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How to avoid falling for hoaxes and scams on Facebook

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Facebook consists of a vast community of “friends” who are interconnected to one another in a multitude of ways. The whole thing can be both overwhelming and amazing.

Throughout a typical Facebook session we can see people we don’t even know pop up out of the digital woodwork to comment on and “Like” things that we or our friends have posted.

This amazing web of connections makes it easy for scammers to disseminate false information and trick their fellow Facebookers into doing all kinds of things they wouldn’t do otherwise (i.e. “Like” a page that they really have no interest in whatsoever).

The scams and hoaxes floating around Facebook are written in ways that make them sound both reasonable and compelling.

Here’s an example of a hoax that circulates around Facebook on occasion:  [Read more…]

Protect yourself with a lapel camera when interacting with others

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lapel-camera

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

A while back I wrote a post explaining why it’s a good idea to install an inexpensive dash cam in your vehicle, and it generated a lot of interest.

A few days later one of my Facebook friends messaged me to ask if there is a way to protect yourself by capturing video when you aren’t in your vehicle because she frequently has to interact with people who get easily upset.

Luckily, the answer is yes. You can clip a small, unobtrusive lapel camera to your clothing and record audio and video of everything that’s going on around you.  [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the dangerous “Get a Free Gift Card” scam

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Email scams have been around almost as long as email itself, and the problem seems to be getting worse instead of better.

Add in all the scams that are constantly making the rounds on social media and it’s easy to see that fraud is a major problem in today’s connected world.

There’s a rather tempting email and social media scam that pops up every now and then, and unfortunately it’s making the rounds again right now.

Unfortunately, this scam is quite easy to fall for because of the way it’s perpetrated.

It’s called the “Get a Free Gift Card” scam, and there are several variations of it that I’ve seen to date. Here are the three that rear their ugly heads most often: [Read more…]

Protect your privacy when using Windows 10 with Microsoft’s “Your Privacy” dashboard

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As you probably know by now, Microsoft designed Windows 10 to be quite intrusive when it comes to your privacy.

By default, the operating system collects all sorts of sensitive user data and stores it on your PC’s hard drive and/or sends it back to Microsoft via the Internet.

Luckily, most of Windows 10’s “spying” can be either mitigated somewhat or disabled completely if you know where to look for the various settings.

Unfortunately, finding (and understanding) all of Windows 10’s privacy settings can be a challenge to say the least.  [Read more…]

Have a device that’s covered by AppleCare? It might already qualify for a new replacement battery.

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applecare-logoFor reasons I explained in this post, I usually recommend skipping the extended warranty if you are offered the option to purchase one when you buy a new computer.

That being said, plenty of folks disagree with me, and that’s fine. If having your new computer covered by an extended warranty gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling and lets you sleep well at night, then I’d say it’s money well spent.

If you happen to have an Apple device that’s covered by an AppleCare Protection Plan, it just might already qualify to receive a new battery under the plan. [Read more…]

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