Blog
Tech Alert – Prize Winning Scams Get Your Money by Offering Higher Chances, Foreign Lotteries, and More
It can be exciting to get a piece of mail or a phone call with “you’re a winner” jumping out at you. But the FTC warns Americans to be careful about who you respond to. A common scam offers you an increased chance to win if you pay a fee (kind of like purchasing extra tickets in a raffle). Other scams announce that you won a foreign sweepstakes or lottery, and requests that you wire money or send a check to a well-known company in order to ensure delivery. Impostors posing as the FTC and other official-sounding government agencies have been reported as well. The goal each and every time is to get you to send money in exchange for an amazing prize or a better chance at winning one.
Tech Alert – With Debt on the Rise for Many Americans, Debt Relief Scams Are Rising Also
Since much of the American business landscape is choked by mandatory quarantines and social restrictions, debt consolidation scams are increasing. These scams are most often reported as cold calls. Scammers call you out of the blue to offer sham “guarantees” which are supposed to get you out of debt quickly and cleanly. Some ask for an upfront fee, then take your money and run. Others will string you along, collecting payments and making promises while you fall farther behind on delinquent accounts. Student loan debt is another hot area under attack, so let your family members know to be suspicious of any loan relief offer.
Tech Alert – Non-profit Scams Calling to Collect Money for Communities in Need
Call scams are not a new thing, but more are surfacing to prey on people who want to help communities affected by the pandemic. This charity call scam impersonates genuine charities and fake ones that have a “dummy” profile online. These scams not only steal your money, but they divert much needed funds from legitimate causes. These fake charities often apply pressure or try to make potential victims feel guilty for not donating.
Tech Alert – Americans Report Over $13 Million in Losses Due to Coronavirus Scams
The United States’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has received more than 17,000 complaints from U.S. consumers who reported total losses in excess of $13 million from COVID-19 related scams. Most crimes reported fall under a rather broad category of fraud with 9,634 complaints with 46.4% of them reporting a loss. It’s safe to say that the official figures don’t paint the whole picture, however, as many scams go unreported. Scams have included impersonation of local and international health authorities such as the World Health Organization, as well as creating bogus online shops to sell non-existent face masks.
Tech Alert – Scammers Target US Stimulus Checks Providing Financial Relief Around COVID-19
In the latest COAVID-19 scam, fraudsters are impersonating financial institutions to steal from Americans who are expecting stimulus checks from the US federal government. To soften the economic blow dealt by the virus, the US Senate approved a $2 trillion stimulus package on March 25. Attackers created a convincing email and landing page that appeared to come from a major financial institution. The email sent by the attackers claims that this financial institution has placed the funds on hold until the user can sign in and ‘verify account ownership’.
HDCav has a fresh new look!
The Help Desk Cavalry building, located in East Bremerton, is looking a lot sleeker these days. After Help Desk Cavalry’s owner, Steve Treanor, purchased the building last year, his desire was to create a welcoming office space for his team. This summer, the...
Help Desk Cavalry’s 6th Year Anniversary Celebration!
March 1st was HDCav's 6th Anniversary and what better way to celebrate then with family and friends at #McCloudsGrillHouse! All staff and their kiddos, all got to enjoy the entertainment of the #Gr8Cris, play around with some art projects and have fun with bouncy toys...
December 2017 Events
Bloedel Holiday Village 12/9 – 12/19 10:00 am – 4:00pm All ages enjoy the wonder of the season with a visit to this miniature town. Intricately designed buildings and whimsical trains create holiday memories. With the Residence all decked out and cider simmering, it's...
Featured Product — Skype for Business Video Conferencing
Microsoft Office 365 includes many features that increase productivity, allow for collaboration, and open lines of communication within an organization, but one of the most under-utilized is Skype for Business. Most users recognize that Skype for Business can be...
Featured Product — UniFi Wireless Solution
One of the most common requests that we at Help Desk Cavalry have received over the years is for a solution to consumer grade wireless networks. Our clients want a solution that can support a lot of traffic, is scalable to any business size, and can provide...
Tech Tip — Working With Excel
How To Lock Excel Cells With Formulas To Prevent Editing MS Excel is an exceptionally powerful tool. If you can code, Excel is likely of little consequence to you. For those who can’t code, this app is heaven sent. It offers a wide range of features and can be used in...
Client Spotlight — Parker Mooers & Cena
Parker Mooers & Cena (PMC), PS, Certified Public Accountants (www.pmccpas.com) have provided a bedrock of financial security for Kitsap County since 1979. One of the most established firms in the Olympic Peninsula, Parker Mooers & Cena has their eye firmly on...
November 2017 Events
Veterans Day 11/11/2017 Holiday Gift and Food Fair 11/17 – 11/19 With space for 180+ booths, the Holiday Gift and Food Fair will once again be the largest indoor Holiday shopping extravaganza on the Peninsula. Silverdale Chamber of Commerce...
Another Look Behind the Scenes with Help Desk Cavalry
Part two of our company structure... We have three core divisions within Help Desk Cavalry. These divisions are Remote Services (a.k.a. Help Desk Team), Onsite Services (a.k.a. Project Team), and System Services (a.k.a. Behind the Curtain Team). Last...
Featured Product — Multiple Monitors
At Help Desk Cavalry, we know that our clients are always looking for ways of improving their efficiency when it comes to how their computers are used. Before you consider upgrading your workstation to a more powerful version, consider the advantages of upgrading to a...
Tech Tip — Typing Tricks
Paste the plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source, programs will usually include any formatting that comes with it. To paste this as plain text, press Ctrl + Shift + V instead of the standard Ctrl + V, and the system will paste unformatted...
Behind the Scenes with Help Desk Cavalry
We’d like to share with you this quarter a little more about how our company is structured. We have three core divisions within Help Desk Cavalry. An easy way to think of them are Remote Services (a.k.a. Help Desk Team), Onsite Services (a.k.a. Project Team),...
Client Spotlight — Island Fitness
Island Fitness, now it its 15th year of operation, is Bainbridge Island’s original health club. Owners Michael and Alexa Rosenthal rescued the club in 2002 when it was in danger of closing for good. They dedicated themselves to keeping the business alive back when it...
October 2017 Events
Bainbridge Gardens 24th Annual Pumpkin Walk 10/13 - 10/14/2017, 6:00 - 8:00 pm Bainbridge Gardens invites you to the 24th Annual Pumpkin Walk! To be held Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the historic Bainbridge Gardens...
Featured Product — Intel’s NUC
Is it time to replace your workstation? With the recent improvements to desktop computing, the Intel NUC might be just the thing that speeds up your performance Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) has taken the technology industry by storm over the last couple years...
September 2017 Events
Washington State Fair September 1 – 24 The Washington State Fair is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The Fair continually ranks as one of the largest fairs in the world. The Washington State Fair hosts two annual events, the...
Tech Tip — Google Search Punctuation Tips
We love Google Search for its ease of use – no need to worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation. But if you want to take your search skills to the next level, punctuation marks and symbols can improve your results. Quotation marks: When searching for a specific...
August 2017 Events
Obliteride 8/11 – 8/13/2017 Obliteride is more than a bike ride. It's a movement to obliterate cancer. Half of all men and a third of all women in the U.S. will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Together as a community we are fighting back, aggressively...
July 2017 Events
Bainbridge Island Concerts in the Park 7/12/2017, 7:00– 8:00pm Wednesday Evening Concerts at Battle Point Park Silverdale Chamber of Commerce — Education Committee Meeting 7/14/2017, 12:30 – 1:30pm Providing a valuable vehicle for membership involvement in...