Be vigilant, scammers are on the prowl

Published on January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 by Jean M. Cogdell27 Comments

And with this new year comes more vermin searching for an opening, no matter how small.

I’m referring to scammers, hackers and trolls.

The more gadgets we have, the more avenues and opportunities for a criminal to find you. Don’t fall for these frauds. From our email, smartphones, yes iPhones too, computers, tablets, blogs, websites, Amazon Echo, Google Home, or even smart TVs, we are all susceptible to these damn crooks. AND, of course, we are vulnerable on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and any of the many social media sites. Scammers are trolling for any insecurity or vulnerability in your life, online and real.

Once upon a time, long long ago, Apple products were immune. Or so we thought. But that is not the case, not now. So don’t let your guard down just because you have an Apple product. Scammers are everywhere phishing for your information.

No need to live in fear. Just be aware! Be smart!

Some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

Install good security and virus software.
Keep all software updated.
Do not click on an email that requests you verify account details.
Be careful about downloading free mobile apps. Know who and where it comes from.
Never click on an unsolicited email or alert that comes from a bank, institution or company. Go directly to their website instead.
On smartphones and tablets, watch out for text messages requesting you click on them.
Don’t recognize the phone number? Hang up or better yet don’t answer. If it’s important they can leave a message.
Be aware of phone number scamming. Fraudsters are now spoofing legit company phone numbers. Be careful, the person on the other line may not be a real Apple, ATT, Netflix, agent.
Remember if it sounds too good… well you know the rest.

Last but not least…

Think before you click. Just like crossing a street, take your time and look both ways. Let’s start the new year aware and in control.

Thanks to Terry Ambrose, Grace Sweeney and Kevin McAllister for these tips and their timely articles on the latest scams and fraudsters.

Below are links from these savvy writers to help you avoid falling prey to a scammer. Keep reading…

Scam Tip – Apple users beware of Apple phishing scam By Terry Ambrose

New year, new scams: what to watch out for in 2019 By GRACE SWEENEY

Outsmart the Scammers: How You Can Avoid Fraud By Kevin McAllister

Apple iPhone scam returns as new model nears By Terry Ambrose

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

How to make your Facebook easy to find

Published on August 16, 2018August 12, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Does your Facebook account have a lot of numbers after your name?

Looks something like this…

Why should you personalize your Facebook URL?

Well, one reason would be to enable people to find your group or page easier.
Another is setting up a Facebook email address enables you to send out mass emails to your followers.

It’s easy peasy to personalize your Facebook address.

Whether it’s a personal, business or a group account, the process is the same. All it takes is two steps and you’re done.

Open your Facebook Account or Group and click on “…More.”

2. Arrow down until you see “Web and Email Address.”

As you can see I’ve created one as an example. If yours isn’t customized you’ll see a list of long numbers instead of your name. See illustration above.

That’s all there is to it. Now you have a special name attached to your URL and a special email address where people can contact you about your group or products.

Have you done this yet?

Has it helped?

In case I didn’t explain the process very well, I’ve added another post link below.

Good luck.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

Create a custom URL for your Facebook Group

Are you a Facebook fan?

Published on August 9, 2018August 8, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Then you need to check out these cool Facebook Groups for writers.

Writers stand at the ready to help.

20 Facebook Groups for Writers

Are you already a member?

Which ones do you like best? I’d really like to know.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

Which is the best social media for a blogger?

Published on August 2, 2018August 1, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell27 Comments

Which social media do you use to promote your blog?

There are so many personalized reader/news websites, how do we choose? I can’t keep up with all of them. New ones, old ones, coming and going every day. It’s exhausting.

Flipboard, StumbleUpon/Mix, Medium, Feedly, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linkedin, Reddit, Tumbler, Pocket, Pinterest or…

StumbleUpon. I loved this one until they changed. Every time I added my blog post to their website, I found other great writers. Now that they’ve migrated over to Mix, I’m not so sure. Changes aren’t always for the better. At 40 million users, I can’t help but wonder how many will make the transition.
Flipboard. Another one I like. But, I don’t use it as often as I probably should. I find the format a bit intimidating and that easy to use. With over 100 million users, maybe I need to stick with it.
Medium, ditto to Flipboard. Unless you have a paid subscription, reading the articles is limited.
Google Plus, I’m not sure how much traffic it generates. But with over 2.2 billion users, I hope to get a few.
Pinterest. I’ve just recently started linking more often and I’m pleased with the traffic. So, I’m going to try to continue with this one, after all, they boast over 2oo million users. I’ll see how it goes.
Facebook, meh. Lots of controversies, but lots of traffic go through this site. My results have been mixed with it. However, with over 2.2 billion users I’m not quitting.
Twitter. Now I’ve had good success with Twitter. Plus I enjoy reading and discovering new bloggers/writers.
Linkedin, I am signed up for this site, but not real active with it.
Tumbler It’s been so long since I looked at this one. I’m not sure how active this site is. With over 400 million users, maybe I need to look again.
Feedly, I’ve never used it. Looks good, but to share your blog through IFTTT requires the paid service. Still with over 14 million users, might be worth it.
Reddit, confusing. I’ve tried to use Reddit in the past but had little success. And of course, as with so many websites, they’ve changed theirs too. But with over 1.5 billion users…

This is just a drop in the bucket. There are even more feeds to connect our blogs. However, there are only so many hours in a day. I do want to grow my blog but can’t be everywhere all the time.