Lemonrock Editor

Blog (200)

You're Welcome

28 Oct 2021You're Welcome

Why is Lemonrock better than Facebook?

For those of you who don't know: as an outsider to Facebook (meaning that you don't spend your precious time scrolling through targetted ads), you will be challenged to join Facebook before they will show you the page/band/place you're interested in. That's how they work: "You want this info? Fine, give us your personal details and your attention." The Facebook Mindset.

The Lemonrock Mindset?

If you want to find out about bands, venues and gigs, there's no form to fill in, no agreement to sign, no commitment, and no fee. Our gig guide is free to use. We ask nothing of you.

That's because Lemonrock respects your privacy, and, furthermore, actually wants you to be happy*.

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Mac, purveyor of musical happiness

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* instead of purposely dividing you into bickering factions in the name of profit.

Yummy...

25 Oct 2021Yummy...

Cookies. You've heard of them, but you don't really know what they are.

You're worried about privacy. You should be - websites can track you between different sites, and build a picture of your browsing habits.

When Lemonrock says it won't send you any cookies, we mean it.

Not accepting cookies will cramp your style, though. Cookies are a Good Thing, used responsibly.

On Lemonrock, cookies help remember things like checkboxes, gig search settings (location, distance, and gig dates). Cookies help you enjoy the site, but if you don't want them, we won't make you have them.

You may notice our little banner at the foot of the page. The banner is there to give you options, so that you know where you stand with cookies.

If you accept cookies, you won't see the banner any more, until you delete your cookies, or view Lemonrock on a new phone or PC. Every new device will require your permission to use cookies.

Our friends at ICO have written a useful guide to cookies.

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/online/cookies/

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Mac, big cookie fan

Safety Tips, Part 1

21 Oct 2021Safety Tips, Part 1

Yesterday, a friend told me that fraudsters had stolen his life savings. He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't answered the phone to a stranger (or someone pretending to be his bank), he hadn't written down his banking password on a large banner and draped it outside his window, he hadn't shared his password with anyone.

How could this possibly happen?

All the fine minds in the world, pitted against cyber-crime... it's just not working.

The bank concerned had a faulty 2-factor authentication scheme. (If you don't know what that means, then I am very worried for you, if you do online banking.) One in 11 people in the UK have an account with this bank. They are 7th after Barclays, Santander and many other well-known brands.

Anyway, back to my friend. His particular criminals managed to hack their way into his online account by guessing his password. And that's where the system broke down.

When you log in to an online bank, they should send you an SMS text message with a 6-digit code. You then use this code in the next stage of the online login.

With my friend's bank, this didn't happen. Can you guess why?

Why wouldn't my friend have received a six-digit code to prove he was who he claimed to be? Because the fraudster had already changed my friend's mobile number on the account, after he had guessed the login password, and logged in.

The brighter sparks amongst you will now be wondering how a fraudster managed to change a 2-factor authentication-related phone number on an account without being challenged by an email to his registered email address.

"Registered email address?", I hear you say. Yes, they had changed that too, with no extra checks being made.

I was with this bank myself for 30 years, and I left them for exactly the same reason. They have no idea about security. Yes, they are only seventh on the list. But I'd wager you that most UK banks have the same lax IT infrastructures.

Oh, I couldn't possibly be the first person to directly tell you the name of the bank. Or the initials of their parent. Have seen better competition.

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Mac, owner of lots of scribbled-down passwords (joking)

P.S. Dial 159 if you are in doubt. 159 is a new telephone number, a fraud hotline that will let you check whether a call from your bank is genuine. It's about time something like this was created.

https://stopscamsuk.org.uk/159

** Last year, criminal gangs stole over £470m by pretending to be your bank or other service provider **

Financial Professionals, ha ha ha

19 Oct 2021Financial Professionals, ha ha ha

So, Virgin Media are the worst company I have ever dealt with. Regular readers know this.

When I assembled all the evidence that proved that VM were negligent, and sent it off to them (registered post), guess what they did?

They pretended that I had made it all up, sent me a standard response by unregistered post, and slapped a "do not trust" marker on my credit file.

Hilarious.

Now that I am seen to be a financial bad bet, a Dick Turpin/Robin Hood renegade who didn't pay £88 to Virgin Media after they stuffed up my broadband service good and proper; after 40 years of a completely clean slate, paying off loans, mortgages, tax bills, credit cards and utility bills, on time, I am now regarded as a potential defaulter (I am rated at 15% likely to default on *any* payment, not just to cowboy telecoms companies).

The world was mad before. Virgin Media has made it much madder, and, quite frankly, a much dirtier place than it was before these third party "experts" got heavily involved in our personal affairs.

But I can't help thinking that someone has missed a trick here. With so much inaccurate information at everyone's fingertips, there are many lost opportunities for honest people to obtain credit. Big companies like Virgin are fierce, make no doubt. They can afford good lawyers (but not good engineers... how strange). Just be careful who you pick an argument with, folks. It's definitely not safe, or nice, out there.

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Mac, now a 15% liability

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