LOS ANGELES (KABC) – It’s getting rough in the world of wireless technology.
More than 300 million people in the United States have wireless devices and many use mobile apps to bank, trade stock, even track their tax refund.
Responding to the wrong message or downloading the wrong app on a cellphone or tablet could be costly. It’s a growing concern for cellphone providers and wireless security companies who intercept spam and suspicious texts daily.
“It could be as serious as a significant financial loss if they are able to access their bank account,” said Jamie de Guerre, chief technology officer at Cloudmark, an online security provider.
How do the scams work? It’s called Smishing, combined from SMS and phishing. Criminals try to swipe personal info via text messages. For example, users may get a text claiming to be from a credit union asking to be called at a number.
“When you call the number, they’re actually looking to scam you out of your personal information,” said John Walls of the CTIA the Wireless Association.
Another example of this is receiving a text claiming to be from a friend that asks you to download an “incredible media player.” When the user downloads it, security experts say their screen will blink because they just downloaded mobile malware. That could allow hackers to monitor their accounts or send high-priced text messages from their phone, running up their bill.
So how can users protect themselves?
Before downloading an app, they should check out reviews and make sure it seems reputable.
If an app asks for a lot of permissions to access information, that’s a big red flag.
Don’t respond to texts that appear to be from their bank. Contact the bank on the phone or at a branch to make sure.
Be suspicious of any text asking to text, email or call in personal information.
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — With gold prices at an all time high, state regulators are warning investors to beware of scam artists.
“With a really bad economic downturn, with the recession, not only does it cause the average person to become fearful, but it also causes the scam artists to come out because they know that everybody is far more vulnerable than they were before,” stated Judith Shaw, administrator of the Maine Office of Securities.“Anytime somebody is telling you that they can give you a high rate of return with little or no risk to you, you really need to think twice about that,” she added.
In recent weeks her office has received several calls from residents concerned about transactions they have made buying and selling gold. She says many of the advertisements on the internet, radio and television make claims that are not backed-up by the companies actions.
“They send their money, there is a promise that the gold exists – maybe gold bullion – and that the seller who has reached out and made the contact will save that gold or silver in some safe location,” explained Shaw. “The danger is in many cases the gold doesn’t exist.”
She recommends people do their business locally, because the state has regulations in place to protect consumers that may not be in place in other states where these companies are located.
“As with anything, check to see if the entity is regulated by the state of Maine and check with the appropriate agency to make sure that there are no problems, issues or bad marks as to that entity,” she said. “We all have to be wise consumers, whether we are purchasing gold or some other commodity, or whether we are choosing to sell a personal possession.”
At Maine Gold and Silver in South Portland, record gold prices have their showroom flooded with customers looking to sell off unwanted items, or invest in bars and coins of gold and other precious metals.
“We have a track record,” explained John Colby. “Customers depend on us and we pay high prices. We have people driving 2 or 3 hours to see us.”
He says gold prices fluctuate, so they use technology to give customers up to the second prices whether buying or selling.
“There is volatility,” said Colby. “Right now gold has gone down about 20 bucks from its high on the day, but in the long term I think gold and silver are going much, much higher.”
Shaw recommends consumers interested in selling gold or other precious metals check the price at a couple of businesses to get a better idea of the value of the item they intend to sell and find the best price.
She says people should also ask about how the metal will be weighed, the price will be determined and the quality verified.
She does not recommend people send their unwanted jewelery away in an envelope in the hopes that someone, somewhere else will give them a better price. She says it is easier to keep your money than fight to get it back.
She also says if someone is using high pressure tactics, walk away and take your business elsewhere.
If you are interested in buying gold and silver, she suggest consumers call the Maine Office of Securities at 207-624-8581 or visit their website before investing. The state maintains a database of reputable companies and can help determine if a seller is on the level.
Shaw says if you do buy gold from an out of state company, you should have the metal shipped to you and store it in a secure location like a bank’s safety deposit box or vault.
She also says be aware of any fees imposed for shipping and the transaction before completing the deal.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Shaw. “It may sound like an old cliche, but it is absolutely right on.”
Triad Boiler Room Systems Launched New Commercial Boilers
Fisher Capital on Boiler Room Equipment, Inc: Triad Boiler Systems manufactures uniquely rugged small-footprint hot water boilers, steam boilers, and radiant heating systems. All our boilers use 12 gauge firetubes in compact vessels that fit through very small doorways! Inputs range up to 2,000,000 BTU's. Create a highly efficient system with millions of BTU's by sequencing a string of these modular vessels. TRIAD's commercial boilers and industrial grade Hot Water Heating, Domestic Hot Water, and Steam boilers are used in a wide variety of applications. Our commercial boilers are used at schools, universities, apartments, hospitals, office buildings, retirement communities, and churches. Industrial uses have included bakeries, smelting operations, food processing, quenching systems, and various heating applications for manufacturing. Triads’ modular boilers and radiant heating systems can be natural gas fired, oil fired, or dual fuel fired. For simplicity of operation and maintenance, all controls on our boilers are well known, off-the-shelf products. There area no proprietary parts on these boilers! This simplicity of operation is part of our philosophy, and an important reason why our customers return to us again and again.
TRIAD has been manufacturing high-quality boilers since 1926, and developed the modular boiler concept with primary/secondary piping, receiving a patent for it in 1967. We put this experience, knowledge, and expertise into every boiler.
We believe in quality - it is the overriding characteristic driving our company. This is why we manufacture extremely rugged, well-designed hot water and steam boilers that can provide decades of dependable service. We welcome your inquiries.
Benefits of Modularity
TRIAD's elegantly simple design maintains consistent water volume where heat is required.
Boilers are activated sequentially, drawing water from the main loop into the next hot water boiler until the heating need is meet.
firing boilers remaining isolated, so no heated water circulates through cold boilers.
During most of the year the unfired boilers provide additional backup.
Outdoor temperatures and loop water temperatures are constantly monitored.
Fisher Capital on Boiler Room Equipment, Inc: The efficiency of this design is most apparent during warmer months, when a conventional hydronic heating or steam boiler could still be operating at full capacity.
Primary-Secondary Piping
TRIAD integrates modularity with a single pipe primary-secondary system. TRIAD was the first company to employ a Primary-Secondary concept. It operates with two loops, (i) the primary loop, or building main loop, and (ii) smaller secondary loops off of each hot water boiler, which supply heated water to the primary loop.
Upon a call for heat, the boiler pump begins pushing the return water into the boiler and out through the secondary loop, supplying this hot water up into the primary loop (the main header), where it mixes with the cooler return water from the main loop of the building.
Supply and return water are blended, avoiding the need for expensive and unreliable mixing valves commonly used in two pipe systems.
The secondary loop isolates each hot water boiler, resulting in a very efficient system that minimizes thermal shock.
Control Panel
TRIAD Boilers can be sequenced by the use of our control panel that provides many attractive features:
Temperature set-back when less heat is required, such as nights and weekends.
Adjustments for latent heat, to take advantage of hot boiler water that retains heat after the burner shuts down.
Outdoor reset based on atmospheric temperatures.
Monitoring of return water temperatures to maintain accurate heating output.
It is also very easy to sequence our boilers using the panel of any other major manufacturer.
Packaged ProductFisher Capital on Boiler Room Equipment, Inc: All TRIAD hot water boilers and steam boilers are fully assembled, packaged products, which offer several advantages over boilers that must be assembled at the jobsite
Onsite labor costs are minimized.
Quality control is higher at the factory than at the jobsite
The ease of installation of a packaged boiler allows for quicker start up.
Benefits of Steel Boilers
Easy to Clean
To maintain boiler efficiency, heating surfaces must be kept clean and free of combustion by-products. All TRIAD heating surfaces, especially the firetubes, are easy to access. It is impossible to clean all the heating surfaces of a cast iron boiler, and what can be reached is difficult to clean.
TRIAD also makes it easy to maintain clean water surfaces. The cleaning of the interior of a cast iron boiler is a major undertaking, and even then only the vertical surfaces can be cleaned. The inability to clean the horizontal surfaces can have a significant impact on operating efficiency.
Easy to Repair
Because of their steel construction, TRIAD hot water and steam boilers can be repaired in the field with minimal disruption. A leak can be permanently welded or the tubes re-rolled with little difficulty. It is impossible to permanently weld a cracked cast iron boiler section or a leaking copper fin-tube boiler. The firetubes are easily accessed through the top and through the firedoor.
Fast Water Circulation
Poor circulation of water within the typical cast iron boiler is very common due to their design limits, while TRIAD's steel hot water boilers provide for faster circulation
