Internet Scams Debunked

We recently shared some information with you about Bitdefender 2013’s Search Advisor and how this specific feature improves your online threat protection. Reread the post here: Bitdefender 2013 - Search Advisor: Improves Online Threat Protection

Protecting yourself from possible attacks by knowing which search results to avoid, is one thing. Understanding the manner in which the ill-intentioned out there run their schemes, scams and dodgy plans is another altogether.

Malware, phishing and proxy websites can easily get you in their snares but, when you know what to look out for (or have a handy little feature [Bitdefender Search Advisor] doing it for you…), are easy enough to avoid. The “untrusted websites” are the ones that are really scary. These are the ones that people fall for and come in many seemingly innocuous guises: banks and donation sites, for example.   

How do they work?

Fake banks, although they “offer” online banking, loans and financing, are banks that do not actually exist. These “banks” are not registered with any government institutions and have no physical headquarters. The websites offer minimal contact information and any personnel profiles featured on the site are, ordinarily, staff identities that have been lifted from other, legitimate, banks.  

The scam targets people looking for credit and a percentage of the requested loan amount is deposited into the “bank’s” account before the loan is granted. And then no money is ever paid over to the victim. 

Lottery scams, very worryingly, claim many victims. After receiving an e-mail or SMS congratulating them on winning the lottery, the target is instructed to contact an operator in order to claim the reward. To walk off with the prize, the victim must first pay processing and transfer charges. Then receives nothing.

If you have not entered a competition, you cannot win it; let common sense prevail.

Donation scams are, quite possibly, the most heartless scams out there. Playing on people’s emotions and their desire to do good, websites are set up and e-mails sent out, imploring the soft hearted to look inwards and donate money to rescue the outer Mongolian flying squirrels from imminent extinction or save young George Henry from his very serious and terminal illness. The pictures used to tug at your heart strings are, very often, real but have nothing to do with the “funds” that are set up. Because most people are essentially kind and caring by nature they will donate to help these causes. And no orphanage or charity ever sees the money.

Ensure the charities to which you donate are registered and legitimate. Some background research could save both your money and your faith in humanity.

Jobs that boast earning potential of thousands each month from the comfort of your own home, with very little effort on your part, are almost always money-making schemes – and, in most cases, illegal. 

If you are required to a pay a deposit for information about a job – walk away. More importantly, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

When purchasing goods online, use reputable e-stores that have a service record and if there are any international delivery charges, suck it up and pay them. Do not risk shopping around and looking for cheaper shipping as you may just stumble upon a “company” that has no intention of delivering your goods. After you have paid them.

Of all the things that you can buy online, medicine does not fall into the “this is a good idea” category. Trying to save money and buying cheaper medication could make you very ill; if the goods are even delivered, the chances of them being fake and cooked in a dirty back room are high.

The things people will do to make money are alarming. Vigilance, common sense and Bitdefender 2013 Search Advisor can help you avoid falling prey to these scams.

Have we missed any evil plans? Do you have a story to tell about any schemes? Let us know in the comments section below.

Bitdefender 2013 - Vulnerability Scanner: Another System Safeguard

If you were to take all the Bitdefender 2013 features that we have discussed so far and look at them individually you will, undoubtedly, see the value in each. 

Safepay, Immunizer, Safego, Autopilot, Autoscan and Search Advisor (so far) each perform a specific function and could be a standalone product, but why consider breaking up the “dream team”? Especially when you can purchase one package with each benefit bundled into it – adding layer upon layer of silent security… And layer upon layer is definitely what Bitdefender 2013 provides. 

With the Vulnerability Scanner your system is scanned for any points of vulnerability (such as outdated applications, programs, drivers and patches) or areas left defenceless with weak Windows passwords. Once any possible sites of attack are found, Bitdefender recommends solutions which, in most cases, are easily rectified with a simple click of a button. Add that to all the safeguarding the other features offer and you have yourself some serious protection.

Ensuring your system security really is as simple as purchasing and installing Bitdefender 2013. True story.

Bitdefender 2013 – Search Advisor: Improves Online Threat Protection

What would be the point of having all the latest technology protecting your computer and data if you, oblivious to the danger, just happened to do an internet search and visited a website that was loaded with malware? The point would be that you would open yourself up to a phishing, scam and malware storm. 

So, how do you avoid such sites? How are you meant to know which sites are dodgy and which are safe to use? Three words: Bitdefender Search Advisor.

Available in all three versions of Bitdefender 2013 (Antivirus, Internet Security and Total Security), Search Advisor is a link filter that trawls through your internet search results for dangerous links. Relying on intelligence provided by Bitdefender Cloud services, Search Advisor flags phishing and malware attempts in your search engine results, warning you of potential danger lurking in seemingly innocent websites. 

Search Advisor is compatible with all web browsers and checks the results of major search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo! being the most popular); warning icons are added to search results that may yield malicious content, improving your online threat protection and making it apparent which sites are best avoided:

- Malware websites (likely to be infected with a virus/ contain infected links)

- Phishing websites (try to steal your personal/ confidential data)

- Proxy websites (used to mask malicious/ infected websites)

- Untrusted websites (promoted through scams, reported by Bitdefender users as unsafe or known for scams and fraudulent schemes) - fake banks, lottery scams, donation scams, shipping scams, money makers, pharmaceutical scams, cheap software, replica shops, fake shops, loan scams*. 

                                                                                                    

Search Advisor Results:

     

       Safely access the link.

       Bad idea to access the link. If your browser of choice is Firefox or IE, any attempt to open the link will result in the page being blocked automatically:

 
Bitdefender 2013 really has you covered; every possible point of entry for malware and phishing attempts has been safeguarded - even accidentally stumbling into dangerous territory has been taken into account. 

*Keep an eye out for a post on how these scams are run.

Bitdefender 2013 – Autoscan: Malicious Software Quarantined Automatically

You never can be too cautious; especially when it comes to your computer system. Take a moment to think about what you have stored on yours…

Now think about how nice it would be to have your entire system scanned for malware from time to time, just to make double sure that nothing untoward has found its way into the thick of your data. How about less of the "from time to time" and more on a recurring basis?

Autoscan is yet another Bitdefender creation that offers convenience plus an additional layer of protection.

Making use of “time slices”, during which system-resource usage levels fall below a certain threshold, Autoscan silently probes all your data, looking for malware and takes the appropriate actions if any infections are discovered.

All you have to do is get Bitdefender 2013 (Antivirus, Internet Security or Total Security) and let it do its thing.

Bitdefender Wipe Stopper: Serious Defence for Android Devices

Last week we brought you news of Bitdefender Wipe Stopper - and where you could get it to protect your Android device from remote attacks. If you haven't yet, download Wipe Stopper now (for FREE) at Google Play

Yesterday, Bitdefender released an article indicating that approximately 400 million Android users are at risk from these remote attacks, which could not only wipe all your data, but also leave you exposed to the more widespread vulnerabilities that leave phones open to attackers seeking to alter SIM cards and shut down PUKs.

Wipe Stopper protects against these attacks and alerts Android users of any attempts to exploit these recently discovered weaknesses that will render Android devices useless. Bitdefender's Chief Security Researcher Alexandru Balan noted that all unpatched Android devices are vulnerable to attack and if you are uncertain that your device is patched, you are at immediate risk: "an attack that could brick your SIM card can happen as simply as by randomly visiting a website, or being redirected by a hacker who happens to be on the same network as you. The quickest and surest way to protect yourself is to download Wipe Stopper".

What are you waiting for?  

Get Wipe Stopper now and avoid any data-loss/ useless-device disasters: Wipe Stopper

Bitdefender 2013 – Autopilot: Silently and Automatically Deals with Pop ups

So you’re sitting at your computer, in the zone, merrily working away (or playing) and messages (not of the social variety) keep popping up, demanding your attention and dragging you away from that very important document you’re finishing off (or level you’re about to complete). How annoying? Especially when the distraction is coming from your antivirus software… that’s meant to protect you, not harass you!

We’ve said it before, but have no shame saying it again: Bitdefender really have thought of everything! And the Autopilot feature that comes standard with all the Bitdefender 2013 suites takes care of the above hassle, working silently and automatically in the background, leaving you to do your thing, uninterrupted.  

The best part of Autopilot is that it removes the worry of trying to figure out how to use your anti-malware software, if you’re not inclined to do so. If all you want to do is use your computer without being bothered, Autopilot quietly makes all the security-related decisions for you. While the Autopilot mode is turned on Bitdefender applies the optimal security configuration, automatically repairs critical issues and silently (in the background) manages your antivirus protection, firewall protection, privacy protection and automatic updates.

You get all the award-winning protection included with Bitdefender 2013, you just don’t get the notifications and warning messages displayed. But, should you really want to see everything that's happening in the background, you can easily turn the Autopilot mode off.

Thank the good people at Bitdefender not only for outstanding security products, but also for no more pop ups, alerts and other distractions.