Rick's Daily Tips

Scam alert: Are any of these apps on your phone or tablet? If so they could be stealing your money!

Posted on April 10, 2020

By now you’re probably familiar with the terms malware and freeware, but now there’s a new term you need to be aware of: Fleeceware

That’s the name security company Sophos has assigned to a new class of malicious mobile apps.

These malicious “fleeceware” apps list themselves as “Free With In-App Purchases” on the app store’s download page.

The problem is they create a fraudulent subscription and start charging you a weekly, monthly or quarterly fee soon after you install them.

Here’s a list of known fleeceware apps that are actively stealing money from unsuspecting users: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the many ‘Coronavirus Stimulus Payment’ scams that are now making the rounds

Posted on April 6, 2020

As you surely know, the Coronavirus pandemic has already caused a lot of financial pain for millions of Americans.

And unfortunately things are likely to get even worse before they get any better.

To help ease the pain for the American people, the US Congress has passed and President Trump has signed a massive $2 trillion economic stimulus bill that includes a provision to provide cash payments to most Americans.

These “stimulus payments’ will be greatly appreciated by the folks who are suffering the most from the economy’s screeching halt, but as you might expect the scammers of the world are already hard at work trying to get their own piece of the stimulus pie.

There are currently dozens of stimulus related scams being perpetrated. Here are just a few of the most common ones: [Read more…]

Why you should avoid using your phone in public places during this Coronavirus ordeal

Posted on April 2, 2020

Right now many of us are on virtual lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but there are times when it’s still necessary to venture out to a public place.

After all, we do have to eat and perform other essential tasks.

You’re probably well aware of the social distancing guidelines we’ve been asked to follow, but there’s another danger that you might not have thought about: your phone!

[Read more…]

Q&A: Can I make monthly payments to Amazon for a new TV?

Posted on April 1, 2020

Question from Judy: Hi Rick. I hope you can give me some info on buying a new TV from Amazon.

It looks like I’m going to be stuck here at home for at least a couple of months and my TV recently went out on me. It’s pretty old and I doubt if it’s worth fixing.

I really need a new TV to get me through this period of isolation but I just don’t have that kind of money right now because I was laid off from my job.

A while back you wrote an article letting us know that Amazon will sell you a computer and let you make monthly payments on it.

Can I also make monthly payments to Amazon for a new TV or does that just apply to computers?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]