TinyURL – A Huge Opportunity for Cybercrime (How not to get hit… Like I did)

It’s true. I, Tracy Mooney, was just the subject of a social engineering scheme. It’s going around like the flu! I’m curious if anyone else has been hit.
Ever clicked on a TinyURL? Well, I did, and as a result, it sent me to a fake site and then spammed all of my followers on Twitter. You’d think that as a Cybermom I’d be fool-proof. But the truth is these guys are clever. They’re relentless. The cyberscammers disguised their message in a TinyURL that was automatically forwarded to me from a fellow tweep, who was also hit. If your friend sent you a message with a TinyURL, would you click on it? Most of us would – and that’s why cyberhackers do scams like that. Fortunately, my bank details weren’t compromised and a scan of my computer with the Virus Removal Service shows that I don’t have any malicious software on my computer.
But here is the lesson, folks. Cybercriminals go after everyone, and everyone needs to be on scam high alert. If this can happen to me, a person who writes about this stuff weekly, it can happen to anyone. As I have always done in the past, I am putting my experience out for all to learn. Here is what to keep on the lookout for.
Cyber Mom’s Recap
The link came as a direct message (continue reading...)