Scammers
are getting more and more creative and harder to detect with the advent of Artificial
Intelligence. AI can be a fantastic tool
for finding information, helping with documents, doing science. AI can also be used to nefarious purposes;
creating voices of people you know, text in their style of writing, in addition
to the usual spoofing of email addresses, presenting as a company you deal
with, and more.
Here’s what my credit union, Coast Hills,
sent out today about scams. I thought I’d
share with you all.
Most of
us have clicked the little “I’m not a robot” box without giving it a second
thought. It’s a normal part of browsing online, whether you’re signing in,
filling out a form, or making a purchase. Because it feels familiar, it’s easy
to trust. However, scammers are now using fake CAPTCHA pages to take
advantage of that trust.
These scam pages look like normal security checks, but instead
of verifying that you’re human, they’re designed to trick you into infecting
your own computer. After clicking the box, you may be told to complete a few
“verification steps,” often involving a series of keyboard commands. While it
may seem like part of the process, those commands can actually download malware
onto your device.
Once installed, that malware can give scammers access to
sensitive information like saved passwords, online banking credentials and
personal data.
How CAPTCHA Scams
Work
1.
A
Familiar-Looking CAPTCHA Page Appears: You may land on a fake website or click a link that brings
up what looks like a standard “I’m not a robot” verification box. Because the
page looks legitimate, many people don’t think twice before clicking it.
2.
You’re
Asked to Follow Keyboard Instructions: After clicking the box, the fake CAPTCHA may display
step-by-step instructions telling you to press certain keys on your keyboard.
For example, it may ask you to open the Run command on your computer, paste in
a line of text, and press Enter to “complete verification.” These steps may
look like part of the security process, but they are actually designed to run
malicious code and install malware on your device.
3.
The
Commands Install Malware: What
you are actually doing is running malicious code on your own device. This can
install malware that steals information, tracks activity, or gives scammers
remote access to your computer.
4.
Your
Information Is Put at Risk: Once
malware is installed, scammers may be able to capture usernames, passwords and
other sensitive personal or financial information without you realizing it.
How to Protect
Yourself
1.
Be
Suspicious of Extra Steps: A
real CAPTCHA test will never ask you to press keyboard shortcuts, copy and
paste commands, or open programs on your device. If you see instructions like
that, it’s a scam.
2.
Stop
Immediately if Something Feels Off: If a website asks you to complete unusual steps after
clicking a CAPTCHA box, close the page right away. Do not continue entering
information or following prompts.
3.
Use
Trusted Security Software: Antivirus
and browser security tools can help detect malicious websites and block harmful
downloads before they can do damage.
4.
Verify
Before You Act: If the CAPTCHA
appeared while trying to access an account, go directly to the company’s
official website instead of following prompts on a suspicious page.
Scammers are
getting creative by making fake security checks look convincing, but the
warning signs are there. If a CAPTCHA asks you to do anything beyond checking a
box or selecting images, stop immediately. Knowing what to watch for can help
protect your personal information and your finances.
If
you think you’ve been the target or victim of a scam, please call your financial
institution(s) right away and have them check for fraudulent activity on your
accounts. You can also have them
activate alerts. Run your anti-virus and
anti-malware programs right away.
Windows has built-in anti-virus, called Windows Defender, which you can
run by going to:
Settings > Privacy and security
> Windows security > Virus and threat protection and then clicking the
<Scan Now> button.
Windows
Defender will also offer to quarantine or remove items it finds that are
harmful.
For
an additional layer of protection, you might have a program like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
(MBAM) installed. Its icon is a big
blue “M” shape. Double-click that and
then click the <Scan> button. I’d
recommend doing this about twice a month, more often you tend to be online for
long periods of time. If MBAM finds any
threats, you can quarantine those items where they will be harmless.
Also,
run Windows Update occasionally and install those. Microsoft has been making a few changes; some
are even welcome, to Windows to improve the experience. Such as once again allowing users to move the
Taskbar to places other than the bottom of the screen, and other under the hood
improvements for performance and security.
And
a friendly reminder to make your backups.
Copy and paste your important files to a USB flash drive, a USB hard
drive or solid state drive, or create a DVD with your data on it. Then keep those in a safe place. Something that I offer is having a dedicated
2TB (terabyte) USB hard drive just for client data, and I have a Network Attached
Storage device. You can pick up a USB
flash drive at Office Depot, WalMart, or order it online from Newegg or the
previously mentioned companies. Good
manufacturers are Lexar and Sandisk. I’d
recommend 128GB capacity for a USB flash drive, and 1TB for a USB hard drive,
though capacity depends on budget. Buy
what you can afford. You can find Lexar
USB flash drives here. Or Sandisk
drives here. This is a link to USB hard
drives.
Network Attached Storage is a
computer that has a bunch of hard drives in the case. I found one last year at an estate sale that
can hold 12 drives! Right now, mine has
nine drives installed: one that runs the operating system (OS), and eight for
data including photos, documents, music and audio, and programs.
If you already have a spare hard
drive, Orico
makes excellent cases for both 2.5” laptop style drives, and 3.5” desktop
style drives. They are even tool-less,
just slide the cover off, slip the drive in, and close. There are a variety of connections: USB-A and
–C, USB-A is the older rectangular style plug, while USB-C is the smaller oval
shape, like on most modern smartphones and tablets.
In other computer news, prices for
parts are still astronomical. Some tech
people are saying that prices should be coming down in a few weeks to
months. Pre-built computers seem to be
holding their pricing still, even laptops haven’t affected too much by the
increases in memory and SSD (solid state drive) pricing. Other than grabbing old computers at garage
and estate sales, I’m not planning any parts purchasing this year, unless it’s
an emergency.
Even with the pricing being the
wrong side of sane, I’d still recommend 16GB (gigabytes) of memory and at least
a 512GB SSD, along with a good processor, like an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen
3. As always, bigger numbers usually
mean better performance, and higher cost.
If you are okay with used computers (I know I am normally), you might
check out Dell’s refurbished center. They usually have some good deals and even
offer coupon codes with up to 50% off at times.
If you found this useful, and know
someone that could benefit from the info, please feel free to forward this document
on. This one is a bit longer than my
usual email, but I thought the content from Coast Hills was important to share.
Any questions, please let me know.
