The Fox Report
Barry Fox’s technology column
Do something useful today
E
very day, we hear how the
lockdown has become boomtime for scammers, because
more people are at home to answer
cold calls and more people with
near-zero technical skills are using
computers to buy, pay, work and
learn on line.
Most people are now wary of giving
out passwords or banking details, but
they are not yet alert to the growing
and potentially most costly scam
– inadvertently handing access to
your phone or computer or tablet to
a third party.
Help your family and friends
Predictably, government and industry
have been slow to issue clear advice,
so if you do nothing else today, warn
a less savvy friend or family member.
Here is a simple explanation of the
basic scam which can be passed on
and/or posted on chat room boards or
in social media.
It’s for you! ... no it isn’t
Your home or mobile phone rings, and
it is a recorded message warning of any
one of many IT or banking problems
(slow computer, insecure password,
unpaid tax bill, hacked account, threat
of arrest or prosecution, Internet access
issue – the list is endless).
The recording ends with ‘Press 1 to
speak to someone’. If you Press 1, a human (usually with an accent, because
many of the scam call centres are based
abroad) comes on the line, which is
poor quality because the call is being
made at minimal cost over the Internet
(VOIP). Your phone may well indicate
that the call is coming from abroad, but
even if it is a legitimate UK number
don’t assume that all is well. There
are plenty of UK-based scammers and
it’s not difficult to fake the source of a
call. Also, Internet chatrooms warn that
pressing 1 to connect to a human can
somehow route the incoming scam call
to a high-cost premium line. I know of
no way that pressing a single digit key
can magically turn an incoming call
into an outgoing call. But I am now
asking Ofcom for a definitive comment
and will report here.
The scammer then reads from a script
with clever trick questions such as ‘do
you do home banking or online shopping or charity giving?’ This reveals
whether someone has banking details
on their phone.
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Practical Electronics | April | 2021
No downloads
If ‘yes’, the scammer tells the victim to
go to the App Store or Play Store, search
for a key phrase like ‘Quick Support’
and download and install an app such
as Team Viewer. Once opened, the app
generates a number which the scammer
asks for. This gives the scammer remote
access to whatever sensitive information
is stored on the victim’s device.
Apps like Team Viewer cannot be
banned for these risks because they are
legitimately used by genuine IT support
staff to help people working at home.
Bottom line: if you are cold called by
a computer-generated voice, hang up. If
you have good reason not to hang up,
and you talk to a human then:
n Do not follow any instructions to
install anything
n Do not call any number offered for
verification; it will very likely be
answered by a scammer.
n Instead, do call the Help phone numbers printed on, for example, your
credit card, phone bill or legitimate
tax document.
US survey of telephone scammers
Just to give you a feel for the sheer
scale of the telephone scam problem,
a recent survey from the US states
that, ‘Scam calls are becoming the
new normal with 75% of Americans
targeted in 2020.’
‘The survey of over 2,000 consumers and 300 business professionals
showed that while voice calls were
up almost 200% during the pandemic
compared to 2019, the increase in
calls is being exploited by scammers who are stealing money from
unsuspecting victims and damaging
trust in one of the most relied-upon
communication channels.
‘The survey shows that 75% of
Americans were targeted by scammers in 2020, with millennials the
most targeted demographic group
(79%). Also, the data shows that
during the same period, more than
50 billion spam calls were made to
Americans in 2020 – 60% of which
were fraudulent.
‘Other info revealed shows that
phone scams have real consequences,
with more than 7% of people losing
over $500 as a result of scam calls in
2020, with nearly 40% of all respondents reporting losing money to phone
scams last year – with an average of
$182 per person.’
On a lighter note
Finally, this month, I’d like to blow
my own trumpet and introduce www.
tekkiepix.com
This is a site I have just launched. It
is a fun browse – as well as a research
tool – for anyone curious about life
Before Apple, Android, Google, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify et al. You will
find pictures and stories about huge
successes and spectacular failures.
Marvel at the size, weight and cost
of the first audio and video portables,
and a multitude of other fascinating
tales from the Fox vault.
NEW DOWNLOAD!
5-year collection
2015-2019
All 60 issues from Jan 2015
to Dec 2019 for just £35.95
i
files ready or
ediate do nload
Purchase and download at:
www.electronpublishing.com
STEWART OF READING
17A King Street, Mortimer, near Reading, RG7 3RS
Telephone: 0118 933 1111 Fax: 0118 933 2375
USED ELECTRONIC TEST EQUIPMENT
Check website www.stewart-of-reading.co.uk
Fluke/Philips PM3092 Oscilloscope
2+2 Channel 200MHz Delay TB,
Autoset etc – £250
LAMBDA GENESYS
LAMBDA GENESYS
IFR 2025
IFR 2948B
IFR 6843
R&S APN62
Agilent 8712ET
HP8903A/B
HP8757D
HP3325A
HP3561A
HP6032A
HP6622A
HP6624A
HP6632B
HP6644A
HP6654A
HP8341A
HP83630A
HP83624A
HP8484A
HP8560E
HP8563A
HP8566B
HP8662A
Marconi 2022E
Marconi 2024
Marconi 2030
Marconi 2023A
PSU GEN100-15 100V 15A Boxed As New
£400
PSU GEN50-30 50V 30A
£400
Signal Generator 9kHz – 2.51GHz Opt 04/11
£900
Communication Service Monitor Opts 03/25 Avionics
POA
Microwave Systems Analyser 10MHz – 20GHz
POA
Syn Function Generator 1Hz – 260kHz
£295
RF Network Analyser 300kHz – 1300MHz
POA
Audio Analyser
£750 – £950
Scaler Network Analyser
POA
Synthesised Function Generator
£195
Dynamic Signal Analyser
£650
PSU 0-60V 0-50A 1000W
£750
PSU 0-20V 4A Twice or 0-50V 2A Twice
£350
PSU 4 Outputs
£400
PSU 0-20V 0-5A
£195
PSU 0-60V 3.5A
£400
PSU 0-60V 0-9A
£500
Synthesised Sweep Generator 10MHz – 20GHz
£2,000
Synthesised Sweeper 10MHz – 26.5 GHz
POA
Synthesised Sweeper 2 – 20GHz
POA
Power Sensor 0.01-18GHz 3nW-10µW
£75
Spectrum Analyser Synthesised 30Hz – 2.9GHz
£1,750
Spectrum Analyser Synthesised 9kHz – 22GHz
£2,250
Spectrum Analsyer 100Hz – 22GHz
£1,200
RF Generator 10kHz – 1280MHz
£750
Synthesised AM/FM Signal Generator 10kHz – 1.01GHz
£325
Synthesised Signal Generator 9kHz – 2.4GHz
£800
Synthesised Signal Generator 10kHz – 1.35GHz
£750
Signal Generator 9kHz – 1.2GHz
£700
HP/Agilent HP 34401A Digital
Multimeter 6½ Digit £325 – £375
HP 54600B Oscilloscope
Analogue/Digital Dual Trace 100MHz
Only £75, with accessories £125
(ALL PRICES PLUS CARRIAGE & VAT)
Please check availability before ordering or calling in
HP33120A
HP53131A
HP53131A
Audio Precision
Datron 4708
Druck DPI 515
Datron 1081
ENI 325LA
Keithley 228
Time 9818
Practical Electronics | April | 2021
Marconi 2305
Modulation Meter
£250
Marconi 2440
Counter 20GHz
£295
Marconi 2945/A/B
Communications Test Set Various Options
POA
Marconi 2955
Radio Communications Test Set
£595
Marconi 2955A
Radio Communications Test Set
£725
Marconi 2955B
Radio Communications Test Set
£800
Marconi 6200
Microwave Test Set
£1,500
Marconi 6200A
Microwave Test Set 10MHz – 20GHz
£1,950
Marconi 6200B
Microwave Test Set
£2,300
Marconi 6960B
Power Meter with 6910 sensor
£295
Tektronix TDS3052B Oscilloscope 500MHz 2.5GS/s
£1,250
Tektronix TDS3032
Oscilloscope 300MHz 2.5GS/s
£995
Tektronix TDS3012
Oscilloscope 2 Channel 100MHz 1.25GS/s
£450
Tektronix 2430A
Oscilloscope Dual Trace 150MHz 100MS/s
£350
Tektronix 2465B
Oscilloscope 4 Channel 400MHz
£600
Farnell AP60/50
PSU 0-60V 0-50A 1kW Switch Mode
£300
Farnell XA35/2T
PSU 0-35V 0-2A Twice Digital
£75
Farnell AP100-90
Power Supply 100V 90A
£900
Farnell LF1
Sine/Sq Oscillator 10Hz – 1MHz
£45
Racal 1991
Counter/Timer 160MHz 9 Digit
£150
Racal 2101
Counter 20GHz LED
£295
Racal 9300
True RMS Millivoltmeter 5Hz – 20MHz etc
£45
Racal 9300B
As 9300
£75
Solartron 7150/PLUS 6½ Digit DMM True RMS IEEE
£65/£75
Solatron 1253
Gain Phase Analyser 1mHz – 20kHz
£600
Solartron SI 1255
HF Frequency Response Analyser
POA
Tasakago TM035-2 PSU 0-35V 0-2A 2 Meters
£30
Thurlby PL320QMD PSU 0-30V 0-2A Twice
£160 – £200
Thurlby TG210
Function Generator 0.002-2MHz TTL etc Kenwood Badged £ 6 5
Function Generator 100 microHz – 15MHz
Universal Counter 3GHz Boxed unused
Universal Counter 225MHz
SYS2712 Audio Analyser – in original box
Autocal Multifunction Standard
Pressure Calibrator/Controller
Autocal Standards Multimeter
RF Power Amplifier 250kHz – 150MHz 25W 50dB
Voltage/Current Source
DC Current & Voltage Calibrator
£350
£600
£350
POA
POA
£400
POA
POA
POA
POA
Marconi 2955B Radio
Communications Test Set – £800
9
