More Problems with Phone Calls- watch out for these... calls from your own phone

I have several blog entries on phishing and scam phone calls.  This entry is that your own phone number is being spoofed.  You will get a call from your very own phone.  That is, the caller ID says your phone number and the caller name is your name.  Answer the call and it will hang up (phishing for active number) or there will be a scammer on the other end.

The actual phone call is from an entirely different number.  It is the Caller ID that is being changed.

How do the spoofers do it?  You can google "caller ID spoofing."  There are a number of free programs that do this.

What do you do now?  Used to be you could ignore any numbers that didn't provide a recognizable caller ID, but now the caller ID has been hijacked.   What if you are in a business where potential customers might call from any number?  How do you know if it is a customer or a spoofer?  You don't.  What if the spoofer is using your home phone number?

Clearly, the technology has lagged behind the ingenuity of the criminal mind.  For now, we have to not answer any calls and await a phone message.  Of course, I listen to the phone message, it is someone I know, so I call them back.  Of course, since they are in the same boat I am, they won't answer the call back.  So we don't communicate at all except through phone messages.

This is pretty bad and the phone companies should fix it using some sort of security mechanism that does not allow caller ID changes.  I would go so far as to say that if the calls are coming from a foreign country and they don't fix the problem ASAP, all calls from that country should be blocked until they do.

Or I guess we go to texting.  What is your experience and do you have a way around the problem?

South Carolina State Support for Rural Communities to Evaluate Rural Broadband Solutions and Manage Projects

This note is intended to kick off a discussion, using the discussion box below, on how a state can facility implementing the optimum broadband solution for rural and even suburban communities.  In general, it assumes that fiber distribution to all homes is too expensive per home and that current service is judged by members of the community to be inadequate for home use or for current or future business use.

I'll start by listing three possible proposals that could be turned into bills at the state level:

- 0 interest loan or a grant to evaluate the best option (pay project manager to manage community or geographic area through RFI and RFQ process)

- tax rebate or tax deduction for installing equipment for the rural type initiatives- transmitters for companies; antennas for houses

- team with Small Business Admin through their small business loan process

Any other candidate proposals?  

Windows 10 default install is insecure: tips to not get caught in their web

When Windows 10 installs, its initial startup process looks a lot like Windows 8.  However, the defaults are set for an intrusive, insecure experience.   Can you believe that?  Well, the reason is that Windows 10 is built for all devices, and so you are getting an initial startup process that might make some sense for a smartphone but not for other devices... unless you want to let them know where you are, what you are browsing, what you shop for, etc.

A good starting tutorial for how to correct Microsoft Windows 10 default settings is found at http://www.wired.com/2015/08/windows-10-security-settings-need-know/?mbid=nl_8515.

I have some pictures of my own Windows 10 installation to show you how to avoid their intrusive experience.

After Windows 10 installs it has some screens that set parameters "for an optimum user experience."  In general, all the settings should be set by you to No or Off, instead of Yes or On.  Here are the pictures:

First screen:  You'll probably want these off.

Almost everyone has an antivirus application to manage web browsing.  Turn off Browser and Protection.  Turn off Page prediction, because your browsing pages will be sent to Microsoft.
Don't automatically connect to browsing hotspots.  Ditto on the next two items.

On the final screen, don't check any boxes unless you want to force yourself into the new Microsoft applications.   Most everybody has their own personal favorites.  If you check the box, you will lose your favorite as a default.