Silicon Prairie Cyber Services' Blog

This month I’ve been sharing information about catfishing scams. Last week on one of my Instagram posts about catfishing, I received an interesting comment. The commenter basically said each person has value and a lot of people want to present their best self on social media, and to say that it's a scam is inaccurate.     This comment got me thinking about how we represent ourselves on social media .   In today’s Pinterest perfect society many of us only present our best selves on social media.   If you’re a business owner you are probably sharing branded, professional headshots of yourself on social media.   Why?   You want to look confident and put together.   You want to demonstrate that you are an expert that others can relate to and trust.   You want to present your best self to current and future customers to demonstrate the value of your products and services.   There's nothing wrong with presenting your best self on so...

Most catfishing scams involve the exchange of money. That’s why they’re working so hard to quickly form an emotional bond with you – so you hand over the $$$ willingly and quickly. What should you do if you already sent them money? File a police report Ask the police about options to retrieve the money File a complaint on https://ic3.gov Wait for instructions from police before breaking off contact as they may want you to engage so they can find them Save everything you have for evidence Did you miss the first 2 blog posts?  Catch up now. Week 1  Valentine's Day Chocolates and Catfish Scams Week 2  Think you've been catfished? Here's what to do

Last week in my blog I shared 3 easy steps to spot a catfish scam .  This  week I’m sharing what you should do if you think you are being catfished. Do some cyber sleuthing and answer the following questions to make an educated decision. Check out their online profile.  Too few friends?  Recently created? Are they avoiding talking on the phone, meeting in person, or video chatting?  Is their picture too good to be true?  Does their profile lack candid pics?  Does it look like it’s from a magazine? Is the pace of the relationship or friendship Too serious? Too fast? Too passionate?  Over the top?  On the personal or romantic side do they always need help? Do they need your money to rescue them? Are they making you feel sorry for them? Are they claiming to be military and just need some $$ to get home, go on leave, apply for leave, or pay medical expenses after war injury? Are the stories always over the top, way out there, or they the constant...

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and if you're like me you're looking forward to a nice box of chocolates.   Unfortunately, online fraudsters have something else in mind for you.  They are flooding your inboxes and social media DMs with scams that have been specially crafted to tug at your heartstrings. These scams are known as Catfishing. It’s in the news now again when a celebrity falls for the scam. But it can happen to anyone. What’s a Catfish (Besides the fish that swims in murky waters)? It’s an online con where someone assumes a new identity to seduce you via the internet. Some people do this for companionship because they feel like their own identity isn’t good enough. Others do it to trap you into handing over money or services. Think of a ‘catfish’ as a person who creates a false online identity in the hopes of luring people into romantic or emotional relationships with bad intentions. Once emotionally vested you are more likely to quickly hand ...

January 28 is Data Privacy Day. On this day advocates spread awareness about privacy and work to educate others about securing their personal information to protect their privacy. At the same time, we encourage businesses to increase transparency about how they store and use data they collect from customers. Start OWNING your PRIVACY by: Keep tabs on your apps.  Apps ask for access to a lot of your personal info like your location, contacts, and photos.  Before you grant access, decide if the app really needs that info. Manage your privacy settings.  Check the privacy and security settings for the online accounts and apps you use.   Learn how to manage your privacy settings for most online accounts at staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/managing-your-privacy/manage-privacy-settings/ Businesses can protect their customer's privacy by: Be transparent about how you collect, use, and share your customers' personal information. If you collect it, protect it. Imp...

Prescriptions and cybersecurity are more alike than you might realize. Let me explain. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting old. The one thing giving it away is my eyes. I had to get a prescription for progressive lenses to see both near and far now. When I first got the glasses I couldn’t figure out how to see ANYTHING clearly – nearly everything was blurry no matter where I looked. I got a 5 second run down when I picked up my glasses, but alas no luck. This is similar to the experience many have with new cybersecurity tools or training. You received a 5 second rundown with the purchase but then you were left to your devices to figure it out. So what did I do with my glasses? I went back to the doctor's office and asked for help. I explained my situation and they checked the prescription in the lenses, adjusted the fit of my glasses, explained in detail the different ways to use my glasses, and finally they had me look at different things in the store to ensure I could read ...

If you caught my   Facebook  or   Instagram   Stories on Tuesday you saw a story about Temperature Tuesday Runzas.  What I didn't tell you was… it got me thinking about New Year's Resolutions.   If you're not from Nebraska you're probably asking yourself two questions right now. 1 - What is a Runza? 2 - What is Temperature Tuesday?   These two things go hand in hand around here in January and February.    Runzas are little, handheld, meat sandwiches with a mixture of ground beef, cabbage, onions, and spices.  I like to get mine with cheese.  In January and February, they run a special.  The temperature at 6 AM is the price of your Runza.    Tuesday it was 15 cents!   Now while I was looking at my Runza I thought, “Man this Runza looks skinny.”  This got me thinking… Many make a new year’s resolution to lose weight.  After a rough year in 2020 with COVID-19 and the quarantine 15 pounds who can blame us? ...