The holiday season is in full swing, and with it the bad guys are as active as the good. I learned that yesterday when our bank called to say that our credit card had been hacked. Thankfully, they caught it quickly and blocked the card.
It surprised me, because I got hacked two years ago, and have been especially diligent about security. My husband decided to do some digging today, and learned that our hack was the victim of a new scam: people can go to those outside pumps at gas stations and get the account and PIN number for the last five cards swiped. They then sell this information on the dark web. The advice: pay inside. It's a pain, but much more secure. Just don't use those gas pump scanners at all because they're prime targets for skimmers and scammers.
My hack a couple of years ago was from online shopping on Etsy. I don't use that site often and thought it was safe, but obviously my password to it was hacked. At least I remember all of that so I can move quickly to get things back to normal this time. You really can't let your guard down, and even then they keep finding new ways to get you.
It happens to us all. Just do your best, be aware, and be careful out there. Remember all of the safety advice, from personal safety to online, and be diligent. It looks like the thieves and hackers are as active as Santa's elves during the most wonderful time of the year. Be careful and be safe out there, my friends.
In other news, I've been off work this week. I know it's unusual to take the week after Thanksgiving off, but I had some days to use and a week and a half off for Thanksgiving was a golden opportunity I simply couldn't pass off. It's been great time with family, I finished my Christmas shopping (thankfully, before the gas-station hack yesterday), and I even did a rewrite of my Thanksgiving mystery. The story has shaped up great, but I can't settle on a title. Last entry, it was Duality. I decided I didn't like that, and now it's Recurrence but I'm still not settled. We'll see what it becomes. Maybe it's best to keep referring to it at "The Thanksgiving Mystery" until I settle on a title. Or maybe I should name it "A Thanksgiving Mystery." No, that's lame. I'll keep pondering.
So the Christmas spirit abounds. Rick and I will decorate the Chrismon trees at the church tonight and have supper with those friends afterward. This card hack was just a glitch. I'm grateful our credit union is diligent, thanked them profusely, and am determined to fully embrace this wonderful gift of extra time off during the most wonderful time of the year. I am thankful that my efforts to think and do better are growing and bearing fruit. Gratitude is truly the best kind of contentment and joy there is.
And in closing, I had an amusing Facebook memory pop up today. It was a picture of the Christmas tree we had four years ago. We were so proud because it was our first pre-lit tree, and I thought it was tall and elegant. Then Mom gave us the last Christmas tree that Dad bought. As you can see, Dad loved Christmas and believed in going big with that tree. Look at that. The white tree certainly backs that thing up. I thought that was amusing.
That's all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
It surprised me, because I got hacked two years ago, and have been especially diligent about security. My husband decided to do some digging today, and learned that our hack was the victim of a new scam: people can go to those outside pumps at gas stations and get the account and PIN number for the last five cards swiped. They then sell this information on the dark web. The advice: pay inside. It's a pain, but much more secure. Just don't use those gas pump scanners at all because they're prime targets for skimmers and scammers.
My hack a couple of years ago was from online shopping on Etsy. I don't use that site often and thought it was safe, but obviously my password to it was hacked. At least I remember all of that so I can move quickly to get things back to normal this time. You really can't let your guard down, and even then they keep finding new ways to get you.
It happens to us all. Just do your best, be aware, and be careful out there. Remember all of the safety advice, from personal safety to online, and be diligent. It looks like the thieves and hackers are as active as Santa's elves during the most wonderful time of the year. Be careful and be safe out there, my friends.
In other news, I've been off work this week. I know it's unusual to take the week after Thanksgiving off, but I had some days to use and a week and a half off for Thanksgiving was a golden opportunity I simply couldn't pass off. It's been great time with family, I finished my Christmas shopping (thankfully, before the gas-station hack yesterday), and I even did a rewrite of my Thanksgiving mystery. The story has shaped up great, but I can't settle on a title. Last entry, it was Duality. I decided I didn't like that, and now it's Recurrence but I'm still not settled. We'll see what it becomes. Maybe it's best to keep referring to it at "The Thanksgiving Mystery" until I settle on a title. Or maybe I should name it "A Thanksgiving Mystery." No, that's lame. I'll keep pondering.
So the Christmas spirit abounds. Rick and I will decorate the Chrismon trees at the church tonight and have supper with those friends afterward. This card hack was just a glitch. I'm grateful our credit union is diligent, thanked them profusely, and am determined to fully embrace this wonderful gift of extra time off during the most wonderful time of the year. I am thankful that my efforts to think and do better are growing and bearing fruit. Gratitude is truly the best kind of contentment and joy there is.
And in closing, I had an amusing Facebook memory pop up today. It was a picture of the Christmas tree we had four years ago. We were so proud because it was our first pre-lit tree, and I thought it was tall and elegant. Then Mom gave us the last Christmas tree that Dad bought. As you can see, Dad loved Christmas and believed in going big with that tree. Look at that. The white tree certainly backs that thing up. I thought that was amusing.
That's all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
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