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☆ Google searches are becoming a bigger target of cybercriminals with the rise of 'malvertising'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Lowe's staff members were targeted via a Google ad for an employee portal claiming to be associated with the retailer. It's not a problem with Google, per se; malicious ads can also show up in queries using other search engines like Microsoft's Bing. "You see something appearing on a Google search, you kind of assume it is something valid," said Stuart Madnick, professor of information technology at MIT Sloan School of Management. Also avoid calling a telephone number listed in a sponsored ad because it could be a fake telephone number. Many privacy browsers have embedded ad blockers; consumers may still see sponsored ads, but they will see fewer of them, which minimizes the chances of malvertising.

Persons: Malwarebytes, Jérôme Segura, Erich Kron, Segura, Salesforce, It's, Bing, Stuart Madnick, Madnick, malvertising, isn't, there's, Avinash Collis, Kron, Chris Pierson, Pierson, Collis Organizations: U.S, Corporate, Google, MIT Sloan School of Management, Clearing, Gap.com, Consumers, Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz Locations: malvertising

☆ Kamala Harris: Inside the final days of her vice presidential decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The vice president likes to take her time with decisions. “This is a decision that is not just a campaign decision,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an unrelated interview with CNN last week. “The vice president has a very deeply personal decision to make right now. Andy Beshear and several other governors over to her residence for what became a gripe session about the Biden campaign in February. Obama reminded his former vice president that they had not gotten along well at first.

Persons: aren’t Kamala Harris, Harris, it’s, “, ” Harris, they’re, Josh Shapiro, Joe Biden’s, –, they’ve, Pete Buttigieg, Shapiro, Harris –, Biden, Mike Pence, don’t, Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, Andy Beshear, Beshear’s, Arizona’s Mark Kelly, Doug Emhoff, ”, Cedric Richmond, ” Richmond, Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Dana Remus, Donald Trump’s, Lorraine, Tony West, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Obama, Adam Schiff, ” CNN’s John King Organizations: CNN, Naval, Democratic Party –, Pennsylvania Gov, Staff, Biden, Veterans, Publishers Clearing House, Minnesota Gov, Illinois Gov, Kentucky Gov, Senate, Harris, White, Trump, Democratic, California Democrat Locations: Houston, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois, Kentucky, California, Louisiana, Arizona

☆ A robocall impersonating Joe Biden telling voters to stay home is the dawn of a devastating new era for phone spam: 'We knew this day would happen, and now it's here'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Madison Hall | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. NBC News was the first to report the robocalls, which instructed voters to skip out on Tuesday's primary. "We know the value of voting Democratic on our votes count," the deep-faked recording of Biden said in a call. AdvertisementNowadays, even if you trust the incoming phone number, "you can't even trust the voice" on the other line, he said. In the New Hampshire phone scam, the phone number that voters saw when ringing was "spoofed," or faked, to appear to be from the leader of a pro-Biden super PAC.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Biden, Nomorobo, Aaron Foss, Foss, Jonathan Nelson, robocalls, he's, we've, Nelson, it's, they've, Hiya Organizations: Service, New Hampshire, Business, NBC, Democratic, New, New Hampshire voters, Clearing, Biden, FCC, Federal Communications Commission Locations: New Hampshire, Hiya

☆ Publishers Clearing House settles with US for $18.5 million for misleading consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Publishers Clearing House (PCH), which offers sweepstakes where people can win thousands of dollars per week for life, has agreed to pay $18.5 million and change its business practices to settle allegations it misled consumers about its contests, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on Monday. The FTC had accused PCH of using "dark patterns," a manipulative website design, to make consumers believe that they had to make a purchase to win or to have a better chance of winning. The agency said that it also added surprise shipping charges to purchases, among other allegations. PCH had no immediate comment. Reporting by Diane Bartz Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Samuel Levine, PCH, Diane Bartz, Mark Potter Organizations: Clearing, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, of Consumer, Thomson

☆ Publishers Clearing House Pays $18.5 Million in ‘Dark Patterns’ Suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( J. Edward Moreno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsPublishers Clearing House, the direct marketing company that uses sweepstakes to sell magazine subscriptions, agreed on Monday to pay $18.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission, which accused the company of using what’s known as dark patterns to trick customers into paying for products or giving up their data. The company is also accused of charging customers hidden fees during purchases, sending deceptive marketing emails and misleading customers about how their data was being used. On top of paying $18.5 million, which the F.T.C. said it would use to refund customers, the company agreed to adjust its interface to prevent more confusion. Publishers Clearing House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Organizations: News Publishers Clearing House, Federal Trade Commission, Eastern, of Locations: U.S, of New York

☆ Publishers Clearing House to refund customers $18.5 million in FTC settlement for 'deceptive' practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Publishers Clearing House offices in Jericho, New York on Jan. 30, 2019. Bill Perlman/Newsday RM via Getty Images)How 'dark patterns' can trap consumersSara Adair shows off the oversized check for $1 million her husband Mark received from the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol in South Boston, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2022. Dark patterns are a "manipulative" and unlawful design trick, examples of which include pre-checked boxes, hard to find and read disclosures, and confusing cancellation policies, the FTC said. When it included disclaimers or clarifying information, the text was in small, light font and overlooked by consumers, the FTC claimed. In addition to sweepstakes, PCH also sells merchandise and magazines.

Persons: Bill Perlman, Sara Adair, Mark, Craig F, Walker, Samuel Levine, PCH Organizations: Clearing, Newsday, Getty, Publishers, Boston Globe, FTC, Amazon, Consumer, Firms Locations: Jericho , New York, South Boston , Massachusetts, FTC's

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