we just have screens in our faces so we don’t see where we’re heading.

This present moment is what every step, every breath and every death has led to. We are the faces of all who came before us. And now it is our turn. You can choose to carve your own path or follow the road countless others have already taken.

Life is not a movie. The script isn’t already written. We are the writers.

This is Your Story, Their Story, Our Story.

http://theliewelive.blogspot.com/2015/01/i-recently-released-short-film-i-made.html

2015 Forbes Investment Guide

2/9/2015

Investment Guide
2015 Investment Guide

To help you make your money work harder, we've highlighted the strategies and ideas of more than a dozen Unknown All-Stars of personal finance--homespun heroes who have cut out the middlemen and bested the pros in investing, real estate, tax planning and philanthropy.

We also offer advice on becoming an armchair movie mogul, finding bargains in energy partnerships, parking your money in a "can't lose" bond fund and more. Which assets should you spend first in retirement to cut your family's tax bill? How can you earn 5% refinancing the student loans of your fellow alumni? We'll tell you.

Finally, before you buy your next house, read our report on the revival and transformation of America's suburbs. You've resolved to have a prosperous 2015. Here's how to make it happen.

http://www.forbes.com/investment-guide/

ALERT! Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield hacked 80 Million Customers!

2/5/2015

ALERT! Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield hacked 80 Million Customers!

Published on Feb 4, 2015

Health insurer Anthem hit by massive cybersecurity breach
By Supriya Kurane and Jim Finkle

Thu Feb 5, 2015 3:04pm EST

(Reuters) - Health insurer Anthem Inc (ANTM.N), which has nearly 40 million U.S. customers, said late on Wednesday that hackers had breached one of its IT systems and stolen personal information relating to current and former consumers and employees.

The No. 2 health insurer in the United States said the breach did not appear to involve medical information or financial details such as credit card or bank account numbers.

The information accessed during the "very sophisticated attack" did include names, birthdays, social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data, the company said.

Anthem said that it immediately made every effort to close the security vulnerability and reported the attack to the FBI. Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc FEYE. said it had been hired to help Anthem investigate the attack.

The company did not say how many customers and staff were affected, but the Wall Street Journal earlier reported it was suspected that records of tens of millions of people had been taken, which would likely make it the largest data breach involving a U.S. health insurer.

Anthem had 37.5 million medical members as of the end of December.

"This attack is another reminder of the persistent threats we face, and the need for Congress to take aggressive action to remove legal barriers for sharing cyber threat information," U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement late Wednesday.

The FBI had warned last August that healthcare industry companies were being targeted by hackers, publicizing the issue following an attack on U.S. hospital group Community Health Systems Inc (CYH.N) that resulted in the theft of millions of patient records.

Medical identity theft is often not immediately identified by patients or their provider, giving criminals years to milk such credentials. That makes medical data more valuable than credit cards, which tend to be quickly canceled by banks once fraud is detected.

Security experts say cyber criminals are increasingly targeting the $3 trillion U.S. healthcare industry, which has many companies still reliant on aging computer systems that do not use the latest security features.

Anthem said it would send a letter and email to everyone whose information was stored in the hacked database. It also set up an informational website, www.anthemfacts.com, and will offer to provide a credit-monitoring service.

(Reporting by Supriya Kurane in Bengaluru, Jim Finkle in Boston and Deena Beasley in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Wills and Alex Richardson)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/05/us-anthem-cybersecurity-idUSKBN0L907J20150205

Thanks to Mr IQD for bringing this to my attention

TaxbotSave 1000's on Your TaxesLearn from the Best

2/2/2015

Click Here for More Information about How you can Save Thousand on Your Taxes

TODAY ONLY~~Amazon Prime Will Be $72 TODAY ONLY .. Here's What That Gets You

1/24/2015

Amazon Prime Will Be $72 TODAY ONLY .. Here's What That Gets You

(I am excited to get it as I can now have movies much cheaper than Netflix is for me PLUS everything else you get with this deal.)

    FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
    Unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs
    Instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video
    Free unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive
    Read free books each month through Kindle First and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library

After your first year, your Prime membership will renew for $99/year. Cancel anytime.

On Saturday January 24th, Amazon will make its excellent original series Transparent free to stream, even for those without Amazon Prime. More importantly though, Amazon is discounting Amazon Prime, the best deal in tech at $99, to $72 for the day. Prime is basically never discounted, and $72 is cheaper than the previous $79 that the service went for for years.

Today from 12:01 a.m., ET, through 11:59 p.m., PT, new members can join Amazon Prime for $72 for the first year and enjoy member-only benefits and content, including our Golden Globe Award-winning series, Transparent. You will be charged when you place your order.

TODAY ONLY

IRS scammers phone call

1/23/2015

IRS scammers phone call

Published on Apr 4, 2014

Received a call from a 973 areacode number. Its a scam. They pose to be IRS agents and make some threatening accusations. In some cases, they have even asked people to pay money via credit card.
So beware!

For More Information on this
Click Here

Fake IRS phone calls tops list of tax scams

1/22/2015

Fake IRS phone calls tops list of tax scams

By Jeanne Sahadi @CNNMoney
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

January 22, 2015: 2:13 PM ET

If someone calls saying he's an IRS agent and demands that you send money immediately, hang up.

It's a phone scam.

In fact, it tops the IRS "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams this year, and it's been surging in recent months, the agency said Thursday.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), which oversees the IRS, has received reports of 290,000 scam calls since October 2013 and said nearly 3,000 victims have been swindled out of $14 million so far.

By altering their caller ID number to make it look like they're calling from an IRS office, these scammers often threaten vulnerable people like the elderly and new immigrants with things like arrest, deportation or the loss of their driver's license if they don't pay immediately for money purportedly owed.

Often leaving messages that say it's "urgent" you call them back, the scammers use common names and sometimes say they are from the IRS Criminal Division. They may even claim to know the last four digits of your Social Security number and send follow-up emails that appear to be from the IRS, TIGTA said.

They often demand that payments be made by prepaid debit card.

Once they make their threats, the scammers have been known to call back and again disguise their caller ID so it appears they are calling from the police department or the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Or sometimes when they call, they may say you have a refund due and ask you to provide personal information so you can claim it.

The real IRS will usually contact you by regular mail first, if it needs to contact you at all. And the agency never demands immediate payment by phone or asks for credit card or debit numbers if they do call. It also never asks for personal or financial information by email, text or social media.

If you get what you suspect is a scam call, report it to TIGTA through its Web site or call 800-366-4484.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/22/pf/taxes/irs-tax-scams/

Free Wi-Fi may be scammers' way into your computer

8/1/2014

Joce Sterman

WMAR

Summer vacations mean spending the night at lots of hotels. But if you want to check email or update Facebook, you might want to skip the Wi-Fi, especially if you spot a zone that seems to be free.

You check in to hotels, close the door and bolt the lock for safety. When you're staying away from home, the extra security makes you feel better. But it won't keep everyone out of your room.

We're not talking about thieves who boldly bust in your door. The ones we're talking about take a silent, more subtle approach to get access to you. They're hackers, invited in by you through Wi-Fi, although you may never even notice. Tech expert Josh Larsen says, "You don't get a big red flag to pop up and let you know."

We asked Larsen to help us with an experiment to show how easily hackers gain access to your information through Wi-Fi. He works with California-based Mad Security, a security consulting company. Larsen was able to set up a fake, free Wi-Fi zone for us in a local hotel in less time than it takes to microwave a Hot Pocket. It's the kind of thing scammers do hoping to snare guests looking for free access in hotels that charge, as many do.

We locked down our bogus Wi-Fi so no one was ever in jeopardy. But it certainly looked real, popping up as an option in the Wi-Fi menu. Larsen created it for our test to demonstrate what he calls a common and incredibly easy "Man in the middle" attack. He says, "I use the term attack loosely because you really aren't doing a whole lot. It's a very passive mechanism. Once you set it up you can sit back."

Scammers, according to Larsen, set up these attacks and then sit back and collect your personal information. They get it by using simple technology that's widely available to create these fake and insecure Wi-Fi zones. You log on and basically enter their network. And just by clicking on the access, you get pulled into their scam. Larsen tells ABC2, "You have no indicator as a guest of the hotel or as a normal consumer that you're connected to a malicious rogue wireless access point."

We had no idea we'd been hooked. In fact, when we clicked to go on the web after clicking on Larsen's "free hotel Wi-Fi", the home page that popped up was the hotel's legitimate Wi-Fi service. Thinking the free Wi-Fi we tried to use was a fail, we put in our credit card number to get the real thing and we're already hooked. Every piece of information we entered into a form went directly to Larsen's screen.

"The sky's the limit at that point," Larsen says. "Once they have your information they can pretty much do whatever they want."

Larsen says hackers in these situations can watch and collect any information you enter on the web. And hotels aren't the only place this kind of attack can happen. From coffee shops to airports, anywhere you're looking for Wi-Fi, scammers will be there happy to supply. Larsen says, "That's kind of the inherent flaw with wireless internet connections, it's the susceptibility to man in the middle attacks."

To defend yourself from hackers, Larsen has some tough advice. He thinks you should skip the Wi-Fi altogether. If you need internet access, he says you should stick with the hotel's wired connection, which he says is tougher to hack. If you can't live without Wi-Fi, Larsen says you could consider using your mobile device to get hooked up.

But when it comes to "free" Wi-Fi zones, Larsen is clear: trying to save a buck could ultimately cost you because often that access is not legitimate and not free. He says, "You're probably not going to know any different until the next time you check your bank account."

Larsen says scammers will use the same technology he used for our experiment at conferences or big events, setting up one or more fake "free" Wi-Fi spots. He advises steering clear in those situations.

He also says understanding your computer is valuable, considering many of us want to click okay and move on any time a warning message pops on your screen. He says understanding your computer in a secure setting will make you better equipped to understand when there's vulnerability.

http://www.abc2news.com/news/local-news/investigations/free-wi-fi-may-be-scammers-way-into-your-computer

How to Delete Yourself from the Internet

7/20/2014

How to Delete Yourself from the Internet

by Natasha Stokes on July 01, 2014

in Privacy, Computers and Software, Computer Safety & Support, Tips & How-Tos, Tech 101 :: 0 comments

Americans love the Internet, with 87% of us active online. We have accounts everywhere, letting us kill time at work on Facebook, check Twitter for the latest news, cruise Pinterest for inspirational moodboards and hit Amazon for great shopping deals. On top of that, most of us also have a pile of inactive accounts created for discounts or one-off purchases.

With our digital footprints expanding, we are relaying more personal data than ever to trackers, hackers and marketers with and without our consent. Are we sharing too much? Do we have the right not to be tracked? Is withdrawing from the Internet entirely to preserve your privacy even possible? Let's go over each of these issues.

Data dangers Creating profiles at sites you use regularly has many benefits such as ease of log-in and better suggestions for links or products you might like. But with growing concern over privacy terms that change at the drop of a hat, the sale of personal data by less scrupulous websites and the challenges of keeping stalker-y exes at bay, more and more Americans are deciding to reclaim and delete their personal data.

If you're among the roughly 23% of Americans who use a single password for a handful of accounts, deleting inactive accounts is an important security measure. If a hacker cracked that password, you could suffer a domino-effect hacking of your other accounts too, especially if they are linked via a common email address.

Aside from the accounts and profiles we willingly create, our data is also exposed as hundreds of people search websites that comb police records, courthouse records and other public records such as real estate transactions, making our personal data publicly available to anyone who look for it. Deleting this data isn't as easy you might expect — and many companies won't remove your personal details fully.

Deleting your online presence Tracking down all your data won't be easy. There is no one service that will trawl the Internet for pieces of you, so start by tearing down your social profiles.

Start with JustDelete.me A site called JustDelete.me provides an incredibly comprehensive list of email, social media, shopping and entertainment sites along with notes on how difficult it is to completely erase your account and links to actually get it done. This is a great resource to help you remember and find unused profiles as well as gauging how much effort you'll have to expend to shut it down.

Find other open accounts Next, review your email accounts, looking for marketing updates and newsletters, to get wind of other accounts you may still hold or companies that have bought your email address. Then go through your phone and check for apps that have required you to create accounts.

Once you've created a list of accounts you then should sort them according to how often you use them, if at all. Delete any you don't use. “Data is an asset to these companies,” says Jacqui Taylor, CEO of web science company Flying Binary. "Not only are these companies able to monetize you as their product, you aren't even receiving a service in exchange.”

Working off your list of accounts, head back to JustDelete.me and use it as a springboard to start deleting accounts.

Downloading and removing your content If there's data you'd like to keep — say, photos or contact lists — you may be able to download them before deleting your account. Facebook and Twitter data can be downloaded in the respective Settings tabs, while LinkedIn contacts can be exported via Contact Settings.

At many sites such as Evernote and Pinterest, you won't be able to delete your account. You can only deactivate it and then manually remove personal data. At sites such as Apple, this process includes a call to customer service.

Don't forget background checking sites To find out which background check websites have posted information about you, check out the list of popular sites on this Reddit thread. Then go to each and try searching for your name. See if you pop up in the first few pages of search results. If you do, the same Reddit thread has information on opting out, but get ready for a hassle: usually calling, faxing and sending in physical proof that you are who you say you are. After that, expect to wait anywhere from 10 working days to six weeks for information to disappear.

Sites that don’t allow complete withdrawal A large number of companies make it impossible to delete all traces of your accounts. According to JustDelete.me, this list includes Etsy, the online marketplace for home crafters, which retains your email address no matter what; Gawker Media, which retains the rights to all posts you made; and Netflix, which keeps your watch history and recommendations “just in case you want to come back.”

Then there's Twitter, which signed a deal with the Library of Congress in 2013 giving it the right to archive all public tweets from 2006 on. This means that anything you've posted publicly since then is owned by the government and will stay archived even if you delete your account.

To prevent future tweets from being saved, convert your settings to private so that only approved followers can read your tweets. (Go to the settings in the security and privacy section.)

Shut down your Facebook account by going to Settings, Security and then click “Deactivate my account.” You can download all of your posts and images first by going to Settings, General and then click “Download a copy of your Facebook data.”

However, you've already agreed to the social media giant’s terms and conditions, which state that Facebook has the right to keep traces of you in its monolithic servers, basically any information about you held by another Facebook user (such as conversations still in the other person's inbox or your email address if it's in a friend's contact list) will be preserved.

The divide between companies that make it easy to delete your data and the companies that make it difficult is clear. “If you're the product (on such free services as the social platforms), the company tends to make it difficult,” Taylor says. Monetizing your data is the basis of the business model for such companies.

For services like eBay and Paypal, Taylor adds, you aren't the product (both collect fees from sellers), making it easier to delete your account and associated data.

The right to be forgotten Being able to erase social and other online data is linked to a larger issue: the right to be forgotten online. In the European Union, a recent Court of Justice ruling gave EU residents the right to request that irrelevant, defamatory information be removed from search engine databases. However, no such service is available to the residents of United States.

“You should be able to say to any service provider that you want your data to be deleted,” Taylor says. “If someone leaves this earth, how can their data still be usable by all these companies?”

When erasure isn’t an option Much of our personal data online is hosted on social platforms that regularly update their terms of service to change how our data can be used. A privacy policy that you were comfortable with when you signed on could evolve to become something you don’t agree with at all.

“Your digital footprint is not under your control if you're using these free services,” Taylor says.

But in an increasingly connected, virtual age, it can seem inconceivable not to have a footprint at all. Most of us use a social account to log in to dozens of other sites. Some sites require that you do so: for example, Huffington Post requires a Facebook log-in, while YouTube commenters need a Google+ log-in.

Employers frequently perform background checks through Google or dedicated third-party social media checkers. In many professions, an online portfolio of work on the likes of WordPress or Tumblr is a necessity. It's becoming increasingly difficult to communicate socially without the aid of a Facebook or Twitter account.

Given the realities of our connected world today, not being online can be seen as a negative. The key, Taylor says, is to take ownership of your data. Control how much of your personal data is available online by pruning inactive accounts. Create new accounts selectively, and post with the understanding that within a single update to the terms of service, your data could become publicly shared or further monetized.

http://www.techlicious.com/tip/how-to-delete-yourself-from-the-internet/

Five Travel Scams Of The Week

7/20/2014

Five Travel Scams Of The Week

Posted by Stu Sjouwerman on Mon, Jul 14, 2014 @ 11:33 AM

It's summer and a lot of people are on the road, but some of your employees are always traveling for business, and often these are management-level people with access to lots of confidential data.

These days, you can’t travel on either business or vacation and let your electronic guard down. Here are a few popular scams they need to watch out for. Send this to all employees that might benefit and and protect your network at the same time:

1) Fake Free Wi-Fi Network that you find when you look for access to your business account. It has the hotel's name, but the scammers are listening in on the (company confidential) traffic. Verify with the hotel before logon on "free Hotel Wi-Fi".

2) Fake Software Update where a traveler attempting to set up a hotel internet connection sees an "Update-popup" for a popular software product. Click on it and malware installs. Always update laptops before you leave and never update while you travel.

3) Pizza Delivery Scam where you find a flyer slipped under your hotel door. When you call to order, they take your card data but never deliver because the flyer was a scam. Get food recommendations from the concierge!

4) An ATM Security Team is warning about new ATM skimmers that are almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. Thanks to a slimmed-down profile, the devices sit within the throat of an ATM card slot, capturing data when a traveler slides their card inside. A spy camera then tapes the customer as they enter their PIN number on the keypad. Especially when on the road, COVER YOUR HAND WHEN TYPING IN THE PIN!

5) Late Night Hotel Front Desk Call where you get a call alerting you there is a problem with your credit card and please verify the number. Except it's a scammer who now has your number or perhaps just skimmed your card at the ATM and needs some more info to make a fake duplicate card so they can grab the maximum cash. Especially when you travel, never give out credit card information if you did not initiate the call!

http://blog.knowbe4.com/bid/391662/Five-Travel-Scams-Of-The-Week

Google Glass wearers can steal your ATM passcode with a glance from 10 feet away

7/1/2014

Originally published July 1 2014

Google Glass wearers can steal your ATM passcode with a glance from 10 feet away

by Julie Wilson

(NaturalNews) As privacy continues to dwindle, researchers have discovered yet another form of invasion, and it's a serious one. Personal information in the 20th century is protected by passwords entered into electronic devices, a convenient process that comes at a price.

Already vulnerable to government surveillance sweeps and hackers, your personal information can also be compromised by video-recording devices, one of those being Google Glass.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell found that video-recording devices like Google Glass and the Samsung smartwatch are capable of deciphering four-digit PIN codes typed into electronic devices from across the room. These devices, sometimes called "wearables," were able to decipher codes typed into an iPad from almost 10 feet away, and 150 feet with a high-def camcorder, reported WIRED.

The identifying software, which uses a custom-coded video recognition algorithm to track the shadows of finger movements while entering passcodes, does not require access to the device's screen. Instead, the technology relies on knowledge of the keyboard's geometry and the shadow-detecting algorithm to decipher codes with impeccable accuracy while they're being entered.

Google Glass was able to spot four-digit PIN numbers from 3 meters away 83 percent of the time, and with nearly 100 percent accuracy after manual errors were corrected.

The team of researchers tested multiple video-enabled devices including the iPhone 5 and a $72 Logitech webcam. Somewhat surprisingly, the webcam proved capable of revealing the code 92 percent of the time, while the iPhone's sharper camera snatched the code in every case.

Only tested a few times, the Samsung smartwatch caught the PIN just about as often as Google Glass.

Xinwen Fu, a computer science professor at UMass Lowell, said the older video tools required specific positioning, meaning they were unable to grab passcodes from too far of a distance or from indirect angles. However, in cases where visibility of the device's screen is not available, Fu and his team's video recognition software decoded the passwords based on "its understanding of an iPad's geometry and the position of the user's fingers," according to WIRED's report

The technology "maps its image of the angled iPad onto a 'reference' image of the device, then looks for the abrupt down and up movements of the dark crescents that represent the fingers' shadows."

Fu plans to present his findings with his students at the Black Hat security conference in August, the "most technical and relevant global information security event series in the world."

The "Black Hat Briefings" began 16 years ago to provide security professionals a place to educate themselves on the very latest in "information security research, development, and trends in a strictly vendor-neutral environment," according to their website.

One thing the study left out was testing longer passwords, but based on "Glass's recognition of [individual] characters," Fu believes it could decipher eight-character passwords on the iPad's QWERTY keyboard nearly 80 percent of the time.

Fu notes that Glass's eye-level positioning provides a better angle for grabbing passcodes and acts much more discreetly than other video-recording tools.

"Any camera works, but you can't hold your iPhone over someone to do this," added Fu. "Because Glass is on your head, it's perfect for this kind of sneaky attack."

Google of course disputes Fu's claims, insisting that stealing passwords by watching people type them in is nothing new.

"We designed Glass with privacy in mind. The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it's activated clearly signals it's in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device," said a spokesman for Google.

The researchers came up with a solution for stealing passcodes in this matter with the expected launch of an Android-add on "that randomizes the layout of a phone or tablet's lockscreen keyboard."

The Privacy Enhancing Keyboard (PEK) is expected to launch as an app in Google Play's store and as an Android operating system update during the Black Hat conference.

"You can't prevent people from taking videos," said Fu. "But for the research community, we need to think about how we design our authentication in a better way." SOURCE

Additional sources:

http://www.wired.com

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com

http://online.wsj.com

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com

Google Glass wearers can steal your ATM passcode with a glance from 10 feet away

Ensuring That Student Loans are Affordable~~Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act gives student borrowers new choices in how they repay their loans.

6/9/2014

Ensuring That Student Loans are Affordable

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/100326-ibr-fact-sheet.pdf

“Let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years –- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.” – President Barack Obama, January 27, 2010

A year ago, President Obama set a national goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. But because of the high costs of college, about two-thirds of graduates take out loans with an average student debt of over $23,000. This debt is particularly burdensome for graduates who choose to enter lower-paying public service careers, suffer setbacks such as unemployment or serious illness, or fail to complete their degree.

To ensure that Americans can afford their student loan payments, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act gives student borrowers new choices in how they repay their loans. The initiative was developed by the Middle Class Task Force chaired by Vice President Biden, and it will expand the income-based repayment plan for federal student loans that was put in place last summer. More than 1.2 million borrowers are projected to qualify and take part in the expanded IBR program.

Under this new law, students enrolling in 2014 or later can choose to:

Limit Payments to 10 Percent of Income: Borrowers choosing the income-based repayment plan will pay no more than 10 percent of their income above a basic living allowance, reduced from 15 percent under current law. The basic living allowance varies with family size and is set at 150 percent of the poverty line, currently equaling about $16,500 for a single individual and $33,000 for a family of four.

More than 1 million borrowers would be eligible to reduce their monthly payments.
The payment will be reduced by more than $110 per month for a single borrower who earns $30,000 a year and owes $20,000 in college loans, based on 2009 figures.

Forgive Any Remaining Debt after 20 Years, or after 10 Years for Those in Public Service: Borrowers who take responsibility for their loans and make their monthly payments will see their remaining balance forgiven after 20 years of payments, reduced from 25 years in current law.

Public service workers – such as teachers, nurses, and those in military service – will see any remaining debt forgiven after 10 years.

Fully Funded by Student Loan Reforms: These new initiatives are funded by ending the current subsidies given to financial institutions that make guaranteed federal student loans. Starting July 1, all new loans will be direct loans delivered and collected by private companies under performance-based contracts with the Department of Education. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, ending these wasteful subsidies will free up nearly $68 billion for college affordability and deficit reduction over the next 11 years.

These proposals are part of the Obama-Biden Administration’s ambitious agenda to make higher education more affordable and to help more Americans earn college degrees. This agenda includes:

More than doubling funding for Pell scholarships between 2008 and 2011.
Tripling the largest college tax credit - the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
Increasing investments in America’s community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions.
Simplifying the federal student aid application (FAFSA) making it easier to apply for college financial aid.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education/ensuring-that-student-loans-are-affordable

Weekly Address Supporting America's Students

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/07/weekly-address-supporting-americas-students

Announcing the President's First-Ever Tumblr Q&A Tuesday, June 10, 2014 4:00 ET

Kori SchulmanJune 05, 2014

11:30 AM EDT Share This Post

We’re excited to announce that on Tuesday, June 10, at 4:00pm ET President Obama will take to Tumblr to answer your questions about education, college affordability, and reducing student loan debt.

Getting a higher education is the single-most important investment students can make in their own futures. At the same time, it’s never been more expensive. That’s why since taking office, the President has made historic investments to make college more affordable – and it's why he's inviting you to join a conversation about the issue. Starting today, you can submit questions for the President at ObamaIRL.tumblr.com.

This will be the President's first-ever Tumblr Q&A, and will be moderated by David Karp, founder and CEO of the platform, live from the White House. With more than 40 percent of users between the age of 18-34, issues like access to higher education and keeping college affordable are particlularly relevant to the Tumblr community.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/05/ask-president-obama-tumblr

What Dads Really Want This Father’s Day

6/9/2014

What Dads Really Want This Father’s Day

These frugal-friendly experts offer some insight into what to get your dad.

You can show your dad some appreciation with these creative ideas.

By Susan Yoo-Lee June 3, 2014 | 8:44 a.m. EDT

I have to say that men in general are the hardest to shop for unless you have all the money in the world to buy them their dream car like a Lamborghini Aventador or a private island where they can fish to their hearts out or act like the cave men that they really are.

Men are simple, but they’re the most difficult to shop for when you’re on a budget. Now if you put Father’s Day into the equation, things just got even harder. You can’t just get him a bouquet of flowers like mom – or maybe you can? You might have showered him with ties, wallets, pens and money clips in the past, but I’m sure dad wants a change in gifts, and so do you.

While your dad might want something new and different, he won’t be the first to come out and say what he really wants, unless of course it’s just in his personality to do so. So for the majority of us, it’s going to require some digging. In order to help you out, I reached out to some pretty influential fathers who told me what they really wanted this Father’s Day, so listen on.

Every dad is different, of course, and maybe yours will just be happy with a really heartfelt card, but if you’re in the mood to get creative, these suggestions might give you some new ideas. The good news is that many of these fathers below also have an appreciation of frugality and stretching a dollar.

Rick Broida, veteran tech writer for the Cheapskate on CNET and Savings.com: “My family knows I manage my own tech needs, so I don't bother asking for gadgety stuff. That said, in an ideal world I'd like the new OnePlus One, which is a fully loaded unlocked Android phone that's only $349 (with 64GB of storage)."

Alex Michael, co-founder of The Thrifty Couple website: “I'm a techie guy and love the gifts that keep on giving all year long. No, I'm not talking about that tie that will hang in my closet; I'm talking about a device that I can use every day, all day, and fill with my favorite music, videos and books. I'm talking about the gift all dads want – a new tablet! So what do I want this year? A Kindle Fire HDX 7" tablet! It’s even a great deal right now.”

Scott Ruf, Merchandising Manager at Zulily.com: “I think it’s always good to get a gift that serves a purpose; a gift that is either relevant to a hobby or is an item that I can do something with. I love getting gear or apparel from my favorite sports teams, tools I can use for entertaining from barbecue gear to bar equipment, or a new pair of flip flops or swim trunks. Zulily will offer great deals on Rockin’ Flip Flops on June 4 and Adidas swimwear on June 6. Dads like me will love activity-oriented gifts that won’t break the bank, but still make us feel special while spending time with the family.”

Paul Ivanovsky, Founder of I Heart the Mart: “I normally get some homemade trinkets, ties or Chia pets, which are all great. You know what would be awesome, though, is golf. I would want to go play golf, not on Father's Day but another day.”

So this Father’s Day, ditch the ties, the pins and all that other stuff that you know dad really doesn’t like all that much and get him something he can use all year long. It seems that tech items are high on many fathers’ lists, which can be a great idea for those who can afford to splurge a little. Other pricier options include buying him a day pass at a golf club or maybe a ride on a fishing boat where he can catch all the fish he desires. Remember to look at daily deal sites such as Living Social, Groupon or Amazon Local for any adventures at a huge discount and if you want to buy some goods on a great sale, check out Zulily. Have a wonderful and happy Father’s Day!

http://money.usnews.com/money/the-frugal-shopper/2014/06/03/what-dads-really-want-this-fathers-day

What if someone else could hack into your home?

6/6/2014

What if someone else could hack into your home?

By NICK BILTON The New York Times

Published: Friday, June 6, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 3:56 p.m.

Home, connected home. The front door opens with a tap on an iPhone. The lights come up as if by magic. The oven sends a text: Dinner is ready.

Using an iPhone to unlock the door of a connected home in San Francisco in 2011. Apple is working on software that promises to turn our homes into Wi-Fi-connected wonderlands. NYT PHOTO / JIM WILSON

Apple this week unveiled software that promises to turn our homes into Wi-Fi-connected wonderlands, where locks, lights, appliances -- you name it -- can all be controlled via an iPhone or iPad. You can bet that before long, refrigerators will come with "Made for iPhone" stickers.

These initiatives are all part of what is known as the Internet of Things. That is a catchall term used to describe connectivity -- specifically, how people connect with products, and how products connect with each other.

Sounds great. But I can't shake the feeling that one day, maybe, just maybe, my entire apartment is going to get hacked.

The word in Silicon Valley is that Apple has all the security issues locked down. But as any computer security expert will tell you, nothing -- and I mean nothing -- is impervious.

Hackers can crack governments and corporations, let alone smartphones and desktops. What's to stop them from hacking a connected house?

Think back to those dark ages when the first smartphones arrived. Back then, few people worried about the privacy and security issues those products might pose. Look where we are today.

"Obviously, there are lots of benefits of connected devices in the home, but there can also be complications," said Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit research and advocacy group. "When you worry about computer viruses, you can unplug your computer. When your house gets a virus, where do you go to hide?"

Take an incident that happened last month in Australia. Reports popped up on Apple forums and in the media that some people with iOS devices, including iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, had been targeted in a "digital hijacking" operation. Hackers had commandeered the machines and rendered them unusable. A hacker going by the name "Oleg Pliss" demanded a $100 ransom, paid via PayPal, to unlock each one.

Now imagine what could happen to your house. You come home to unlock your front door or turn on your lights with your smartphone -- and find yourself locked out, your home held hostage.

Laugh if you will. But we've already seen similar situations happen with cars. Last year, as an experiment, Charlie Miller, a security researcher at Twitter, and Chris Valasek, director of security intelligence at IOActive, a security research company, hacked into a Toyota Prius. In their demonstration, they disabled a driver's ability to control the steering and brakes.

Just like the early days of the iPhone, we don't seem to be too worried that such intrusions could happen to a connected home.

Maybe we're just starry-eyed. A May report from Pew Research about the Internet of Things asked 1,606 experts on Internet-connected clothing and appliances to explain their visions of this future. The report is a cornucopia of delights about how our toothbrush will email our dentist, how the toilet paper dispenser will know when to order a new roll from Amazon, how our alarm clock will start our coffee maker minutes before we get up. The term "hacker" appears only once in the 30,000-word document.

Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, who oversaw the report, said people would initially see these new technologies as a "gee-whiz phenomenon." Only later will they start to worry about the potential problems.

"There is a reference in our report to consumer willingness to embrace these things," Rainie said. "If they seem too powerful and know too much about us, consumers aren't going to want to adopt these products."

The report also addressed another troubling aspect of the Internet of Things: the privacy implications. In that regard, hackers are only one worry. The companies that are actually making these technologies could become flies on our walls. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last year, Google said it foresaw a future of ads in cars, watches, glasses, thermostats and so on.

Google has backtracked since, saying last month: "We've contacted the SEC to clarify our 2013 filing; it does not reflect Google's product road map." But, as privacy experts noted, someone, somewhere inside Google has been thinking about putting ads in your home.

"These are devices that are designed to track people," Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center said. "You might start to wonder, why is my toaster spying on me?" SOURCE

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