Cellular networks tend to work pretty well during smaller disasters, but they need power, towers, and other infrastructure, which will fail in large-scale disasters. Strictly speaking, they are not "fake news," but legitimate news sources who go out to take pictures and gather information need exposure more than these fake accounts. Since then, the number of fake donation websites has decreased somewhat, partly due to law enforcement attention and hopefully due to people becoming more aware of these scams. If you have a phone with satellite emergency calling (for example, a recent iPhone), they offer a "demo mode" to familiarize you with the feature. Individuals in the affected area may not be reachable due to spotty power and cell service availability. If you are lucky to already have a Starlink setup, bring the antenna inside before the storm and disconnect the equipment from power to avoid spikes destroying it. These scams have improved because they can often identify individuals in the disaster area and use them as a pretense to extort money. Power outages often come with power spikes and other irregular power events that can destroy sensitive electronics. Disconnect as many electric devices from outlets as possible during a power outage (or before power outages are expected). Hurricane Katrina was the first event that triggered many fake donation websites. This year, it is a good opportunity for a refresher on some scams that tend to happen around disasters like Hurricane Helene. The caller may claim to be the individual (often they use SMS or other text messaging services), or they may claim to represent a police department or a hospital. In the past, we have seen e-mails and websites that spread malware claiming to include videos or images of the event. If you are concerned, try to reach out to the agency calling you using a published number (note that Google listings can be fake). I took the picture on the right this weekend in my neighborhood of a high-voltage line touching the cable TV and phone line.
This Cyber News was published on isc.sans.edu. Publication date: Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:43:17 +0000