Just because you’re paranoid …

Yesterday afternoon I received the strangest call on my cellphone. Aside from the fact that almost no one calls me on the cell, the caller claimed to have found on the campus of a local community college a notebook for a history course. My name and phone number were written inside the notebook, which the caller wanted to return.

Keep in mind that the last history course I took was probably as a college freshman many, many moons ago, and that I’ve never been on that campus much less taken a course there.

So, mindful of scams, social engineering, and other things of that ilk, I was suspicious. How did that person get my name and number? Was the call a probe? When I answered the call, the caller’s number appeared, but not his name. That seemed suspicious, too, although if neither the number nor the name appeared I won’t have answered the call.

Yes, I should probably call back and determine if the call was legitimate or it. Maybe someone wrote my name and number in his notebook, and then lost it, although I can’t image who would do that. Am I worrying too much about this?

Ease of theft of IRS refunds has eveyone doing it

This is a scary story from the Miami Herald about street criminals joining scammers to steal IRS refunds, as well as identities, with ease. Imagine killing a postman on his rounds to get the master key to condo mailboxes. The arrest and conviction rate is certainly higher for street crimes than for cybercrimes. Evidently the ease of the former make it attractive nevertheless.