Cyber Security Mom

Follow mother-of-three Tracy Mooney as she encounters the same online safety issues as all parents. Learn from her experiences, such as watching YouTube videos with her kids to digesting the latest threat research. Read her tips and techniques to help keep the family computer safe.

How Valuable Is Your Time?

Do you remember that time my husband clicked on scareware? Or that story I tell about before I started blogging for McAfee, the kids downloaded a virus onto the computer that we couldn’t get rid of and we had to send the pc back to the store? I bet I never told you about how Read more…

Tags: computer issues, computer support, home network issues, McAfee TechMaster services, mobile devices issues, support services, technical support, unlimited technical support

2012 Resolution: A Healthy Computer!

I recently went in for my yearly check up. It got me thinking… what are the things I can do to keep my computer and my identity healthy? You know your computer always has some major servicing when you’ve been meaning to back up all those photos and all the music you’ve got saved on Read more…

Tags: computer, keep family PC safe, online security, passwords, resolutions

It Gift Shopping Scams

As you continue to shop for birthday presents and plan for holiday gifts during the year, here’s something that I learned about finding the hot “it” gift for your child. This year my youngest had her little heart set on a brand new LeapPad. The only problem was that this was the hottest gift of Read more…

Tags: email scams, gift online shopping, holiday shopping, online scams

Posting Vacation Plans Could Tip Robbers Off

The website pleaserobme.com (http://pleaserobme.com) gained a ton of media attention simply because it scooped up all of the public tweets, check-ins and status updates of people mentioning that they were away from home and posted them online. When the website was showing actual real-time updates, it was staggering. It was a constant stream of people Read more…

Tags: Identity thieves and cybercriminals, Location services, social media threats

Mystery Shopping Scams

Years ago, I was a Mystery Shopper. I signed up with a company who would ask me to go shopping at a particular store or restaurant on a specific day. I had to pay attention to certain things, such as how quickly someone greeted me after walking in the door and if they asked me Read more…

Tags: mystery shoppers, online fraud, online shopping scams

Wrong Transaction Email Scams

Criminals are banking on the fact that you travelled during the busy holiday season, so they create travel-related scams to try to trick you into clicking on dangerous emails. Don’t be surprised if you spot an email that looks like it comes from a hotel claiming that they put the wrong transaction on your credit Read more…

Tags: email scams, shopping scams, travel related online scams, wrong transaction scam emails

The Eighth Scam of Christmas – Coupon Codes and Free iPads

For the eighth scam of Christmas, the criminals gave to me a coupon in exchange for my identity! With the popularity of shows like Extreme Couponing, viewers learn that there are coupons or everything, right? Not so fast! Since my days of participating in The S.P.A.M. Experiment , I have known that there is no such Read more…

Tags: 12 Scams of Christmas, Christmas shopping crimes, email scams, holiday shopping fraud, iPad scams, online coupon scams

The Seventh Scam of Christmas, Phishing and SMiShing!

For the Seventh Scam of Christmas the criminals gave to me phishing – but the big phish is me! My father in law mentioned that he got an email saying that he had a package that they couldn’t deliver and he wondered what to do. The answer is nothing! This is a classic scam and Read more…

Tags: Christmas scams, email scams, family online safety, phishing, smishing, UPS scam

Holiday Tech Gifts – Tips To Play Them Safely [Graphic]

Keeping up with the latest technology can be a challenge for parents this time of year. Kids want all the latest electronic gadgets and sometimes they get them from well meaning Grandparents and relatives. What are you to do when a new device enters the home and you are not quite sure what it can Read more…

Tags: counter identity theft, holiday gifts, holiday shopping, online safety tips, secure new devices, tech gifts

Secure Your New Devices!

What value do you place on your bank records, family photos, digital music and movie files? A recent McAfee survey found that US consumers had on average more than $55,000 of “digital assets” stored on the multiple devices they own. For many people all of the things I just mentioned are on their smartphone – Read more…

Tags: holiday gifts, holiday shopping, multiple devices, online safety tips, online security, secure new devices, secure smartphone