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CUSTOMER ALERT

CUSTOMER ALERT

Stay Alert – Watch Out for Fake Online Stores

Watch Out For Charity Scams Scammers create websites that look like popular online stores and may offer great deals on popular items in short supply. Once you pay, they’ll either never send you the item, or send you an inferior fake.

One red flag is if an online store does not provide adequate information about privacy, terms and conditions of use, dispute resolution, or contact details. Another red flag is if the seller does not allow payment through a secure payment service such as PayPal or a credit card transaction.

The FTC recommends you take these steps to protect yourself:
  • Check out the company before you buy. Search online for the company’s name along with words like “scam” or “fraud” to see what issues others might have had.

  • Pay by credit card. If you’re charged twice, billed for something you never got, or get a wrong or damaged item, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company.

  • Keep records. Keep track of the company’s name and website, any receipts or bank statements showing what you paid, and when they said they’d ship your item. (Sellers have to ship your order by the time they or their ads say they will — or give you the chance to get your money back.)
If an online seller hasn’t lived up to its promises, report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

TUTORIAL/FAQ

TUTORIAL/FAQ

Short Tutorial/FAQ – How Will the Internet of Senses Work?

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Question: I’m fascinated by the prospect of the Internet of Senses. What will this technology do?

Answer: Today’s digital technology mainly uses the two senses of sight and sound. But with the technological advances in extended reality (XR) applications and 5G/6G, it’s plausible that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to feel, taste, and smell digital objects in a way that’s nearly identical to physical experiences.

The Swedish telecom giant Ericsson championed the term of the Internet of Senses (IoS). With the expanding ability of digital technologies to mimic the five human senses, the IoS envisions a world where the digital and physical merge into one another. Enthusiasts predict this technology will become available in the next couple of decades.

IoS will augment our senses beyond the boundaries of our bodies, enabling us to blend multisensory digital experiences with our local surroundings and interact with remote people, devices, and robots as if they were right beside us. Lightweight and advanced AR glasses and contact lenses will allow users to project digital objects into physical spaces with incredible realism. Touch will also become more amplified with advanced forms of wearables that replicate the sense of weight and motion in digital objects. Similarly, early-stage prototypes exist that replicate the senses of taste and smell. For example, the Norimaki Synthesizer, designed by researchers from Meiji University in Japan, artificially recreates any flavor on a user’s tongue.

CUSTOMER ALERT

CUSTOMER ALERT

Stay Alert – Tech Support Scams Remain Rampant

Watch Out For Tech Support Scams Scams Tech support scams use scare tactics to trick you into technical support services to supposedly fix device or software problems. At best, the scammers are trying to get you to pay them to fix a nonexistent problem. At worst, they’re attempting to gain remote access to your computer under the guise of fixing the problem, so they can instead install malware, ransomware, or other unwanted programs to steal your personal information.

Here’s what to look for and how to respond:
  • Phone calls – They may call and pretend to be a computer technician from a well-known company such as Microsoft, saying they’ve found a problem with your computer. They typically ask you to give them remote access to your computer and then pretend to run a diagnostic test. The next step is for them to say you need to pay them to fix the issue. If you get a phone call you didn’t expect from someone who says there’s a problem with your computer, hang up.

  • Pop-up warnings – A pop-up window may appear on your computer screen that looks like an error message from your operating system or antivirus software. It warns you about a security issue on your computer and tells you to call a phone number to get help. If you see this kind of pop-up window, don’t call the number. Real security warnings and messages will never ask you to call.

  • Online ads and listings in search results pages – Tech support scammers try to get their websites to show up in online search results for tech support. Or they might run their own ads online. The scammers are hoping you’ll call the phone number to get help. Don’t do it!
If your computer has been invaded by scammers, you may want to hire a professional to find and remove any malicious programs they’ve installed. Take your computer to a local brick-and-mortar repair shop run by someone you trust.

TUTORIAL/FAQ

TUTORIAL/FAQ

Short Tutorial/FAQ – Should I Always Accept Cookies On Websites?


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Question: I tend to automatically accept cookies when I visit a website without reading the fine print. Is that OK?

Answer: Let’s start with the basics. A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store. Some cookies are managed directly by the owner of a website, and others are managed by third parties such as social media platforms or ad networks.

Cookies store information about your visit to the website — such as your username, preferred language, or the products you viewed. They can also store your login information to prevent you from having to re-enter it every time you visit. Cookies are used to improve your browsing experience and are generally harmless. Whether you should always accept browser cookies or not really comes down to your preferences about these factors:
  • Convenience – Accepting cookies may make it easier and more convenient to use websites and online services
  • Personalization – Cookies can be used to personalize your online experience and send you tailored recommendations.
  • Privacy – Your online activities can be tracked with cookies. If that’s a concern, you may choose to reject or limit the use of cookies.
  • Security – Cookies can also be used for security purposes, such as preventing fraudulent activities and protecting your account, so accepting cookies from trusted sources can be a good thing.
  • Control – Most modern browsers provide options to control cookie settings. You can choose to accept all cookies, block all cookies, or selectively accept cookies from specific websites.
To sum up: Saying yes to these types of cookies (as well as the chocolate chip ones) is usually OK.

EMAIL SCAM ALERT

EMAIL SCAM ALERT

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Some SRT customers have received an email asking for them to update their eBill account information and accept new terms or conditions, or else their service will be shut off.
 
Unfortunately, this is called a phishing scam, aimed at trying to encourage you to click a link to a fraudulent website. If you receive messages like this, we encourage you to delete them. A few ways you can spot a phishing email include punctuation or grammar errors, unusual urgency, and a strange email address as the sender.
 
If you received an email like the example below, delete it without opening or clicking any links in the email. If you ever have questions about a strange or unexpected email from SRT, please contact us at 701-858-1200 to verify its contents.
email scam example