Knowing the whole family is protected online is a great feeling—that they’re safe from online scams, inappropriate content, and people stealing or collecting their personal data. But online protection looks a little different for everyone, because everyone goes online a little differently. 

With that, we’re introducing our McAfee+ Family plans, online protection that protects each family member with their own login, all based on their online risks and activities. 

Like so many things in family life, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always do the trick. For example, a movie night with an award-winning film that’s “R” rating may be fine for mom and dad but not for the kids. And music? CoComelon works great for playdates, but not for dinner dates. Yet everyone in the family wants the same thing. To enjoy themselves. It just looks different from person to person.  

The same goes for online protection.  

We all need protection when we go online. Yet different family members may need different kinds of protection depending on their age, interests, and what they do online. So, staying safer calls for a personalized approach, one that’s tailored to the things they do online. 

McAfee+ Family plans offer identity, privacy, and device protection for up to six people so that you know that they’re protected from viruses, fraud, identity theft, and inappropriate content in a way that’s right for them. 

Everyone gets their own identity monitoring and alerts, a VPN for more secure browsing, and unlimited device security. 
Two adults get up to $1M each in identity theft coverage and up to $25k each for ransomware coverage.
Two adults receive credit monitoring and alerts to help protect from identity theft and financial loss, and Personal Data Cleanup to remove their info from data broker sites. 
The parents can set screen time limits so you can set some digital ground rules for your kids. 
And everyone gets their own Protection Score that shows how safe they are and offers suggestions that can make them safer still.  

Why protecting the family calls for a truly personalized approach 

The larger idea that inspired our family plans is this—you should have absolute confidence that everyone you care about has the protection they need.  

That can get a little tricky when you think it through. With the family spending so much time online, it’s tough to know what everyone’s really doing, or if they’re safe while they’re doing it. Add to that all the ways companies track our activities online and the clever phishing tricks hackers use to steal our identity, there’s plenty to be concerned about. Simply put, it’s tough to know if everyone has the right protection in place and ways to take control of their privacy and identity.  

Our family plans make sure they have it, and it can cover any loved one anywhere. That includes family still living at home, but it could also include your aunt two time zones away, the kids away at school, or an elderly mom in the next town. If it’s someone you care about, you can protect them with this plan. Up to six people in total. 

What’s in it for you: a closer look at the benefits of our McAfee+ Family plans  

Protection that’s “just right” for each family member. 

Personalize their protection based on each family member with their own logins and protections and is based on their risks and activities. 
Everyone gets their own Protection Score that spots weak areas and helps shore them up. 
Award-winning antivirus that protects against known and brand-new threats.  

Looks out for the family’s privacy and identity. 

Identity monitoring alerts family members if their personal info like email addresses, phone numbers, and account numbers, is found on the dark web. 
Personal Data Cleanup shows two adults which risky data broker sites are collecting and selling their personal info and helps them remove it. 
Credit monitoring keeps an eye on changes to your credit score, report, and accounts with timely notifications and guidance so you can take action to tackle identity theft. 

Gets life back to normal if identity theft occurs. 

$2M in identity theft coverage supports two adults (up to $1M per adult) if the unexpected happens to them, which covers legal fees, travel, and reimbursement of stolen funds. 
Identity restoration from a licensed pro can help them repair their credit and identity. 
Ransomware protection for two adults—up to $50,000 total (up to $25,000 each adult). 

Keeps your children safe online​. 

Helps keep your children protected from inappropriate content online even when you can’t be right beside them. 
Manage screen time and see their locations so you can help your kids stay safe.​ 
Know that everyone in the family will get alerted if they come across dangerous or risky websites and links. 

Everyone gets the protection they need, in a way that works just for them 

That’s the idea. Everyone gets the right protection they need when they go online. Imagine ordering a pizza where each of the slices has someone’s favorite topping. That’s how our new family plan works. Your children get one set of protections made for them, your parents another, and you yet another. The result is the same, though. You’ll know everyone is safer. Because you set it up.  

I’m happy to share that our McAfee+ Family plans are available now, ready to protect the people who matter most—your people, the way they go online, wherever they are. 

The post McAfee+ Family Plans: The Right Protection for the Right People—Your People appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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The Center for Internet Security (CIS) has worked with Oracle Cloud Marketplace to expand international availability of our CIS Hardened Images.

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Written by James Schmidt 

Editor’s Note: We often speak of online scams in our blogs, ones that cost victims hundreds if not thousands of dollars. This account puts a face on one of those scams—along with the personal, financial, and emotional pain that they can leave in their wake. This is the story of “Meredith,” whose aunt “Leslie” fell victim to an emerging form on online elder fraud. Our thanks to James for bringing it forward and to “Meredith’s” family for sharing it, all so others can prevent such scams from happening to them. 

“Embarrassing. Simply embarrassing.” She shook her head. “It’s too raw. I can’t talk about it right now. I need time.”   

Her aunt had been scammed. To the tune of $100,000 dollars. My colleague—we both work in the security industry—felt a peculiar sense of loss. 

“I work in this industry. I thought I’d done everything right. I’ve passed on enough warnings to my family and friends to ensure they’d avoid the fate of the scammed.  Simply because I’m in this industry does not imply my circle is always aware of all the threats to them, even if I do my best to teach them.” 

“My mental state, recently, borders on shame; this feeling, you know? How could someone working in my industry have something like this happen to a family member?”  

I told her many people working in other industries cannot control what happens to people in their families even if people in that industry had knowledge that could have helped them or otherwise avoided a problem altogether. 

“I know, but this simply should never have happened! My aunt is one of the smartest, most conscientious people I know, and she fell for this. It’s crazy and I can’t wrap my head around it.” 

My colleague, let’s call her Meredith (not her real name as she’s a bit ashamed to know this happened to a family member), told me the beginnings. 

Let’s call her aunt Leslie. 

Her story unfolds, the overall picture a pastiche of millions of people in the United States today. Her aunt is retired, bored, lonely, and isolated. She feels adrift without something to occupy her time; she was looking for companionship, connections, someone (anyone) to talk to. Her feelings intensified during the pandemic. She morphed into perfect prey for scammers of what is now known as the “Pig Butchering Scam.” 

The term “Pig Butchering” has a visceral and raw feel to it, which falls right in line with how brutal this scam can be. It’s a long con game, where the scammer befriends the victim and encourages them to make small investments through the scammer, which get bigger and bigger over time. The scammer builds trust early with what appear to be small investment wins. None of it is legit. The money goes right into the scammer’s pocket, even as the scammer shows the victim phony financial statements and dashboards to show off the bogus returns. Confidence grows. The scammer wrings even larger sums out of the victim. And then disappears.  

It was a targeted attack that started innocuously enough with a “fake wrong number”. An SMS arrives. A text conversation starts. The scammer then apologizes but tells Leslie someone gave them the number to initiate the text. 

The scammer then uses emotional and psychological techniques to keep Leslie hooked.  “How are you, are you having a nice day?” Leslie, being bored and interested, engages willingly.     

The scammer asks to talk directly, not via text: and a phone conversation ensues.  The scammer proceeds to describe—in very soothing detail—what they are doing, helping people, like Leslie, invest their “hard-earned money” into something that will make them more money, to help them out in retirement. 

Of course, it is too good to be true.  

“The craziest part of all of this is my aunt refuses—to this day—to believe she’s been scammed!” 

She still thinks this scammer is a “friend” even though the entire family is up in arms over this, all of whom beg her aunt to “open her eyes.” 

“My aunt still thinks she’d going to see that money again, or even make some money, which is crazy. The scammers are so good at emotional intelligence; really leveraging heartstrings and psychological makeup of the forlorn in society. My aunt finally agreed to stop sending more money to the scammers, but only after the entire family threatened to cut her off from the rest of the family. It took a lot to get her to stop trusting the scammers.” 

Meredith feels this is doubly sad as the aunt in question is not someone they’d ever imagine would in this predicament. She was always the upright one, always the diligent and hardworking and the best with money. She is smart and savvy and we could never imagine her to be taken by these people and taken so easily. It boggles the mind.” 

She did start to change in the last few years. And the pandemic created a weird situation. Retirement, loneliness from loss of a partner, and the added burden of the pandemic created a perfect storm for her to open herself up to someone willingly, simply for the sake of connection. 

“No one deserves this. It has rocked my family to the core. It is not only about the money, but we’ve found family bonds stretched. She believes these random people, these scammers, more than she believes her own family. Have we been neglectful of our aunt? Does she no longer put her faith in people she knows, rather gives money to complete strangers?” 

Being a security professional does not provide magical protection. We are more aware of scams and scammers, and how they work, and what to look for, and we try to do all we can to keep our family aware of scams out there in the big wide world, but we are human. We fall short. 

Diligence is action. Awareness is action. Education is action. 

We need to be better, all of us, at socializing risky things. We need to consistently educate our family and friends to protect themselves, not only via security software (which everyone should have as default) but by providing tips and tricks and warnings for things we all need to be on the lookout. This is not a one-time thing. The cliché holds true: “If you see something say something.” Repetition helps.  

In today’s world, the need for protecting people’s security, identity, and privacy is critical to keeping them safe. Scammers long stopped focusing on attacking only your computer. Now focus more than ever on YOU: your identity, your privacy, your trust. If they get you there, they soon get your money. 

As for contributing factors to scammers success with their victims, such as loneliness, isolation, and boredom, they all have remedies.  Make connections with your loved ones, especially those easily tagged as vulnerable, those you feel might be at risk. Reach out. It may be hard sometimes due to distance and other factors but make it a point to connect. There is a reason these scammers are succeeding. They are stepping into roles of companions to people who are desperate for connection.   

Most people are greatly saddened at seeing other people being “taken.” Let’s work together to help stop the scammers. 

Look out for each other, and get your people protected! 

Editor’s Closing Note:  

If you or someone you know suspects elder fraud, the following resources can help: 

In the U.S., the National Elder Fraud Hotline and the Eldercare Locator run by the U.S. Administration on Aging. 
In the U.K., ActionFraud, run by the National Fraud and Cybercrime Reporting Centre. 
In Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre maintained by the Canadian government. 
In Australia, Scamwatch, maintained by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 

For further reading on scams and scam prevention, check out the guides in our McAfee Safety Series, which provide in-depth advice on protecting your identity and privacy—and your family from scams. They’re ready to download and share. 

The post A Scam in the Family—How a Close Relative Lost $100,000 to an Elder Scam appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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The cyber-attack hit the company between November 2018 and October 2020

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Threat actors used TrickGate to conduct between 40 and 650 attacks per week in the last two years

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The data comes from 155 dark web forums analyzed between January 2020 and June 2022

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