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  Greg Collier 9:29 am on May 8, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: KeyMe, keys, security ( 46 )   

  Your keys could be a major security risk 

  

  Modern technology has made life much more convenient for many people. How many of us can imagine a life where we didn’t have instant access to things like ride-sharing services, instant delivery from almost any retailer, or the myriad of choices we have for consuming our entertainment? However, the price of convenience is often a trade-off for privacy or security. One of the things we most associate with security, our keys, can be copied with some of the most basic elements of technology.

  Recently in Florida, a locksmith-type service has come under scrutiny for what some call a flaw in its security. An app called KeyMe is designed to make a copy of whichever one of your keys you may need in order to avoid calling an expensive locksmith. All you need to do is take a picture of the key and KeyMe will have it delivered by mail or you can take it to a KeyMe kiosk to have the key made quickly. A Florida news station was able to make a key that was not authorized by its owner questioning KeyMe’s security. However, KeyMe has stated since they have electronic financial records through their app, it would be unwise for someone to use their service for criminal means. KeyMe is not the problem here as the video below shows that all someone would need to copy a key is a quick picture of your key taken from any smartphone.

  Think about it for a moment about how casually we treat our keys. When we get to work we throw them on our desks. we constantly hand them to parking attendants or any number of car services such as mechanics and the like. We don’t hand them just the key they need either, we usually hand them our entire key ring. All it would take to make a copy of one of your keys would be a quick photo and a minimal amount of ingenuity. One way to keep your keys safer is to think of them as money. You just wouldn’t throw your money everywhere then lose track of them and you wouldn’t hand it to strangers and expect them to keep it safe just because you asked nicely.

   

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  Greg Collier 9:29 am on May 7, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: florida ( 31 ), OfferUp ( 23 ), scam ( 22 ), used car ( 41 )   

  Elaborate used car scam hits OfferUp 

  

  The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released a report detailing a used car scam that has unfolded in Florida. In Daytona Beach, a man found himself out of $20,000 after purchasing a vehicle through the marketplace app OfferUp. The lengths to which the scammer went to can almost be seen as ingenious if they weren’t so contemptible.

  After the man purchased the truck he took the title to the Florida DMV who told him the title was a fake. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) came back to a truck of similar make and model that was being sold on a car dealer’s lot in California. After contacting police, investigators found there had been three different VIN plates glued to the car. To make matters even worse, police found a GPS tracking device inside the vehicle. Investigators suspect the scammer was tracking the vehicle to try to steal it and resell it.

  Any worthwhile classifieds app or website will have the VIN included in the ad for the car. For example, Geebo vehicle ads require a VIN to be placed with the ad. This way a consumer can check it with one of the many services that provide a car’s history. And as always, if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:35 am on May 4, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: eBay ( 16 ), OfferUp ( 23 ), shipping ( 5 )   

  OfferUp to take on eBay with new feature 

  

  Marketplace app OfferUp has found some success since they first launched. While their platform hasn’t been trouble-free due to a number of robberies and a handful of murders, they feel successful enough in their endeavors to take on a much bigger company in eBay. Recently, OfferUp announced a new feature where users can advertise their items nationally if they’re willing to ship it across the country.

  This is actually a pretty good idea as the new feature can expand a user’s customer base and since it appears to only accept payment through credit or debit cards it avoids the phony check scam that has plagued craigslist through the years. However, that’s not to say that OfferUp’s new business plan isn’t without its drawbacks.

  The first problem is that in a world where many users have Amazon Prime accounts will customers be willing to pay for shipping when they get it free through Amazon. The second problem is funding. OfferUp has been very tight-lipped when it comes to their financial status. While they have raised millions of dollars through angel investing, no one seems to know if OfferUp is turning a profit or not. While on the surface this feature seems designed to put some money in OfferUp’s coffers, will it be enough to sustain them in the long run, or will they become yet another story of a failed startup that relied to heavy on venture capitalists?

   
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  Greg Collier 9:09 am on May 3, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Backpage ( 70 ), craigslist ( 130 ), Digital Sin City, Human trafficking ( 100 ), New York University ( 2 ), study ( 2 ), university of minnesota   

  Study: Craigslist caused a surge in human trafficking 

  

  Ever since craigslist stopped hosting adult ads, and even more since the seizure of Backpage, a number of people have said without these sites it will be more difficult for law enforcement to find and rescue the victims of human trafficking. However, because of sites like craigslist and Backpage human trafficking increased in whatever market these sites entered. That is according to a new joint study published by both the University of Minnesota and New York University.

  According to the study entitled “The Digital Sin City: An Empirical Study of Craigslist’s Impact on Prostitution Trends”, researchers found that in a period between 1999 to 2008, anytime craigslist entered a community, prostitution and human trafficking activity would increase. While the study said this included ‘consensual’ sex workers it also noted that craigslist led to a greater criminal exploitation of human trafficking victims. The study even mentions that the outdated section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1999 is what kept this exploitation going.

  Sites like craigslist and Backpage cannot be both the cause of and solution to human trafficking simultaneously. At some point, the line has to be drawn to keep future victims from being bought and sold into sexual slavery. While some traffickers may be forced underground laws like FOSTA will cause a massive drop in online trafficking since women and children will no longer be able to be peddled in such a blatant manner.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:01 am on May 2, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: dating ( 4 ), Facebook ( 182 ), Human trafficking ( 100 ), personal ads ( 5 )   

  Amid scandals Facebook to offer dating service 

  

  After dealing with foreign meddlers, privacy breaches, data leaks and congressional hearings, Facebook is introducing a new feature that will undoubtedly allay the fears of Facebook users. During Facebook’s annual developer conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will soon have its own dating feature which I’m sure will not be abused in any way. That’s sarcasm in case anyone was wondering.

  Of course, the most foremost concern in privacy. On that front, Facebook does not have the best reputation. Another concern is engagement as Facebook continues to try to keep users inside their walled garden by trying to be all things to all people. This is just another way for Facebook to keep its hooks in its users by incorporating yet another service into its platform. Facebook is desperately trying to be your only internet experience where no other site and apps are needed.

  My greatest fear, however, is that the proposed dating service will become the new online haven for human trafficking, taking over the void left by the seizure of Backpage. After craigslist got rid of their adult services section, the ads for prostitution moved to the personals section. The same thing happened with Backpage when they claimed that they shut down their adult section due to ‘censorship’. Before FOSTA was even passed, craigslist took it upon themselves to remove their personals due to the fear they might run into legal trouble with adult ads still littering their personals. Now that the social network with billions of users is planning its own dating feature, one can’t help but think that history may be repeating itself.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:48 am on May 1, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin ( 35 ), Colorado ( 8 ), craigslist ( 130 ), job scam ( 95 ), money laundering ( 13 )   

  Couple falls for Bitcoin laundering scam 

  

  An anonymous couple in Colorado have had their identities stolen and assets seized after they applied to what they thought was a work at home job. The couple started working for a company called Golden Potatoes that was said to be headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The couple was told to open bank accounts so they could receive payments from supposed customers who were buying potatoes from the company. The couple would deposit the payments in the new bank accounts then purchase Bitcoin to send to their bosses. The couple was told they could keep 5% of all deposits. This wasn’t your typical wire fraud or fake check scam either as the couple were making actual money from the transactions.

  It all fell apart when someone was using their identity to allegedly scam people on craigslist. You just knew craigslist had to be involved somewhere didn’t you? Anyway, the scammers were using the couple’s identities to place ads on craigslist claiming to be selling high-end items like cars and ATVs. That’s when the banks got involved believing the couple may have been committing fraud and shut down the accounts. As you can probably expect, not only did Golden Potatoes not exist as a legitimate company, but they also don’t even have a physical location at their purported Portland address. It was all just a scheme to allegedly launder money into Bitcoin.

  Many work at home positions have been the work of scammers for years even before the internet. Not to beat a dead horse, but if it seems to be too good to be true it usually is. Any type of job where your asked to open a separate bank account or deposit money into your own account is not legitimate. No legitimate company would ask employees to do such things unless they were trying to hide money illegally. If you were to fall for one of these scams, you could not only be held liable for any losses your bank my incur but you could potentially be looking at criminal charges while the scammers get away with their now laundered money.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:13 am on April 30, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 182 ), Facebook lottery, Mark Zuckerberg ( 7 ), scam ( 22 ), Sheryl Sandberg ( 4 )   

  The Facebook lottery is a lie 

  

  Back in the early days of the internet, there was an infamous hoax that said if you forward an email from Microsoft founder Bill Gates you’ll get cash for each time the email is forwarded. That hoax was largely harmless and mostly resulted in annoyance and some susceptible people wondering where their money was. Now there’s another impersonation hoax that’s causing its victims to lose thousands of dollars apiece. It’s colloquially known as the Facebook lottery scam.

  The way the scam works is that Facebook users will receive texts or Facebook messages claiming to be from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg or COO Sheryl Sandberg. These messages will say that the user has won a Facebook lottery that only a small number of people have ever won. They’ll claim the prize is anywhere from $500,000 to $500,000,000, but as you might expect, there’s a catch. In order to claim the alleged winnings you’ll need to either wire a processing fee, or give the processing fee in gift cards.

  This is not a new scam with some reports stating that it’s been around since 2011, however, it seems to have really ramped up in the past month with stories about it being reported all over the country, most notably in the New York Times. While each story has some differences, they all have the same result, an elderly person being scammed out of large sums of money.

  While some may easily spot this scam before they fall victim, there are still others who are not as educated in these matters. If you know someone who thinks the Facebook lottery is real show them this blog post and the other stories where people have fallen victim to the scam. Reason with them that if Facebook was giving away money, which they don’t do, they wouldn’t need money for so-called processing fees. Also remind them that wiring money or sending gift cards to strangers is the sure sign of a scam.

  Geebo and Melissa Trewern are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Melissa Trewern 2:50 am on June 29, 2018 Permalink

    I think i have been recently scammed someone told me I’ve won $80,000 in cash from this thing and am expected to pay u[p $550 bucks delievery fee to the agency to get it delieved i reckon its bull*** really

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    Geebo 4:09 am on June 29, 2018 Permalink

    Do you mind if I ask if you paid them any money?

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    Melissa Trewern 3:52 am on June 30, 2018 Permalink

    Nope I haven’t sent any cash away to anybody.

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    Geebo 5:22 am on June 30, 2018 Permalink

    Good. That’s great to hear. If you’re ever asked to pay money to get money it’s more than likely a scam.

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  Greg Collier 9:22 am on April 27, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Backpage ( 70 ), Cook County ( 5 ), Human trafficking ( 100 ), lawsuit ( 48 ), Sheriff Tom Dart ( 4 )   

  Leading Backpage opponent wants lawsuit dropped 

  

  Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart

  Cook County (Ill.) Sheriff Tom Dart was one of the leading voices in the fight against Backpage. Not only did Sheriff Dart do everything within his power to combat the human trafficking committed through Backpage by conducting various stings and rescue operations, but he also stepped outside of his job to convince credit card companies to stop accepting payments for Backpage ads. While it wasn’t a deathblow for Backpage, it did hurt them where it mattered most, in the wallet. Backpage fought back against Dart by filing a lawsuit over lost profits due to Dart’s interference and had a restraining order placed against him which prevented Dart from further contacting the credit card companies.

  Now, with the federal seizure of Backpage, Sheriff Dart is asking that the lawsuit against him be dismissed. Dart is now arguing that since Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer has admitted that Backpage was predicated on human trafficking and money laundering this should render Backpage’s lawsuit against Dart null and void. Dart himself called the lawsuit a fraud and that it was not based in fact or law.

  While some of Sheriff Dart’s tactics can be considered questionable, the closure of Backpage could not have been done without him. Because of his constant vocal opposition to Backpage in the country’s second most populous county, the Backpage situation may never have received the media attention it did and we would still probably be trying to make people more aware of the problem. Sheriff Dart should be commended for his work against Backpage trafficking and this suit should be dropped immediately since it came to light that Backpage was complicit in the sex trade all along.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:02 am on April 26, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Gawker ( 8 ), journalism ( 8 ), lawsuit ( 48 ), Peter Thiel ( 13 )   

  Victory for Journalism: Peter Thiel agrees not to buy Gawker 

  

  Back in January, billionaire venture capitalist, and possible real life super villain, Peter Thiel made it known that he had plans to bid for Gawker’s remaining asset, that being the website itself. As you may recall, Thiel bankrolled the lawsuit against Gawker filed by former pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan, the same lawsuit that bankrupted Gawker. Most of Gawker’s assets were sold to television network Univision, however, the website itself was not part of that sale. Previously, we speculated that Thiel maybe trying to buy the website in order to erase Gawker’s negative coverage of him and for him to have the ability to sue anyone who may try to republish the Gawker articles. Now, Thiel has reached a legal agreement where he has promised not to buy the now defunct but still online website.

  The administrator of Gawker’s estate sought to block Thiel from bidding in the website claiming that “the auction could have a “chilling effect” on bidding and that the auction would “elicit greater interest and higher bids” without Thiel’s participation.” Thiel agreed not to bid on Gawker after the Gawker estate promised not to further investigate Thiel in order to bring legal action against Thiel for secretly funding several lawsuits against Gawker.

  This is a big deal because it shows that not all media outlets can be bought by billionaires looking to silence any criticism against them. While Gawker may not have been the quintessential bastion of journalism, without curtailing actions against them like Thiel had allegedly planned where would it have stopped? What if it led to someone buying an outlet like the New York Times in order to quash any criticism against them? At that point we may have witnessed the death of objective journalism.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:13 am on April 25, 2018 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 114 ), delivery ( 8 ), Key In Car, retail ( 49 )   

  Amazon now wants access into your car 

  

  Recently, it was announced that Amazon has started a new delivery program called Amazon Key in Car. It’s similar to their Amazon Key service which allows delivery people to leave your packages inside your house, except now deliveries are left in your car. Once again, Amazon is asking you to put a lot of trust in them for the sake of convenience.

  This is an idea that Amazon has been toying with for some time now as previously they were said to be working with some kind of smart license plate holder in order to gain access to your car. However, Key In Car relies on existing service in order to open your car. In order to get Key In Car deliveries you need to have a late-model GM vehicle with the OnStar service or a Volvo with their On Call service. Of course, you’ll also need an Amazon Prime account and the service is only available in 37 cities so far.

  While many people will no doubt consider Key In Car as a viable option for them, to me it seems like it has too many points of failure to be trustworthy, not to mention the privacy issues. In a lot of cases, cars can contain more personal information than homes as many of us spend an inordinate amount of time in our cars due to long commutes or other circumstances. That’s not even taking into account the information Amazon could gain access to through the OnStar and On Call services. We’re all up in arms about Facebook’s privacy leaks but since Amazon is sending us creature comforts we’re more than willing to give up our privacy.