Latest news with #PaulKeener
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas cybersecurity expert offers tips to avoid Real ID scams as deadline approaches
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The looming May 7 deadline to get a Real ID has scammers ramping up their schemes. A cybersecurity strategist shared with 8 News Now all the ways scammers are using the Real ID enforcement deadline to their benefit. 'They're trying to create a pressure campaign, and taking advantage of the fact a lot of people don't really understand what it is and why they need it,' Las Vegas Cybersecurity strategist with Guidepoint Paul Keener said. They're after social security numbers, date of birth, addresses – the trifecta to create a false identity to open an account. From posing as government agencies to offering online services, requesting personal information, and using fear tactics. Keener also went on to add that using AI to make their texts and calls sound more believable. 'There's also deepfakes to sound like someone is calling from Nevada DMV, it's a little bit more scary,' he said. Keep in mind that the DMV will never ask for personal information through email or ID applications cannot be done online. Be wary of unsolicited communications – hang up on callers, and block the clicking on links that don't look right. If you get a text or email, delete it without clicking on it, verify the source, and report suspicious activity. If you feel you've been scammed, there is a website to report it to CLICK HERE for more information. It's also important to report it to the IRS, so they can flag your Social Security number. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch out for March Madness scams
In less than a week, Climate Pledge Arena will transform its ice rink into a basketball court as Seattle hosts thousands of fans for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Excitement for the tournament is building, but scammers are already hard at work. 'It's not that people are foolish or that they don't understand how to do things. This scamming is a professional business,' says cybersecurity expert, Paul Keener. In one of the largest scams, scammers sell tickets that look legitimate but aren't. Oftentimes, the buyers don't even know their ticket is fake until they arrive at the event and are turned away. For the NCAA tournament, a spokesperson for Climate Pledge tells KIRO 7, 'We strive for the best possible guest experience for all fans who come to Climate Pledge Arena, whether that be for a Kraken game, concert, or the upcoming March Madness games. We strongly encourage all fans to buy their tickets from the venue's primary ticket provider. For Climate Pledge Arena, this is NCAA Ticket Exchange on Ticketmaster is the official resale marketplace for the upcoming March Madness games.' 'Nobody wants to pay the service charges associated with all of these things,' says Keener. 'So you try to find a place like Facebook Marketplace or something like that.' He says if you do buy resale, use sites like Stub Hub, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster, which offer refund protections that Craigslist and Facebook don't have. His biggest coaching tip – use a credit card, so if you are scammed, you can dispute the charge and hopefully recoup the money. 'Maybe you're disappointed because you couldn't get in the game, but at least you didn't lose out $400 in tickets,' says Keener.
