Anyone who has been online for more than a minute has heard about phishing. For those of you who just crawled out from under a rock… phishing is when identity thieves use fake e-mails and websites to get usernames, passwords, and account numbers from you. They use the information to gain access to your identity and go on enormous spending sprees. Thieves figured out pretty quickly that in order for people to fall victim to phishing, the fake websites need to be completely believable. Phishing websites duplicate the colors and the logos of the financial institutions they are mimicking and some even have the legitimate bank website open in the background, and a small extra window open in the foreground prompting for the user/pass. It is, of course, the small window that is the phishing website.
Unfortunately, the criminal element is getting smarter by the moment. They have found a new way to trick joe-public into releasing private data. This time it’s called Vishing. Vishing is very similar to phishing, but instead of using e-mail and websites, the would-be thieves use the phone line (specifically VOIP - Voice Over IP). Because VOIP is incredibly inexpensive, thieves are able to create mass voice-mail messages and send them out across the phone lines. These messages alert people to a problem with their account, and urge them to call an 800 number immediately. The 800 number is set up with elaborate automated systems that request private information to verify the account.
One of the biggest problems with this racket is that people typically trust the phone. Before VOIP, it was too expensive for thieves to use the phone to mass-message. People became trusting of the phone system, the same way they became wary of the Internet.
Bottom line…. don’t reveal account numbers and social security numbers unless you dialed the number that YOU have for your financial institution. If you receive a phone message about your account, don’t trust the 800 number given in the message. Pull out your credit card and dial the number on the back of it. Your financial institution can transfer you to any department, you shouldn’t need to dial directly.
Don’t get Vished or Phished. Stay alert and suspicious, but most of all… just use common sense.
[tags]vishing scams, phishing scams, identity theft[/tags]
[dels]vishing scams, phishing scams, identity theft[/dels]
Do you ever wonder how a cool tidbit of information completely escaped your notice? Do you ever ask yourself, “how could I not have know that!?” Or “when did THAT happen?”
That is where I find myself at the moment: staring, open-mouthed, at the pictures of a little town in Pennsylvania that has been burning since 1962. Yes, you read that correctly. This town has been burning for 46 years!
In case this comes as a shock to you too, let me explain a little about Centralia, Pennsylvania.
According to this Wikipedia entry, volunteer fire fighters began a controlled burn of the Centralia landfill in 1962. Unbeknownst to them, the fire continued to burn under the layers of garbage, and eventually worked its way down into an abandoned coal mine. As you can imagine, fire and coal mines don’t mix.
The coal mine ignited, and the resulting underground fire was too extreme to extinguish. It burned throughout the 60’s and 70’s, belching up pockets of carbon monoxide into the town above.
By 1979, the problem worsened as sinkholes began to form spontaneously in the ground.
In 1984, the government spent more than $42 million to relocate the residents of Centralia. Most agreed to vacate, but a few stubborn souls dug in their hot little heels and refused to leave. (I can’t for the life of me figure out WHY you would want to stay!!).
In 1992, Pennsylvania used eminent domain to acquire the remaining properties, but not without a cloud of controversy. Some Centralia residents claim that Pennsylvania grabbed the land to obtain the mineral rights to the coal burning underground (estimated to be valued at billions of dollars). Pennsylvania officials deny this claim, and say the proof is in the fact that they have not sought to acquire the mineral rights on the land and have no plans to.
Most structures in Centralia have been demolished at this time. Metal steam vents were installed around the town to release gas and steam from the fire below.
Officials believe that there is enough coal in the mine to keep the fire burning for 250 years. (!)
OffRoaders.com has some amazing pictures of Centralia, PA. (The link will open in a new window).
So, after finding out all this cool information.. the only thing I can think to say is:
HOW COULD I NOT HAVE KNOW THAT!!!
[tags]centralia pennsylvania, underground coal fire, town burns for 46 years[/tags]
[dels]centralia pennsylvania, underground coal fire, town burns for 46 years[/dels]