Tag:

FCC

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Scheduled Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Scheduled
Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Scheduled Fret not, it will only be a test. A nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test is scheduled to be conducted on Wednesday, Aug. 11 on radios, televisions, and cellphones where users have opted in to receive alerts. The test is being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is expected to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. According to officials, the EAS portion of the test, which is on radio and television, will last about one minute, while the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to cellphones will be sen…
Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams
Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams Officials are warning of new “smishing” scams that have been making the rounds. The Federal Trade Commission issued an alert cautioning consumers of new scams that have been using text messages, not the traditional emails. One such scam involves the fraudster offering to provide major savings on television services. The scams involve the victims sending back personal information, or infecting devices with malware. According to the Better Business Bureau, this new scheme is called “smishing” which stands for SMS fishing, as opposed to “phishing,” which involves email. “We’re kind of condit…
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers State lawmakers in New York are taking a stand against robocalls, proposing a bill that would stop automated phone calls from being placed without prior consent. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, and consumer advocates announced the Robocall Prevention Act in Albany on Tuesday, following a record number of unwanted calls that were made in 2018. According to Hoylman, more than 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide in 2018. “Our bill will stop robocalls from being made to any telephone number owned by a person in New York, unless for emergency purposes or wi…
Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself
Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself People all around the country are at a higher risk than ever of becoming the next victim of cell phone fraud, especially the elderly. The FCC defines cell phone fraud as, “the unauthorized use, tampering or manipulation of a cellular phone or service.” It comes in two primary forms, subscriber fraud and phone cloning fraud. Subscriber fraud occurs when a scammer signs up for a service with information obtained in a fraudulent way. Cell phone cloning fraud occurs when a scammer essentially reprograms a cell phone to transmit the signal associated with another legitimate device. While other…
Hudson Valley Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators Hudson Valley Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators
Hudson Valley Pirate Radio Broadcaster Busted By Federal Investigators A pirate radio host operating out of Westchester County is facing criminal charges following a lengthy investigation by the DA and FCC. Richard Dominguez was arrested following a joint investigation into a pirate radio operation in Croton-on-Hudson. Officials said that FCC field agents traced the illegal broadcasts and located Dominguez, who had his radio equipment seized. Dominguez has been charged with unauthorized radio transmission. According to investigators, field agents received complaints of a pirate radio signal that was broadcasting on 98.5 FM in Croton-on-Hudson earlier this yea…
Mahwah Police Urge Residents To Report Rising Middle-Of-Night Robo Calls Mahwah Police Urge Residents To Report Rising Middle-Of-Night Robo Calls
Mahwah Police Urge Residents To Report Rising Middle-Of-Night Robo Calls MAHWAH, N.J. – Mahwah’s police chief on Thursday urged residents to report what has become a rising number of middle-of-the-night robo-call hangups to federal authorities. “There’s been a dramatic increase of complaints regarding robo calls throughout the state but also within Mahwah,” Police Chief James N. Batelli said. These aren’t the same as those from con men trying to fool people into saving money on electric bills or low mortgages or believing that they needed to pay money to rescue a relative from trouble or avoid arrest by the IRS, he said. The new trend of calls “are getting thro…