Recently, I have been seeing a huge number of my Facebook friends friend re-posting the same post (or slight variations thereof) - stating that Facebook is limiting posts from their friends and that, getting friends to leave a comment or sticker in response to their post will force Facebook to show posts from a wider range of their friends

A client of iTandCoffee forwarded me this email this morning, querying what she should do about a service she is supposedly being charged for - one which she wasn't aware she had. She wanted to know what to do about it.  Here is the email she forwarded to me.

​The theft of mobile numbers - which can happen if someone gathers enough information about you (via 'snail' mail theft, social engineering, or other means) to set up a new SIM in your name and transfer your mobile number to that SIM - has been reported at various times in the press over the last 12 months or so.

It is known as 'mobile number porting', and can happen when some is the victim of identity theft.

• Here is such an article on 'mobile number porting', from June 2017.
• And here is the Money Smart website article about identify theft and fraud, and how to prevent it.

Can I request a 'password reset' text from my bank?

​I must say that I did check my own bank account after receiving Jeff's email, curious to see if my bank (Commbank) would text a password reset link to my mobile number if I chose their 'forgotten password' option.

Fortunately, Commbank requires you to enter 2 pieces of information before it will send you a message with a 'password reset' link.  You must provide a card number and your ATM PIN.  If your PIN is easily guessed (for example, it is your birthday, anniversary, or your postcode), then you could be in trouble.

If you can't provide the required two pieces of information, then you would have to call the Commbank call centre or visit a branch - and presumably convince the person on the other end of your identity.

What does your own bank require?  Can you request that a password reset link be sent to your mobile?

Do any of your online accounts send a 'password reset' link (or a password) to your mobile number?

It is worth definitely worth considering what might happen to all of your online accounts if someone was able to steal your mobile number. 

I know that Telstra will send you a text with your Bigpond account password, as long as you provide a few identity details - identity details that are no so difficult to obtain if you are a scammer!

The person who steals your mobile number could then log in to your Bigpond email account.  Once there, they could do a heap of password resets for your online accounts that use that email address - given that many online accounts will let you choose a 'forgotten password' option, and send an email with a link for resetting the account password.

Personally, I never use my Telstra Bigpond email address to register for any online accounts. That way, if someone was to get access to my Bigpond account, it would not be much use to them.  For all my other online accounts, I have 'two step verification' in place (or two-factor authentication) as an extra 'layer' of protection'.

Here's an article from iTandCoffee about this extra security measure:

• How to stay safer online - adding an extra layer of protection

  
The issue with two-step-verirfication if your mobile number is stolen

If your mobile number is stolen, you should consider which of your accounts has 'two step verification' in place - where a text is sent to your mobile with a code to enter after you have attempted to log in with your username/email address and password.  

While two step verification (or two factor authentication, if offered) is a 'must do' on all online accounts, it is of little value if your mobile number is stolen - especially if you have used the same password on lots of online accounts, and the thief/hacker has discovered that password.  You will no longer receive that 'protective' number code - the thief/hacker will.

Act quickly 

If ever you suspect you are the victim of the theft of your mobile number or any online account has been breached, act as quickly as you can to change passwords and contact your Telco and Bank.

If you need help with password resets (or any other security matters), iTandCoffee in Glen Iris can help.  Just call 1300 885 420 to make an appointment.

How was Jeff's friend hacked? 

For the example described above by Jeff T, I would wonder if the person involved had been caught out (perhaps without even realising it) by a phishing email, and given away her online banking details or other identity details, including her mobile phone number. 

Or she may have had her email and password stolen from some website that had been hacked, and may have used the same password for other online accounts (a big no-no!).  

She may have had an easy-to-guess PIN for her bank account.

Perhaps they had obtained personal information about her from her social media world; perhaps they had stolen statements or other letters from her letterbox.

While phone number porting scams are scary, I am sure that the scammers would not have been able to gain access to the victim's bank account simply by having a SIM with her mobile number. 

You may have seen reports in the press last week about a lady in Melbourne who was scammed out of $46,000 when she fell for a phone scam.  

Details are reported on the Victoria Police website:  Police warning re iTunes card scam. Here is an extract from the article.                                                

I was reading the Innovic monthly newsletter this week, and it included a handy link that I thought readers of our own iTandCoffee newsletter might appreciate.

It is a link to a site that allows you to check if your email address (or username) has been found on a list of details stolen from various well-known websites - for example, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Adobe, Yahoo.

This various websites were compromised at different times over the past few years, and email addresses, passwords and other details were stolen.

I found my own email address was listed twice on the 'hacked' list - for LinkedIn and for Dropbox.  

I had already changed my password for these sites, but it was unsettling to see that I was 'on the list'.

Its worth checking your own email address, and then ensuring that you have changed your password details for any site for which you DO appear on the list.

Here is a link to the website:

• Have I been pwned? Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach

                                                               

Just in case you missed all the reports in the press last week, thousands of Windows computers worldwide were impacted by a ransomware attack.  

The ransomware was able to infect computers on a network when any user clicked on a suspect link or downloaded an infected file that they received in an email.  

Here is as article about this attack:  WannaCrypt: what you need to know about the global ransomware cyber attack

An important thing to note is that the computers that were impacted were those that were not running the latest update to Windows.  (Mac computers were not impacted by this attack, nor were Apple mobile devices or Android devices.)

Microsoft had already patched the vulnerability that the attackers took advantage of, and released the security update in March.  So anyone whose computer was up to date would have been protected.

​The big question is: How up to date is your own version of Windows?  Are you safe from attacks such as this?

It might be time to check, and ensure that you install the latest update - and also check that you have current anti-virus protection from Windows Defender or a third-party product.

Contact iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 if you need to make an appointment for assistance with this.

If you are considering purchasing an iPhone (or other type of smartphone or tablet) online, first read this story.

A long-term client of iTandCoffee visited before Christmas because she was having trouble with her iPhone 6 Plus, one that she had purchased on eBay a couple of months earlier.

It had been 'glitchy' ever since she got it - the fingerprint sensor would not work, the mute switch did not mute, 'Selfie' photos had a shadow on them, charging took more than 24 hours and the charge lasted far less than 24 hours.   When she came to iTandCoffee, the iPhone was at the point where it would no longer turn on.

In looking at the iPhone, there were several things that struck me as strange just viewing the iPhone.

• The iPhone was supposed to be a 6 Plus, but it was the 'rose gold' colour - an option that was not available in the 6 series and that only became available in the 6S and 7 Series.
  
• The home button had a gold rim - instead of the rose gold rim that would have applied if the phone was the rose gold variety.
  
• The Apple logo on the back was noticeably indented, not 'flush' with the surface - so it appeared to have had a back cover 'added' to it.

At the time it initially arrived, she did think it strange that it came with with only a UK power adaptor.  But she certainly didn't expect it to be a fake.

When she subsequently contacted the seller via eBay to complain and ask for her money back, they finally contacted her in return and told her to log into her iCloud account (at appleid.apple.com) and remove the iPhone from the list of devices associated with her iCloud.  They said that, once she confirmed she had done this, they would then send her their return address details, so that she could return the phone for a refund.

Suspecting she would simply lose the phone and not get a refund if she returned it, she contacted Apple Support, who were very helpful.

They looked into the seller and advised that there are lots of complaints about dodgy/fake phones and that the seller.  They suggested that the seller most likely wanted the device free of links to iCloud, so that they could simply sell it it another unsuspecting victim when she returned it. 

So she is now keeping the phone as evidence and will pursue the matter further through Paypal, to see if she can get her money back.

For anyone who has a device that they worry may be fake, here is an article that outlines what to look for:

• How to spot fake: Apple iPhone 6 & 6s - 12 Steps (With Photos)                                                                

Recently, I published an article about a scam that caught out a young client, and resulted in a charge of over $500 on his credit card and some scammers from India gaining access to his Mac computer.

This scam has also impacted THREE iTandCoffee clients during the past fortnight.  

All of these clients contacted iTandCoffee to say that they had received a strange message on their devices while using their web browser.  Two were Mac users, and one was a Windows user.  

This message told them they had a virus and needed to contact a 1800 number.  Here are some images of messages showing variations on the same theme.

In each case, the client's web browser locked up, rendering them unable get rid of the message and go to any other web page.  

In two cases, the clients called the 1800 number and allowed the scammers to get onto their computers.  Fortunately, they realised they were being scammed when they were asked for credit card details.

But the scammers still had access to their computers!

Needless to say, these two clients were very distressed when they called iTandCoffee.  

The first thing we asked them to do was to turn off their internet and shut down the computer.  iTandCoffee was then able to subsequently remove offending software that the scammers installed, and the clients are now back up an running.

PLEASE DON'T GET CAUGHT BY THIS SCAM ON ANY OF YOUR DEVICES.

This type of message can also appear on your iPad or iPhone.

You DO NOT have a virus.  DO NOT call the 1800 number.  

The scammers are trying to 

1. Get you to let them 'remote login' to your Windows or Mac Device so that they can 'prove' you have a virus by showing you something that is not really a virus.  They will be very insistent!  (Note.  They cannot 'remote into' your iPad, so they will probably just try to insist that you have some sort of problem.)
2. Steal information from your computer and see what you type.  If you are on the internet and the software they installed remains on your computer, they will retain this remote access until you remove it.
3. Get you to hand over credit card details so that they can charge you for fixing the non-existent problems on your computer or mobile device.  Rest assured, they will find LOTS of non-existent problems that will be VERY EXPENSIVE to fix!

Here are a couple of past articles that tell you what to do if your web browser does get locked up by one of these scams.

• Help! My iPad's Safari has been locked by 'ransomware'. 
• What to do when Safari is locked up by a nasty screen

Need help?
​
If you are concerned you have been caught out by this, or need help to sort unlock your browser, please contact iTandCoffee to make an appointment.  

We can walk you through what to do over the phone, or in-shop at 34 High Street Glen Iris, Victoria.  If you are in Melbourne, we can do a home visit to help sort you out.  (Please note that charges apply for all appointments.)

In another recent article on the blog, I told the story of a young man whose Mac Safari session had appeared to be under attack - locking up and preventing him from doing any web browsing.

Even if he closed Safari, even when he restarted his Mac, he could not stop this nasty screen taking over his browsing session.

This is a form of Malware, and to stop it occurring, it is necessary to access Safari Preferences and Remove Website Data ...

However, how do you get into the Safari preferences if this screen keep taking over and preventing any selection of Safari options?

Find out how to resolve this sort of problem in this week's Handy Hint, for iTandCoffee Club Members.

An iTandCoffee client contacted iTandCoffee this week after receiving an extremely concerning message on her iPad.  She wrote:

"I am sending you a snap shot of my iPad screen showing a pop notice that I have now received twice which renders my Safari inexcessable unless I action the okay option at the bottom, which then brings up some slightly alarming boxes."

This message is a form of Ransomware, a scam designed to force you to pay money to fraudsters and perhaps even give away your credit card details.

If you click OK on a Windows or Android computer, you may find your device has been locked up by a virus, asking you to pay the 'ransom' in order to 'release' your device.  In actual fact, all that is required in this case is the removal of the virus - here are articles on how to do this on Android and Windows.

Fortunately for this iTandCoffee client, the message came up on her iPad - so clicking OK did not have had any ill effects, other than to give a big fright.   (This is just one of the great advantages of Apple devices - scams like this do not work on iPads and iPhones.)

But this client was still 'stuck' by the message in Safari, as it seemed to have 'hijacked' her Safari and was stopping her from getting to any other functions in Safari.

It is quite easy to resolve such a problem - by resetting your Safari browsing history and website data.

Go to Settings -> Safari and tap on Clear History and Website Data

Once you have done this, you will find that you can start up a fresh Safari session that is free of the fraudster's message.