Wednesday Newsbytes – News for You – 030922
Every day we scan the tech world for news that affects all of us who use Windows computers. Today, we’re featuring some of the news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s “Wednesday Newsbytes” informative and interesting!
Gmail warning: This email says it protects your PC but does the opposite – delete it now
CHECK your inbox without delay and delete this message that claims to protect your PC immediately.
Gmail and users of other popular email platforms are being warned to watch out for a new message that could fill their PC full of malware and steal personal data including bank details. What makes this attack so scary is the message that’s being sent out to inboxes across the world actually suggest it will protect people from such attacks.
This new threat, which was spotted by the team at ProPrivacy, claims to be from security firm McAfee with the message urging consumers to sign up and protect themselves from serious online threats.
However, it’s all a scam with those unlucky enough to be fooled actually taken to a fake website that then tries to extract personal information and even install vicious malware. What makes this threat scarier is that the message looks incredibly real with it even featuring official McAfee logos and corporate branding.
Microsoft’s latest Windows patches fix the bug causing user data not to be erased
Microsoft is rolling out a fix for the Windows reset bug discovered a few weeks ago as part of its Windows 10 and 11 Patch Tuesday updates.
Microsoft’s latest round of Patch Tuesday fixes includes a fix for a bug that could result in some user data not being erased after a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC reset. That issue, originally discovered by Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Rudy Ooms in late February, resulted in some user data still being readable in the “Windows.old” folder after completing a remote or local wipe of a Windows 10 or 11 device.
This issue affected Windows 11, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 21H1; and Windows 10, version 20H2. Microsoft published a suggested workaround, which involved signing out from or unlinking OneDrive before resetting a Windows device. But today’s patches for Windows 11 and Windows 10 fix the issue outright.
FACE OFF Urgent warning for ALL Facebook users over growing hack threat out to trick youWATCH out if you go on a page claiming to be from Facebook, as it is now the most ripped off brand used by hackers to scam people.
The social network has been crowned the most impersonated big name, accounting for 14% of phishing pages alone.
Hackers are using the Facebook brand and name most, research finds.
WhatsApp – owned by Facebook parent Meta – also topped the list, compiled by cybersecurity firm Vade.
And Microsoft came in at a close number two behind Facebook.
But social media in general is not the worst offender.
Unsurprisingly, financial services overall came out as number one, as scammers try to trick victims into parting with their hard earned cash.
As industries go, they made up 34% of dodgy pages, with trusted brands like PayPal and Chase misused.
Social media as a whole came second, accounting for almost a quarter of phishing pages.
Unfortunately, there are some fees we all just have to live with. But there are plenty of others that you can avoid. You just have to know what they are, how to opt out and where to find the free alternatives.
1. Credit Report Fees
With the passage of the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), all Americans are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can request yours from each bureau online, by phone or by mail.
The easiest way to access your free annual credit report is to visit AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only site that’s truly free. You’ll need to provide your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
Editor’s note: Because of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, credit reports are free to access once a week through the end of 2022.
2. ATM Fees
ATM fees are a huge price to pay for convenience. The average ATM fee for an out-of-network withdrawal was $4.59 as of late 2021.
If your bank isn’t part of a nationwide ATM network, you should consider finding one that is. And that doesn’t always mean a “traditional” bank.
A couple of examples of financial services companies that have good ATM networks are USAA and Charles Schwab. Also, many of the credit unions that have large co-op networks offer free ATMs. Online banks and credit unions also refund some ATM charges per month.
This guide can help you find free ATMs before your next cash crunch.
3. Late Payment Fees
You’re typically charged a late fee any time you pay a bill after the due date. On top of that, making a late payment on a credit card, mortgage or another loan can also damage your credit score.
And it doesn’t matter if you’re three days late or 30 days late. Just one late payment could end up causing you financial damage for years because it shows current and potential lenders that you’re unreliable.According to Credit Karma, here are a few consequences of paying a bill after the statement due date: