Bytes and Bites

Bytes and Bites From Altitude Data And no, that's not my computer. Not me either, but hey. Sometimes I learn things that some folks might be interested in, sometimes I just run across a particularly interesting case, or make new connections or observations that eventually wind up in the bottom of my ever growing pile of other soon-to-be moot bits of data stored on my biological hard drive. Might call it a mental compost heap. Tech is sorta like a garden, if you think about it. The veggies you live on, the flowers for fun, the weeds that come from nowhere and the bugs you hate. The compost of the ancient stuff. (From, like, last year.)

Best Practices


Best Practices is a term for using your computer in the safest way, the least chance of loss to either you or it. There are so many scams and cons out there, some coming in through email and some in other forms, that adopting a safety first attitude should apply to all you do.

I am quite focused on that right now due to recent events in my own family. A family member received a phone call from someone impersonating another family member and using names and details that we can still only surmise the origin of. The caller claimed to have been arrested in Canada, and needed help being bailed out, and of course under the duress of the moment, and subsequent calls from "law enforcement" in Canada, was convinced of the authenticity of the call and wired money. Lots of money. None of which, I am sorry to say, will ever be seen again.

Or other common scams that are being seen recently like pop-ups claiming to be able to clean your computer if you pay. Guess what? You just paid to be infected. Then there's always the infected email link or attachment that nails you.

The so called "grandparent scam" has been going on for years, and my first guess is that lots of information is being harvested from social networking sites. Be ultra aware of what you post. Assume thieves are reading it and using what they find. Set it to only allow trusted others to access the information. For emergency phone calls, use a password the whole family knows. Then stick to it. The people on the other end are either family members that will understand or crooks who will move on.

For anything that seems odd, either a phone or computer attack, GOOGLE IT!!!! Like Solomon said so long ago, there truly is nothing new under the sun. Someone out there has had a similar experience and put it out there. Knowledge is a powerful defense, but gotta have it to use it. So pause before you run out to wire the money, or click the link, or open the attachment. See where the email is from, write the person and find out why they sent it. They may know nothing about it. Scan the attachment, mouse over the link and see where it is really taking you. If people are calling you asking what the attachment was for that you didn't send, get your computer cleaned up immediately if not sooner. Just be careful. If crooks want it badly enough and are willing to search enough places, imagine the kinds of information they can gather and make sure not to help them do it. Please.

DATE POSTED: 10.03.2010

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