BSW Tis the season to be ...

Well, it’s over.

Usually, the celebration lasts much longer than it did this year, but there’s no mistaking the fact that it is finally over.

I was doing a little mall-walking yesterday and there was the proof right before my eyes. The See’s Candy store was closed. The shelves were empty. A worker was cleaning up the place.

Usually, See’s hangs around for a couple of weeks after Christmas, but not this year. It’s gone. That makes it official.

The Christmas season is over.

But not to worry!

Some seasons continue.

Tis the season to be scammed

I have been receiving a lot of emails lately concerning this special season from a number of sources. The banks I do business with have given me tips on how to avoid being scammed. My credit card company has told me what to avoid in order to not be scammed. Even the Veteran’s Administration has sent me tips on what to look out for in dealing with people wanting to steal from me.

The old days

Internet-based scams have been around for a long time. I used to get emails from Nigerian princes who had access to millions of dollars that they wanted to share with me. All I had to do was send them a little bit of money.

I never took advantage of those offers and chose to remain poor.

Through the years I received messages from bank presidents, lawyers, accountants, and other important sounding officials who told me of large deposits (usually worth millions of dollars) that were registered in my name.

And I didn’t have to send them any money. All I had to do was verify that I was me — meaning they just wanted a few pieces of information from me — and then I would have access to those large deposits, which they assured me was legally mine.

Fortunately, my spam filter catches most of those “offers” and I am spared the burden of being filthy rich.

Today

But in the last few weeks, a number of emails managed to avoid my spam filter and land in my inbox.

Some of them were easy to spot.

Wells Fargo sent me a note that my account had been hacked and they needed me to verify my information. Since I don’t have an account with Wells Fargo, it seemed pretty obvious my account wasn’t hacked, so didn’t respond to the email but notified my email provider that it was a phishing attempt.

phish·​ing ˈfi-shiŋ 

: the practice of tricking Internet users (as through the use of deceptive email messages or websites) into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly

“The most common form … is called phishing, a one-two punch using both email and Web browsing to trick people into typing confidential information into Web sites that look like the sites of real companies, especially financial institutions.” — Walter S. Mossberg

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Some of the emails that evaded my spam filter were not so obvious to spot.

My bank wants to know

I received an email from my bank, and they indicated someone was trying to access my account. They needed me to verify it wasn’t me. Since I do have an account with the bank, I figured I should probably get this cleared up.

But … I did NOT click on the links in the email they so conveniently provided. NEVER. NEVER click on the links in such an email.

Instead, I opened up a new tab on my browser and logged into my bank. I checked the notifications and there was no information about potential problems. So, I let my email provider know that this also was a phishing attempt.

Company thank you note

Then there was a company I pay an annual fee for a service they provide. They sent me a thank you note for the automatic payment that had been charged to my credit card and hoped I would enjoy the service for the coming year.

The problem?

I didn’t order the service they thanked me for reauthorizing. It wasn’t a lot of money — about eighty bucks — but I did not order that service. There was a link in the email I could click on if I had any questions.

I did NOT click on that email. NEVER, NEVER click on the links in such an email.

But I did have two potential problems.

Did the company charge me for something I didn’t order?

Did my credit card get charged?

So, in a new tab, I logged into the company and checked my billing history. They had the correct history with the service I did purchase. They had no indication that I had signed up for the other service.

That was enough, but I still wanted to check my credit card, so I logged into my account with the credit card company and checked my purchases. There was no indication I had been charged for the service the letter thanked me for reauthorizing.

So, once again, I let my email provider know that this was a phishing attempt.

Tis the season

The Christmas season may have officially come to an end, but don’t worry. The scamming season is well underway.

Take care.

“Nigerian Christians, Forgottten by the West, Face Christmas Under the Shadow of Jihadist Genocide” by Frances Martel.

“15-year-old ROTC hero sprints across parking lot, tackles thug who was attacking woman, 65” by Dave Urbanski.

“Microsoft’s AI Chatbog ‘Hallucinates’ Election Misinformation” by Lucas Nolan.

Before I go, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today

!