Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tech Tips Update for Monday, January 1, 2024
Topics covered in this issue…
• Be careful when Googling a number for Customer Service or Support
• How to visually monitor your home while you’re away
• Q&A: Is it best to use the antivirus that comes installed on a new PC?
• Video: “After the Storm”
• My Monthly Tech Giveaway is back – Brother DCPL2550DW Multifunction Laser Printer
Today’s issue is sponsored by…
The Hustle – The 5-minute newsletter that helps you get smarter on business and technology.
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Monthly Tech Giveaway….
We have a winner for December…
Congratulations to Evelyn G. from Brockton, Massachusetts for winning the Acer Aspire 3 A314-23P-R3QA Slim Laptop in December’s Tech Tips Giveaway.
January’s winner will receive a fantastic ViewSonic VX3276-4K-MHD 32 Inch 4K UHD Monitor. Click here for details.
The prizes featured in my Monthly Tech Giveaways include a combination of the best items I have received for testing and review and brand new items provided directly by partner companies.
All winners are selected at random. All Standard subscribers have an equal chance to win. All Premium subscribers have double the chance to win (their email addresses are added to the pot twice).
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Today’s featured tech tip….
Be careful when Googling a number for Customer Service or Support
In today’s world of high technology and online shopping, the odds are high that you’ll eventually need to contact a company’s Tech Support or Customer Service department.
While some issues can be handled online via either live chat or email, there are times when it becomes necessary to call them up on the phone.
This tip is a warning about using Google or another search engine to look up a company’s Tech Support or Customer Service number.
I’ve written about this topic before, but an email I received from a reader this morning prompted me to mention it again.
Long story short, this gentleman was looking for the Tech Support number of the company behind his antivirus software, and as we all tend to do these days, he turned to Google.
Unfortunately, right at the top of the search results was a link to a company claiming to offer Tech Support on behalf of his antivirus provider.
When all was said and done the scammer had placed an unauthorized $50 charge on his credit card.
Thinking this was surely a scam, he checked the company’s profile with the Better Business Bureau, and sure enough, what he found was a mountain of complaints.
The problem here is scammers getting their fraudulent websites ranked highly in the search engines for searches that lots of people typically make, and often the fake sites will outrank the company’s official website for the terms “Tech Support” and Customer Service”.
That’s why you need to be extremely wary of any search result that doesn’t take you to a page on the company’s official website.
If you are already a customer of a company you probably know how to access its official website via their real URL.
Visit the site directly and look for a link labeled either “Tech Support”, “Support” or “Customer Service”. You’ll find the real number you need to call on those pages.
The reader I mentioned above was only taken for $50, and that amount was eventually credited back to his account. However, the next victim might not be so lucky. Don’t give the scammers a chance to take advantage of you.
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Blog…
• How to visually monitor your home while you’re away
And you can set it up yourself.
• Q&A: Is it best to use the antivirus that comes installed on a new PC?
This post has the answer.
• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
Rick’s Daily Pick…
“Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera”
Modern cameras make it easy to take good pictures, but knowing how to correct and manipulate exposure can turn a good picture into a great one. This is my favorite tutorial and reference guide on this super-important topic.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Awesome.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• The biggest winners in tech in 2023
• Vizio agrees to pay $3 million for alleged ‘false’ refresh rate claims
• Google Cloud says it has fixed a significant security flaw
• Report: SSD prices to surge in 2024
• See the passing of a day on Mars with the Curiosity rover
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.ricksdailytips.com