Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tech Tips Update for Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
Topics covered in this issue…
• My #1 tip for protecting your sensitive info from scammers
• How to use YouTube’s “Picture-In-Picture” feature
• How to play games on your phone without the annoying ads
• Why the ability to feel pain is a good thing
• Info about my photo / file recovery service
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Today’s Quick Tip….
My #1 tip for protecting your sensitive info from scammers
I frequently write about things you can do to protect your online accounts and your personal information from scammers and hackers, but there’s one tip that can do more to protect you against fraud than all the others combined…
Don’t post any piece of sensitive info on any website or social media platform that isn’t absolutely necessary for effectively using that site or service.
Why? Because information that can’t be seen or accessed in some other way can’t be stolen and subsequently exploited.
For example, anyone who takes the time to look at my personal profile on Facebook won’t see very much except for my name, my profile photo and the URL to my tech blog.
Therefore, there’s virtually nothing on there for a scammer or hacker to steal and exploit.
The same goes for other types of sites as well…
Most any “service” type of website will require that you input certain types of information, but there are typically fields that you have the option of leaving blank. I recommend that you do just that whenever possible.
It really concerns me when I look at a friend’s profile on social media and see their full name, their street address, their phone number, their mother’s maiden name and their birthdate.
All of those pieces of info together can be used to steal that person’s identity. The only thing missing is their social security number, and an experienced scammer can easily dig that up once they have all the other info.
I recommend that you be an absolute miser when deciding which pieces of personal and financial information to make available online.
Here are my two primary rules of thumb for Internet safety and security:
1 – If it’s optional, it won’t be posted. Period.
2 – If it’s mandatory but I can get by with making something up, I make something up to ensure that piece of info can’t be used for a nefarious purpose even if it gets stolen.
Bottom line: The scammers of the world are getting smarter by the day. It’s your job to make their job as hard as possible by keeping as much of your private information private as you possibly can.
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips…
• How to use YouTube’s “Picture-In-Picture” feature
Did you know YouTube will let you watch a video in the corner of your screen while you’re using your computer or Android device for other things? This post explains how to use it.
• How to play games on your phone without the annoying ads
Do you love playing games on your phone but don’t really care for the annoying ads? This post explains a simple way to avoid them.
• 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.
Pro blogging tip…
Rick’s Daily Tips is hosted by InMotion Hosting. Click here to find out why.
Rick’s Daily Pick…
CyberPower EC850LCD Ecologic Battery Backup & Surge Protector (#ad)
This is an excellent high-capacity battery backup/UPS device that won’t break the bank.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Video: Winter Solstice in Alaska
Alaska winters are known for their super-long nights and extremely short days. The video in this post shows exactly what that looks like in the city of Nome.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• 2022 is shaping up to be an epic fight to protect data
• Panasonic says hackers accessed personal data of job candidates
• NASA’s first Artemis moon mission will have a virtual astronaut: Amazon’s Alexa
• This man mines up to $800 a month in cryptocurrency with his Tesla
• Amazon tests new wireless bridge to extend range of Sidewalk network
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Rick’s Photo / File Recovery Service…
Do you have precious photos and/or other irreplaceable files that you’d like to recover from a non-working computer?
Chances are I’ll be able to recover them for you, even if the machine won’t turn on or start up correctly.
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.ricksdailytips.com