Scammers are using Election Day to trick voters into handing over personal information, hackers reportedly used a fake job pitch to pull off one of the biggest crypto thefts ever, and cybercriminals are walking right into law firms posing as the IT guy. On this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday on the Mark Reardon Show, 97.1 FM Talk, ThrottleNet owner George Rosenthal broke down these stories and more, including a free PDF converter that quietly hijacks your browser, an Applebee’s app slip-up, and what to know before you buy Apple’s new foldable iPhone. Interested in learning more? Continue reading below.
Election Day Scams: Don’t Click That “Where to Vote” Text
George kicked off the segment with a warning timed for Election Day. If you’ve been getting texts or emails urging you to “make sure you’re registered to vote” or “find where to vote,” look closely at the source. Many aren’t coming from any campaign. They’re scams designed to get you to click a link that leads to a fake website, where a form asks for the last four digits of your Social Security number, your email address, and your home address, supposedly to help you find your precinct.
His advice for staying safe:
- Never click links in unexpected texts or emails about voting, registration, or polling places.
- Look it up yourself. Use your state’s official election website, or ask an AI assistant to help you find your precinct and polling hours by typing in your address directly.
- Donate only through official channels. If you want to give to a campaign or PAC, go to the organization’s website yourself instead of clicking a link in a message.
- Watch for fake stores. Scammers also set up bogus online shops selling yard signs and campaign merchandise.
George also noted that these scams don’t end when the polls close. If an election goes to a recount, scammers go after voters in that area, asking for donations to cover supposed legal fees. And since the cycle starts all over again in two years, he says it’s worth building the habit now.
The $6.3 Billion Fake Job Interview
Next, George covered what he called a gigantic story in the world of cybercrime. Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, lost roughly $6.3 billion in a theft that took only minutes to carry out. Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs has attributed the attack, with high confidence, to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit. George pointed out that North Korea has been found to fund much of its economy through stolen cryptocurrency.
According to George’s account, the attack was months in the making and began with a fake job opportunity. Attackers approached an engineer at the firm, who was interviewed online by a fake HR representative, a fake manager, and a fake CEO, all from his work computer. The final step was a coding test, and clicking the link to take it gave the attackers access to his machine. Binance’s co-CEO has said the investigation suggests the incident may have started with a compromised engineer’s laptop, and reports say the exchange is working with partners to freeze stolen assets.
George’s takeaways, whether you hold crypto or not:
- Never job hunt on your work computer. Even without a heist, you could put your current employer at risk, and in this case the “job” was completely fake.
- Don’t keep large amounts of crypto sitting on one exchange. Spread holdings around and know where your keys are.
- Be skeptical of any recruiter who pushes you toward a link or a skills test.
The Free PDF Converter Trap
George’s second segment opened with a threat that sounds harmless: a free PDF converter. Bad actors have been pushing a converter, promoted through online ads, that installs as a browser extension. It works as advertised, turning Word documents and PowerPoints into PDFs. But behind the scenes, it swaps your browser’s search engine for its own and starts watching what you do online, logging details like your location and browsing activity.
George stressed that being available in an app or extension store doesn’t make something safe. His advice:
- Use the tools you already have. In Word, choose Print and then save as PDF. On a Mac, open the file in Preview and save it as a PDF. Adobe’s website also converts documents for free.
- Check your search engine. If your usual Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo logo has been replaced by something unfamiliar, go into your browser settings and switch it back.
- Clean up. Clear your cache and history and remove any add-ons or extensions you don’t recognize.
- Business owners: lock down browser add-ons. Random downloads can bypass the security you’ve paid to put in place.
Applebee’s Leaves the Master Password in the App
George also shared a head-scratcher from the restaurant world. Applebee’s mobile app reportedly had a master password to its customer database embedded right in the app’s code. A security researcher found it, and the exposed information included names, phone numbers, ZIP codes, birthdays, email addresses, and veteran status.
Dine Brands, Applebee’s parent company, says it has fixed the problem and that investigators have found no evidence that outside parties accessed customer records. The company hasn’t said how many accounts were exposed. George’s message to any business with an app: never embed master credentials in the code, and make sure someone is reviewing what ships.
Cyberattacks on Law Firms Have Nearly Doubled
Thanks to a tip from attorney Brad Young, George dug into the rise of attacks on law firms and accounting firms. He pointed out that your lawyer may hold your will, divorce file, business deals, and Social Security number, which makes those firms a prime target. Industry research backs him up: CrowdStrike’s 2026 legal threat report says intrusions in the legal sector have nearly doubled since 2023.
The tactics George described:
- Posing as the firm’s IT provider and calling employees to get them to open remote-access tools like Quick Assist or Zoom.
- In-person social engineering, where someone posing as IT staff talks their way past the front desk. The FBI has warned about attackers sending people to plug storage devices into office computers.
- Going after billing systems first, since they hold a firm’s clients’ personal information.
George says class action lawsuits are already piling up from clients whose data was exposed. His advice for protecting your own information, and your business:
- Ask your attorney and CPA how they protect your data: how long they keep it, where their servers are, whether it’s encrypted, and how it’s backed up.
- Verify every visitor. Have vendors sign in, show ID, and get a badge, and let the department they’re visiting know they’re coming. If someone looks unfamiliar, call the IT company directly to confirm.
- Never plug in a found USB stick. Curiosity isn’t worth compromising your whole network.
Apple’s Foldable iPhone and the New iPad Mini
George closed on a lighter note with Apple news. The new foldable iPhone Duo is nearly impossible to find, and George advised against promising one for Christmas. He also urged caution about buying a first-generation product, especially after reports of cracking screens. Apple has said it’s aware of a display issue affecting a small number of Duo units and will replace affected devices through AppleCare. His tip: if you do buy one, keep AppleCare in mind and be ready to head to an Apple Store if the screen has trouble. He’s excited for what a second version, and Apple’s new CEO, might bring.
For a gift that’s easier to find, George pointed to the redesigned iPad mini, which gets a new fast chip and is the first meaningful update to that model in years. Pre-orders are open now at Apple.com.
The Bottom Line
Whether it’s a text about your polling place, a recruiter with a skills test, a free converter tool, or a stranger at the front desk, the pattern is the same: attackers rely on you acting quickly and without checking. Go to the source yourself, verify before you trust, and keep your guard up, especially when something seems routine.
Catch George Rosenthal live every Tuesday for Tech Talk Tuesday on the Mark Reardon Show, 97.1 FM Talk. Have a tech question you’d like answered on air? Reach out to [email protected] or contact us here!
Author: George Rosenthal – President & Co-Owner
