scams Archives - The Silicon Underground David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more Thu, 28 Mar 2024 02:37:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://kerosin.digital/rss-chimp16321610 Why are some books so expensive on Amazon? https://dfarq.homeip.net/why-are-some-books-so-expensive-on-amazon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-are-some-books-so-expensive-on-amazon Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:00:24 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=24332 Books are expensive, but some books are a whole other universe of expensive. There are generally three reasons for that. I don’t think I’m giving away any deep, dark secrets, so I’ll explain why some books are so expensive on

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]]> 24332 Can you download RAM? https://dfarq.homeip.net/download-more-ram-safe-scam-joke/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=download-more-ram-safe-scam-joke Tue, 12 May 2020 11:00:47 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=8048 A software developer asked me about a website called Download More RAM. I don’t think he heard my other coworkers snicker. He asked if it was a security issue, while missing the even more important question: Can you download RAM?

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]]> 8048 What to do with an unsolicited offer to buy property https://dfarq.homeip.net/what-to-do-with-an-unsolicited-offer-to-buy-property/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-to-do-with-an-unsolicited-offer-to-buy-property https://dfarq.homeip.net/what-to-do-with-an-unsolicited-offer-to-buy-property/#comments Thu, 07 May 2020 12:00:41 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=21081 Another day, another unsolicited offer to buy property. Maybe it’s a postcard in the mail. Sometimes it’s a letter. Or an unsolicited phone call or text. Why are they bothering you, and what can you do about it? It’s a

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]]> https://dfarq.homeip.net/what-to-do-with-an-unsolicited-offer-to-buy-property/feed/ 19 21081 What are scam likely calls? https://dfarq.homeip.net/what-are-scam-likely-calls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-are-scam-likely-calls Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:00:22 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=20651 What are scam likely calls? It’s a partial solution to the problem of unsolicited phone calls. It’s probably not the ideal solution and it’s probably not the final solution. But it’s a way for your phone company to warn you

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]]> 20651 How to block computer scammer calls https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-block-computer-scammer-calls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-block-computer-scammer-calls Tue, 22 Jan 2019 13:00:19 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=20838 My computer security buddies have been posting a lot lately on social media about computer scammers, giving advice on how to spot them. But what if I told you that you could block them entirely? Here’s how to block computer

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]]> 20838 Netstat foreign address https://dfarq.homeip.net/netstat-foreign-address/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=netstat-foreign-address Thu, 03 Jan 2019 13:00:48 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=20647 Netstat foreign address What is a netstat foreign address, and is it something to be concerned about? If someone is yammering about it on the phone with you, unsolicited, they’re probably not explaining it correctly. Netstat is a standard utility

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]]> 20647 How to stop robocalls on my cell phone https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-stop-robocalls-on-my-cell-phone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-stop-robocalls-on-my-cell-phone https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-stop-robocalls-on-my-cell-phone/#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2018 13:00:21 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=19634 Spam phone calls, robocalls, or scam calls aren’t quite as common on cell phones as they are on landlines, but they still happen way too often. When I posted advice on blocking robocalls on landlines, immediately people asked me about

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]]> https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-stop-robocalls-on-my-cell-phone/feed/ 2 19634 How to report scam phone calls https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-report-scam-phone-calls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-report-scam-phone-calls https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-report-scam-phone-calls/#comments Mon, 05 Nov 2018 13:00:18 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=19583 We’ve all received more than our fair share of them: Phone calls from financial scams, tech support scams, and other dodgy phone calls trying to rip us off. There are actually several things you can do about them. Here’s how

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]]> https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-report-scam-phone-calls/feed/ 1 19583 How to block robocalls on a landline phone https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-block-robocalls-on-a-landline-phone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-block-robocalls-on-a-landline-phone https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-block-robocalls-on-a-landline-phone/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2018 11:00:20 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=19522 Getting a spam phone call, robocall, or scam call every 10 minutes makes you a prisoner in your own home. Blocking those calls would be a real quality of life improvement. Phone companies aren’t terribly interested in helping you, though.

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]]> https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-to-block-robocalls-on-a-landline-phone/feed/ 5 19522 Phone call saying services are stopped on your computer? It’s a scam. https://dfarq.homeip.net/phone-call-saying-services-stopped-computer-scam/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=phone-call-saying-services-stopped-computer-scam Wed, 10 May 2017 01:33:29 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=12799 “Hello? My name is Max and I’m calling from CSA. We got a report saying that services are stopped on your computer.” I hung up, for lack of energy to fight with “Max,” or even to troll him by telling

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