CAR THEFT- Kias and Hyundais May Need More than a Software Update

The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (PSATT), which covers King and Pierce counties, has noted on its Facebook page that while Kia and Hyundai owners have been taking advantage of the software upgrades that have been offered by the manufacturers, it appears that car thieves do not realize that the upgrades have been installed in many Kias and Hyundais. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) has told FOX13 News that “…motor vehicle theft attempts are starting to keep pace with actual thefts.” Car thieves do not know whether any particular Kia or Hyundai has installed the security update. They will try to steal any Kia or Hyundai and even if your Kia or Hyundai has received the update, it is still susceptible to broken windows and a damaged ignition.

The PSATT recommends that Kia/Hyundai owners use a steering wheel lock whether their vehicle has been updated or not. That would provide a visible deterrent to any potential car thief. PSATT also reminds all drivers of the following standard car theft prevention tips,

 

·         Remove or hide all valuables

·         Lock your car

·         Don’t leave keys or fobs inside

·         Don’t leave your vehicle running unattended (exhaust in cold months makes these vehicles easy to spot)

·         Use anti-theft devices (alarm, kill switch, steering wheel lock)

·         Park in well-lit areas

 

 

 

Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=301569892379042&set=a.261059723096726

 

 

FOX13 News:

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/updated-software-on-kias-hyundais-might-not-be-enough-to-deter-thieves

SCAM UPDATE- Jury Duty Scam and Watch Out for Charity Scammers

JURY DUTY SCAM- In what seems to be a yearly ritual, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about a scammer calling county residents and attempting to “bully” them into having “…a warrant ‘lifted’ or saying they missed jury duty.”

In its Facebook posting, the Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone that “No law enforcement, government or court personnel will ever call you to demand money over the phone or attempt to meet up with you to receive payment.” It encourages you to hang up if you receive a call demanding money like this.

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=685298976956870&set=a.226070289546410

 

CHARITY SCAMS-

With the disasters in the news such as the fires on Maui, tornados in the Midwest and Southeast, and wildfires in the west, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning the public to watch out for scammers posing as charitable organizations. Scammers follow the news and solicit donations claiming to use the money for disaster relief. Before giving money to any charity, do a little research first. The FTC recommends,

·         Donate to charities that you know and trust.

·         Research the organization yourself. Do some research especially if you do not know the organization or you found it on social media. Do a web search with the charity’s name and the words “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.” Also, check out the charity with one of the following organizations,

o   Better Business Bureau, Give.org- https://give.org/

o   Charity Navigator- https://www.charitynavigator.org/

o   Charity Watch- https://www.charitywatch.org/

o   Candid- https://candid.org/

·         Be cautious about giving to individuals on crowdfunding sites.

·         Do not donate to anyone who insists on being paid only by cash, gift card, money wire, or cryptocurrency.

·         If you are going to text to donate, be sure to confirm the number.

 

 

 Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/08/how-make-sure-your-donations-count-when-weather-disasters-strike

 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/how-donate-wisely-and-avoid-charity-scams

 

 

Washington State Secretary of State:

https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities

 

https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors/givesmart

 

 

 

PHISHING- A Major Threat to Business and To You

Phishing is a prime method that cyber criminals use to gain control of a computer system and gather information within that system to steal funds or to conduct intelligence. Businesses and individuals are both susceptible to a phishing attack.

Cyber criminals will use social engineering to pose as a trustworthy friend or colleague or organization through an email, text, or sometimes a phone call. Like many scam techniques, the idea is to use social engineering to convince you to give over money to the scammer, or to give over information about yourself or your business that the scammer can use for their own benefit.

In a business context, cybercriminals will conduct Business Email Compromise (BEC) to target specific organizations, parts of an organization, and individuals who will best move funds to the cybercriminal or provide sensitive information that is useful to the cybercriminal. The cybercriminal will employ a phishing campaign, malicious software, and an imposter domain to collect information that will allow them to move around in the organization’s computer system.

BEC operations often have two phases. Phase 1 amounts to latent unauthorized access where the cybercriminal monitors email, learns who is who in the organization, what they do, and their relationship with other parts of the organization. Often, the people who dispense funds and authorize dispensing funds are important to the cybercriminal. Phase 2 is the fraud phase where the cybercriminal uses the intelligence that he has gathered to craft a story to convince a key financial employee to move funds to a place of the cybercriminal’s choosing.

While many businesses and organizations are targeted by BEC attacks, businesses that contract with governments have proven popular because the bidding process is public.

Individuals can be caught up with phishing scams. A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) study found that text messaging was a popular means of communicating for scammers in 2022 with a total of $330 million in losses to text scams reported to the FTC. The median reported loss was $1,000.

The 5 most popular text scams were,

·         Copycat bank fraud prevention alerts.

·         Bogus gift, reward, or prize offers.

·         Fake package delivery problems.

·         Phony job offers.

·         Fake Amazon security alerts.

 

 No matter the communication method, email, text, phone, take a few seconds to evaluate the message.

 

·         Check out the address of the sender. For example, if the sender claims to be from Amazon, but the address is not from an “amazon.com” address (like .Gmail or .outlook) then there is something wrong.

·         Scammers will try to give a sense of urgency to get you to act before thinking. If an email comes from your boss, call them separately to confirm the message is genuine. If the message is from an outside entity, contractor, financial institution, etc. contact them separately. The more serious sounding the situation, the more the need to confirm that there really is a problem.

·         If you are prompted to click a link, there is a chance that you will be led to a fake website or malware will be downloaded onto your device. Carefully, examine the link to ensure that that it is genuine. Or better yet, don’t click on the link, but go to the website after a web search.

·         If the message uses a generic greeting it probably is a scam.

·         If the message has spelling and grammatical errors, it probably is a scam.

 

 

 

Microsoft:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-insider/threat-briefs/breaking-down-business-email-compromise/

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/intelligence/phishing-trends?view=o365-worldwide

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/new-ftc-data-analysis-shows-bank-impersonation-most-reported-text-message-scam

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/06/iykyk-top-text-scams-2022

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams#:~:text=If%20you%20got%20a%20phishing%20email%20or%20text,the%20phishing%20attempt%20to%20the%20FTC%20at%20ReportFraud.ftc.gov

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity/phishing

 

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/phishing-infographic-508c.pdf