Information for this week’s Hacker’s Brief is provided by CyberWyoming Alliance, a 501c3 nonprofit affiliate of CyberWyoming.
I Tried to Join the Illuminati: If you receive an email warning you not to believe the offer to join the Illuminati, it may be true. A Laramie citizen received an email with the saga of lighting three candles for the initiation in addition to sending a passport picture and birth certificate. CyberWyoming Note: Most legitimate clubs don’t ask for your birth certificate or passport. Yet, this could be an entertaining read. There are a lot of interesting “join the Illuminati” scams out there.
COVID-19 Testing Result Alert: A Gillette citizen reported an email from Carolyn Lambert at Carolyn.lambert@mail.aolbusines.com (note that the second s in business is missing and CyberWyoming checked – there is no such website) saying that you have been exposed to a coworker who tested positive for the OMICRON variant of COVID. The email has an attachment that Google reported as having a virus. CyberWyoming Note: Do not download or open the attachment.
Another Dying Widow: When a stranger wants to donate millions of dollars to you, it is a scam. This email reported by a Laramie citizen says that Mrs. Kristina Eliane Lubke, who is dying, wants to donate a 4.6 million dollar fund to an honest person to support ‘disabilities and humanity’ because of the vow she made to her late husband. The email’s subject line is “Support Humanity” and it is from judecemtisioh@gmail.com.
Disaster Scams: With the recent tornados in Kentucky, watch for fake charities running giving campaigns for the victims. Before donating, check the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool.
MS-ISAC Patch Now Alert: The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) has published a patch now (update your software) alert for additional Apache Log4j products. If you use these products, make sure the software (or firmware) is updated.
Please report scams to alert your friends and neighbors.
Other ways to report a scam:
- Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker: www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us/reportscam
- Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection (307) 777-6397, (800) 438-5799 or ag.consumer@wyo.gov
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
- Report your scam to the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint
- Reported unwanted calls to the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call Registration. Online at https://www.donotcall.gov/report.html or call 1 (888) 382-1222, option 3
- Office of the Inspector General: https://oig.ssa.gov/
- AARP Fraud Watch Network (any age welcome) Helpline (877) 908-3360
- IRS: report email scams impersonating the IRS to phishing@irs.gov
- Call the Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for assistance with potential Medicare fraud, abuse, or errors at 1 (800) 856-4398.
Victim Support: The AARP Fraud Watch Network and Volunteers of America (VOA) created a new, free program to provide emotional support for people impacted by scam or fraud, called ReST. Visit aarp.org/fraudsupport to learn more about the free program and register.
