Tausi Insider

Photo : CHIRATH PHOTO ( Shutterstock ) Imagine you get this random text from an unknown number out of the blue: “My dog needs to be seen by a vet right away. Can you help me?” Do you respond to let the person know they have the wrong number? Do you ignore it? What do you think most people would do? 02:15 How to Steam an Egg Wednesday 11:19AM This type of message is one of the many used by scammers to hook people into in what’s being called “ Pig Butchering,” a scam that led to victims losing $429 million in 2021, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s press release about online safety earlier this year. What is “ Pig Butchering ?” ‘Pig Butchering:’ A Text-And-Crypto Scam Costing Victims Millions | Tech News Briefing Podcast | WSJ Pig Butchering is a scam where scammers target victims and form a friendly relationship for days or weeks, presenting themselves as financially stable individuals, eventually encouraging them to invest in crypto before convincing them to t...

Photo : JLauer ( Shutterstock ) We’ve all taken those brief surveys where you get a $10 gift card for a movie theater or a BOGO coupon for Chipotle. But what about a free $325 Yeti cooler for taking a Dick’s Sporting Goods survey? Sounds like a steal, right? That was the latest strategy implemented by a new email scam that hooked people in and stole their information . 02:15 How to Steam an Egg Wednesday 11:19AM 02:50 Chopping Basics Wednesday 11:09AM What made this specific email scam special was the fact that it was able to reach many people by getting around Gmail’s spam filter, which exposed more people to this type of scam than usual. Luckily, whether it’s a Yeti cooler or AirPods headphones that’s being showcased, there are some simple ways to not fall prey to these type of scams. How did the Yeti cooler sc am work? The email used an advanced coding technique to fool Gmail’s spam filter into thinking it was a legit email with important information. Then it asked peop...

Photo : Jarretera ( Shutterstock ) One Gmail, one address. That seems right. After all, you have one phone number, and one home address. The same should be true for your email addresses, Gmail included. As it happens, though, your Gmail account has an unlimited number of addresses you can use whenever you want, fooling everyone from Netflix to spammers alike. There are actually a couple of methods here. The first is what allows you to turn your single gmail address into infinite addresses, through a tactic called “plus addressing” (a fitting name). In order to take advantage of plus addressing, you simply type a plus (+) after the local-part (the name before the @), then type whatever you want. For example, if my Gmail address were jake@gmail.com, I could type jake+lifehacker@gmail.com, or jake+gomedia@gmail.com. The service you’re using that email with will think it’s an entirely new address, but any emails to that address will still be sent to your inbox. This works for any Gmai...

Photo : Rawpixel.com ( Shutterstock ) Whether it’s investing in the newest cryptocurrency, or eyeing some type of “ make money while doing nothing! ” scheme, it can be hard to resist all the shiny “new” finance trends that constantly pop up. Often, though, these trends aren’t actually all that new—and even if they are, it’s important to look for signs that they’re doomed to fail. Any income or investment opportunity that seems too good to be true is, most likely, just that. And scam or not, chasing these trends is usually a mistake. Sure, you know not to fall for a phishing scam; e.g., you wouldn’t give your PayPal information to a text from an unknown number. Here are other types of finance trends that you’d be better off ignoring. Avoid “get rich quick” investment opportunities It’s important be wary of finance trends that aren’t an outright scam, but are a mighty big risk if you don’t know what you’re doing. Take gaming apps, for instance. If you’re going to put large sums of ...

Photo : mundissima ( Shutterstock ) It’s no secret scammers get more skilled and ingenious with time. Part of their strategy is knowing when is the best time to target certain people. As the holidays approach and people are expecting packages from Black Friday shopping or early Christmas gifts to arrive, scammers are taking advantage of the time to strike confusion and catch people off guard with shipping scams. If you’ve gotten a text or email message that seems to be from the United States Postal Service (USPS) or any shipping company with a link, be alert. These kinds of shipping scam messages have been on the rise since May and are expected to keep increasing through the holiday shopping season, according to a news report from WGAL, an affiliate of NBC. How do shipping message scams work? Shipping message scams try to mimic a shipping text update that you might expect to receive from the USPS or another shipping company. They usually claim that your shipment will be returned ...

Photo : r.classen ( Shutterstock ) As unlikely as it is to happen, every parent can imagine the horror and helplessness they would feel if they discovered their child had been kidnapped. The rush of emotions you’d experience—especially if you received a call from your child begging you for help—might overwhelm you, leading you to act rashly and do whatever it took to get them back. And that’s just what the engineers of a new “virtual kidnapping” scam are counting on. Here’s what you need to know about “virtual kidnapping” schemes, including how to spot one before you become a victim. How does the“virtual kidnapping” ransom scam work? According to the Los Angeles Times , the perpetrators of these schemes will call parents and attempt to get them to believe their child has been abducted, and demand an immediate ransom payment. All the while, the child is still safe at school or with the babysitter—but the scammers are hoping you don’t find that out until after you’ve paid up. As FB...

Photo : Nitiphonphat ( Shutterstock ) These days, I get so many spam calls I hardly pick up the phone anymore. However, if I see a call from someone I kno w, whether they’re a friend or family member, I, of course, answer them (usually) . Unlike a random number, I know the person on the other end of the line, because I have their contact in my phone, right? Unfortunately, that’s not 100% true, and scammers are using that to their advantage. Take this TikTok from creator Citylivingsoutherngirl , for example. In the video, the creator describes getting a phone call from her mom. The call came through as any other call would: Her mom’s contact popped right up, nothing nefarious or suspect about it. She answered the call, only to hear what sounded like her mother’s voice far away from the phone, and sobbing. A man’s voice then answered, and demanded money from the girl or else he’d kill her mother. Of course, the creator was terrified, and eventually agreed to the demands. She talked...