At Total Digital Security (TDS,) we’ve consistently avoided the tactic of ‘selling fear.’ Our approach has always emphasized:
Reflect on our CyberAdvisor Letters over the past decade. While recognizing the importance of understanding risks and potential consequences—and indeed, we’ve outlined various cyber threats that could make anyone vulnerable—our primary focus has always been empowering individuals to safeguard against loss and inconvenience from cybercrimes and digital fraud.
✓ However, this month’s CyberAdvisor Letter shifts slightly to discuss recent headlines that underscore cyber risks and consequences in a very human context.
The news stories highlighted below reflect the challenges we confront daily at TDS in our cybersecurity endeavors. These stories underscore the tangible risks and high stakes involved in our field. While our clients at TDS enjoy robust protection and have significantly mitigated their cybersecurity risks, it's crucial to remember the "why," the fundamental reasons behind our relentless efforts.
✓ TDS clients choose to be strategic and step aside from today's chaos by protecting today and positioning for future challenges that are sure to come.
First, from our recent experiences in the field:
March/April - TDS from the field - One of our latest cases is typical of others over the last 60 days. It involves a Zelle scam at Wells Fargo, where fraudsters impersonated bank employees to deceive customers. Using the bank’s system of instant, irreversible transactions, these scammers have effectively drained customer accounts in a matter of seconds.
✓ Now, read the headlines below for a snapshot of what’s happening more broadly with current news stories, each reflecting our real-world experiences in cybersecurity.
March 17th – Email Scam - Innocent dad loses entire life savings in sophisticated email scam: ‘Nothing left.’ "A father who was looking forward to retirement is now struggling to make ends meet after losing his life savings in a cruel scam." https://nypost.com/2024/03/17/world-news/innocent-father-scammed-out-of-life-savings-over-email-by-con-artist
March 26th – Apple - Recent ‘MFA Bombing’ Attacks Targeting Apple Users. "Apple customers recently reported being targeted in elaborate phishing attacks that involve what appears to be a bug in Apple’s password reset feature."
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/03/recent-mfa-bombing-attacks-targeting-apple-users/
March 31st – The FBI reports a 22% spike in losses for 2023 compared to 2022, the 2023 IC3 report said. https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2023_IC3Report.pdf
✓ The chart below illustrates the FBI's statistics on cybercrime damages, including a 22% increase in 2023. This pace of increase reflects our experience at TDS for the past five years.
These scams are not only becoming more frequent but also increasingly sophisticated. With the use of AI, deep fakes, and self-optimizing smart exploits, it is becoming ever more challenging to distinguish fact from fiction.
✓ At TDS, we are encountering a rising number of fraud victims across various U.S. banks and are prepared to see many more with increasing sophistication, including AI and Deep Fakes.
To protect yourself from falling victim to a sophisticated scam, our best practice recommendation is simple: do not engage.
Ignore the text, email, or phone call.
Instead, take proactive steps by making an outgoing call directly to the company or institution that supposedly attempted to contact you. This allows you to verify the legitimacy—or expose the falsehood—of their inquiry.
✓ To protect yourself from falling victim to a sophisticated scam, our best practice recommendation is simple: do not engage.
We assist our clients in building a robust ecosystem of privacy and cybersecurity that provides continuous protection across all environments and devices. We do this by protecting "The Primary Attack Surfaces."
If you are missing any of the above and would like to know more, you can contact us here:
Also, we provide a "Computer Coaching" service for TDS clients that demystifies technology, rapidly enhancing customer resilience and computer skills. This service features no technical jargon or opaque fixes. Instead, a dedicated coach works directly with you, using plain English and focusing on essential skills such as:
✓ The charge for computer coaching is $150/hr. and we bill in 15-minute increments.
Thanks for reading,