A new kind of identity theft scam, with thieves using easy-to-obtain VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) telephone numbers to trick Internet or telephone users, is beginning to pop up, said a cybersecurity vendor.
Related to phishing scams, the new scheme uses cheaply obtained VoIP numbers as bogus credit card or financial services telephone numbers, said Paul Henry, vice president of strategic accounts for Secure Computing. The company has observed only two such scams so far, but it expects the practice to "explode," Henry said.
With Internet users being warned about clicking on hyperlinks in unsolicited e-mail, the new scam includes a phone number instead, Henry said. "It's a natural elevation of the art to move it to the telephone," he said. "People are getting nervous about clicking on links."
In phishing scams, identity thieves send e-mail that looks like it comes from a bank, credit card company or online payment service such as PayPal. The e-mail typically says the recipient's account has been compromised in some way, and it contains a link to an official-looking Web site where the recipient can enter account information.
Going Vishing
In the new scam, which Secure Computing calls "vishing," identity thieves ask potential victims to call a phone number attached to a VoIP account, easily obtained online through services such as Skype or through retailers reselling VoIP products such as Vonage Holdings, Henry said.
In one vishing case, scammers targeted PayPal users by including a telephone number in a spam e-mail. In the other case, the criminals configured an automatic telephone dialer to dial phone numbers, and when the phone was answered, played an automated recording saying their credit card has had fraudulent activity.
The recording asked the telephone customer to call a number with a spoofed caller ID related to the credit card issuer, Secure Computing said. Once users call, they are asked for personal account information.
VoIP numbers are easy to obtain anonymously, but Henry didn't fault VoIP providers for vishing scams. A larger problem is the ease of obtaining credit online or over the telephone, he said.
Consumers are comfortable with obtaining credit online or by dialing automated telephone services to get credit, but if credit-granting businesses required physical contact, phishing and vishing scams would be almost eliminated, he added.
"In today's environment, it's absurd," Henry said.
Tips and Tricks
To avoid vishing scams, Secure Computing offered this advice:
-- Credit card companies normally refer to customers by their full names in any communication. If an e-mail or phone call does not refer to your full name, it may be a scam.
-- You should not call a telephone number provided in a phone call or an e-mail regarding possible security issues with any credit card or bank account. You should call the phone number on the back of your credit card or on your bank statement to report security concerns.
-- If anyone purporting to be a credit card provider calls and requests your card number, hang up and call the phone number on the back of the credit card and report the attempt. If the call was legitimate, the credit card provider will have knowledge of it.
source: pc world
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Toshiba announced today that it will ship the first HD DVD recorder, RD-A1, on July 14--but don't get too excited: The recorder will only be available in Japan at launch.
The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise--when last quizzed on recording for the home, the HD DVD Promotion Group indicated to me that recorders wouldn't likely hit until next year, and that may yet be the case for the U.S. market. I was also told that, after the postponements of the HD DVD player, an announcement about a recorder wouldn't come until closer to when something would ship--which is exactly what Toshiba did with its announcement earlier today.
The announcement does explain why, suddenly, media manufacturers, including Verbatim and RitekUSA, announced impending availability of recordable HD DVD-R media. And with this announcement, the precarious balance in the next-gen optical battle is rocked. Only slightly, though.
The timing of the announcement takes attention away from rival format Blu-ray, which this week launched its first titles from Sony; the first player, from Samsung, officially launches on Sunday.
one of the manufacturers selling Blu-ray-based players have discussed recorder availability, and the Blu-ray Disc Association can't commit to a time frame for recorder availability--a spokesperson said that will be up to the individual companies involved in Blu-ray.
High-definition recording is not new: Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and Samsung Electronics have offered Blu-ray-based recorders overseas. What is interesting to note about the Toshiba, though, is that it does support the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copy controls.
Like those other recorders, the RD-A1 will be expensive: About $3600 in US dollars. For that admission price, you'll get a 1-terabyte hard disk, as well as support for recording to single-layer 15GB HD DVD-R and dual-layer 30GB HD DVD-R discs (for up to 115 and 230 minutes of video, respectively, and for recording to standard DVD-R/RW/RAM media. Other notable specs include: The recorder will output images at 1080p resolution; can upconvert DVDs to 1080p; is DLNA-compliant; and includes Internet connectiviy via Toshiba's Net de Navi software, for remotely programming recordings online.
The specs certainly make me salivate. I'm never home, and need to record my television for viewing later (sound familiar?). I've long resisted the lure of HD in part because I know it would be wasted on me: I'd never be able to watch TV recorded in it (yes, there are HD hard disk recorders now, and none of those would work for me--I'd have them full in no time). Not that I have a spare $3600 lying around (plus more for a high-def display to match), but this announcement makes the future of home recording suddenly seem a lot more real to me--even if I will probably still have to wait another year or two before the prices come out of the stratosphere, and into the realm of us mere mortals.
How important is recording televised HD content to you?
source: pc world
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