Is this text message from DMV real or scam?
Did you get a text message on your phone that says this or something like it? I got this text message recently, which frankly looks legitimate….
“New York Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Penalties Begin on July 16. Our records show that as of today, you still have an outstanding traffic ticket. In accordance with New York State Administrative Code 15C-16.003, If you do not complete payment by July 15, 2025, we will take the following actions:
- Report to the DMV violation database
- Suspend your vehicle registration starting July 16
- Suspend driving privileges for 30 days
- Transfer to a toll booth and charge a 35% service fee
- You may be prosecuted and your credit score will be affected”
This looks and sounds scary. Is it legitimate?
NO, IT IS NOT LEGITIMATE. IT’S A PHISHING SCAM
DO NOT ANSWER THIS MESSAGE. DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS. This is fake and not from the DMV, New York or elsewhere. The real NYS DMV is posting on their website to warn consumers about this fake text scam which they are clearly aware of.
https://dmv.ny.gov/news/dmv-warns-new-yorkers-to-be-wary-of-scams-seeking-personal-information
“The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is warning customers to be wary of the latest phishing scam, where bad actors seek to gain access to personal information by pretending to be from the DMV. This is the latest in a series of such text message phishing schemes that DMV has warned New Yorkers to avoid. Previous scams have claimed that E-ZPass accounts were about to be suspended. “These scammers flood phones with these texts, hoping to trick unsuspecting New Yorkers into handing over their personal information,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said in a statement. “DMV will not send you texts asking for your personal information.”
I knew it was fake as I don’t even have a car. So hopefully you did a search about this before doing anything and saw this or something else telling you its all scammers trying to phish information (and money) from you. Resist all urges to click on any links or give any information. Here’s a new piece about this.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-dmv-new-jersey-scam-text
What should you do about this message? Block the sender. Delete it.
New Scam (TIKTOK delivery)
“We’ve got your Tiktok parcel”
I’m just posting this in case you got an email indicating you got a “delivery” from something you “ordered” from TikTok. This email came from a company called EVRI, based in UK
Here’s what the email I got looked like so you can see the wording:
| We sent you this email because TikTok asked us to deliver a parcel to you. | ||
| We haven’t signed you up to a mailing list, and we’ll only use your email address to contact you about this parcel. | ||
| Evri Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 03900782 Registered office: Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, LS27 0WH | ||
It had a Tracking Number and everything.
I know I didn’t order anything. Certainly not from England. Another scam email I got a few days earlier like this listed a (fake/wrong) return address for me in Birmingham, England where they were “sending the order” also for a “Tiktok delivery”
So don’t fall for it. Don’t answer them. It looks like some kind of phishing scam getting your info from you
How do I stop Apple Pages from completing words or sentences as I type (predictive text, AI, How to Turn This Off)
A client of mine noticed recently that as he was typing in Apple’s PAGES program, that it would start to finish the word or phrase as he was typing it (this text is in light grey). It was suggesting or predicting what he was going to type. He found it annoying and disconcerting.
This is way beyond spelling auto correct. It’s is called “predictive text“. I assume part of Apple Intelligence (AI). Apple’s predictive text AI in Pages has added a “feature” that is anticipating or predicting what it thinks you are typing and starts to complete the words in light grey. As you type, macOS attempts to finish words and phrases that it thinks you’re trying to type!
This is way beyond “Auto Correcting” your spelling.
We looked in Settings in Pages if there was some way to turn this off but no – I did not find any kind of “on / off” setting for this in Pages Setting.
I had to search for HOW TO DISABLE this. It was a little trickier than I thought.
Here is HOW TO DISABLE PREDICTIVE TEXT MAC
Go to SYSTEM SETTINGS (Apple Menu)
One the left select KEYBOARD. Next to INPUT SOURCES select EDIT. In the next window, select SHOW INLINE PREDICTIVE TEXT
Toggle it OFF to disable that happening in Pages or other programs.
While you are here you can decide about a few other settings such as Capitalize Words Automatically and Correct Spelling Automatically. That one I tend to keep on. But the Predictive Text might be a bit intrusive and/or annoying.
If you would like a very detailed step by step How To please see this link about How To Disable Predictive Text
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/how-to-disable-macos-inline-predictive-text
apple ai, intelligence, predictive text, how to, disable, why is pages typing words for me, artificial
Is the email I got about Lopez Voice Assistant Class Action Settlement A SCAM or LEGIT?
Is the email I got about Lopez Voice Assistant Class Action Settlement A SCAM or LEGIT?
WHY DID I GET AN EMAIL ABOUT THIS LOPEZ VOICE ASSISTANT CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT? (SIRI)
You got the email as a registered owner of some APPLE device or product.
If you received an email with subject line “Lopez Voice Assistant Class Action Settlement” perhaps you wondered, like a friend of mine did, if this was some kind of Phishing Scam. She thought it was Phishing and didn’t do anything about it.
Well it’s not a scam or phishing. This is a legitimate email about the case that Apple lost from a class action lawsuit regarding their voice assistant (SIRI).
Siri was found to be intrusive. Apple settled the case agreeing to pay $95 MILLION DOLLARS to owners of Apple devices. (maximum payment is $20 per device)
Here’s some news about this case
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-siri-settlement-95-million-lopez-how-to-file-claim
What should you do? That is up to you. All owners of Apple devices could be paid up to $20 per device. I think one has nothing to lose by following up on the email and registering a Claim on the website. You will need to give them the SERIAL NUMBER and MODEL NUMBER OF THE DEVICE.
HOW DO I FIND MY SERIAL NUMBER AND MODEL NUMBER OF MY IPHONE (iPad, or apple device)?
If an iPhone or iPad, click on SETTINGS. Go to GENERAL/ABOUT. That’s where you can find the serial number and model.
For a Mac go to SYSTEM PREFERENCE OR SYSTEM SETTINGS.
Here’s what the email I got looks like (SIRI)
“If you owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device and experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, you should read this Notice as it may impact your legal rights
Name: XXXXX
Claimant Identification Code: XXXXXX1456
Confirmation Code: XXXXXXXXiTv
A settlement has been reached with Apple Inc. (“Apple”) in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of current or former owners or purchasers of a Siri-enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV (“Siri Device/Devices”) whose confidential or private communications were allegedly obtained by Apple and/or shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation. Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful. The proposed Settlement is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing of any kind by Apple. The United States District Court for the Northern District of California approved this notice.”
Email Scam “McAfee Security” txt attachment
Below is an email I got recently. The email was blank but it had a TXT attachment (copied below) THIS IS A SCAM – It’s a Phishing attempt. Don’t fall for it!!!
Be aware of these types of phishing scams so you don’t fall for them. The purpose of course is to make the person think “WTF! They are charging me $400!? I didn’t order McAfee Security. Its a mistake! I better call them and tell them to fix this! “
Its that part about CALLING THE NUMBER – which is the whole point of the scam.
If you do call that “Customer Help Center” number, you will probably be talking to a call center, maybe in India or elsewhere, where the person helping fix this “mistake” for an “instant refund” will ask you for information (name, address, maybe your credit card number, etc)
The scammers want you to call them. DON’T CALL THEM whatever you do.
What should you do? Nothing! Just ignore these types of emails, no matter how “scary” they seem. Just mark them as Spam (check the return email address too, its not really from McAfee). Why did you get this? Well, your email address is out there, it was harvested, and that’s why you get these phishing attempt emails.
(content of the text attachment sent with the blank email)
Dear Member Your Subscription with McAfee Security will Auto Renew Today and USD 419.04 is about to be debited from your account by Today. The Debited Amount will be reflected within the next 24 Hrs in your statement. In case of any further clarifications or block the auto-renewal service please reach out Customer Help Center. Order ID: 828279333 Invoice Number: JSYTDY378394 Description Quantity Unit Price Total McAfee Service (One Year Subscription) Subtotal USD 419.04 Sales Tax USD 0.00 Total USD 419.04 If you didn't authorize this Charge or want to cancel this order? To cancel & get an instant refund of your annual subscription, please contact our customer care : +1 865 551 9399 Thanks and regards, McAfee
HOW TO NOT GET SCAMMED (Phishing Email Attachment from “Geek Squad”)
How do you not get scammed? You have to have your antenna up at all times. For example: This is a typical Phishing attempt, an email you get which has an attachment. This is one I actually got which I am showing so if you see something like this, you are aware of it and DO NOT FALL FOR IT! The method they are using is simple. They want to scare you into thinking you are being charged for something which you did not buy. The goal is to get you to call them so they can “fix” the charge. THIS IS A SCAM.
The sender has gotten your email address somehow. They are phishing (fishing) for information from you. Such as your credit card number so they can “credit” the mistake. If you give them that, you can say goodbye to your $$$$.
Unfortunately one does have to be on guard all the time. Don’t even click on an email with an attachment unless you know the sender (or sometimes they may impersonate someone you know so the name looks familiar)
Here’s a copy of what I just got in an email…..they hope you will freak out and say “What is this Geek Squad charge for $348? I better call and have them fix this right away”
REMEMBER THE GOAL IS TO MAKE YOU CALL THEM! Mark the email as Spam (or Junk) and block the sender. I had a client fall for this type of scam because she saw Paypal’s logo in the email and thought it was really from Paypal. I told her anybody can Cut and Paste the Paypal logo)
UPDATE !! PayPal
RECEIPT ID : 43BY53Y5NY6U7
Date: 04/17/2024
Customer Services :- +1(831) 675-6702
[ Hello User ]
This purchase will appear as a pending transaction until PayPal processes your order.
To get the full transaction details, log in to your PayPal account.
Please remember, This transaction may take up to 12 hours to appear in your account statement.
Thank you for choosing PayPal.
You authorized a payment of $348.50 to GEEK SQUAD protection service.
ITEM DESCRIPTION : GEEK SQUAD DELUXE
QUANTITY : 01
Sub-Total : $325.29
Tax : $23.21
TOTAL : $348.50
QUESTION? Feel Free to dial us to end your membership and get your refund.
CONTACT US NOW : +1(831) 675-6702
Copyright @ PayPal 2024
Why you should not charge your iPhone to 100%
Most people don’t realize that to get the maximum life out of of their battery in their iPhone (or other phone) you should not just charge it all the way to 100%. Actually you should not charge it past the 80% mark. Oh and try to never let it run down all the way either; When it hits 15-20% you should charge it. Running out of battery is bad for it. So to sum up you should keep the battery level somewhere between 20% and 80 % to maximize the battery’s life span.
Why? Batteries have limited full “cycles” and you want to try to stay within the cycle.
This is explained in details in this iFixit article
https://www.ifixit.com/News/90983/why-charging-your-gadgets-over-80-is-such-a-bad-idea
How to right click on a Mac (and why you should know)
Knowing how you can Right Click on a Mac is something I would say everyone should know how to do. There are times that a right click can bring up useful time saving commands. For just one quick example, I use right click all the time from my browser when I’m reading something and want to search Google for a word or phrase. What I will do is just highlight the word or phrase; right click; and voila, I see “Search With Google” right in the context menu that pops up. Doing it this way saves me a few steps of copy/paste/search
There are actually a few ways to right-click on a Mac. In summary, as follows:
- Press control/ctrl while clicking your mouse. (so control/click) A menu will pop up.
- If you have an Apple Magic Mouse you can set up a corner for ‘Secondary Click’ in System Settings. Secondary Click (right side)
- Laptop: press control/ctrl while clicking down on the trackpad – OR press down using two fingers
- If you have a two button mouse; just use the right button
Fake “Norton Subscription Notice” Emails
I sometimes get these Spam emails that tell the user about some subscription, typically Norton. Here is the copy of an attachment in a typical email sent to my email address. Since I use Gmail I don’t really see these much, they generally get marked as Spam. Occasionally one gets into “other mail” but not into my Inbox. In this case because the email has little text and they put the info into an attachment, which is a little trick.
The whole goal of this type of Scam is to freak out the recipient that they are being charged $350 for something they probably have no idea about. THE REAL GOAL OF THIS SCAM IS TO GET YOU TO CALL!!! Don’t fall for this.
The scammers are going to try to get info from you, probably you will be talking to Call Center somewhere, maybe India. DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER THEY SAY TO CALL. EVER – though it may look scary the whole premise is bullshit. They don’t have your account info; you are not being debited. However if you call them, they are going to try to get something out of you. Info (Phishing) or sell you a subscription. So just ignore these messages if you see them. Mark them as Spam.
They are just trying to scare you into making a phone call so they can Phish out some info or get you to subscribe to some security service you don’t need or want
SUBSCRIPTION INVOICE Dated: 04th December, 2023
Congratulation Folks !!!
Dear Subscribers,,
Thank you for being with us for so long. Your account has been auto debited with $ 345.88 for the service once again.
We promise you to give the service in the same way as we have been giving you for so long in your laptop. Thank you once again. Hope you enjoy the service.
The debited amount of $ 345.88 will be reflected within next 24 hours on your account statement.
Order Id- HFHVD-691945979434567
Amount : USD 345.88
Product : Norton Security
Payment Method : Auto-Debit
If you have not made this Purchase or notice any error, please feel free to call our customer team today on Toll free no. +1(877) 811-1216
Thanks
