Nope... I was aware of the malware on many thumb drives quite some time ago... so don't use any that are given out and certainly don't give any out.

Yes, received as a gift and Yes, given as a gift - but they are created by me and hand delivered, not mailed, so still a safe practice in my business.

I have never given one and haven't received one in forever.

Good info! Thanks for sharing Candice A. Donofrio !  I have never given such a thing as a gift and haven't received one in ages. 

No I don't and didn't realize people did give them as gifts

Nope, thankfully.

well hell! Just another thing to worry about. I thought that nobody uses those things anymore. Guess I am wrong. 

I do not. My closing attorney does put all the documents on a thumb drive. I'm sure like everything else, those will be outdated at some point.

Candice, there were years I put all the clients' docs from closing on them, but now title emails them.   Haven't used a thumb drive in years.

I believe that you have misinterpreted the message in the linked article. The article says: “A cybercrime group has been mailing out USB thumb drives in the hope that recipients will plug them into their PCs and install ransomware on their networks, according to the FBI.” If you gave a memory stick to someone who knows you, or you received one from a known party, it seems there would be no danger in using the memory stick. It would be a good excuse to for a quick phone call between the parties to verify the legitimacy of the gift. Receiving an unexpected memory stick from an unknown and unexpected source should be treated the same as the numerous phishing emails that we all receive.

Not is along time.  I have several unused if anyone want one

We used to drop them in the parking lot as part of our security training to see if anyone would plug them in or report them.  The mailing is a new trick, probably because so many offices are closed now.  But dropping thumb drives has been around for a LONG time.  If memory serves, this goes back to the floppy disk days.

Just to add fuel to the fire, years ago there were attacks where public USB chargers were compromised to load malware onto your devices when you plugged them in to charge.

I purchased thumb drives from the store and from time to time will put transaction files on them and give them to my client. I do not mail them. 

Never received one in the mail as a gift, or otherwise. 

No not received or given.  And sure won't do so now!

Yes I have.
Yes I do.
Can't go back to CDs.
Have I plugged in a USB drive from a source I do not know? NOPE.
Have I clicked links on web sites? Yep.
Have I clicked links in emails? Yep.
Have I answered a phone call that displayed "LIKELY SCAM?" Yep.
Do I have a recovery plan? Yep. RAID and GoDaddy I think keeps me covered.
Have I ever had to go to the recovery plan due to virus? Nope.

I saw a thumb drive on the ground in the office parking lot the other day.  It made me think of cybercriminals.  Most likely an agent or someone else dropped it, but who knows...

Candice,

I thought they went out.  It used to be the next big thing.  Thank you for the heads up.  A

Back in the 90's we used to get discs and drives in the mail, with the internet this is no longer a marketing ploy worth using.

I suspect that these scammers are seeking out victims that are not that tech savvy.

I have not gifted any, but have received them (from trusted sources) some time ago, not recently. Thanks for the warning, 

got one from an association gathering, but no malware on it.

Call me cynical but unexpected gifts always give me pause and I will put it in File-13 every single time. Nothing is freely given unless it's unconditional love, true friendship, sincere hugs and kisses! 💋

Nina Hollander, Broker nailed it. And this non-techie is all in.

This is a BIG deal, Candice and I wondered if someone would post this info here. We all need to make our clients keenly aware of this. Sadly, especially our elderly clients, who seem to be the culprits in the latest scams.

No.

No.

If I did, I would throw it into the round file.

Retired after 51 years as a Licensed Mortgage Banker. I have found that a year subscription to Consumer Reports has been the best after closing gift. My clients get it every month and I can renew if I want. Also, if I do renew, I always get a thank you call. This allows me to ask for referrals. .

Thanks for the warning Candice A. Donofrio !

Why does this not surprise me?! Good to know...just one more thing to be concerned about.