Beware of ADT imposters

[Hermes14]

While browsing one of the security blogs I belong to I saw this article.
This incident happened in Linden, Johannesburg

Last Friday evening I was sitting in my home doing some marking as I am a school teacher when I was alerted by a knock on my front door.On going to answer the door I discovered that it was an A.D.T guard I am using A.D.T as my security and armed response company.
The guard said I had pressed my panic button and he was just coming to check if I was safe.I said that I had not pressed the panic button.His reply was that there was obviously a problem with my alarm and that it would be necessary for him to come and check on it. Trusting A.D.T as my security company I opened the door only to discover that this was a hoax and I was been held up by armed robbers.I was molested an d beaten by them. They not only robbed my home but also tied me up in my bedroom.
I find this a complete mystery as these men knew the code to the key pad at my gate which I had to give to A.D.T so that they can enter my property. Also too nowhere on my property is there an A.D.T. board saying that my property is protected by A.D.T. So only A.D.T knows this information. I find this very mysterious.
I was very traumetised, I spoke to the sector leader of A.D.T. and he said that they would investigate the case but he did not promise me that anything could actually be done for me. I would like to warn other people who have security with A.D.T. that they must be very careful

[Justloadit]

With the simplicity of getting a Security Guard Certificate, as exposed by EWN, who knows what type of person has been employed by these security company's. Do not for one minute think that a security company is going to risk their lives for your safety.

[Dave S]

Kinda brings to light the stark reality of the world we live in, trust no one!

[Hermes14]

With the simplicity of getting a Security Guard Certificate, as exposed by EWN, who knows what type of person has been employed by these security company's. Do not for one minute think that a security company is going to risk their lives for your safety.

The problem is a lot bigger than that.
Any illegal immigrant can go to home affairs & by an identity document.
The other big question is how many people has she given or any other family member living with her given the code of her gate to.

[Phil Cooper]

When alarms are installed, there is a "blanket" security number so security companies can change your system.

This is known to criminals.

Tell them you want to set it yourself, using your own code.

THEN DO NOT FORGET IT!

[Hermes14]

When alarms are installed, there is a "blanket" security number so security companies can change your system.

This is known to criminals.

Tell them you want to set it yourself, using your own code.

THEN DO NOT FORGET IT!

Most alarm systems have types of codes.
User codes & installer codes.
The alarm system has to be deactivated for the installer code to work.
The alarm company that installs your alarm system should supply you with an owners manual which will explain how to program your user codes.
If you don't trust someone that has worked on your alarm panel you can do a hard reboot which totally wipes the memory clean & sets it back to default.

[ians]

You worried about a silly thing like a ADT imposter

Where are you safe, how do you know that someone is not watching you right now, via your phone camera or laptop camera or even your own cctv network camera, you are not safe anywhere. Your information is everywhere, people are watching, listening and reading everything, and you thought borne series is just a movie.

People are sitting on the road with laptops hacking into your system just for fun everyday. People think the adsl security from Telkom is safe, I hear it is one of the easiest to hack into. they don't even have to do it in your road, they are hacking into your accounts via the far east. So the next time you send a naughty pic of yourself to your boyfriend via secure media, just think how many people are watching and distributing it.

Private messaging on forums is another thing to watch out for, it is not ethical for admin to view your private messages, but they do have access, there was a site where people would send a PM and request quotes from other people on the forum, it was suspected that they were being intercepted because people would suddenly get other quotes.

The bottom line, be aware of everything going on around you.

[Hermes14]

You worried about a silly thing like a ADT imposter

Where are you safe, how do you know that someone is not watching you right now, via your phone camera or laptop camera or even your own cctv network camera, you are not safe anywhere. Your information is everywhere, people are watching, listening and reading everything, and you thought borne series is just a movie.

People are sitting on the road with laptops hacking into your system just for fun everyday. People think the adsl security from Telkom is safe, I hear it is one of the easiest to hack into. they don't even have to do it in your road, they are hacking into your accounts via the far east. So the next time you send a naughty pic of yourself to your boyfriend via secure media, just think how many people are watching and distributing it.

Private messaging on forums is another thing to watch out for, it is not ethical for admin to view your private messages, but they do have access, there was a site where people would send a PM and request quotes from other people on the forum, it was suspected that they were being intercepted because people would suddenly get other quotes.

The bottom line, be aware of everything going on around you.

A good quality cctv system is fairly safe as long as you stay away from a wireless system.
If you want an IP cctv system I would suggest using a linux platform which is a lot harder to hack than windows.
I have heard that if linux is installed properly it is impossible to hack but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

[Dave A]

Private messaging on forums is another thing to watch out for, it is not ethical for admin to view your private messages, but they do have access

Certainly not as part of the default package with vBulletin.

I agree with you - it's unethical. Private messages must be just that. Even when a member here complains of being spammed via PM, they need to send me a copy for me to know the content.

[AndyD]

I have heard that if linux is installed properly it is impossible to hack but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

Linux certainly isn't 'unhackable' but it's somewhat less prone to some vulnerabilities. Even on linux systems you should be aware of security risks.

[Citizen X]

While browsing one of the security blogs I belong to I saw this article.
This incident happened in Linden, Johannesburg

This is horrifying

[Citizen X]

Kinda brings to light the stark reality of the world we live in, trust no one!

It's tragic that this is the true state of affairs at present!