Tag Archives: internet
FTC Halts Cross Border Domain Name Registration and SEO Fees Scam
August 9th, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The Federal Trade Commission has permanently halted the operations of Canadian con artists who allegedly posed as domain name registrars and convinced thousands of U.S. consumers, small businesses and non-profit organizations to pay bogus bills by leading them to believe they would lose their Web site addresses unless they paid. Settlement and default judgment orders signed by the court will bar the deceptive practices in the future. In June 2008, the FTC charged Toronto-based Internet Listing Service with sending fake invoices to small businesses and others, listing the existing domain name of the consumer’s Web site or a slight variation on the domain name, such as substituting “.org” for “.com.” The invoices appeared to come from the businesses’ existing domain name registrar and instructed them to pay for an annual “WEBSITE ADDRESS LISTING.” The invoices also claimed to include a search engine optimization service. Most consumers who received the “invoices” were led to believe that they had to pay them to maintain their registrations of domain names. Other consumers were induced to pay based on Internet Listing Service’s claims that its “Search Optimization” service would “direct mass traffic” to their sites and that their “proven search engine listing service” would result in “a substantial increase in traffic.” The FTC’s complaint charged that most consumers who paid the defendants’ invoices did not receive any domain name registration services and that the “search optimization” service did not result in increased traffic to the consumers’ Web sites. A federal district court judge in Chicago, Robert M. Dow, Jr., ordered a temporary halt to the deceptive claims and froze the defendants’ assets, pending trial. The settlement and default judgment orders announced today end that litigation. The orders bar the defendants from misrepresenting: that they have a preexisting business relationship with consumers; that consumers owe them money; that they will provide domain name registration; and that they will provide “search optimization services” that will substantially increase traffic to consumers’ Web sites. The defendants are also required to disclose any material restrictions or aspects of any goods or services they provide. The settlement order, entered against defendants Isaac Benlolo, Kirk Mulveney, Pearl Keslassy, and 1646153 Ontario Inc., includes a suspended judgment of $4,261,876, the total amount of consumer injury caused by the illegal activities. Based on the inability of the settling defendants to pay, they will turn over $10,000 to satisfy the judgment. The default judgment order was entered against defendant Steven E. Dale and includes a judgment in the amount of $4,261,876. Charges against Ari Balabanian and Data Business Solutions were dismissed by the court at the FTC’s request. NOTE: Stipulated orders are for settlement purposes only and do not necessarily constitute an admission by the defendants of a law violation. Stipulated orders have the full force of law when signed by the judge. The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm .
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FTC Halts Cross Border Domain Name Registration and SEO Fees Scam
NEW FTC Rule to Protect Consumers in Credit Card Debt
July 30th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Amendments to Telemarketing Sales Rule Prohibiting Debt Relief Companies From Collecting Advance Fees Will Take Effect in October 2010 Starting on October 27, 2010, for-profit companies that sell debt relief services over the telephone may no longer charge a fee before they settle or reduce a customer’s credit card or other unsecured debt. “At the FTC we strive every day to make sure America’s middle class families get straight deals for their dollars,” Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. “This rule will stop companies who offer consumers false promises of reducing credit card debts by half or more in exchange for large, up-front fees. Too many of these companies pick the last dollar out of consumers’ pockets – and far from leaving them better off, push them deeper into debt, even bankruptcy.” Three other Telemarketing Sales Rule provisions to take effect on September 27, 2010, will: require debt relief companies to make specific disclosures to consumers; prohibit them from making misrepresentations; an extend the Telemarketing Sales Rule to cover calls consumers make to these firms in response to debt relief advertising. The Final Rule covers telemarketers of for-profit debt relief services, including credit counseling, debt settlement, and debt negotiation services. The Final Rule does not cover nonprofit firms, but does cover companies that falsely claim nonprofit status. Over the past decade, the FTC and state enforcers have brought a combined 259 cases to stop deceptive and abusive practices by debt relief providers that have targeted consumers in financial distress. Advance Fee Ban The Final Rule contains specific requirements for debt relief providers related to charging an advance fee before providing any services. It specifies that fees for debt relief services may not be collected until: the debt relief service successfully renegotiates, settles, reduces, or otherwise changes the terms of at least one of the consumer’s debts; there is a written settlement agreement, debt management plan, or other agreement between the consumer and the creditor, and the consumer has agreed to it; and the consumer has made at least one payment to the creditor as a result of the agreement negotiated by the debt relief provider. To ensure that debt relief providers do not front-load their fees if a consumer has enrolled multiple debts in one debt relief program, the Final Rule specifies how debt relief providers can collect their fee for each settled debt. First, the provider’s fee for a single debt must be in proportion to the total fee that would be charged if all of the debts had been settled. Alternatively, if the provider bases its fee on the percentage of what the consumer saves as result of using its services, the percentage charged must be the same for each of the consumer’s debts. Dedicated Account for Fees and Savings Another new provision of the Final Rule will allow debt relief companies to require that consumers set aside their fees and savings for payment to creditors in a “dedicated account.” However, providers may only require a dedicated account as long as five conditions are met: the dedicated account is maintained at an insured financial institution; the consumer owns the funds (including any interest accrued); the consumer can withdraw the funds at any time without penalty; the provider does not own or control or have any affiliation with the company administering the account; and the provider does not exchange any referral fees with the company administering the account. Disclosures and Prohibited Misrepresentations Under the Final Rule, providers will have to make several disclosures when telemarketing their services to consumers. Before the consumer signs up for any debt relief service, providers must disclose fundamental aspects of their services, including how long it will take for consumers to see results, how much it will cost, the negative consequences that could result from using debt relief services, and key information about dedicated accounts if they choose to require them. The Final Rule also prohibits misrepresentations about any debt relief service, including success rates and whether the provider is a nonprofit entity. The FTC’s Statement of Basis and Purpose, which accompanies the Final Rule, provides extensive guidance about the evidence providers must have to make advertising claims commonly used in selling debt relief services. The Rulemaking Process In August 2009, the FTC published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing amendments to the Telemarketing Sales Rule and requesting public comments. Over 300 commenters, representing a wide variety of stakeholders, submitted comments in response. The Commission also held a public forum on the proposed amendments on November 4, 2009. The FTC developed the Final Rule based on the public comments, the record of the public forum and the FTC’s September 2008 Workshop on the debt settlement industry, recent testimony before Congress, and law enforcement actions brought by the Commission and the states. Information for Businesses Today, the FTC staff issued a compliance guide to help businesses comply with the new debt relief rules. The compliance guide describes the key changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rule affecting debt relief services, helps businesses determine if they are covered by the new rules, details information that covered entities must disclose to customers, and discusses how fees may now be collected. It can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/marketing/bus72.pdf on the agency’s website and is linked to this press release. The FTC vote approving publication of the Federal Register notice was 4-1, with Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch voting no. The notice will be published in the Federal Register shortly, and is available now on the FTC’s website at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/07/R411001finalrule.pdf . The provisions of the Final Rule will take effect on September 27, with the exception of the advance fee ban provision, which will take effect on October 27. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm .
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NEW FTC Rule to Protect Consumers in Credit Card Debt
Marketers of "Rapid Debt Reduction" Program To Pay $1.5 Million for Falsely Claiming They Could Lower Consumers’ Interest Rates
July 23rd, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Fraud. No Comments.
Defendants Permanently Banned from Marketing Debt Relief Services The marketers of a “Rapid Debt Reduction” program who promised to lower interest rates on credit cards – for an up-front fee of up to $899 – have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they misled consumers. Under a court order settling the FTC’s case, the pitchmen have been banned from marketing debt-relief services and have agreed to pay $1.5 million that will be used to refund defrauded consumers. Filed as part of the “Operation Short Charge” law enforcement sweep, the FTC’s complaint alleged that Mutual Consolidated Savings (MCS) and its affiliates and principals used cold calls, pre-recorded “robocalls,” and the Internet to push a phony “Rapid Debt Reduction” program to consumers in the United States and Canada. The defendants convinced consumers to pay $690 to $899 for the program, claiming they would reduce credit card interest rates, save consumers thousands of dollars, and enable them to pay off their debt three to five times faster than they could under their current payment schedule. The FTC also alleged that the defendants failed to honor their money-back guarantee. In addition, according to the FTC, the MCS defendants called consumers whose telephone numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry, failed to honor consumers’ requests that they not be called again, transmitted fake Caller ID information, failed to identify themselves during telephone pitches, and made illegal robocalls. The order settling the FTC’s charges bans the defendants from working in the debt relief industry and prohibits them from misleading consumers or helping anyone else mislead consumers about any material facts regarding goods or services they are selling. In addition, they must comply with the agency’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, including not calling consumers on the Do Not Call Registry. The settlement order also requires the defendants to pay approximately $1.5 million – all of their available assets – that will be distributed to injured customers in the United States and Canada. If they misrepresented their financial condition, the defendants will have to pay the full amount of the alleged consumer injury, $22.5 million. The FTC vote approving the complaint and proposed settlement order was 5-0. The settlement order was filed on June 14, 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma and signed by the judge on July 19, 2010. It settles the FTC’s charges against MCS Programs, LLC; United Savings Center, Inc.; and USC Programs, LLC; and their principals, Paul Morris Thompson and Miranda Lynn Cavender. Law Enforcement Coordination In investigating and bringing its case against Mutual Consolidated Savings, the FTC received assistance from the Canadian Competition Bureau. Both the Competition Bureau and the FTC are members of the Vancouver Strategic Alliance, a law enforcement task force located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In carrying out the terms of the court order in Mutual Consolidated Savings, the FTC received assistance from the Police Department of Tacoma, Washington. NOTE: Stipulated final orders are for settlement purposes only and do not constitute an admission by the defendant of a law violation. Stipulated orders have the force of law when signed by the judge. Copies of the complaint and final order are available from the FTC’s website at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm .
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Marketers of "Rapid Debt Reduction" Program To Pay $1.5 Million for Falsely Claiming They Could Lower Consumers’ Interest Rates
Dietary Supplement Maker to Pay $5.5 Million to Settle FTC False Advertising Charges
July 15th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
As part of its ongoing efforts to stop bogus health claims, the Federal Trade Commission is requiring a major marketer of dietary supplements to pay $5.5 million to settle charges that it falsely advertised that its supplements could help consumers lose weight and treat or prevent colds and other illnesses. The $5.5 million will be used for refunds to consumers who purchased Accelis, nanoSLIM, and any Cold MD, Germ MD, and Allergy MD product.
Unemployed Need Not Apply
July 5th, 2010. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Imagine it for a second that you are sitting at home frantically searching the Internet for job listings as your unemployment is running out, and your pantry is growing more and more bare. Finally you find a listing that seems like something you qualify for, only to see these words at the bottom of the listing….”Unemployed candidates will not be considered”. It seems crazy, that during a recession with millions unemployed that none of them would be considered for a job, but apparently its happening all over the country. Alyona talks to Norm Elrod, the author of the blog Jobless And Less.
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Unemployed Need Not Apply
Georgia’s JAK Productions Inc to Pay $300,000 for Abandoning Millions of Telemarketing Calls
June 30th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Court Halts International Scheme Responsible For More Than $10 Million In Unauthorized Charges On Consumers’ Credit and Debit Cards
June 28th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court has halted an elaborate international scheme that used identity theft to place more than $10 million in bogus charges on consumers’ credit and debit cards, pending a trial. More than a million consumers were hit with one-time charges of $10 or less, and their payments were routed through dummy corporations in the United States to bank accounts in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The defendants, using phony company names resembling real companies, and information taken from identity theft victims in the United States, opened more than 100 merchant accounts with companies that process charges to consumers’ credit and debit card accounts, according to the FTC complaint. The FTC believes the defendants may have run credit checks on the identity theft victims first, to be sure they were creditworthy. The defendants also cloaked each fake merchant with a virtual office address near a real merchant’s location, a phone number, a home phone number for the “owner,” a Web site pretending to sell products, a toll-free number consumers could call, and a real company’s tax number found on the Internet. The FTC alleged that with spam e-mail, the defendants recruited at least 14 “money mules” – people in the United States they paid to form 16 dummy corporations, open associated bank accounts to receive the card payments, and transfer the money overseas. The defendants used debit cards linked to these bank accounts to set up telephone service, virtual addresses, and Web sites that helped deceive the card processors, according to the complaint. The “money mules” responded to spam e-mail pretending to seek a U.S. finance manager for an international financial services company. The FTC has not determined how the defendants obtained the stolen identities or consumers’ credit and debit account numbers. Consumers’ payments were sent to bank accounts in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Kyrgyzstan. None of the consumers affected by the scam had contact with any of the defendants. Most consumers either didn’t notice the charges on their bills or didn’t seek chargebacks because of the small amounts – charges ranged from 20 cents to $10. Consumers who called the toll-free numbers that appeared on their bills either found them disconnected or heard recorded messages instructing them to leave a message, but no calls were returned. The defendants are the 16 sham companies – API Trade LLC, ARA Auto Parts Trading LLC, Bend Transfer Services LLC, B-Texas European LLC, CBTC LLC, CMG Global LLC, Confident Incorporation, HDPL Trade LLC, Hometown Homebuyers LLC, IAS Group LLC, IHC Trade LLC, MZ Services LLC, New World Enterprizes LLC, Parts Imports LLC, SMI Imports LLC, SVT Services LLC – and one or more persons who are unknown to the agency at this time. The FTC charged them with making unauthorized charges to consumers’ credit cards in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act. The court froze the defendants’ assets and ordered them to stop operating, pending final resolution of the case. The Commission vote to file the complaint was 4-0. The preliminary injunction order was entered by Judge Ronald A. Guzman in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. NOTE: The Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have actually violated the law. The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics .
Court Halts Massive Telemarketing Robocall Operation
June 10th, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
The Federal Trade Commission’s work to stop deceptive pre-recorded “robocalls” took another step forward today as a federal court halted a major telemarketing operation that made millions of illegal phone calls pitching worthless extended auto warranties and credit card interest rate-reduction programs. At the request of the FTC, a federal court judge in Chicago has entered an order stopping the operation’s calls, temporarily freezing its assets, and appointing a receiver to take control of the operation. “Telemarketers need to understand that blasting consumers with ‘robocall’ pitches is no longer legal,” said FTC Midwest Region Director C. Steven Baker. “Unless you have someone’s consent up-front and in writing to receive a robocall, just don’t do it. The rules could not be simpler than that, and we will go after telemarketers who ignore them.” According to the FTC, SBN Peripherals, Inc., based near Los Angeles, allegedly made more than 370 million calls to consumers nationwide in the past year alone, prompting tens of thousands of complaints to the agency. One telephone service provider told the FTC that during a single day in April 2009 the defendants sent 2.4 million calls to consumers – more than 27 calls per second. The FTC charges the robocalls violated the agency’s Do Not Call Registry Rule. To make it difficult for consumers to identify the caller, the FTC alleges that SBN’s robocalls often transmitted caller ID information vaguely identifying the caller as “SALES DEPT” and displaying telephone numbers registered to an offshore company it controlled called Asia Pacific Telecom. Asia Pacific, a foreign shell company for SBN, made many of the calls and lists its addresses in locations as disparate as the Northern Mariana Islands, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands, the FTC’s complaint alleges. According to the FTC, three of Asia Pacific’s telemarketing numbers accounted for more than 25,000 consumer complaints to the agency in the past year. Two of those telephone numbers – 301-882-9986 and 757-990-8981 – generated more complaints to the FTC during the past year than any other robocall number. Many of the calls were made to cell phones, sticking consumers with additional charges. The operation allegedly used a technology known as “voice broadcasting” to deliver its fraudulent pitches. The FTC charges that the recordings falsely claimed that the caller had urgent information about the consumer’s auto warranty or credit card interest rate. Consumers who pressed “1” for more information were transferred to live telemarketers at a variety of different locations, who used fraudulent practices to sell inferior extended auto service contracts or worthless debt-reduction services. The company’s calls may be familiar to consumers who have answered the phone, only to be greeted by a recording from “Stacey at Account Holder Services” or “Rachel at Cardholder Services” pitching a purported service to lower their credit card interest rate. The FTC’s complaint alleges that defendants violated the FTC’s telemarketing rules by: using robocalls to contact consumers. Under the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, since September 1, 2009, nearly all such pre-recorded calls have been illegal, unless the seller first obtains the consumer’s written permission; calling consumers whose telephone numbers are on the National Do Not Call Registry; “abandoning” pre-recorded calls (not connecting to a live person when a consumer answers) at a higher rate than permitted under law (three percent of all calls made); and repeatedly calling consumers who asked to be put on their company-specific do-not-call list. The FTC alleges SBN delivered robocalls on behalf of at least seven entities that the agency or state attorneys general previously sued for engaging in fraudulent sales practices. SBN also allegedly made illegal “extended auto warranty robocalls” on behalf of another company owned by Fereidoun “Fred” Khalilian, a repeat telemarketing offender against whom the FTC obtained a new court order last week (see press release at: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/06/dolcegroup.shtm ). In addition to the temporary restraining order and asset freeze announced today, the FTC is seeking a court order permanently barring the allegedly illegal conduct and will seek consumer redress as appropriate. The Commission vote approving the complaint was 5-0. It was filed under seal on May 25, 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The court issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants on May 26, 2010. The FTC filed the complaint announced today against Asia Pacific Telecom, Inc., doing business as (d/b/a) Asia Pacific Networks; Repo B.V.; SBN Peripherals, Inc., d/b/a SBN Dials; Johan Hendrik Smit Duyzentkunst; and Janneke Bakker-Smit Duyzentkunst. The Commission would like to acknowledge the assistance that telecommunications carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless provided in the investigation of the case. The FTC reminds consumers that if they get a robocall they did not authorize, they can file a complaint by going to: www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. The FTC’s Do Not Call Registry for telemarketers accepts both land lines and cell phone numbers. NOTE: The Commission issues a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The issuance of a complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have violated the law. Copies of the complaint are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm .
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Court Halts Massive Telemarketing Robocall Operation
Contact 2: Ebay Scam – FOX2now.com
June 2nd, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Contact 2: Ebay Scam FOX2now.com GLEN CARBON , IL (KTVI-FOX2now.com) – A Glen Carbon Illinois man learns buying on the internet can be risky business. …
Local man is victim of Internet scam – Belleville News Democrat
May 31st, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Local man is victim of Internet scam Belleville News Democrat The 57-year-old Glen Carbon man thought he was getting a deal when he found and bought a Bobcat skid loader for what he thought …
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Local man is victim of Internet scam – Belleville News Democrat
Glen Carbon man loses $10000 in eBay scam – Alton Telegraph
May 27th, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Glen Carbon man loses $10000 in eBay scam Alton Telegraph Three months after a Glen Carbon man lost nearly $10000 in an Internet scam , he is warning others to be cautious when buying on the auction website eBay. …
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Glen Carbon man loses $10000 in eBay scam – Alton Telegraph
Does Windows 7 Offer Increased Protection Against Brute Force Password Attacks?
May 26th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
When you think of attacks on your computer you probably think of the attacks coming from intruders on the outside of your network. But, unless you are on a home network, then there are plenty of forces inside of your corporate network that would love to take it down. The person who tries to take it down may have several issues that are causing this behavior – They may be doing it for the money, meaning someone on the outside is paying them to cause damage to your internal network. Alternatively, they can be upset about the way that they were treated recently. When someone feels that they were wronged, sometimes they can take these types of hostile feelings to the extreme and attempt to retaliate against the company. This may lead them to doing something as boneheaded as trying to take down the company’s network. Even if they are not an advanced black hat hacker, they can find some of the tools that they will need to accomplish this over the internet – you do not need to be a genius hacker to be able to take down a network from the inside – all you need is that one right tool. Does Windows 7 Offer Sufficient Protection In This Area? One of the tools that an attacker from the inside would need is something that would allow them to get your password and username. The username may be a little easier to get than the password but, with the right software tool, the password is not that hard either. An attack that is easy for just the average person to pull off is called a brute force attack . Unfortunately, even though Windows 7 has prepared for a lot of attacks against its software, it is still susceptible to a brute force attack. A brute force attack is when a piece of software just starts to throw out random information in the hopes that it can find the password that an administrator has used to secure their system. It attempts to query the system over and over again until it guesses the right information. Once it does, it then saves the information and uses it at another time. There are different variations of a brute force, such as a dictionary attack , but no matter the variation it can prove to be a very effective attack for someone that is new to hacking. If you have been on the underground scene for a while then you would know that there are quicker ways to get into someone’s computer other than a brute force attack. A brute force attack would be the last option for someone who has had a lot of experience. Microsoft has increased its security a great deal with Windows 7 but a brute force attack may be hard for even them to stop. There are certainly ways to block it, but all a person needs is time and the right time pattern and then they can just make the attempts to guess the password look more natural. Try to make sure that your computer has limited access at work – you do not want anyone trying this with your workstation. Read more on Windows 7 Security Does Windows 7 Offer Increased Protection Against Brute Force Password Attacks? is a post from: Security FAQs
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Does Windows 7 Offer Increased Protection Against Brute Force Password Attacks?
BBB Warns Buyers to Beware of Online Predators – St. Louis Globe-Democrat
May 25th, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
BBB Warns Buyers to Beware of Online Predators St. Louis Globe-Democrat Three months after a Glen Carbon , Ill., man lost nearly $10000 in an Internet scam , he is warning others to be extremely cautious when buying on eBay, … and more
How Could A New ATM Rootkit Turn The World Of Banking On It’s Head?
May 24th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The world of banking online is a scary place. People hear all of the news on television about the many break-ins that happen so, even though they may still do it, they are nervous about putting their numbers onto the site. Many of these same people have no such apprehension when they use an ATM machine outside. They feel no pressure that they are going to be robbed or that it is even dangerous to use but the fact is that there are more and more attacks being leveled at ATMs all of the time. ATM Rootkits The bad guys have found out that they are not as secured as people think, so they have found ways to bypass the security. But for the average person there is even more disturbing news that is coming out about the safety of these machines – there are hackers that have figured out a way to place a Rootkit inside of an ATM machine . This is bad news for everybody. So far this attack is not in the wild and it was discovered by security researchers. Even though it was only recently discovered it doesn’t mean that bad guys won’t have it soon – Black hat hackers are always trying to find new and creative ways to exploit anything that will make them money – so it is likely only a matter of time before they figure out how to do this as well. Some people reading this story may have heard of a Rootkit but they do not realize how dangerous it really is. A Rootkit allows a program to sit on a computer and not be able to be detected by the operating system or other software programs that normally detect viruses. It takes a special software program to be able to detect a Rootkit so for someone to be able to install a Rootkit inside of an ATM machine is a big deal. The rootkit could hide inside of it, functioning in a way that would allow the program to be able to capture the banking information of the people who are using the ATM machine. It can then take that information and send it to a server that will store it. Since the infection is a Rootkit it may be able to sit there for months at a time before anyone was able to discover it. With that much time to sit there and gather information, it could possibly gather hundreds of thousands of banking credentials. That is a lot of people that can be put at risk. Luckily for us, the technology that goes into being able to detect a Rootkit has improved over the years – we are now able to detect them better than we were ever able to before. Since we know that an ATM machine is now able to be attacked we can use this knowledge to come up with a solution before there is even a major problem. The new ATM rootkit can cause major problems to the banking industry if not handled properly. It also serves as a timely reminder that computer security applies to the real world too , not only the internet. It is a good thing that we have the technology to combat this problem early on. How Could A New ATM Rootkit Turn The World Of Banking On It’s Head? is a post from: Security FAQs
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How Could A New ATM Rootkit Turn The World Of Banking On It’s Head?
How Do The Bad Guys Use BitTorrent To Spread Their Malware?
May 23rd, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
If you are a person that is on the internet a lot then there is a good chance that you have heard of a technology called BitTorrent . You might not know what it does exactly but you have probably seen the name on some of the news sites that you visit. It has been a very controversial technology for a while now and, while its notoriety has been spreading, the software has been becoming ever more popular. While the technology itself, like all other technology, can be used for good and bad purposes by the average user, it is all of the sudden becoming a popular tool in the malware community. In the following article I will tell you what the technology does and why it is being used to spread malware around to unsuspecting computer users. BitTorrent And File Sharing Bittorrent is the name of the software and the protocol that allows you to share files quickly over the internet. Back in the day, you had to us a normal HTTP format to share files. The files would go from one location straight to the next place. With BitTorrent the file is split up and it is intended to be shared by a group of people. This way the file does not have to be downloaded completely by one person for him to share it with another person – they will just get the piece that he downloaded from someone else. There can be one or more seeders (people who have the original file) and a bunch of other people get the pieces from them. They get it piece by piece instead of all at the same time. With this system the file transfer goes quicker and everyone is able to get the most out of the bandwidth that is available. This technology is used for both legal and illegal file sharing which is the exact reason why it has been on the news lately. Spreading Malware Like any other technology, since it is becoming so popular, the bad guys are starting to use it more and more to deliver their malware. There have always been bad guys on the BitTorrent circuit but now there are more than ever. With certain attacks, they change the name of the files so that it confuses you and you download the wrong thing. They also hide the malware in illegally obtained software in the form of keygens or the executable itself. There have even been cases where they hide the malware in .pdf files . There are a lot of web sites that use BitTorrent to share their legal files so the technology is not going away anytime soon. This means that if you want to use the technology to get a file that you want you are going to have to take some precautions. There are certain precautions that you can take and they are the same precautions that you should employ any other time you download an unknown file from the internet. You must have an updated antivirus scanner and run it over everything that you download from BitTorrent sites – I would guess that maybe 99% of the items will come up clean but it is that other 1% that you have to worry about. If you scan everything that you download, you should be able to stop any problem before it is too late How Do The Bad Guys Use BitTorrent To Spread Their Malware? is a post from: Security FAQs
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How Do The Bad Guys Use BitTorrent To Spread Their Malware?
How Are My Actions On The Internet Being Tracked?
May 22nd, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Make no mistake about it, when you surf the web, you are constantly being tracked. There are a lot of web sites out there that want to get as much as information about you as possible so they place little pieces of software called cookies into your browser to see what sites you are going to. But some web sites take it even beyond that. There are some businesses that are willing to skirt the law just to be able to track what you are doing online. There is a thin line between what the law allows you snoop on and what it doesn’t. Some business web sites either cross the line or get very close to it. To make sure you are not a victim to an overzealous business, I will show you what information the web sites are able to get just from your browser alone. Tracking Via IP Address The first thing that you should know about when you are surfing the web is a thing called an IP address. You may have heard that term plenty of times but you might not be sure what it means. An IP address is a group of numbers that identify your computer on a web site. A web site is able to tell what part of the world you are from through your IP address and can even narrow it down to what section of which city you are in. Every single thing that is connected to the web has an IP address – it is how you are able to connect to the different servers and web sites that you go to. You don’t see the actual numbers because it sits behind something that is called a DNS . That is a program that takes the numbers of the IP address and transfers it to a name. That name is what you type into the browser to get to the site that you want to visit. So the IP address is the first way that they are able to track your browser. Tracking Via Adware The second most common way to track you whenever you use your browser is to install a program that is known as adware. This type of program will see which web sites that you are visiting and will then serve adverts that are based on the content of those web sites. You may think that it is the web site that is sending you the pop up, but in reality it is the program that is installed on your computer. These programs are not only seeing the web sites that you are visiting, and sending ads that go along with it, they are also sending that data to a remote server and tracking what you are doing. The combination of the two allows them to make a lot of money off of you. This is especially true if you are not aware of where the ads are coming from. Tracking Via Cookies And the last way that they will track you is by what I mentioned before and that is a cookie in your system. Almost every web site uses cookie technology. The problem is that some web sites abuse the ability to leave a cookie in someone’s computer. These are the different ways that companies are able to track you when you use a web browser. Make sure that you always remember what they are. How Are My Actions On The Internet Being Tracked? is a post from: Security FAQs
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How Are My Actions On The Internet Being Tracked?
Why The Safest Bet Is To Assume You Have No Privacy On Social Networks
May 21st, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
There has been a movement going with a lot of leaders in the tech community complaining about the privacy issues that come along when you sign up for Facebook. They are really not happy about how fast and loose they believe Facebook has been with their privacy policy . With most web sites, when you hit that checkmark that says that you understood their privacy policy, you usually never hear from it again. With Facebook, they have made several big policy changes in the past couple of years. Each time they have made a change, it has given the end user less and less privacy when it comes to the data that they post on the Facebook site. The latest changes will allow Facebook to give away a huge portion of your data to third party companies. This may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Are You Naive Enough To Believe In Social Network Privacy? The truth is, that even though Facebook has some horrible policies when it comes to users privacy, you should not expect that much privacy on any social network anyway. For most social networks, whenever you first sign up, most of their privacy policies tell you in a nutshell that they can do almost anything that they want with the data that you post. Of course they are not supposed to expose data that you thought was going to be private such as messages sent back and forth through what is known as a “pm” or private message – that is a feature that most people and companies expect to be private. But, other than that, you cannot have any reasonable expectations of privacy . This is why it is always good to be careful in what you post. When you are on any of these social media network web sites you should only post items if you do not care who sees it as you must automatically assume that more people that are outside of your friends list will someday see the post because there is always a chance that it might be seen by everyone. Whether this happens by accident, or by a change in the policy of the web site that you are on, your data will eventually be exposed. If you are not using email or an IM service, when it comes to the social portion of the internet, privacy is a hard thing to keep. This is why you should really think hard before you post an item onto the web. These days a lot of employers are looking to put together a past history on you when you apply for a job. They do that a lot of the times by checking the internet. When they do check the internet they will no doubt come across your social media online profiles. That is why you should remember that if you think that a post can harm your prospects of getting a job, then there is a good chance that you should not post it. Remember, the last thing that you should expect on a social media web site is privacy . Why The Safest Bet Is To Assume You Have No Privacy On Social Networks is a post from: Security FAQs
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Why The Safest Bet Is To Assume You Have No Privacy On Social Networks
Notorious Rogue Internet Service Provider Permanently Shut Down
May 20th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
3FN Service Specialized in Hosting Spam-Spewing Botnets, Phishing Websites, Child Pornography, and Other Illegal, Malicious Web Content At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a district court judge has permanently shut down a rogue Internet Service Provider that recruited, hosted, and actively participated in the distribution of spam, spyware, child pornography, and other malicious and illegal content. The ISP’s computer servers and other assets have been seized and will be sold by a court-appointed receiver, and the operation has been ordered to turn over $1.08 million in ill-gotten gains to the FTC. In June 2009, the FTC charged that 3FN, which does business under a variety of names, actively recruited and colluded with criminals to distribute harmful electronic content including spyware, viruses, trojan horses, phishing schemes, botnet command-and-control servers, and pornography featuring children, violence, bestiality, and incest. The FTC alleged that the defendant advertised its services in the darkest corners of the Internet, including a chat room for spammers. The FTC complaint alleged that 3FN actively shielded its criminal clientele by either ignoring take-down requests issued by the online security community, or shifting its criminal elements to other Internet protocol addresses it controlled to evade detection. The FTC also alleged that 3FN deployed and operated botnets – large networks of computers that have been compromised and enslaved by the originator of the botnet, known as a “bot herder.” Botnets can be used for a variety of illicit purposes, including sending spam and launching denial-of- service attacks. According to the FTC, the defendant recruited bot herders and hosted the command-and-control servers – the computers that relay commands from the bot herders to the compromised computers known as “zombie drones.” Transcripts of instant-message logs filed with the district court show the defendants’ senior employees discussing the configuration of botnets with bot herders. And, in filings with the district court, the FTC alleged that more than 4,500 malicious software programs were controlled by command-and-control servers hosted by 3FN. This malware included programs capable of keystroke logging, password stealing, and data theft, programs with hidden backdoor remote control activity, and programs involved in spam distribution. The FTC charged that 3FN’s distribution of illegal, malicious, and harmful content and deployment of botnets that compromised thousands of computers, harmed consumers and was an unfair practice, in violation of federal law. On June 15, 2009 the court issued a preliminary injunction to prohibit 3FN’s illegal activities and require its upstream Internet providers and data centers to stop providing services to 3FN. The court has now ordered a permanent bar on the illegal activities of 3FN and its agents and has appointed a receiver and instructed him to liquidate the operation’s assets. The defendants named in the FTC’s complaint are Pricewert LLC, also doing business as 3FN.net, Triple Fiber Network, APS Telecom, APX Telecom, APS Communications, and APS Communication. This case was brought with the invaluable assistance of NASA’s Office of Inspector General, Computer Crime Division; Gary Warner, Director of Research in Computer Forensics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; The Shadowserver Foundation; Symantec Corporation; and The Spamhaus Project. The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics .
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Notorious Rogue Internet Service Provider Permanently Shut Down
The Importance of Internet Neutrality
May 19th, 2010. Published under Economic News. No Comments.
Large network companies and cable companies are trying to get their hands on the largest money load of them all; the internet. The internet is an exponentially expanding market that is only going to get bigger. We are seeing more and more internet based companies and less and less offline companies being created. There is
Stop Broadcasting Your SSID To Improve Your Wireless Network Security
May 15th, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
There are certain features that are put into our computers and the accompanying hardware that are there for the convenience of the average user. A lot of the time, however, these conveniences come at the cost of the safety and security of the device. This is the case when it comes to routers and their ability to be able to broadcast the name of the router over the air. I’m talking about the feature that allows a person that is looking for that particular router to be able to easily find it. For example, anyone that comes into your house with a laptop computer or any other wireless device that connects to the internet, can easily find your router. Unfortunately it also lets the bad guys, including your neighbors that like to leech the internet off of you, to know where your router connection is as well. Stop SSID To keep people off of your wireless connection, you can set the router to stop broadcasting your SSID. SSID stands for Service Set IDentifier and it is the name that you see when you search for networks to connect to. If you go to the admin panel of your router you will see that there is an option to turn it off. If you do this then you will be able to hide your router from anyone on the outside that is physically trying to connect to it. It might be a pain for anyone that visits you to try to connect to it but all you have to do is to let them know the name of the network. Hiding your router is easy enough but it is not the only thing that you want to do to keep people off of your network. You will want to set the encryption layer of your network as well. While not having the SSID broadcasting to your neighbors is very effective, there are still ways for people to find the network. So in case they do, you must secure yourself so that they are still not able to connect to your network even if they do find it. To even be more secured you might also want to allow only certain MAC addresses on your network as well. This will allow only certain computers to connect to the network, even though they know the proper keypass and were able to find the network despite the SSID being hidden. Not showing the SSID of the network is only the beginning when it comes to security measures for your network but is a good start and something that you should really think about. Read more about wireless network security . Stop Broadcasting Your SSID To Improve Your Wireless Network Security is a post from: Security FAQs
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Stop Broadcasting Your SSID To Improve Your Wireless Network Security
What Do I Need To Know About Computer Data Recovery Software?
May 13th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
There are many reasons why you may want to keep data recovery software to hand. If you mess something up on your computer, and have some knowledge of what you are doing, then such software may give you the opportunity to recover some or all of your files without having to resort to the hassle and expense of employing a professional . Computer data recovery software may also offer an interesting side benefit in that it can recover files lost to fragmentation, thereby improving the speed of your machine. Typically, a single lost fragment of data is all that is necessary to recover a complete file or archive. Potential Problems In The Recovery Process There are several factors that can influence the process of data recovery. There are some factors that you won’t be able to control, but there are others that can be improved if you take the time to take care of the files on your computer system. In any case, owning a good data recovery software package nowadays is a must. Over time, data fragmentation occurs on most computer systems. There may be different fragments of a file, or files, scattered throughout your computer, possibly even on different hard drives. The more fragmented the data on your hard drive is, the more difficult the recovery process will be. This is one reason why it is good practice to regularly defragment your hard drive – its a simple enough process, can often be run in the background, and can be immensely valuable when things go wrong. If you search the internet you will find many examples of disk defragmenting software, though you need to research them as not all are created equal. That said, most data recovery programs have such functionality included anyway. The Fragmentation Process Whenever your system uses related applications or programs the installed operating system will access and load certain pieces of your data to use. When you are finished with that data it will be written back onto your hard drive. The operating system will look for space on your hard drive to write that data too but as your disk fills up those spaces may not necessarily be next to each other on the platter. This means that the data will be written to different areas of the physical disk, leading to fragmentation. Computer data recovery software can help avoid this. There are two main reasons for fragmentation to occur – Through installing and deleting new programs By copying and deleting other files If this is something you do on a frequent basis then you will want to defragment your hard drive at least once a month. If you don’t, big files will be saved across multiple positions on your hard drive, increasing the risk of data loss and quite possibly slowing your system down. Once again, computer data recovery software can improve this problem. What Do I Need To Know About Computer Data Recovery Software? is a post from: Security FAQs
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What Do I Need To Know About Computer Data Recovery Software?
Learn Digital Photography .. Can You Make Money From Your Photography
May 13th, 2010. Published under Tea Party. No Comments.
By trade I’m a web developer and my wife is a graphic designer. Together we began selling our photographs through the internet over two years ago as a way to earn a little extra cash from something we
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Learn Digital Photography .. Can You Make Money From Your Photography
How Can I Choose A Completely Safe BitTorrent Client?
May 7th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Even though the standard has been around for almost nine years, the world of BitTorrents is still a mysterious thing to a lot of people. When it comes to downloading files off of the internet, most people still use the traditional way of going to a web site and just downloading the file like they would normally do. Some people who may be a little more technically inclined may use one of the file sharing services like Kazaa to download files off of the net. But if you are a person that really knows computers then there are two ways that you are going to go – either use the Usenet service that has been around for ages or use bittorrent. Going Underground Even though bittorrent still remains somewhat an underground phenomenon, it is still popular enough that people make many versions of the client. Since the bittorrent client is an open protocol, anyone who feels like it can make their own version of it and can build it and use it themselves. Software and protocols being open like this is usually a good thing but there have been some bad guys that have tried to take advantage of this. They have created their own version of a bittorrent client and use it to spread malware to unsuspecting users’ computers. The tainted software does this by either pretending to be a real client when it isn’t, or it is a real client but it sends unauthorized downloads to your computer. Either way, both of these tricks can give a new user to bittorrent a bad impression about the software and the overall community itself. So, to make sure that you download a client that is safe, here is what you should do – The first thing that you can do to make sure that your client is safe is to go to a site that is well known and retrieve the client from there. If you look at a web site such as download.com or any other like that, you will find dozens of bittorrent clients waiting to be downloaded. This way you know the software is safe and has been tested. Peer Recommendations Another thing that you can do is to go and visit some forums to see what clients they are using. Ask the people for a link and you will surely be able to come up with a decent client to use. Once you start trying to find out what client you want to use, you will hear certain names that come up over and over again. Try a couple of these clients and see which one that you like the best. When a new person is entering the world of downloading torrents there is a steep learning curve to get past. Learning how to pick a safe client to use should not be on that list. Once you have a client remember also that there are some dangers inherent in downloading torrents . How Can I Choose A Completely Safe BitTorrent Client? is a post from: Security FAQs
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How Can I Choose A Completely Safe BitTorrent Client?
How Can I Protect My Gmail Account?
May 2nd, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
For most people, even though it is still an older technology, email is still the number one way that they do business in the world of the internet. They are used to the ability of checking the account whenever they want and they still might not be comfortable with the real time aspects of most newer communication applications that are out there. Sure, email may be a slower way to communicate than some of the newer applications, but it is still one of the most effective ways to get your message across. Email Accounts Are Appealing To Black Hat Hackers But… black hat hackers know that a lot of people still use email as their main form of communication, so they have focused their latest attacks in getting past this road block. In particular they have focused on getting past the security barriers that are layed down by Google. Google’s Gmail service is one of the most popular email services out there and because of that, it has become a target. When you are dealing with Gmail or any other email accounts, you have to be careful who can gain access to it. There are a couple of steps that you can take to make sure that no one but you is able to access the account. Do not give the log in information to anyone else, or most of these techniques will be rendered moot. The first thing that you want to do before you try to protect your password, is to make sure that you have your reset password details set. In case you are hacked, you can let Google know that you are the real owner by answering a few questions. If you are not able to answer these questions, or if they are not set, then you will not be able to access the account. So make sure that you have this feature set. Password Security Is Paramount After that is done, make sure that you have a password that will not be easy to guess . When creating the password, use symbols, numbers, and Capitalized letters. Also make sure that the word is not a dictionary word. Using all of these precautions, you will be able to keep the attacker from guessing the password. Another thing that you should do, is to access GMail from as few locations as possible. Do not access your account from a public computer if possible. Some people forget to log out when they do this regularly and people are able to get in and see your information. When you log into Gmail, if anything seems off, you can check the IP address of whoever logged in last. At the bottom of the page, Google has set up a feature that is called “Last Known Activity”. You can check this to see if anyone besides you has access your account. To check your IP, go to WhatsmyIP.com and compare it to the ones that are listed on Google. Keep in mind that if you logged in from a remote place, such as work, it will give a different address. Or if you have an ISP that uses dynamic IP addresses, it will not be as effective as well. These are a couple of ways that you can protect your email . Make sure that you use them. How Can I Protect My Gmail Account? is a post from: Security FAQs
Introduction of the Ant Tribe
April 16th, 2010. Published under Economic News. No Comments.
Nowadays, lots of words like “ant tribe”, “dwelling narrowness” are famous on the internet and the daily expression which used to describe people who born in the late of 1980s and graduated recently. What is the common ground between ant and the college students born in the late of 1980s? We will have a look at
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Introduction of the Ant Tribe
Watch Out For Counterfeit Software Scams
March 2nd, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Fraudsters are always looking to make money on the internet and they use a number of different schemes to do just that. One way in which they achieve their nefarious means is through distributing counterfeit software . Typically, these fraudsters will open up online stores from which to sell their warez. They will then advertise the popular software products of the day at a huge discount, often from 50% or even much more. To lend an air of credibility to the deals that they are offering they will also falsely claim that they are authorised sellers for the software on their sites. Should you happen to buy counterfeit software from such a seller it is likely that you will end up extremely disappointed and out of pocket as the programs will most likely come with fraudulent serial keys. Such keys, if not already blocked by the software manufacturer at the time of your purchase, will likely prove to be useless in a short period of time. How Do I Protect Myself From Counterfeit Software Scams? As ever, commonsense is the key here. If a product is priced at a ridiculously low level then alarm bells should ring loudly in your head. Also, you should also be very wary of buying anything from websites you know nothing about. In the case of software, you can always contact the producer of the software you are interested in to check whether the website you’ve seen is indeed an authorised seller of said product. Watch Out For Counterfeit Software Scams is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Watch Out For Counterfeit Software Scams
Federal Trade Commission Issues Report of 2009 Top Consumer Complaints – Debt Collection #2
February 24th, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
What bothers me the most is that debt collection complaints ranks number 2, the Federal Trade Commission received 119,549 complaints and only a handful of enforcement actions in 2009. As far as I am concerned the Federal Trade Commission is as useless as “tits on a boar hog” in regards to enforcing the FDCPA and FCRA. Congress needs to light a fire under the FTC or vote the new consumer protection agency into power. —- The Federal Trade Commission today released a report listing top complaints consumers filed with the agency in 2009. It shows that while identity theft remains the top complaint category, identity theft complaints declined 5 percentage points from 2008. The FTC is releasing a new animated video showing how people can file a complaint, and offers examples of what complaints the FTC handles. To watch the video, visit http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint.shtm (also available in Spanish at http://ftc.gov/multimedia/video/scam-watch/file-a-complaint_es.shtm ). The report breaks out complaint data on a state-by-state basis and also contains data about the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest per capita incidence of fraud and other complaints. In addition, the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest incidence of identity theft are noted. The top complaints were: Rank | Category
Why You Should Beware Of Dance Studio Scams
February 15th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Dancing can either be a fun pastime or, for some gifted people, a great career opportunity. Dance studios can cater to both types of dancer, though they tend to be aimed more at those who are looking to have fun and socialise rather than pursue a career. Students can learn new techniques and have fun at a dance studio but they should, perhaps, be a little wary when signing up.. Dance studios generate large amounts of money for those who run them and so, just as with most types of business, scam artists become involved in a small number of them. HOW DANCING STUDIO SCAMS ARE COMMITTED Dance studios don’t tend to allow students to come and go as they please, preferring to organise agreements for minimum periods instead. Clients will be signed up for a certain amount of time, typically a year or more, during which will they be contractually obligated to continue paying fees. Dance studios that are looking to earn as much as they can from their clients then find ways of using those contracts, including adding terms and conditions that compel their students to make purchases of training materials or equipment solely through them or an agent of their choice (who will undoubtedly be giving them a nice kickback) . Additionally, such contracts may also compel clients into paying additional fees too, such as a contribution towards the cost of the venue, or for extra training sessions. Funnily enough, a lot of these ‘extras’ will either be unwanted or will go unused. HOW TO AVOID DANCING STUDIO SCAMS As with everything in life, common sense is key. Before joining a dance studio be sure to check them out and ask questions. Speak to people who are already members as well as searching for the studio on the internet. Whilst you shouldn’t believe everything you read it will be worth investigating any complaints you see or hear. Here are some ideas of the types of question you should be asking before joining a dance studio – What is the cost per dancing lesson? Will there be a need to pay for extra materials or lessons? What are the total costs of the contract? Are there any advance payments or deposits required? Will there be monthly or annual fee increases during the term of the contract? How many lessons you are paying for, when are they held and how long do they last? Can you cancel early and what would be the cost of doing so? Is your payment protected if the studio goes out of business? Check whether the answers to those questions will be contained in the contract and, before signing the contract, it may be worth consulting with an attorney to verify that you are clear on what you are paying for and what rights you have. Enjoy your dancing! Why You Should Beware Of Dance Studio Scams is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Why You Should Beware Of Dance Studio Scams
Oops, I Pressed *Esc
February 8th, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
The following email has been circulating around the internet in many guises for several years, but I still find it amusing. Dear Microsoft Technical Support, I am desperate for some help. I recently upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and found that the new program began giving unexpected errors and also took up a lot of space and valuable resources. This wasn’t mentioned in the product brochure. In addition Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs and launches during system initialization where it monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Boys Night Out 2.5, and Cricket 5.3 no longer run and crash the system whenever selected. Attempting to operate Saturday Sports Bar 6.3 always fails but Saturday Shopping 7.1 runs instead. I cannot seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background whilst attempting to run any of my favorite applications. I am thinking about going back to Girlfriend7.0 but uninstall doesn’t work on this program. With regards, ……………….. THE REPLY: – This is a very common problem resulting from a basic misunderstanding. Many men upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 thinking that Wife 1.0 is merely a UTILITIES & ENTERTAINMENT program. Whereas Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM designed by its creator to run everything. You are unlikely to be able to purge Wife 1.0 and still convert back to Girlfriend 7.0 as Wife 1.0 is not designed to do this and it is impossible to uninstall, delete or purge the program files from the system once installed. Some people have tried to install Girlfriend 8.0 or wife 2.0 but have ended up with even more problems. (See in manual under alimony Support and Solicitors Fees). Having Wife 1.0 installed myself I recommend you keep it installed and deal with the difficulties as best you can. When any faults or problems occur, whatever you think has caused them, you must run the C: I APOLOGISE.bat program and avoid attempting to use the *Esc-key. It may be necessary to run C: I APOLOGISE.bat a number of times but hopefully eventually the operating system will return to normal. Wife 1.0 although a very high maintenance program can be very rewarding. To get the most out of it consider buying additional software such as Flowers 2.0 and Chocolates 5.0. Do not under any circumstances install Secretary36.24.36 (Short Skirt version) as this is not a supported application for Wife 1.0 and the system will almost certainly crash. Thank you for using the program!! I received the latest version this morning and it reminded me why I’m getting divorced.. I just couldn’t bring myself to run the I APOLGISE.bat program which she requested, even when she was the one in the wrong If you haven’t been able to work it out, the above is, of course, an email hoax and not a genuine reply from Microsoft. Oops, I Pressed *Esc is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Oops, I Pressed *Esc
A Top 5 List Of The Most Common Security Hoaxes On The Internet
February 1st, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Most people tend to ignore the email that may appear in their spam folders, with good reason of course. Sometime, if you are expecting an email and it hasn’t appeared yet, you may check the spam folder to make sure that it didn’t end up in there. Otherwise you will just most likely ignore it. Sometimes, the opposite might happen and a piece of spam email may appear in your normal inbox. The spammers will find a way to circumvent the filters. So now that it is in your normal email inbox, you will tend to trust it a little bit more. It will tell you a story that may come off as a serious piece of news or a rumor that is going around. It may sound credible or it might sound crazy, the main thing that the email wants you to do, is to click on the link. Once you click on that link, they have won the battle. Dangerous Places It’s not the email itself that is dangerous, its the place that it is sending you to. There are a lot of hoaxes that are discovered everyday floating around the Internet. These new stories are passed around, just to see what sticks. Along with the new ones, there are some that have been around forever. They are still used by hackers and spammers, because people will continuously click on them. They are worded just right, so that they do their job and make people click on to somewhere they do not want to be. They may think that by clicking the link, they are getting the rest of the story, but in reality, they are being sent somewhere that will damage their computer. Some of these hoaxes have been around for years. At this point, maybe even decades. No matter how many warnings are given, people still tend to click on them. As long as that happens, they will never stop. The Top 5 Email Hoaxes Here are some of the top five email hoaxes that are being spread around on the Internet – A.I.D.s virus – this hoax tells people that they have to be aware of email messages that state “OPEN: VERY COOL” or “aolfree.com”. It then ask you to warn everyone in your message book. Evocash – This hoax sends a false alert, saying that it contains a worm. It doesn’t but the page that it sends you to might. Just delete it. John Kennedy Jr – This is another one that tells you to watch out for a virus being spread by a screensaver called “John Kennedy Jr”. Big Brother – This is an old hoax, that comes around every year while the show big brother is on. This is another one to just delete and not pay attention to. PANDEMIC COMPUTER VIRUS – This is another that tells users about a fake computer virus, called “Microshaft”. Again this is not real and you should not pay attention to what it says. These are the 5 most common email hoaxes that are out there. If you see any of these hoaxes, to not be concerned. Simply take your delete key in your email and use it. Do not click on any links or take any actions that these emails may suggest to you. A Top 5 List Of The Most Common Security Hoaxes On The Internet is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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A Top 5 List Of The Most Common Security Hoaxes On The Internet
Hackers Use The News Of Fake Celebrity Deaths To Their Own Advantage
January 28th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
If you want to get people interested in something that you have to say, just add a celebritie’s name to it and the heads will turn. This does not necessarily reflect well on our society, but it is the truth. We pay attention more to celebrities, than to anybody else. It doesn’t matter if they are in movies, music or sports, people care what they have to say. Since this fact is well known, hackers use this to their advantage on a regular basis. Before, they would wait until a big news story about a celebrity to break, and they would then try to capitalize off of it. Since there are sites such as Twitter and Facebook out now, it is easier to create a fake story themselves and get everyone to click on it. Fake Deaths Spread Malware This is exactly what happened last week. Throughout the different social media web sites, it was reported that the actor Johnny Depp, was killed in a car accident . Even though there was no credible source, that was reported in the news, the story spread like wild fire. In less than a couple of hours, Twitter was filled with RIP notices to the supposed “late” actor’s death. Of course none of this was true and was only just the means of a hacker spreading his latest attack throughout the Internet. It seems that it was a pretty successful attack, even though there are no hard numbers to reveal this fact. But as popular as this fakes new story was throughout the weekend, there had to be a lot of victims to this attack. He used the news, that there was video that showed the actual crash, to spread the virus around. When they went to watch the video, it would ask them to download a codec to be able to see the video. Once they did, the virus would then spread onto their machines. There must be an effort to educate people on what to click and what not to click. If there is not, then attacks such as this will work every time. Malware Plugged In People are so used to web sites asking them to install plugins when they go to them, that it is not a big deal for the average user anymore. When you go to web sites such as CNN.com, they even ask you to use a special plugin to view their content, which is only a Flash video. So it is hard for the average user to be able to tell the difference. As long as these attacks still work, Hackers will do their best to implement them. We have to get the word out to the public, when it is best to install something from a web site. If not, then this problem will be a continuous cycle. Hackers Use The News Of Fake Celebrity Deaths To Their Own Advantage is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Hackers Use The News Of Fake Celebrity Deaths To Their Own Advantage
How Are Online Ads Used To Scam People?
January 21st, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The human race is an imaginative bunch. If there is a problem that is in front of us, we do our best to solve it. The same goes for when we have an objective to achieve. We will pull out our imaginations and come up with something very cunning. This is what hackers and online scam artists do on a daily basis. They see an objective, which is how to get the money that is in your wallet, and figure out a way to accomplish it. Online Classified Ads Scam The latest scam has been using online classified ads to find their victims. There have always been scams when it came to classified ads, even online ones. Craigslist, Ebay and all of the other types of classified web sites, have all had to increase their security over the years. No one wants to visit these places, if all that happens is, them being scammed and their money taken. So there are safe guards in place to help prevent this from happening. But these safeguards deal with just the normal crooks. These days, the online classified ads scams are being done by organized groups of individuals. Organized Crime The groups that are involved with the scams range from organized crime members in the US to criminals operating out of Nigeria. There is just not one group of individuals who are committing these crimes, it has gone international. People have found it lucrative and are taking advantage of it. The range of scams are also great. The different scams include fake electronics, bait and switch, robbery, and even real estate fraud. Some of these scams might need a little bit of explanation so that you know how to avoid them. The bait and switch is especially popular on EBay . It involves someone advertising an item and showing a picture of it in a package. In little letters at the bottom of the page, they say that they are selling the packaging and not the item itself. So when you get only the packaging and you start to complain, they bring up that it is exactly what was advertised. Robbery happens a lot on Craigslist . People will pretend that they are selling something and they need you to pick it up. When you go there with your money, they physically assault you and take the money out of your pocket. This happens more often than people think. Make sure you meet in a public place if possible, when purchasing items off of craigslist. The real estate scam involves people claiming that they have a house for rent or sale. They will tell you that they live there but are out of the country. They then send you a key, and you send them the money. When you get to the place, you find out that the key doesn’t work. This is a relatively new crime that has been happening a lot. Most traces claim that a lot of the real estate scams are originating from Nigeria. Online classifieds are a great way to get a deal but they have their share of risk as well. If you are careful and make sure that read the listing very throughly, you should be able to avoid the scams. How Are Online Ads Used To Scam People? is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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How Are Online Ads Used To Scam People?
I Looked Out My Window And There It Was, Evidence Of Global Warming
January 6th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I always thought global warming was a hoax . I mean, come on, is the planet really getting warmer each year? Today, though, I saw it with my own eyes, the glorious sunshine on what should have been a cold winter’s day – A quick change of clothes was in order, I feel so much cooler in my shorts and t-shirt. The weathermen said this was the coldest winter since records began in Britain. They are clearly deluded – They also said that we hadn’t had this much snow since those records began either. Are they on drugs? This here photographic evidence clearly proves otherwise – I am therefore, completely converted. No longer will I believe that global warming is a hoax or conspiracy designed for hitting us with higher taxes or who knows what else. It is quite obviously a genuine phenomenon that poses a very real threat to society. I for one am glad though as I won’t be needing my heating on this winter I Looked Out My Window And There It Was, Evidence Of Global Warming is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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I Looked Out My Window And There It Was, Evidence Of Global Warming
Newspapers and Their Often Useless How-To Fight a Debt Collector Articles
January 4th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
I read a lot of news, and I mean a *LOT* of news every day. I keep tabs on all sorts of things, mainly debt collection and debt collectors. Especially the abusive ones. I have seen a growing pattern of newspaper articles titled along the lines of “How to Deal With Debt Collectors”,
If Hackers Attack Your Business Then You Can Be Held Legally Responsible
January 4th, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
The next step for mostly anyone that has a brick and mortar store set up out in the real world is to create an online virtual space for their customers to shop in. Of course anyone that is in business has heard of the great advantages that can be gained when you bring your store online. You have access to a lot more customers in a global arena. Plus the use of the latest and greatest software allows your transactions to be made easily without any problems. All you have to do is to take the credit card, process it, and get ready to take the order, right? Wrong, having your business online is a great way to make extra money but there are some considerations that are there that you can not take lightly. One of those are the very serious security issues that can arise from taking someone’s credit card online. If this is handled the wrong way you can be held legally responsible. Right now there is a case going on between the financial institution Capital One and an electronic testing firm from Louisiana. The name of the company is JM test systems and they had more than $97,000 stolen through the use of illegal bank transfers. Capital One is stating that it is not their fault and they are not involved with the transaction beside letting it go through their systems. How this case will pan out is anyone’s guess and will, undoubtedly, be expensive in either case. Therefore, it pays to take sure security seriously. When you are a company that takes a person’s credit card number, you must have the best security that you can possibly afford. You have to be certain that the protection of the numbers is your number one priority and that you take it seriously. If you are a small business the best thing that you can do is to allow a third party entity that is trusted to handle your credit card processing. Look at the companies that get the best reviews and use them. These people are professionals and handle security threats on a daily basis. They will be able to handle the security of your customers personal data better than you can. You have to make sure that when you decide to take orders online that you do not take this responsibility lightly. People are entrusting their credit card numbers in your hands. If you are the one that slips up by not providing enough security then you can be legally liable. If Hackers Attack Your Business Then You Can Be Held Legally Responsible is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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If Hackers Attack Your Business Then You Can Be Held Legally Responsible
Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products
December 24th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Everybody wants to feel safe and secure when surfing the internet and the best way to achieve that goal is through having quality products protecting your computer. That means an antivirus program at the very least and quite possibly a full internet security suite. One of the most notable security vendors is Trend Micro who have today announced a 30% price reduction on many of their products. Make it a Merry Christmas for both of us by bagging a great discount whilst earning me a commission To benefit from this great discount just use the coupons below between December 25th and January 10th – For United States customers Save 30% off Trend Micro Internet Security! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Save 30% off Trend Micro Antivirus plus AntiSpyware 2010! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Save 30% on Trend Micro Internet Security Pro! Coupon Code: shoptrendm For my fellow Brits Save 30% on Trend Micro Home & Home Office products! Coupon Code: shoptrendm For everyone else Spar 30% av Trend Micros hele linjen av Home og Home Office-produkter! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Bespaar 30% van de gehele lijn van Trend Micro’s van Thuis en Thuiskantoor producten! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Sconto del 30% della intera linea di Trend Micro Home & Home Office prodotti! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Économisez 30% de toute la ligne de Trend Micro of Home & Home Office produits! Acheter maintenant Sparen Sie 30% der gesamten Linie von Trend Micro Home & Home Office Produkte! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products
Have Researchers Found A Way To Bypass Microsoft Bitlocker Security Technology?
December 18th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
In the last several iterations of the Microsoft Windows operating system they have touted the availability of higher security on the system. The newer security features included the forced nag screen that came up when installing a program that could be harmful to your computer. Also, the new command that you must have administrative access to be able to change certain settings that could damage the computer. One security feature that was praised above all was the Bitlocker system. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video This technology allowed people to encrypt their hard drives in case it was stolen. It now seems that the technology has a flaw that allows it to be bypassed. The security test lab named Fraunhofer SIT discovered a way that they could get around the Bitlocker encryption. The way that they bypass the system is completely software based and requires physical access to the machine. It involves booting the system with Bitlocker on it from a separate device. This device can be a USB drive or another computer. Once it is ready, the attacker can then replace the boot code of the Bitlocker system with a piece of code that records the user provided key. Once that key is recorded ,the person is able to reboot the system back to its unmodified state. This attack even works if a person has the Trusted Platform Module turned on. The Trusted Platform Module is another part of the Microsoft security system that until now was not able to be bypassed. I’ve obviously made this sound simpler than it is as I don’t want to be teaching anyone how to do this but, in reality, it is far from simple. It is very involved and not at all easy to pull off. Overall the Bitlocker security system is still a very safe way to encrypt your files and folders. They did not find a way to break the actual encryption, they merely found a way to bypass it. You will not have to worry about your average attacker knowing how to do anything this complicated. The system is still very secured and should keep you worry free. Have Researchers Found A Way To Bypass Microsoft Bitlocker Security Technology? is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Have Researchers Found A Way To Bypass Microsoft Bitlocker Security Technology?
Inheritance Scams
December 16th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
If you receive an email, or notification via regular mail, from an ‘estate locator’ claiming that there may be an unclaimed inheritance to which you are entitled then don’t get excited too quickly. Sure, there are times when someone dies and leaves a sum of money to people who didn’t know them, or didn’t expect to inherit anything from them, but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule. So, if you do receive such a notification from an ‘estate locator’ suggesting that you have an inheritance due then remember that if something sounds too good to be true it typically is. THE INHERITANCE CON Con artists will adopt any scheme that they think will part a fool from his money. They will tell you that you are due an inheritance and that they have found you by undertaking extensive research. Don’t feel flattered that they have found you though – inheritance scammers bulk mail the same message to hundreds, or even thousands, of people at the same time, hoping that one or two may reply. Those people who do reply are then enticed into a classic advanced fee scam , being told that they need to pay for various expenses before they can claim their inheritance. Such fees can include estate reports, legal costs and processing fees. Needless to say, this money disappears without a trace and no inheritance is ever forthcoming. PREVENTION Keeping yourself safe from inheritance scams is relatively easy and just requires some commonsense. If you receive mail from an ‘estate locator’ then check sources other than the ones they quote to you, such as relatives and obituaries. Additionally, business services such as the BBB and the AG’s office could tell you if you are being approached by an individual or company that has been investigated in connection with inheritance scams. Remember too that legitimate law firms and executors of wills will never require you to pay a fee in order to determine whether you are entitled to an inheritance or not. If you have been unfortunate enough to become a victim of such a scheme then report it to the authorities so that others do not have to experience the same fate. Inheritance Scams is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Inheritance Scams
Hacker’s Holiday Tricks
December 7th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The quick rise of the use of the Internet for people to go shopping has been staggering. For years people were afraid to place their credit card online since they were confronted with so many horror stories of shoppers being ripped off, while they watched the nightly news. Now that the Internet has been in the majority of peoples homes for close to a decade, there is a new comfortable feeling with expanding the use of it. People have educated themselves on how to conduct their online purchases and what common scams to look out for. That is a good thing but there are some stories that do not get emphasized enough. One story that seems to get downplayed is that on the holidays criminals tend to ratchet up their activities. They pull out all of the stops in their scams. They know that at this time of year there will be a lot of targets online so they attempt to fool as many of them as they can. Holiday Scams To Watch Out For – Ecards Here are some tricks that the bad guys will pull especially during the holidays. The use of a digital e-card as an attack vector really increases during the holidays. More and more people are using these types of cards to send their holiday greetings to people that they know. Since the holidays are such a busy time, this is a great time-saver. It is a great item to give to people, especially if they are just casual acquaintances. It lets them know that you are thinking about them without taking the time to go to the store and then filling out hundreds of cards. The bad guys know this and they will attempt to get you to spread their malicious malware to your friends using this information. When you are using an e-card, make sure that it is from a trusted site. If you are receiving an e-card, make sure that you scan it first. Also contact the person that sent it to you – this allows you to make sure that they really sent it. Holiday Scams To Watch Out For – Review Sites Another method of attack that will increase during the holidays is Hackers using fake review sites to spread malware. During this time of year, many more people using web sites to get reviews on products so hackers will set up review sites earlier in the year, keep it legit, and then when the holidays come around, load it with malware for their visitors to receive. This can confuse people, since there is a good chance that they have been to the site before to look at reviews of similar products. If you have an updated browser and an updated antivirus program running, you should be protected from most attacks of this kind. Even if a site seems legit, during this time of year make sure that you keep your guard up. Holiday Scams To Watch Out For – Your Kids! Our final method of attack that will be on the increase during the holidays are hackers using your child’s Internet activity to attack your computer. You will have to be careful and make sure that you monitor your children, especially those in the 8 – 12 year old range. Hackers know that kids will click on just about anything, so they will hide a lot of their malware in kid’s sites and games. Kids will become excited by the sight of Santa Claus and other holiday figures and will want to interact with them. They may seem innocent but they will cause just as much damage to your computer as if they were from an adult site. Educate your kids on what to click on and make sure that the sites that they are allowed to visit are limited. Also look to invest in software that is made especially for the protection of kids on the Internet, or get them their own kids browser . I have gone over several ways that hackers might try to attack you during the holiday season. Make sure that you protect yourself by updating all of the security software that you have on your computer. Also be careful of new sites that are just popping up around this time. Hacker’s Holiday Tricks is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Hacker’s Holiday Tricks
The Use Of Charities To Run Scams On The Internet
December 4th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
One of the things about the holidays is the good feeling that people seem to display that is not there during the rest of the year. A lot of this goodwill gets displayed in the form of giving to charities . It helps a person feel good about themselves. They feel like they are helping someone else in need. That feeling is unrivaled to anything else in the world. This mood can be spoiled very quickly when they find out that their good deed went punished. This happens a lot on the Internet in the form of a scam . The bad guys of the Internet never take a day off, even during the holidays. It is up to you to make sure that you keep yourself on guard during the holiday season. There are several ways that an attacker will try to take advantage of your goodness this holiday. The number one way that this will happen is through a charity email that will be sent out to hundreds of thousands of people. This email will be a legit email but from a fake organization. They will try to sell you a sob story on how needy their cause is and how it is up to you to help them. They may even try to do a hard sell by sending information to your house about the charity in question. Do not fall for it. You have the Internet, be smart and use it. Do some research on the charity. This will let you know very quickly if the charity is a legitimate organization. If they have a negative rating or no record of the charity at all then you know that they are a fake organization. Another way that people will use a charity against an unsuspecting victim is to send you a tainted email. This email will try to pull at your heart strings so that you will visit the site in question. This site will be loaded with malware that will be used to infect your computer. Once again this can be avoided by doing some research on the charity in question before you visit any suspicious links. If you do click on the link, then having the latest in anti virus software protection will help to large extent from having your computer become infected. You must be careful during this holiday season. People have bad intentions 365 days of the year. Just because it is the holidays, do not let down your guard while you surf the Internet. The Use Of Charities To Run Scams On The Internet is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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The Use Of Charities To Run Scams On The Internet
How To Communicate Securely Through A Network With SSH
December 1st, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
When you take your computer onto a strange network, it pays to be highly suspicious and even paranoid about the situation. There are many tricks that are out there now that allows malicious hackers to gather your information as the packets transmit through the air. Many people need to access their work computer when they are in a remote location and this action requires traveling over strange networks. Some people only need a command line client to be able to access the office server. The SSH protocol allows a command line client to be able to access a work server securely through encrypted data packets. Let’s explain how the program works and why it is one of the best solutions out there. SSH The SSH protocol has been around for a long time. It started in 1995 as a small free project but turned out to be so useful that the project just grew and grew. When the idea of networks first came about, the thoughts of security were secondary to thoughts about the speed of the network. People would use programs such as Telnet to access from remote locations and transmit data back and forth. Then in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s security proved to be a real big issue and tools were created to address that issue. A replacement for Telnet, which was lacking encryption and other secure features, was needed. This created the desire for a program such as SSH. SSH is just the security protocol and there are plenty of clients that make use of that protocol. The most popular being the putty program. It has gained the respect of the security community and seems to be the favorite by a large margin. Once you have installed a client such as putty you just put in your log in information and pick which type of encryption you would like to use. After that is done you can now use it to log into your server. You can now transmit your data back and forth without the gnawing feeling that somebody can be easily dropping in on your communications. The use of SSH to log into your remote server is one the best ways to make sure that your data stays secure. If you in any way concerned about a network that you are using remotely then make sure that you pick the best way to keep your communication secured. How To Communicate Securely Through A Network With SSH is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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How To Communicate Securely Through A Network With SSH
Understanding Encryption
November 29th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Encryption takes data in its original (plaintext.) form and uses a mathematical algorithm (cipher) and an encryption key to transform it into an unreadable form (ciphertext). Decryption takes ciphertext and transforms it back into plaintext, which once again uses the cipher in conjunction with a key. What do you think of when you hear the word encryption ? Is it spies sending their superiors information in secret code? Perhaps you visualize windowless rooms in some secret government facility where pale, bespectacled code-breakers pour over ss of secret messages and try to decipher them? This might happen in the movies, but the code-breaker today is just as likely to be a 14-year-old script kiddy , and the secret facility his bedroom. He enjoys a slice of pizza and listens to his pirated music collection while he uses tools written by a real hacker to crack the encryption on your network. Encryption is an incredibly useful security tool. It can prevent crackers from sniffing information on your WLAN, it secures authentication of computers and users, and it can protect data on hard drives. However, not all encryption is created equal. Some methods are stronger than others, and even strong encryption can be undermined by poor implementation or improper use.
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Understanding Encryption
Protecting Your Computers With A Personal Firewall
November 28th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
A firewall protects your network from unauthorized trespassers. Many routers have firewall functions built in to check traffic leaving or entering the network, but you also should run a personal firewall on each client computer on your WLAN . Personal firewall software usually costs around $40 and it is often bundled with antivirus software. A personal firewall is an application that runs on your computer and protects it against unauthorized access. Like a hardware firewall, it’s configurable to allow or disallow different types of traffic to enter and leave your PC. Personal firewalls monitor ports, which are numbered software addresses that your computer uses for different networking tasks. For example, a Web server communicates through port 80, an e-mail server through port 25. Many of these ports aren’t needed by your PC, and a good personal firewall closes or blocks unused or unneeded ports to prevent an intruder from accessing your computer through one of them. A personal firewall also can monitor activity on your PC and alert you when an application attempts to reach the Internet or your WLAN. This is important because some worms and Trojan horse software attempt to use your computer to infect other computers, or to “phone home” to a cracker so that he can get into your computer. Personal firewalls are an effective way to protect individual computers on your WLAN. Read more on Firewalls .
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Protecting Your Computers With A Personal Firewall
The Tell-Tale Signs That Your Computer May Have Become Infected With A Virus
November 27th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
These days most people use their computers on a fairly regular basis. I would even go as so far to say that most people may be on their computers for at least up to an hour a day. That figure would be people that are using the computer strictly for recreational purposes only. We would have to add to that figure if we included people who are using their computer for work and play. It has become the center of our entertainment and work place universe, so most people get to know their machines very intimately. When you use any kind of tool on a regular basis you start to get a feel when something is wrong with it. You may not be able to tell what is exactly wrong but you may have a gut feeling that things are not right. Viral Infection When it comes to using your computer there are signs that it may be infected by a virus without running a virus scanner. Lets go over a couple of those signs. Keep in mind that this is not a surefire list that will reveal a virus on your system. Some viruses are sneaky and do their best to make sure that you do not know that they are on your system. They want to be able to collect data or use your computer resources without you knowing about it. That is why it is still a good ideal to run an antivirus scanner on a regular basis, with or without signs of foul play. Others times some of these signs that I am about to mention may show up but there is no infection on the computer. There may be a program running that you do not know about or a problem with the hardware. Signs Of An Infection Either way the signs that we are going to discuss are just that, signs. They in no way mean that you definitely have a virus. It means that you should do a quick scan with an antivirus program because there is a possibility that you may have a bug in your system. The first sign that you may have a virus or other infection in your system is that you might have a lot of activity going on in your Internet connection. Your computer connects to the Internet and your home network a lot in the process of everyday computing. Most of the time it is connecting for things that you do not know about but they are of a legit purpose. It may connect to the ISP to update its status or it may be even talking to your router to pull information from it. So just because you are not actively browsing the web and you see the light become active does not mean something is automatically wrong. The time to be worried that something is wrong is if the Internet light that you have on your router is going crazy all day long. If there is a constant sending of data packets out your computer and your browser is not open, now it may be time to be concerned. Slow Responses Another sign that you may have an infection on your system is when at certain times your computer may slow to a crawl while you are using it. This is especially noticeable after you start up the computer and only have certain programs open and you are not actively using them. If there is nothing running on your computer, and yet it is still moving very slowly, then there may be a good chance that there is an infection somewhere on your computer. You can click cntrl-alt-del and call up the task manager to see if you can pinpoint the problem. If there is a task taking up a lot of the CPU time and you or Google do not recognize the name then it is definitely time to run an antivirus check. Pop Up Plague Another sign that is not so discreet is the emergence of pop ups on your system when you are not connected to the Internet. This is most likely the sign of malware that has been planted on your computer and not necessarily a virus. You will still want to run an antivirus check to make sure that there is no infection. After the antivirus scan, make sure that you run a spyware analysis program on your computer as well. I have shown you several signs that may indicate that you have a virus or other infection on your computer. If you are a frequent computer user then keeping a look out on any kind of abnormal computer behavior can be the first step in not becoming a victim of the bad guys.
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The Tell-Tale Signs That Your Computer May Have Become Infected With A Virus
How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
November 24th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
For many of us, we have grown up in an age of computers and electronic devices all around us. So when the era of the internet came to pass, there was a leap of knowledge that was needed to adjust but the divide was not that great. For the elderly among us, they can remember a time before the digital age and some of the new technology can seem enticing but yet strange and alien at the same time. Most scams run on the internet today are perpetrated against the elderly. Hopefully I can give you some tips to protect your loved ones. Protecting Your Loved Ones Some people will make a joke and say if you want to protect people from the dangers of the Internet then get a Mac or Linux box and tell them not to use Windows. This is funny but not true especially these days. Macs are becoming more and more popular and everyday new exploits are being found that can be used against them. Exploits are becoming more common and big business on all systems so security is a top priority for all of them. The fact is that most people use a Windows version operating system so you will have to show them how to protect themselves on such machines. Email Security The first thing that you will want to tell them is to be skeptical when it comes to email. People believe that it takes a highly technical genius to scam people on the internet. This is simply not true. Most attacks on people, especially the elderly, are low tech email scams. They will either involve sending a link to a person to get their information through phishing or just a straight out direct scam to get the person to send them money. A lot of the elderly believe everything that they read in their emails and have to be told the many, many different ways that people can be scammed through them. Malicious Programs Another thing that they must be instructed on, is not to open any programs that are sent to them outside of their family or friends. Scammers will send friendly looking e-cards and other digital goodies through an email attachment. Most people would not think that an e-card with hearts and flowers on it would hold a digital ticking time bomb. Looks can be deceiving though. The elderly, just like everyone else, must be taught that attachments, no matter what they look like, can be dangerous. Safe Communications A new attack but one that is growing everyday is the use of the software program Skype to send links to a phishing site. There are a lot of elderly people that use Skype as a cheap and easy way to talk to and see videos of their loved ones. Their relatives might set it up for them so they can be confused as to who is sending a link to them. Skype has a lot of spammers now and the elderly must be warned that it has become just like their emails so they must remain vigilant. Hopefully I have gone over several ways that you can help protect the elderly in your life when they use a computer. It is a new world that they are in so maybe you can help them navigate it.
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How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
How Do I Secure Windows 7?
November 23rd, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
All computer users should aspire to work in a safe environment. Regardless of what your profession is, and the purpose behind using your computer, you should always be aware of the dangers and be on the lookout for the means to keep the data stored in your computer secure from all possible external dangers. Since Microsoft have recently released their latest operating system,Windows 7, you may be wondering how you can make your new operating system more secure and safer. Microsoft was mentioning the robust security related features of Windows 7 long before its launch. So, if you can make the best of the features and options offered by Windows 7, you can make your computer much more secure. Below are some of the ways that would enhance the security levels of your computer powered by Windows 7 – Shield your computer with an updated and robust Antivirus program (most preferably Internet Security Package) protection system. This is the first and foremost thing to do while you are trying to keep your computer safe from all the cyber threats regardless of the operating system you are working on. Since the biggest threat for any computer is viruses, malware, Trojans, and other malicious program, you need to be smart while making a choice. Windows 7 offers an amazing data protection scheme namely BitLocker Drive Encryption. Using the BitLocker scheme offered by Win 7, you can either choose to protect the data on the partition of where the operating system is installed or all the partitions. BitLocker will not allow anybody to access the files until and unless they enter the correct password. It is just like protecting your money in a safe protected by a number lock system. Use User Account Control (UAC) as Microsoft have made huge improvements in the system. Depending on the type of the user (Administrator or Normal user) UAC pre-sets the security features of the operating system. If you have logged in as a normal user, then you will be served with the most secured settings whereas the Administrator has the right to tweak the security settings as per his requirements. Windows 7 offers Internet Explorer 8 as the default web browser. So, if you are using IE 8 make sure that you enable the SmartScreen Filter option. SmartScreen is directly connected to Microsoft and their local database which educates and warns you about malicious web sites which could harm you computer. Like any other natural calamity, computer crashes can be unexpected and also destructive in many aspects. So, the wise thing is to be prepared for the worst. Navigate to “Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore” to back up the data on your computer . Always enable the Automatic Updates from Microsoft. This will not only enhance your operating system’s performance but also updates it against all the latest threats and loopholes. The increasing popularity of the internet has led to a larger number of crimes being committed on the web. Only by being proactive about your own security can you minimise the risks of you becoming the next victim.
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How Do I Secure Windows 7?
Using A Virtual Machine To Protect Your Computer
November 22nd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
If you are a person who works with a computer on a daily basis then you will gather a lot of data on your computer that you are going to want to keep secure. The first level of protecting your data is to create back ups that will make sure that your data is available if anything goes wrong. Also, if your operating system supports it, you can create a kind of restore point for your data and installed programs on your computer. This will create an image that will bring your computer to its form on the date of the restore point that you set. Virtual Machine If you do not have time for that or a back up, a great way to protect your data when you are surfing the web or doing other dangerous activities is to use a virtual machine. A virtual machine is a program that you can set up on your computer that will allow you to use another operating system on top of the one that you are already using. It will give you the same rights and abilities that using the host operating system gives you. You can run programs and surf the web, all in an protected environment. There are ways for hackers to get around this security blanket but they are very complicated and not widely distributed. With software like this you can now run a Windows machine and if you feel an operation is not safe for that machine you can open up the VM and run it in Linux. VMWare The most popular virtual machine that is out there right now is called VMWare . This is the leader in the world of Virtual machines as of right now. They give you a very good free version of their software that you can run indefinitely. This is great when you already have a VM Image already set up. If you want to create your own virtual machine then you will have to use the paid version of the software. Alternatives Other companies that are in the same space include Microsoft and several open source versions that are available on Linux and Windows. The Microsoft version is called Virtual PC. They also give away a free version that will allow you to run other operating systems. There are several different variants of virtual machines on Linux. The most popular being Xen and Virtual box (which also runs on Windows). Also if you want to run a VM without a lot of hassle, there is a Linux distribution that is call Wubi. It is sort of a virtual machine but instead of being a program that runs an operating system, it is itself the operating system. You can install this on Windows just like any other program and when you open it up it will be running the Ubuntu distro of Linux. This is also a very reliable way to keep your data secure from any dangerous operations. I have given you several ways that you can keep your computer’s data secure from any unruly virus that might infect your computer. If you have important files and you need to go the extra mile past antivirus then running a virtual machine is a good way to go.
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Using A Virtual Machine To Protect Your Computer
Using Software To Recover Your Data
November 20th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Data recovery can be a really hard process if you don’t understand or know what it is that you are doing. When a person is having to perform data recovery that means that either their folder or file has become encrypted. After your file or folders are encrypted, it can cause damage to your computer and you must take certain steps to get the data back that was lost. There are lots of ways that you can recover data from your computer. Some people download freeware that walks them step by step on how to recover their data while others do it straight from their computer. If you decide to do it yourself you will find that the method of data recovery will vary depending on what kind of computer that you’re using. Mac, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are all a bit different when it comes to this process. That’s another reason why people decide to use a free program to recover their data. For beginners, the best way to go about getting your data back is using the free software program. Most of the programs require you to download the software. Before you begin, they usually ask for your email address. Once you provide them with your email address you can review the directions that they give. When you have problems, you can contact customer service and they will be there to help. That is another reason why downloading and using software to recover data is a really good thing when you are new. If you decide to do this by yourself, you won’t be able to have any help. In order to make sure that you have a really good program, do some research on it first before you decide to download the software and see what people are saying about it. After you have downloaded and finished the data recovery, make sure that you back things up. You can back them up with buying a flash drive or floppy disk. If you haven’t backed up your files and pictures, you should do it soon. Mistakes can happen at anytime and they are called mistakes because we didn’t plan on them happening. Another word of advice is to make sure that your computer is password protected and that you have your firewall on plus virus protection turned on too.
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Using Software To Recover Your Data
Cyber Security: Why Is So Important?
November 19th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Do we actually need cyber security? I strongly believe that we do. Everybody has their own thoughts on cyber security, some of which are valid facts, and some of which are misconceptions. The Internet is a dynamic technology and you can never predict the changes that are constantly occurring. Furthermore, every change can lead to more dangerous threats that had not been previously imagined. That is why there have been number of incidents in the past where the Internet has been used as the medium for some serious crimes which are named as ‘Cyber Crimes’. If proper means are not used to tackle this problem then the rate of cyber crime will just continue to increase. Below are some of the reasons behind the need for cyber security – 1.) Who are hackers and what do they do? We all are aware of hackers . But do you actually know how they operate? A hacker could be anyone. He might be your business rival, your friend or any other person who is trying to hijack your computer’s resources. They somehow enter into your computer with the help of many malicious programs and scripts, all of which can be found on the internet or easily coded by someone with a little know how. Once he succeeds in hijacking your computer, then he can misuse your confidential information such as e-mail accounts, bank accounts, credit cards and any other useful information he finds stored on your system. 2.) Online fraud and identity theft. Cyber criminals follow a number of techniques in order to acquire e-mail Ids, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and passwords which are then misused by them. These kinds of scams are known as ‘ phishing ‘. These criminals cheat people by pretending to be spokespeople of big organisations or deceased millionaires and sending emails to their victims which will try to trick them into revealing confidential information. 3.) Cyber thefts are increasing daily. Conventional thefts can be compensated by insurance cover but once you lose your confidential data from your computer, no-one can help you. These kinds of incidents are not only restricted to individuals but huge companies and institutions are falling prey to cyber theft too. 4.) Computer viruses can really mess up your system. Viruses can not only slow your system down, they can make it crash too. There are number of ways in which viruses can enter your computer. One of them is through accessing insecure web sites and downloading infected files. Its not only household computers that can be infected as even big business can be affected too. For example, in 1999 the Melissa virus lead to the termination of many services in Microsoft and other huge companies. 5.) Spyware keeps tabs on your activity. Spyware is a form of malware that can enter your computer and install itself automatically. It is not only meant to spy on you but also steal information from your computer. The dangerous part is that people do not even realize its presence on their computers. Some reports suggest that about 92% of computers are infected by spyware and that users are unaware of it! 6.) Adware is annoying. The main purpose of adware is to pop up unwanted ads as you are surfing the Internet. This can quickly become extremely annoying and frustrating. Nowadays adware is often integrated with spyware in order to exploit your computer to great heights. These are just some of the different ways cyber criminals steal your resources and information. They are always a step ahead and the security industry is forever trying to keep up with their new plans and codes. Therefore, it is very necessary to protect your system for all the threats caused by cyber criminals. Wouldn’t you agree?
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Cyber Security: Why Is So Important?
Security – Windows 7 Vs Mac OSX
November 18th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Comparing the relative levels of security between two vastly different operating systems is, of course, a rather subjective matter. After the much hyped, and sometimes maligned, Windows Vista the spotlight has once again been placed over Microsoft who have recently released Windows 7 . This is hot on the heels of Apple’s latest operating system for the Mac, Snow Leopard. Nowadays security is one of the biggest concerns for any operating system. According to security experts Secunia, Mac OS X is much safer than the Windows operating system as they found only 9 security issues with Mac OS X compared to 29 issues with the Windows product. Does this paint a fair picture though? Everybody knows that the Windows operating system is installed on many more computers than Mac OSX and that makes it a big and lucrative target for malware authors. Therefore isn’t it just a case of scale that makes Windows appear to be less secure on first glance? Windows 7 is, in my opinion, a far better product (in terms of security) than its previous versions. A whole host of features, such as Biometric Framework, fingerprint scanners, BitLocker and others make Windows 7 an amazingly secured operating system. At the same time, the smaller market share of Apple Mac OS X, and the absence of third party programs, makes their operating system harder to hack (or less appealing at the very least). For this reason, systems powered with Mac OS X suffer less attacks than their Windows counterparts, making the Mac appear to be extremely secure. On the other hand, Windows 7 comes with dozens of security tools but its openness makes it’s monster security system look like an ordinary one. Recently Windows Vista post-Service Pack 2 has been named as the safest operating system on the planet. And it is quite obvious that Windows 7 will incorporate all the features of it’s successful predecessor. If you are not satisfied by the security parameters of Windows 7 then you can tweak it further by using third party firewalls, antivirus and other protection programs whereas such a feature is absent in Mac OS X. But, Windows Operating Systems are easily undone by hackers , so the story MIGHT remain the same with Windows 7. So this might compel you to use Mac OS X. Comparing the security levels of Windows 7 and Mac OS X is difficult as both have their benefits and weaknesses. Although operating systems have a major role to play in the security of your computer the ultimate responsibility lies with you, the user. Having a secured Internet connection and good surfing habits are probably a more important consideration than which operating system you use. Which is the most secured Operating System, Windows 7 or Mac OS X? That is a never ending debate and one that can get quite emotional, as evidenced by the comments last time I wrote on the topic of whether an Apple Mac was more secure than a Windows machine . What do you think?
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Security – Windows 7 Vs Mac OSX