REGINA – Consumers need to be ever wary of internet scams to get money or personal information.
As scams become more sophisticated, it’s easy to fall into the trap and you can’t always rely on software or your internet provider to protect you.
“It is getting worse as mobile devices become more prevalent,” said Brett Park, Shiverware owner and computer science Ph. D candidate.
Scammers are getting craftier. Look at the ingenuity of this bug targeting Apple consumers:
“It came out a few days ago. If you’re in your email on your iPhone, it will pop up something that looks like you’re supposed to enter your iCloud information,” said Park.
Scams like this are not unique to any mobile device in particular. The technology facilitates even the oldest, most recognizable scams.
A local entrepreneur said the problem is getting worse. He now sees between three to four people a week looking for his assistance, mostly with intrusive software called Malware.
“What it does, it turns to wall paper and it basically gives you zero access to your phone whatsoever,” explained Oktay Asili, owner of Nanotech.
The user is then asked to pay a fee to access their own phone and information.
“Any time you download any app, or any software, you need to look at what you’re accepting,” cautioned Asili.
Becoming more connected provides more opportunities for malicious hackers.
“We talk about mobile right now, but in a couple years we’ll probably we talking about scams from things like our thermostats at home or our lightbulbs,” said Park.
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