Over the past few years we have seen a large increase in scams where a person on the phone demands payment in the form of Gift Cards. No matter who they say they are with, if they request that payment be made in the form of gift cards, they are a scammer. PERIOD, End of Story.
When we buy new computers (or any technology for that matter) we are left with the old device to dispose of. In St Johns County, you are not supposed to put it in the trash, or the recycling for normal pickup.
Every Computer, cell phone, & tablet seems to steer you toward keeping things “on the cloud”. Often, I am asked; What is the cloud, and should I use it?
In my business, it is unusual that a client has all of their passwords documented, up to date, and handy. Typically, the client and I spend about 20% of the time on a service call figuring out or resetting passwords.
You have probably seen the ads on TV or received advertising email for some sort of Driver Update Utility. They make claims of “Automating” the process of making sure your computer has the latest drivers.
But wait a minute:
Windows 10 Updates include any updates for the drivers needed for your computer.
Windows 10 handles this automatically for you.
As I wrote this article, 3 clients called to say that they have fallen prey to a refund scam. They got an email or a phone call that promised a refund, and that they should call to claim their refund. Today, as I finalized this article I got a call from a client saying that every day for 2 weeks, she has received multiple calls saying that she was owed a refund.
April 2018 Edition
When we consider protection, we tend to think that more is better. In many cases this is true. Such as your car having locks plus an alarm, your money in a bank plus FDIC insurance on those bank deposits, or a 300+ pound center plus several large linesmen guarding your favorite quarterback on an important play.
Computer virus protection is different, and more than one application is actually much worse. They will fight one another in several ways, which can prevent the virus protection you need, and slow your computer down.
March 2018 Edition
Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use the regular mail, telephone, or email to set up individuals, businesses, payroll and tax professionals.
The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. Recognize the telltale signs of a scam.
February 2018 Edition
Password recovery or reset often requires answers to questions that were answered when the account was set up, possibly years ago. Many questions are not well thought out. Such as; “What country would you like to visit?” This may not be the same answer forever. If you answered this sort of question 10 years ago, you may have different travel dreams now.
January 2018 edition: Often while helping clients with their computers I am asked “How did you do that?” This usually happens when I use a Keyboard Shortcut that saves me from having to use the mouse to click on something to get something done.
December 2017 edition: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, and the holiday giving season is directly ahead. For many this means new computers, tablets, or cell phones. Now we need to address getting our important documents and files moved from an old device to the new one. It also means that we need to think about how to best dispose of the old equipment.