Big D Online Solutions

04/18/2024

For all the latest news, go to Big D Technology Solutions, Inc.

12/25/2020

Merry Christmas

12/24/2020

From our friends at the BBB:
The new pandemic relief bill includes stimulus checks (or direct deposit) for most Americans, and scammers are already taking advantage of the news. BBB Scam Tracker has reports of con artists claiming that you need to either pay for your stimulus check or provide personal information to receive it. Watch out for scam calls as this new government initiative rolls out.

How the Scam Works

As always, there are several versions of this con. BBB Scam Tracker has received reports from people contacted through text message, email, and phone calls about the new COVID-19 stimulus checks.

According to BBB Scam Tracker reports, watch out for email or text messages instructing you to click a link to "request benefit payments." The link will take you to an application, which prompts you to enter information in order to "make sure you are getting all the payments owed to you." Of course, this “application” is really a way to phish for personal details and opens you up to risk of identity theft.

In a phone variation, the scammer pretends to be calling from a government agency. The con artist insists you need to pay money - or "confirm” your personal information - before you can receive your stimulus check. Other times, scammers claim that you can get additional money or even receive your funds immediately. All you need to do is pay a small “processing fee" through a pre-paid debit card.

12/18/2020

From our BBB friends: "Like" to Win? Think Twice Before Entering
Who doesn’t want $500 in gift cards, free groceries, or designer clothes? When budgets are tight, it’s easy to be tempted by a phony social media giveaway. But before you “like” or comment on a social post in hopes of winning a prize, make sure that giveaway is the real deal.

How the Scam Works:
You see a post promoting a giveaway on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platform. In order to win $500 in groceries or another substantial prize, all you need to do is comment on the post, and you’ll be entered in the drawing.

Sounds easy, right? The catch is that many of these “giveaways” don’t really exist. They are created by scammers as a way of accumulating as many social media “likes” and comments as possible.

As with many scams, this technique, known as “like-farming,” has several different aims. Often, the giveaway post itself is initially harmless – albeit fake. But when the scammer collects enough likes and shares, they will edit the post and add something malicious, such as a link to malware. Other times, once scammers reach their target number of likes, they strip the page’s original content and use it to promote spammy products or sell it on the black market.

12/14/2020

If you do online banking, NEVER access your online account with a PC or device that you use to log in to social media sites or free email accounts (like Hotmail) or to surf the web. Since these are all highly hackable, keeping one PC dedicated to online banking reduces your chances of getting a bank-account-hacking virus. Of course, that PC should have antivirus installed, be behind a well-maintained and well-monitored firewall, have a strong password and be monitored for suspicious activity.

12/04/2020

From the BBB:
Covid Virus Scams

Government officials have already been cracking down on phony COVID testing kits and treatments. Now, they are ramping up efforts to prevent the sale of fake vaccines.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is working with the drug companies developing the vaccines to stop the sale and distribution of phony versions. Also, the Federal Trade Commission issued warning letters to several companies claiming they had a product to cure or prevent the virus.

Selling fake vaccines and other treatments is likely only one of many ways scammers will try to cash in on the vaccine release. Watch out for phishing messages attempting to trick you into sharing your passwords and personal information. Con artists have already impersonated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in phishing emails that claim to have news about the disease. BBB has also seen an increase in scams using robocalls to impersonate government officials

12/02/2020

End of year special for US Customers only

Updated 2020 Section 179 Deduction information, plus bonusdepreciation. Plain-English information on deducting the full cost of new or used qualifying equipment,software, and vehicles purchased or financed.

11/30/2020

Some good advice

Post from a collogue: We’re all guilty of it: connecting to free public WiFi. Whether it’s at the coffee shop, hotel or airport, the temptation to check email and surf the web is just too strong to resist. BEFORE you connect to any free, public WiFi, make sure the connection is legitimate.
It’s not uncommon for hackers to set up fake clones of public WiFi access points to try and get you to connect to THEIR WiFi instead of the legitimate, safe public one being made available to you. Before connecting, check with an employee of the store or location to verify the name of the WiFi they are providing. Next, NEVER access financial, medical or other sensitive data while on public WiFi. Don’t shop online and enter your credit card information unless you’re absolutely certain the connection point you’re on is safe and secure.

11/28/2020

Always think about local business today and always

10/29/2020

How many backups are enough? There are never enough if the data is important to you or your business. We backup everything from PC's, to laptops, tablets, phones, and more.

Why do we harp on backups? We had to send in a customers 1TB hard drive and although it was heavily damaged, data was still able to be recovered from it - for a measly $2800. If its important to you and your business, use our online backup plus a couple of other external drives - we can show you all the avenues.

06/05/2020

From BBB - another scam:

You receive an unsolicited message via text, email, or a social media messenger. The message explains that you’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The message instructs you to self-isolate and provides a link for more information. Alarmed, you are tempted to click and get more details. But don’t fall for it! These links can contain malware that downloads to your device.

Another version of this scam involves a robocall claiming to be part of "contact and tracing efforts." Again, the call informs you that you’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. After electing to speak to a representative, the “contract tracer” asks you to verify personal information. This starts with questions about your full name and date of birth, but can quickly move to Personally Identifying Information (PII) and/or financial accounts.

05/29/2020

New scam notice from BBB:

You receive a call from a person claiming to represent Navient. They explain that as a part of the lawsuit settlement, your student debt is partially or completely forgiven. Of course, you’ll need to confirm your personal information and pay a fee to “transfer” the debt from Navient to “the Department of Education” or another official-sounding organization. These claims are based on actual procedures you may in fact qualify for, but this unsolicited caller is not working in an official capacity or related to any of the organizations cited in the call.

The caller explains the fees necessary, usually on a monthly basis, then request either debit or credit card information. Then, they will begin making withdrawals according to the payment plan you agreed to. Many consumers notice something is wrong when their Navient loan payment continues to be required, even after setting up payments with the new company.

Navient customers will not receive a phone call offering to transfer your loan. If you engage with these con artist callers, you could compromise your personal information and lose money as well. Instead, look for other options such as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Department of Education for deferral or other information in relation to your type of loan.