Words to know
The terms you’ll see in the news and on report forms. Knowing the name makes a scam easier to look up and to report.
- Social engineering
- Tricking the person instead of breaking into the computer. It’s why antivirus software and a new phone won’t stop most scams.
- Spoofing
- Faking caller ID, so a call shows a local number, a bank, the sheriff, or a family member’s name.
- Voice cloning
- Software that copies a person’s voice from a short recording and makes it say anything.
- Account takeover
- Someone gets into one of your accounts, like email or banking, and uses it as you.
- Pig butchering
- A long fake-friendship or fake-investment scam. The name translates a Chinese term: fatten the hog, then slaughter it.
- Sextortion
- Online blackmail with a sexual picture, real or faked, usually for money.
- Money mule
- Someone who moves stolen money for criminals, often recruited through fake jobs or online friends. It’s a crime even if they didn’t know.
- Crypto ATM, or bitcoin machine
- A kiosk that turns cash into cryptocurrency. Once the money goes in, it’s very hard to get back.
- Storm chaser
- A contractor who follows disasters from town to town, takes a deposit, and does poor work or none at all.
- Price gouging
- Charging far more than normal for things people need after a disaster. In Colorado it’s illegal during a declared disaster and for 180 days after.
Next steps
Hear about hands-on workshops
I’m planning hands-on workshops that get more technical, like locking down phones and accounts and setting up kids’ devices. Leave your email and I’ll let you know when they’re scheduled. They run through my company, Cyber Summit Co.
Talk it through with me
Book a free 20-minute call about your family’s situation. Tell me the specific thing you’re worried about, and we’ll work out what to do first.
Book a free 20-minute callI’ll never ask you for a password or an account number.