Pre-Canada Day Weekend Edition
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Ricky Winter
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Tech Experience Manager at London Drugs Tillicum
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Tech Talk – June 28, 2025 by Tech Talk with Alan Perry
It’s the Pre-Canada Day Weekend edition of Tech Talk! Host and tech tutor Alan Perry is joined by Ricky Winter from London Drugs Tillicum to talk sizzling tech deals, sneaky scams, and a new Facebook setting that could upload all your photos to Meta’s cloud—unless you opt out. Plus, your questions answered live on air!
Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…
1) Watch out for fake identity-stealing DocuSign emails
The emails copy the form and style of real DocuSign emails, as shown in the screenshot below…
…the only giveaway is the long gibberish address that it's sent from, which is an account at a domain that ends in .cc — which is the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory in the south Pacific.
If you click on the "Review Document" button, most browsers will warn you that you're going to an unsafe website, but if you go there, you'll be taken to a very-real-looking but fake Microsoft account sign-in page pre-filled with your email address…
If you look closely, you'll see that the page is actually on a website at DesignsByMadeleine.com which is hosted in Hong Kong…
If you click "Next" and type in your password, the scammers have the page programmed to automatically tell you that your password is incorrect, and to click a button to reset it. The scammers posing as Microsoft will then trigger a password reset code and ask you to type that code in, and if you do, you'll have just given them permission to change your accoint password and lock you out of your own account. They'll then quickly steal your identity and trigger password resets for other accounts.
NEVER click on links in emails like this!
3) Malwarebytes free Browser Guard now includes additional protections — but you have to give them permission
We're big fans of Malwarebytes Premium anti-malware, and also their free BrowserGuard web-browser extension which is proving very effective at blocking ads and drive-by downloads on Edge, Chrome, Safari and Firefox browsers on Windows and Mac computers.
Browser Guard has just been updated, but the new additional protections do have to be enabled.
To do that, open the Browser Guard extension (if you don't see it in your browser's toolbar, click/tap on the three dots in the upper-right and click/tap on Extensions, and then on Browser Guard), and you should see something lise this…
Click on "Grant permission" at the bottom of the pop-up, and in the screen that appears, turn on each of the two new switches…
…and click on "Allow" when prompted for each of them (it's set by default to "Deny")…
If you don't have free Malwarebytes Browser Guard installed on a Windows Pc or Mac, we recommend you install it… https://www.malwarebytes.com/browserguard
As for Malwarebytes itself, the free version is superb at finding and removing malwsare from Windows, Mac and Android devices (not needed for iPhones or iPads) whenever you trigger a scan. But, by then, the malware will already have done damage. That's why we strongly recommend you install Malwarebytes Premium, which keeps malware from getting into your computer.
4) Facebook wants to upload every photo on your phone to its cloud to give you AI suggestions — here's how to turn that off!
There's an innocous new Setting in Facebook that you're likely going to want to make sure is off.
Facebook is offering 'personalized creative ideas' for your posts, including AI-generated collages and highlights of your travels, but if you say "yes", you're allowing Meta to upload all your pictures to their cloud! That's right, all your pictures. We strongly recommend you check to make sure you haven't unknowingly already allowed this!
To to that, open the Facebook app on your phone (you can't change this setting from a computer), tap on the "+" in the upper right as though you were going to post something, and choose the "Story" option, then, as shown in the screenshots, tap on the gear icon in the upper right, and scroll down to the Camera Roll settings, and tap on that.
Carefully read the wording on both suggestions, especially the second one, and while it's up to you, we strongly encourage you to make sure both switches are off!
5) Notorious hacking group "Scattered Spider" is attacking Westjet and other airlines by tricking airline call-centre staff
As summer travel ramps up, airlines face another problem beyond crowded terminals: a notorious hacking group has expanded its scope to target the aviation industry.
Cybersecurity experts warned that the cybergang Scattered Spider (the gang that hacked MGM Resorts in ) is focusing on airline and transportation providers, with Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet among those reporting cyberattacks.
Scattered Spider stands out from other cybercriminal groups because its members are native-English speakers, and they excel at using social engineering tactics, such as posing as help support staff, to trick employees at victim companies into handing over access to passwords or installing remote access software on their computers, enabling the gang to steal confidential data and install ransomware to extort victim companies for millions in return.
Google’s cybersecurity unit, Mandiant, has tweeted that it's aware of multiple incidents in the airline sector that resemble Scattered Spider, and is urging airlines to ensure that call-centre staff are trained to not fall for these tactics.
6) BC Securities Commission has created five special ringtones to warn your parents and grandparents about investment scam calls
As part of their ongoing effort to inform British Columbians about investment fraud – particularly elder financial abuse – The BC Securities Commission has developed a series of five distinct ringtones that you can put on the phones of your loved ones warning them of the signs of investment scammers — in the music genres they love.
Included are instructions on how to download and install these Scamtones onto iPhones and Android devices.
Installation Instructions
Ok, so your grandparents are going to need a bit (a lot) of tech help with this one. For reasons we can’t quite explain, installing a ringtone in 2025 is surprisingly complicated (thanks, Apple).
That’s where you come in. Follow these steps to set a Scamtone as their ringtone—and help stop them from getting scammed.
iPhone
- Download your choice of Scamtone and save it to your Files app. Either “iCloud Drive” or “On My iPhone” will work.
- Install GarageBand (if you don’t already have it) from the App Store.
- Open GarageBand, click the plus sign, choose Audio Recorder, and tap the Tracks icon (it looks like a pile of bricks in the top left corner).
- Tap the loop icon in the top right corner, choose Files, then press and hold on the Scamtones file, and drag it onto the timeline.
- Tap the down arrow in the top left, choose My Songs, press and hold on the file, tap share, choose Ringtone, name it Scamtones, and tap export.
- GarageBand will then ask ‘Use sound as…’ Tap it and choose Standard Ringtone.
- Take a breather and bask in the pride of having helped your grandparents avoid becoming victim to investment scammers.
Android
- Download your choice of Scamtone.
- Open a File Manager App (e.g. Files by Google) and select the Scamtone file.
- Tap Move in the bottom left corner and in Internal Storage tap Ringtones.
- Go to Settings and tap Sound and vibration then Ringtone.
- Choose your downloaded Scamtone and you’re all set.
BCSC InvestRight - Investor Education for British Columbians
Scamtones - BCSC InvestRight
Investment fraud is one of the most devastating crimes against seniors in British Columbia, and it happens every day. But fear not — we created Scamtones, a solution for the generation that still has their phones on loud.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Get a pack of two HDMI 4K cables for $13 at London Drugs
If you're going to be buying a new TV or computer screen soon, this is a great deal:
Get a two-pack of Sylvania premium 4K six-foot HDMI cables for just $13 (regularly $30, so you save $17) at London Drugs stores, while they last.
Rogers and Bell are both now offering a 158GB/month plan for $65/month to celebrate Canada's 158th birthday
Rogers was first to offer this Canada Birthday special — which is actually their $65/month plan with 100GB/month of data plus a 58GB/month data bonus — and now Bell is matching that.
Note that these plans include unlimited Canada-wide calling and international texting, but the calling and data is good in Canada only. If you want Canada/USA/Mexico calling and data roaming, your best bet is Freedom Mobile, which is offering 150GB/month for $66/month — just $1/month more.
These offers are good until end of business on July 2.
$50 off Lexar 1TB pocket solid-state drive
If you want to carry lots of files with you, London Drugs has Lexar's blazing-fast 1TB pocket SSD on sale for $110 — that's $50 off — till July 2, in stores or online.
Best Buy is offering bonus gift cards of up to $300 this weekend through July 2 when you buy a new smartphone
Best Buy is running what it calls a "Summer Black Friday Sale", which includes sale prices on a raft of tech gear.
The sale also includes smartphones, with bonus gift cards of $100 to $300 being offered when you buy a smartphone and activate it on a two-year contract on your choice of carriers.
The gift card amounts and rate plans vary not just from phone to phone, but also from carrier to carrier, so comparison-shop before buying.
If you prefer. London Drugs will price-match including the gift cards, on two year activations on Rogers or Fido.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) Rogers is shutting-down the "Rogers Wi-FI, "Shaw Go", and "Shaw Open" Wi-Fi hostpot networks on July 21
Rogers has announced that it will be shutting-down the Rogers and Shaw networks of Wi-Fi hotspots on July 21. This will also affect Freedom Mobile customers, as they have free access to the Shaw WiFi hotspots.
Rogers says demand for the hotspots has dropped dramatically over the past five years, with most people now on plans that include lots of data.
In addition, the hotspots run on old technology with limited capacity and in many cases, also with limited speed.
If you're on a Rogers Basic BYOD plan, to make up for the shutdown, Rogers is adding 3GB/month of data to your plan. If you need more data, consider switching carriers.
The current best deals continue to be from Quebec-based Freedom Mobile, where, until July 2, you can 60GB/month of Canada/USA/Mexico data plus unlimited calling and texting for just $36/month, or 100GB of Canada-only data and calling plus unlimited worldwide texting for $40/month.
Another option is Telus-owned Public Mobile, which is currently offering 20GB/month of Canada-wide data and unlimited Canada calling and international texting for $32/month.
11) Shaw TV and/or internet customers: no more signing into your your account at My.Shaw.ca; now use Account.Rogers.com
As Rogers continues to phase-out the Shaw name following its buyout of Shaw Communications, the My.Shaw.ca wesbite now redirects to a new page at Account.Rogers.com.
Most people can still use their Shaw account credentials to sign-in, but if your password is too simple, you'll be required to choose a more-complex 8-21 character password that includes at least one capital letter, one number and one special symbol.
A few people have had to contact Rogers for help getting into their account on the new portal; it appears their log-in info got lost in the transfer.
14) New limited lifeline for Windows 10 users who don't want to upgrade to Windows 11 — but it'll cost you
As we count down to the end-of-support for Windows 10 less than four months from now, Microsoft is offering a 'limited lifeline' for those who want to safely stay on Windows 10 for a while after that…
Microsoft has announced that a new Extended Security Updates (ESU) program will be available for consumers, which will provide security updates only (no bug fixes or feature updates) for Windows 10 through October 2026, so one more year.
This program will cost $30 USD, or if you're in the Microsoft Rewards program you can get it by redeeming 1,000 Rewards points. Users will be able to enroll in the new ESU program closer to the October 2025 end-of-support deadline.
support.microsoft.com
Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program - Microsoft Support
The Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 provides customers with a more secure option to continue using their Windows 10 PCs without updating to Windows 11, mitigating the risk of malware and cybersecurity attacks. ESU program enrollment provides access to critical and important security updates as defined by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). ESU enrollment does not provide other types of fixes, feature improvements, or product enhancements. It also does not come w
15) Debit card transaction limits for most banks have been upped to $250 maximum for Apple Pay, Google Pay, and tap
For years, the maximum transaction you could make with a debit card by tapping or using Apple Pay or Google Pay, has been $100.
But, Interac Corporation, the company that provides Canadian Interac debit and Interac eTransfer services to more than 300 Canadian banks and credit unions and their customers, has quietly started raising the transaction limits for contactless debit-card transations.
Most banks and credit unions now allow you to make contactless purchases of up to $250, and the limit if you insert your card into a chip reader is now up to $10,000.
More than 18 million of these transactions happen every day, and more than 88% of Canadians use Interac.
16) Staples Canada has partnered with Allstate to offer gift cards as part of smartphone, laptop, and tablet trade-in program
Staples Canada and Allstate Protection Plans have announced Staples Trade-in by Allstate, a new program that allows us to trade in unwanted electronics for Staples e-gift cards.
You answer a few questions online about what you want to trade-in, and what shape it's in (including the serial number to make sure it hasn't been reported stolen), and the system issues you a gift card. You then take the gear to a Staples store or get a shipping label to send it in.
If the gear is inspected and Allstate finds a difference in quality, for example, a “good” condition device has a cracked screen, Allstate will send an email (including photos) explaining that the value offered has decreased and you will have an opportunity to accept or reject the adjusted trade-in value. If the offer is accepted, the difference will be recovered from your credit card. If the offer is rejected, Allstate will ship the device back to you and charge your credit card the full value of the gift card.
The program is currently only accepting trade-ins of smartphones, laptops, and tablets made within the past five years, so an iPhone 11 or later, for example.
17) Microsoft is retiring the dreaded 'Blue Screen Of Death"
Windows 11 is such stable operating system, most people rarely ever see this screen anymore, and if they do, it's usually because of a failing drive or processor. But, this 'BSOD' will be going away for good this summer, as Microsoft rolls-out more under-the-hood changes that are designed to quickly detect and fix the causes of OS crashes. If there's a major problem, you'll soon see this instead…
The change will arrive with a Windows 11 performance update that's tentatively slated to be released next month…
If the new Black Screen Of Death seems familiar, Microsoft did change the BSOD colour in test builds of Windopws 11 iback in 2021, but soon reverted to the blue colour while it worked on ways to both prevent and quickly fix the crashes that triggered it.
18) Purolator has started installing parcel lockers in public locations where you can pick up or drop off packages 24/7
If you're not home when Purolator tries to deliver a package, instead of finding a door-tag telling you that you can collect your package from a retail location whose hours may not be convenient, you may instead find that the tag directs your to a public Purolator Pickup and Dropoff Station.
This one is on the side of the Peninsula Co-Op Gas Bar on McDonald Park Road in Sidney.
You choose Pickup or Dropoff, and then either type in the Access Code you got from Purolator online, or scan the QR code.
If it's a pickup, one of the locker doors will pop-open. If it's a drop-off, it'll print a label and open a drop-off door. You apply the label to the package you're sending or item you're returning, and place it in the locker and close the door.
Amazon is now using Purolator for Amazon returns, and these DropOff Stations allow you to return an item at a time that's convenient for you, without needing a printer, and without having to package it up in a box.
19) Here's a better app — Supercards — for keeping your loyalty and membership cards on your phone (and Apple Watch)
We were big fans of StoCard, a free app that allowed you to easily store any loyalty or membership card that has a barcode on your phone, so you don't have to carry the stack of cards with you.
But, then Klarna bought StoCard, and required you to migrate to the Klarna app, which doesn't work with Apple Watch, is contantly nagging you with offers, and more recently, has started requiring you to create and use a six-digit PIN code.
"Tech Talk" listener Lollie started trying other apps, and found a great new one called Supercards…
If you're using Stocard or Klarna, the best thing about Supercard is that you can import all the cards you already have stored in them, by simply taking screenshots of the stored cards and then importing them — no having to dig around to find where you put the actual cards!
Supercard is free, has no ads, and also allows you to quickly add cards that aren't in their database, and you can also add pictures of cards that have photo ID on them.
Supercards is free, and available for iPhones, Apple Watch, and Android.
20) Canadian Twitter replacement called Gander coming in October
With the unpredictability of the Trump presidency called for more Canadian tech and data independence, five CEOs decided to make a Canadian social network. It's called Gander and will allow for text, image, and video posts.
The app is also built on the A T Protocol like Bluesky so it won’t be owned by a billionaire and is decentralized. However, the team is working with Canadian cloud service provider ThinkOn to get a network of homegrown servers.
This will give you the option of sending posts to a larger decentralized network, or to a Canadian-owned channel instead. This Canadian-owned channel will also have to follow the rules of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which should make moderation around hate speech easier.
In practice, this app’s design is somewhere between Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. It has a full-screen vertical video section and parts that look more like Threads or Instagram. The founders are also considering using digital ID verification to ensure that all service users are real and not AI bots.
The company is hoping to open its public beta in Q4 2025, but an early-access version of the app is already running, and 9,000 members are beta testing it. If you want to try it out, you can apply to be a beta-tester on their website: GanderSocial.ca
21) If you want to see where a transit bus is anywhere here in BC (except on the lower mainland), check-out TrackerBC.ca
A brilliant fellow named James Ward has created a website that uses GPS tracking data from transit bus systems across BC (and some also in Alberta), to show you where transit busses are.
The best part of his website is that it includes real-time bus info for lots of smaller transit systems, including ones on the Gulf Islands. Check it out at TrackerBC.ca
If you're wondering why the TrackerBC.ca website doesn't include Translink/Coast Mountain Bus routes on the lower mainland, James says that's because there are numerous websites providing transit schedules and realtime info for Vancouver, including T-Comm and Sorry Bus Full. James says BCTracker was created specifically because there were no equivalent websites for the rest of the province.
26) Trump Mobile drops false 'made in America' phone promise
More than a week after the unveiling of the T1 "Trump" Phone by the Trump Organization run by the sons of the US President, false claims of the device being made in America have been scrubbed from the website.
The $500 "Trump Phone" is being marketed alongside Trump Mobile, a T-Mobile-powered MVNO, and was originally called a smartphone that is "made in America."
It was quickly proven that the T1 Phone was not only not made in America, it was likely a re-skin of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, a $169 USD smartphone that's made in China and that has faced recalls.
The Trump Mobile website has now removed all mentions of "made in America." Instead, it is now filled with unspecific platitudes like "proudly American" and "American hands behind every device", but does now clarify that the phone and the Trump Mobile service, are products and services which the Trump Organization has licenced fropm others.
Some of the specs have been altered too, showing a smaller 6.25" display and no mention of RAM where it previously suggested 128GB. With orders being taken for phones to be shipped "later this year", it's priced at $500 USD, which is more than double the device it's clearly based on. The Trump Mobile plan of $47.45 per month remains nearly twice as expensive as other MVNO plans with the same rates.
A special "Auf Weidersehen" and "Sbhoem" to our two awesome international homestay students — Elodie from Winterthur, Switzerland, and Klára from Prague in Czechia!
We and Elodie, who finished Grade 11, had the honour of watching Klara graduate with top marks from Grade 12 at Parkland Secondary, in a wonderful ceremony at the University of Victoria…
If you'd like to host an international high school student or students starting this fall, school districts here and around the province are looking for additional host families, and it's a very rewarding experience! Here are links where you can get more info:
Saanich: StudyInSaanich.ca/homestay
Victoria: StudyInVictoria.com/hosting-student
Gulf Islands: StudyInBC.ca/homestay
Cowichan: StudyInCowichan.com/homestay-program
Central Okanagan: International.SD23.bc.ca
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…
June 28 & 29, 2025 Show Notes