Warning, Scam or Hacking

[Bill Greenwood]

Is this related to flying? Its related to EAA forum in the sense that everyone uses a computer for the forum, and I assume they use compuiters/phones for bill paying etc.. Maybe this warning might save people trouble and money.
A friend recently had a large amount of money fraudulently moved out of both a Fidleity account as well as a local work credit union. The hackers were sophisticated enough to have gotten act numbers, names and passwords, and even bypassed an alert caution on the credit union account. This person is on another aviation website, and extensively used computer for business transactions as well as social and shopping. An IT expert thinks the hackers may have stolen their info from G mail. It was not an inside job of someone else opening the home computer. This person never pays bills by phone or check almost always by computer.
The good news is the accounts are insured and $$ may be reinstated.
So what to do if you use Gmail or are worried about this?, consider changing at least your passwords.
PS, as a related aside, I an not a computer geek, still get my FSS briefings by phone and I notice a question at the start about online use, sounds like FSS ( Lockheed) is tryihg to push everyone into online only access. Hope not

[FlyingRon]

Why would gmail have any of his banking information? I certainly would reuse usernames/passwords on those sort of sites on anything important.

I don't even use the same password on these forums as I use for other forums. vBulletin is a gigantic security hole to begin with. At least this forum is only ONE major revision behind and vB still claims to be issuing security patches for it (AOPA is still on 3.x and that's a REAL PROBLEM). Two of the vB based legal sites, including one owned by the same company that owns vB were pretty badly hacked a few months ago. There's really nobody with a clue left at vB to my knowledge. They all jumped to Xenforo (which is the software PoA switched to, and I'm considering the same for my sites).

[Kyle Boatright]

Ain't related to EAA or airplanes at all. Same as the Queen's hairdo isn't an aviation topic even though she travels by jet occasionally.

[Floatsflyer]

Same as the Queen's hairdo isn't an aviation topic even though she travels by jet occasionally.

I'm not so sure about that. The Queen's hairdo looks like a flying fadoo.

[Bill Greenwood]

Thanks Vile Boatwrong, how could this forum exist without your close attention to my every post to make sure they are pure.
And by the way, just to make sure it is really you, how about giving your ss number?

[rwanttaja]

Thanks Vile Boatwrong....

Oooo! Oooo! Do me, do me!

Ron "Can't be worse than 'Water Ninja'" Wanttaja

[DaleB]

Ten thousand comedians out of work in this country, and youse guys are cracking jokes. Where's your union cards?

[martymayes]

Ten thousand comedians out of work in this country, and youse guys are cracking jokes. Where's your union cards?

If a comedian was smart they would be here for new material and there would be fewer comedians out of work.


(lmao at whole thread)

[rwanttaja]

Ten thousand comedians out of work in this country, and youse guys are cracking jokes. Where's your union cards?
Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Or at least until Hal kills this thread.

Ron "In before the...well, you know" Wanttaja

[Kyle Boatright]

Thanks Vile Boatwrong, how could this forum exist without your close attention to my every post to make sure they are pure.
And by the way, just to make sure it is really you, how about giving your ss number?

It feels like I'm in third grade again. But sitting with the dumb kids. ;-)

[rwanttaja]

It feels like I'm in third grade again. But sitting with the dumb kids. ;-)
I'm waiting to see if he tries to get your lunch money....

Ron "Brownbagger" Wanttaja

[DaleB]

It feels like I'm in third grade again. But sitting with the dumb kids. ;-)Hey, watch it. I highly resemble that.

Dale "I know you are, but what am I?" B

(Sorry, Ron, for encroaching on your schtick.)

[Bill Greenwood]

Flying Ron, thanks for your reply, you are a minority of one who writes to the topic. Ive never heard of "Xb" dont have any idea what that is, or xenforo. But this hacking of my friend didnt come from any aviation forum, they dont even use an id on one. As for gmail, it has been suggested that a hacker may find a way to use gmail to access ones computer and therfore get info., as is known to have happend recently. I dont know myself. In any event , part of the money has been returned, so thats good news, no id or track of where the money was sent,that part seems to be false accounts. The police say unlikley to find the culprit. On one part , a scamer actually phoned the credit union, claiming to be the account holder, but was stopped when she could not answer security quetions.

P S, and on my topic of FSS briefing, they did say that managment seems to be pushing toward online, but they dont think that contraction is imminent. Personally I really prefer to talk to an actual person when getting weather info, and I can talk a lot faster than I can type.

[vaflier]

Bill, while your original post may not be directly related to aviation , it does however provide an important and helpful. " heads up " to the aviation community members. Thanks for posting.
Randy.

[rwanttaja]

Flying Ron, thanks for your reply, you are a minority of one who writes to the topic.
So, you consider your, "Thanks Vile Boatwrong, how could this forum exist without your close attention to my every post to make sure they are pure." as being on-topic?

Ron Wanttaja

[Bill Greenwood]

Randy, thanks for your kind words, yes I was trying to help folks by passing the info along even though I am a computer novice.
And nice to know there are some polite folks on this forum, even if not always the loudest.

[Frank Giger]

So, you consider your, "Thanks Vile Boatwrong, how could this forum exist without your close attention to my every post to make sure they are pure." as being on-topic?

Ron Wanttaja

It's a chicken and the egg scenario, as he made a pun in a thread that soon became full of juvenile jocularity. So it is on topic, though it was ahead of its time. Some people are born to be the avant-garde of the forums, while others just followers with cat memes and dunce caps.

Frank "man, I wish I had some lunch money that could be stolen instead of a brown bag" Giger

[rwanttaja]

It's a chicken and the egg scenario, as he made a pun in a thread that soon became full of juvenile jocularity.
When I look at his response to Kyle, I see no shred of humor. He's engaging in name-calling, which, as Kyle himself pointed out, was extremely childish ("It feels like I'm in third grade again"). That kind of behavior can get you banned, in some forums.

I decided to react with humor...as a late friend of mine used to say, "Laughter succeeds where lecturing won't" (he actually said it in Latin, being a lawyer). Doesn't mean I didn't take it seriously.

Ron Wanttaja

[rwanttaja]

Bill, while your original post may not be directly related to aviation , it does however provide an important and helpful. " heads up " to the aviation community members. Thanks for posting.

Well, let's take another look at how Bill started his posting:

"Is this related to flying? Its related to EAA forum in the sense that everyone uses a computer for the forum, and I assume they use compuiters/phones for bill paying etc.. Maybe this warning might save people trouble and money."

The problem is, you can thus justify ANY posting, using this logic:

"It's important for pilots to stay healthy, and Amway products will help keep your house germ free!"

"You need money to fly, and if you help this Nigerian prince, you'll be able to afford your dream airplane!"

"Our right to fly is threatened, so everyone should donate money to the [insert political party name]!"

"Heart health is important, so here's some pictures of naked women to get your ticker pumping!"

I'd just prefer that postings be a bit more related to the basic purpose of EAA.

Ron Wanttaja

[Bill Greenwood]

And if you have nothing of interest of your own to write about you can quote someone else or even make up a series of statments in quotes on your own and attribute them to someone else.

Nobody more vital these days than a good forum vigilante, always on the job to protect us from open thoughts.

[Hal Bryan]

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. Or at least until Hal kills this thread.

And...it's time. Long overdue, in fact.

This is what happens when I try to do my old full-time job part-time, in addition to my current full-time job.

Everybody be nice or be banned.