Dose of Paranoia - March 22, 2025
It gets worse before it gets worse...
Important Stuff
I have given up trying to catalog all of the illegal, stupid, evil things that Trump/Musk (Trusk?) have been up to during any given week - anyone who is not an oligarch or just incredibly stupid knows that the US is in deep trouble due to these dirtbags and their minions. On April 5th, I urge you to take part in nationwide protests to let them know that they don’t own this country. We are planning something for here in Weehawken, and there are hundreds of other protests scheduled all across the country. Show up, stand up, and tell these criminals HANDS OFF OUR COUNTRY!
One more important thing… Measles is back and for those of us of a certain age, we might need a booster shot thanks to the antivax idiots. Read this and then talk to your doctor…
InfoSec / Scam Stuff
Call merge scam - Scammers are using a new technique to get victims’ 2 factor authentication codes needed to log in to web sites. Some sites give the option of having the login code delivered to you via a voice call. Dirtbags are getting hold of users’ login credentials and then calling them and having them merge the phone call from from the web site delivering the code so they can hear it. Next thing you know, your bank account is emptied. It’s less complicated than it sounds - read this for a good description. The tl;dr of this is NEVER merge calls on request of a caller or repeat a code that they ask you to give. Just don’t answer the phone - most calls seem to be scammers today anyway.
Golden years my ass - Recently, there have been a rash of cyber attacks on nursing homes and rehab centers, resulting in the compromise of personal information of more than 130,000 people. Why? Well, many of these people are senior citizens, who are prime targets for scams and fraud. And sadly, if you are (1) an American senior citizen (2) who has the resources to be in a nursing home/rehab in spite of our barbaric health care system, you are a prime target for attackers. As I mentioned last week, young whippersnappers are more likely to be attack victims, but when older people are victimized, the losses are usually larger. If you are caring for seniors in assisted living or other care facilities, get a copy of the CFPB’s guide to protecting them from fraud. They also have some other good resources on this topic here. Download this stuff now - before the CFPB disappears.
Every once in a while, the good guys do win against the scammers. Here’s a story of one Indian gentleman who turned the tables on his scammer to the tune of 10,000 rupees ($116). A minor victory, but certainly a better story than his getting scammed. And I am just horrified I tells ya to watch this scam center in Pakistan get looted of all of its tech by locals. Just horrible. :-)
Tech Stuff
You too can be a drone warrior - Some of the tech that has made drones such effective battlefield weapons in Ukraine is making its way to consumers courtesy of AliBaba and Temu. If you (or some wack job terrorist) would like to make their consumer drone able to carry small explosive devices, control it via a miles long fiber optic cable to avoid jamming, or add AI vision to identify targets, you just need to whip out your credit card. This is not good news, unless you are a very bad person.
Trust me - I’m an AI - An interesting study shows that people are getting more trusting of artificial intelligence and are more likely to assign human like attributes to AI programs and agents. This is not good news. (If it were good news, I wouldn’t put it here as I am a pessimistic bastard). AI is not infallible and is not our friend.
Don’t trust me, I’m American - Many countries, including the Netherlands, are reassessing their reliance on American companies and technology in light of our new oligarch leaders. This is going to cost US businesses billions of dollars and impact our 401Ks which are heavily invested in tech. I guess we’ll make it up on those tariffs that the foreigners are somehow gonna pay.
Fun Stuff
Step aside Pokemon… it’s MiddleAgedManMon - We should soooo do this here in the US - a Japanese town has come up with a new superhero trading card game featuring their community’s “ojisans” (middle aged men) and their stories. And the kids are actually playing it! On a more serious nature, it has also served to bridge the gap between generations, which is a good thing too. Of course, I would like to see the “obasans” get their own card game too - women have stories to tell too! But good start…
But, I am glad to say that women at least no longer have to worry about the heartbreak of harsh toilet tissue. You’ve come a long way, baby!
Every time I hear a story about that newfangled online dating, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be married. But, apparently, computer dating has a much longer history than I thought…