Tag Archives: money
This Economic Reform Seems Bad For Small Business
August 24th, 2010. Published under Economic News. No Comments.
If You Really Want To Help, Extend The Tax Cuts Yesterday’s news included a sound byte from President Obama, urging Congress (and his opponents in the Republican Party) to stop blocking his next stimulus, this one ostensibly for small businesses…right after all of them return from vacation. (This guy takes more vacation on your money than a
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This Economic Reform Seems Bad For Small Business
Auto Warranty Robocaller To Pay $2.3 Million, Sell Mercedes For Consumer Redress
August 23rd, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Consumer Redress Collected from All Defendants in Robocall Case Totals $3 Million One of the telemarketers who blasted U.S. consumers with millions of illegal auto “warranty” robocalls last year will pay approximately $2.3 million, give up his Mercedes, and be barred from telemarketing, under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that wraps up the agency’s case against the deceptive operation. In sum, the FTC is collecting nearly $3 million to reimburse victims of the scam. The settlements resolve FTC charges that Damian Kohlfeld and his two firms made millions of illegal prerecorded calls to consumers nationwide in an attempt to deceive them into buying extended auto warranties or service contracts (audio files of these calls can be found on the FTC’s website as a link to this press release). The robocalls misled consumers into thinking that the callers were affiliated with consumers’ car dealerships or manufacturers, and that their auto warranty was expiring or about to expire. Earlier this year, the FTC announced a settlement with two other defendants who helped make the robocalls, under which they have paid more than $655,000. The FTC also announced a settlement in September 2009 with Transcontinental Warranty, Inc, the company that employed the defendants in this case to make the illegal prerecorded calls. (See press release at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/09/twi.shtm .) “Fortunately for American consumers, the telemarketers who were responsible for millions of unsolicited and annoying robocalls will never be able to telemarket again,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “We’ve also taken away all of their money to provide redress for consumers who were defrauded. This case serves as a clear message: telemarketers who violate the privacy of ordinary Americans will have to pay the price.” According to the FTC’s complaint, Kohlfeld and the Chicago-based firms Voice Foundations, LLC, and Network Foundations, LLC, violated the FTC’s Do Not Call Registry and falsely represented that: the telemarketers were calling from, or affiliated with, the manufacturer or dealer of the consumer’s automobile; the consumer’s original automobile warranty was about to expire; and the telemarketer had specific information about whether the consumer’s vehicle was the subject of a recall. The settlement requires Kohlfeld to pay more than $2.2 million. In addition, he is required to liquidate two investment accounts totaling approximately $130,000 and to sell his 2006 Mercedes. All of the money collected will be used for consumer redress. The settlement order also bans Kohlfeld from telemarketing or assisting others engaged in telemarketing, prevents him from making the misrepresentations alleged in the FTC’s complaint, and bars him from making any misrepresentations related to the sale of any goods or services. The order specifically prohibits him from misrepresenting the cost, use, or effectiveness of any product or service or any of the refund policies associated with any product or services. In addition, Network Foundations will pay $50,000 to be used for consumer redress. Voice Foundations has no assets to pay toward a judgment. If either of the companies later is found to have misrepresented its financial condition, it will be subject to a larger monetary judgment. The Commission vote authorizing the three stipulated final orders settling the court actions against Network Foundations, LLC, Voice Foundations, LLC, and Damian Kohlfeld was 5-0. They were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on August 19, 2010, and signed by the judge the same day. NOTE: These stipulated final orders are for settlement purposes only and do not constitute an admission by the defendants of a law violation. Stipulated final orders requires approval by the court and have the force of law when signed by the judge. Copies of the stipulated final orders 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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Auto Warranty Robocaller To Pay $2.3 Million, Sell Mercedes For Consumer Redress
Home Assure LLC, Mortgage Relief Marketer Will Return $2.4 Million to Consumers to Settle Charges
July 30th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
A company that deceived consumers with promises it could save their homes from foreclosure will pay $2.4 million to victims as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. The case is part of the agency’s continuing crackdown on scams that prey on financially distressed homeowners. According to the FTC’s complaint, Home Assure LLC conducted a nationwide marketing campaign designed to take advantage of struggling homeowners by offering so-called mortgage foreclosure rescue services. Home Assure typically charged consumers an up-front fee of $1,500 to $2,500. The company’s representatives falsely claimed that its special relationships with lenders would enable it to get favorable loan modifications or stop foreclosure, and that the company had helped thousands of consumers avoid foreclosure. One of the claims on its website was, “If we are unable to negotiate a plan with your lender that improves your situation or gives you a viable strategy to avoid foreclosure, we will refund 100% of your money. . . No questions asked!” According to the FTC, however, Home Assure did little or nothing to help consumers avoid foreclosure. In numerous instances the company refused to pay refunds, sometimes claiming that consumers did not meet the terms of the contract for a refund or that they had breached the contract by contacting their lender or filing for bankruptcy, and sometimes without giving a reason. (4/6/2009 release http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/04/hud.shtm ; 11/24/2009 release http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/11/stolenhope.shtm ) The settlement order imposes a $2.4 million judgment on Home Assure and bans the company from selling mortgage loan modification and foreclosure relief services. The order also permanently prohibits Home Assure from misrepresenting any good or service, disclosing or benefitting from customers’ personal information, and failing to dispose of customer information properly. The Commission vote to authorize staff to file the stipulated final order was 5-0. The order was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. NOTE: Stipulated court 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 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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Home Assure LLC, Mortgage Relief Marketer Will Return $2.4 Million to Consumers to Settle Charges
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
Meltproof – Washington Post (blog)
July 21st, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Washington Post (blog) Meltproof Washington Post (blog) Sorry but the money involved in the carbon scam is too much for people to accept. I cordially invite you Mr. Toles to use my pool if the heat is too much. …
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Meltproof – Washington Post (blog)
Help the Needy Whether They Deserve it Or Not
July 20th, 2010. Published under Economic News. No Comments.
Have you ever seen a homeless person on the street corner with a sign asking for money? Have you worried about whether or not you should help this person or what they will really do with the money? Do you hold back dropping any money in that cup because you think they will only use
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Help the Needy Whether They Deserve it Or Not
Police Blotter: Billy Mac Lewis, Yummi Bears, And a ‘Splash of Tonic’ – Patch
July 9th, 2010. Published under Money Order Scams. No Comments.
Police Blotter: Billy Mac Lewis, Yummi Bears, And a 'Splash of Tonic' Patch MONEY ORDER SCAM : A 45-year-old Hoyt St. resident reported the loss of $4410 after being caught up in a money order scam in which she thought she was acting … and more
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 .
Still Having Wages Garnished by Mann Bracken Debt Judgment? Here is What to Do
June 21st, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
According to an attorney that is suing Mann Bracken on behalf of a consumer, Cory Zaidel has stated that consumers that are under a wage garnishment by Mann Bracken should file a motion to quash (set aside) the garnishment as the money being garnished may not be going to the creditor or debt buyer that obtained a judgment against them. “The claims are mounting,” said Towson consumer attorney Cory L. Zajdel, who is representing a Howard County woman in a suit against Mann Bracken for allegedly unfair debt-collection practices. Consumers whose wages are still being docked should file paperwork to quash the garnishment with the court that handled the case, Zajdel said. Maryland’s district courts have the necessary forms, he said. His concern is that money going to the defunct Mann Bracken might not make it to the creditors. ~ Baltimore Sun In addition the court appoint receiver for now defunct Mann Bracken may sue ‘parties’ that may have caused the demise of Mann Bracken. My personal opinion (Allen Harkleroad, author of Stick it to Sue Happy Debt Collectors ) would be to file a motion to Quash and/or a Motion to Vacate any prior judgments that Mann Bracken may have obtained against consumers, especially judgments with wage garnishments.
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Still Having Wages Garnished by Mann Bracken Debt Judgment? Here is What to Do
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?
Ethics Aside, Should You Hire A Known Black Hat Hacker To Protect Your Corporate Network?
May 25th, 2010. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Every day more and more computer networks are coming under attack and day by day those attacks are getting stronger. When most companies try to defend their networks they are always on the defensive side of the pitch. Although defense wins Superbowls, it does not cut it in the world of cyber security – it is the equivalent of putting a band aid on the person instead of them getting surgery. There needs to be new ways that a company can defend their networks from outside attacks. Power And Money One way that is proving to be successful is to hire reformed (and possibly criminal) black hat hackers to defend the company’s networks . Yes, there is a level of danger when someone does this but when it works, it really does seem to be the right solution. Back in the days, when a hacker would cross the dark line and become a black hat hacker, it would be because of the problem sets that were on the illegal side of the line. The problem sets on the dark side would seem more interesting to the person but they also got to feel a level of power as well. Now when a black hat hacker steps over that same line they do it for financial motivation for the most part. Due to the rise of interesting open source projects and more people hiring for software jobs, there are interesting legal problems that they can conquer. But the allure of quick money is just too much for many of these people to pass up. Black hat hackers used to have a code like many other criminals. Now, for many, there is no code and it is all about how much money they can get. Jobs For Hackers But the first time that a lot of these people get into trouble with the law as an adult, they suddenly decide to change their ways. Not all of them of course, but most of them that participate in this activity. Most people did it as a youth and they saw that they could make easy money but easy money doesn’t look too good when you have a possibility of facing prison. So your company can use this to your advantage and hire one of these smart young adults to work for you. Who would know the mind of a hacker better than them? Somebody who has the natural skills to be a world class hacker and someone who has to be trained to be one are in two different leagues. Having one who has turned away from the dark side to be with the good guys might be a good catch. Hiring someone like this should not be done lightly. There should be someone watching this person for a long probationary period. Even though you are giving this person a second chance does not mean that you should give them one hundred percent trust just yet. There is no reason to be foolish about this. If they keep clean for a long time and they do good work, then you might have really found a winner. Ethics Aside, Should You Hire A Known Black Hat Hacker To Protect Your Corporate Network? is a post from: Security FAQs
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Ethics Aside, Should You Hire A Known Black Hat Hacker To Protect Your Corporate Network?
The Nocebo Effect On The Web : Rise Of The Fake Antivirus
May 15th, 2010. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
If you’ve ever fallen foul of a computer virus then you will know just how big a problem they are, and how hard they are to remove. They also cause a huge amount of frustration, making your computer a nightmare to deal with. Therefore, if you believe you are infected with a virus right now, you may well be tempted to rush out and get any old antivirus program straight away. What if your computer now handily pops messages up onto your screen, telling you that you are infected, and offering the solution? Would you buy that solution so that you can put your mind at ease and fix your computer immediately? I hope not! The Nocebo Effect On The Web The reason why I say that is because what I described above is fake antivirus , not the real deal. Fake antivirus is a huge problem and it is growing rapidly. In fact, researchers at Google recently released a report called ‘The Nocebo Effect On The Web’ which discovered that have been an ever increasing number of cases in which users were tricked into purchasing fake antivirus software. Malware has been around pretty well since the web was first created and there are thousands, if not millions, of variants in circulation at any one time. It is incredible, then, to think that around 15% of all that malware is of the fake antivirus variety. So big is the problem that fake av is also pushed via malvertising (malware delivered through adverts on the web) to the point where it accounts for 50% of all such malvertising, a 500% increase on last year. Furthermore, according to the report, the number of domains that Google detected as hosting fake antivirus software went from 93 in January 2009 up to 587 in January 2010. Countering Fake Antivirus If you get duped into buying fake antivirus then the money you’ve thrown away may be only be one of many problems you encounter – such programs may themselves install further malware with the intention of stealing your identity and monitoring all of your web activity. Ironically, according to Google’s report, the most effective means of avoiding fake antivirus is to utilise some kind of virus detection mechanism in the first place. Naturally, you will want to avoid the scams and get a product from a reputable vendor – I’d recommend checking out my post about the best 10 antivirus programs of 2010 . The Nocebo Effect On The Web : Rise Of The Fake Antivirus is a post from: Security FAQs
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The Nocebo Effect On The Web : Rise Of The Fake Antivirus
MyWorld Plus Unemployed, out of a Job because of Recession- Online Job Get Paid Next Week!
May 14th, 2010. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
RJackson.BuildVertical.com Out of Work, Job, Small Business, Lease, Office Employee, 401K, IRA, 2nd Jobs, Taxes, Child Care, Freelance, Indpendent Contractor, Bookeeper, Collector, Manager, Millage, Unemloyment, MLM, MyworldPlus, Wallstreet, StockMarket, Start Your Own Business, Make More Money, Family, Children Recession Proof, Paid Weekly, Monthly Car, Vacation, School, Boss, Payrise, CEO, Warren Buffet,Downsizing, Chapter 11, State Unemployment, Industries, Weak Ecomony, Cash Flow,Part Time, Fulltime, Work from Home moms, mothers, fishing, golf, freedom. goverment, American Dream, Captial Investment, Business, Real Money, Coupons, Vertical Build, Powerline, Great Job, Debt, Retire, Plumber,. CEO, What is Your Plan, No Jobs, Income, Money, Funs, Mutual Funds,help paying mortage payment Take a Free Tour, Try This it works.. Get paid next week.. home business, international , You Family will suffer, David Ramsey, Dave Ramsey Show, Big Idea http
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MyWorld Plus Unemployed, out of a Job because of Recession- Online Job Get Paid Next Week!
Clicking the Emerald Slippers, Stealing Your Money – Big Government (blog)
April 23rd, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Clicking the Emerald Slippers, Stealing Your Money Big Government (blog) That's about Strike Five I think, given that not only does no one say any posited emission reductions—under Kyoto, or cap-and-trade legislation – would …
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Clicking the Emerald Slippers, Stealing Your Money – Big Government (blog)
I Left Facebook – Where Your Privacy is No Longer Private
April 21st, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Scams. No Comments.
Over the last couple of months Facebook has slowly been making changes that are slowly eroding Facebook users privacy, all in the name of greed. I used to laugh when people referred to the folks at Facebook as being “Corporate Money Whores”, after reading about the latest changes at Facebook I am inclined to agree with that general opinion. Facebook has become nothing more than a money generating machine at the expenses of it’s users (aka YOU). The latest changes exposes a good bit of users profiles even if they are marked private. Yesterday, Facebook announced an awesome new feature that lets anyone see your current city, hometown, education, work, likes, and interests, even if you’ve set your profile to private. Will this benefit individual users and their friends? Not unless the only thing you remember about your dear friend is that they enjoy leather-play and you’re willing to scroll through reams of headshots to find them. No, this new privacy erosion is for the real clients of Facebook: advertisers, and the data-mining minions that toil on their behalf. However, there are two ways to be totally private. – Consumerist Once upon a time, Facebook could be used simply to share your interests and information with a select small community of your own choosing. As Facebook’s privacy policy once promised , “No personal information that you submit to Facebook will be available to any user of the Web Site who does not belong to at least one of the groups specified by you in your privacy settings.” Today, Facebook removed its users’ ability to control who can see their own interests and personal information. Certain parts of users’ profiles, “including your current city, hometown, education and work, and likes and interests” will now be transformed into “connections,” meaning that they will be shared publicly. If you don’t want these parts of your profile to be made public, your only option is to delete them.” – Electronic Frontier Foundation Never mind the fact that you can’t block all Facebook apps at one time, but must block each one individually, ad nauseum. Never mind the fact that Facebook “social games” aren’t social at all (other than pestering your Facebook friends with updates), and try to extract money from you and give you nothing in return but some coinage that can’t be spent on anything but the game itself (social games are a billion dollar industry). Have you noticed that many games are essentially the same with only a slight name change? You, my friends are Facebook’s “Cash Cows”. Yesterday I deleted my Facebook account as I am tired of Facebook monetizing me to such a degree that I no longer feel comfortable or safe on the site. Facebook has become a huge disappointment that at one time had a lot of potential. Now that Facebook takes money over ensuring users safety and privacy I will no longer be a member. You only have three choices: deactivate your account in your Facebook account settings, sign up for Facebook and set your birth date to be under 18 or delete your Facebook account permanently (Facebook website) as I have. If you are tired of Facebook making money at the expense of your privacy I encourage you to dump Facebook and go outside, breath in some fresh air and enjoy the real world for a change.
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I Left Facebook – Where Your Privacy is No Longer Private
ortunities to obtai – wedding dresses
April 15th, 2010. Published under Tea Party. No Comments.
s. It can be used to buy anything from ships, to implants, to new characters, to …Buy Cheapest Aion Gold,Aion Money,Aion GP. Cheap Aion gold and Aion powerleveling here.Step by Step Aion gold making
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ortunities to obtai – wedding dresses
Beware of calls from 206-337-9266 – Big Money ATM Scammers
March 11th, 2010. Published under Business Scams, Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I hate automated messages left on my answering machine. Last night I received a call from 206-337-9266 asking me if I needed money now. The message left by the scammers smelled all too much like a typical get rich quick scam. In the message they left a domain name (Big Money ATM .Com – i put spaces in it to prevent accidently hyperlinking). I pulled the domain registration for the domain and of course it is a private registration that hides the owners true identity. If the caller and owner were legitimate the domain “who is” record would display the actual owners. the scammers use GoDaddy registration and hosting services. It figures. Most of the email scams and robo-caller phone scams I see or hear all point back to GoDaddy.com hosting and domain registration services. If you get a call from 206-337-9266, report them to the Federal Trade Commission ( www.ftc.gov ). Maybe one day GoDaddy will actually enforce their terms of service and boot scammers like this.
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Beware of calls from 206-337-9266 – Big Money ATM Scammers
Finding a Job in 2010, Job Search, and leaning hard on who you know not what you know.
March 9th, 2010. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
visionvictorymanifesto.com Rate, Comment, and Subscribe Please share your ideas here or on visionvictorymanifesto.com Friends of the visionvictory Channel(NOT sponsors) Cslfinancialgroup.net tell them visionvictory sent you apmex.com goldmoney.com
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Finding a Job in 2010, Job Search, and leaning hard on who you know not what you know.
“Liberals For Lindsey” List Grows – FITSNews
March 6th, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
FITSNews “Liberals For Lindsey” List Grows FITSNews So … where is the money for this scam … err ad … coming from? We've got our people looking into the funding sources for the “American Values Network,” and … and more
Derivatives Market Still Unreformed, Which Crisis Will Be Next?: NYT – Huffington Post (blog)
March 5th, 2010. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Derivatives Market Still Unreformed, Which Crisis Will Be Next?: NYT Huffington Post (blog) Q. Since Derivatives are unregulated and with no oversight is IRS in on this are they paying taxes on this scam ? Q Do the Politicians pay taxes on the money …
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Derivatives Market Still Unreformed, Which Crisis Will Be Next?: NYT – Huffington Post (blog)
Recession Obsession in 2010
March 2nd, 2010. Published under Economic News. No Comments.
The economy cannot be sustained indefinitely; the pattern of ups and downs support in history supports this. Skittish consumers and conglomerate businesses can only have so much growth before the money that is in the system just does not exist to sustain it. The current recession is one being faced by a much younger workforce for
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Recession Obsession in 2010
From the Desk!: Monday, March 1, 2010 – WTVM
March 1st, 2010. Published under Money Order Scams. No Comments.
From the Desk!: Monday, March 1, 2010 WTVM MONEY ORDER SCAM : In a News Leader 9 exclusive investigation, Lindsey Connell is revealing the latest mail-order scam to hit our area. …
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From the Desk!: Monday, March 1, 2010 – WTVM
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
Defeat cap and trade legislation – StandardNet
February 2nd, 2010. Published under Fraud, Political Scams. No Comments.
The Money Times Defeat cap and trade legislation StandardNet Nevertheless, cap-and-trade legislation has sailed through the House and awaits Senate action. It must be defeated along with efforts to fund the United … Leake and the London Times: Climate Scientists thwarted FOIA Big Government (blog) Gladstone Republican thinks climate science is 'fraudulent' Pitch Weekly (blog) Global Warming Makes the Case Against Global Government Canada Free Press Hot Air (blog) all 89 news articles
Jeremy Kyle – Unemployment and YOUR money…
January 28th, 2010. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Young unemployed youth infuriates Jeremy to the point where he just gives up on him. On a serious note, this clip is very sad.
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Jeremy Kyle – Unemployment and YOUR money…
Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors Book Now Available in Print Edition
January 9th, 2010. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Allen Harkleroad’s latest book, “Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors” is now available in print. Synopsis Beat Greedy Lawsuit Filing Debt Collectors At Their Own Game. Learn to Fight Debt Collection Lawsuits and WIN! Have you been sued by a debt collector or law firm over a debt?
Question to the Masses or anyone who reads this
January 8th, 2010. Published under Tea Party. No Comments.
With all the money being put towards alternative power by our leaders, how many can actually affored to put their home on wind, or solar power? I think only the rich can afford it. What do you say?
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Question to the Masses or anyone who reads this
NOW AVAILABLE – New Book – Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors
December 31st, 2009. Published under Business Scams. No Comments.
I Allen Harkleroad, have released a new book titled “Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors”. This is my second consumer book and I believe is a much needed resource for consumers having financial difficulties. To purchase or for more information go to www.BeatDebtCollectors.com . What you will read in my book is based on own personal experiences and what I learned from dealing with debt collector lawsuits over the last couple of years. For the record I have been sued so many times over the last couple of years that I have literally lost count. I can tell you one thing with one hundred percent certainty; I win in court and stick it to sue happy debt collectors, attorneys and law firms. It took a while to learn out how to how to fight a debt lawsuit, represent myself in court and win. Most consumers have no idea how to deal with debt lawsuits and most cannot afford to be represented by an attorney. This is why I wrote this book. In this book I will cover original creditor lawsuits and junk debt buyer lawsuits. Both are very similar in the way that you will deal with them. I will also cover how to keep debt collectors off your back before any lawsuits are filed. I also cover how and when to sue a debt collector for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). My ultimate goal is to show you how to overwhelm the opposing attorney and to show them that the burden of proving the debt is going to be an arduous, long, tiring and expensive (for them) journey. Most attorneys will bailout (voluntary dismissal) once they see that they have to spend time and money to prove the case. I am not an “easy money target” and after you read my book neither will you. My goal when responding to either an original creditor or junk debt buyer lawsuits is to overwhelm the opposing attorney and forcing the burden of proof on them. As I said earlier my debt collector attorneys and law firms are looking for easy money (default judgments). I turn the tables and show them that they must actually work to get a judgment. Did you know in upwards of ninety-percent (90%) of credit card debt lawsuits that are filed the attorney has insufficient proof that you owe the debt? The reason is that the proper documentation was lost or never transferred to the law firm or the debt buyer. Did you know that one in ten (1 in 10) consumers served with a debt lawsuit will never respond or show up (for whatever reason). In some cases the consumer was never made aware of the lawsuit or possibly it could be because of embarrassment or fear. You’ll see results like this TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword – written by Chris Gleason a prominent consumer protection attorney Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One – Important Things You May Not Know About Debt Lawsuits Chapter Two – Defending Yourself (Pro Se) Is Mostly Paperwork Chapter Three – Original Creditor Lawsuits Answering the Complaint and Affirmative Defenses – Deny Everything Example Answer and Affirmative Defenses Explanations of the Affirmative Defenses and Other Affirmative Defenses Filing a Motion to Dismiss and Sworn Denials Using the Federal Truth in Lending Act to Your Advantage Breach of Contract not Suit on Account The Motion to Dismiss and Sworn Denial Bombshell Motion to Strike Affidavit of Debt or Affidavit of Account Discovery – Interrogatories, Request for Production of Documents, Request for Admissions Responses to Plaintiff’s Discovery Chapter Four- Debt Buyer (junk debt collectors) Lawsuits Answering the Complaint and Affirmative Defenses – Deny Everything Explanations of the Affirmative Defenses and Other Affirmative Defenses The Motion to Dismiss and Sworn Denial Bombshell Motion to Strike Affidavit of Debt or Affidavit of Account Discovery – Interrogatories, Request for Production of Documents, Request for Admissions Chapter Five – Dealing with Debt Collectors Before They Sue You The Never and Always Tips for Dealing with Debt Collectors How to Pay Collection Agencies or Creditors How to Sue Debt Collectors for Violations of the FDCPA Or FCRA Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Violations Whether you owe a debt or not, this book will give you tools that you can use to get these lawyers off of your back. An attorney friend of mine once told me, “This is America so make them prove you owe them, if they can’t you win”. In as many as ninety percent (90%) of credit card debt lawsuits, the lawyers filing the suits don’t have the documentation to prove that you owe the debt. This book also shows you how and what to file in court to make them back off. REMEMBER: Credit card lawsuits are civil lawsuits. They CANNOT put you in jail even if you lose. So if you are worried or scared, DON’T BE. Most of these sorts of lawsuits are scare tactics by debt collectors (and debt collection law firms) to scare you (to keep you from answering or responding). When they see that they must work for the money, often times they’ll go away. To purchase or for more information go to www.BeatDebtCollectors.com .
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NOW AVAILABLE – New Book – Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors
New Book – Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors
December 28th, 2009. Published under Business Scams. No Comments.
I (Allen Harkleroad) am about to release a new book titled “Stick It To Sue Happy Debt Collectors”. This is my second consumer book and I believe is a much needed resource for consumers having financial difficulties. What you will read in my book is based on own personal experiences and what I learned from dealing with debt collector lawsuits over the last couple of years. For the record I have been sued so many times over the last couple of years that I have literally lost count. I can tell you one thing with one hundred percent certainty; I win in court and stick it to sue happy debt collectors, attorneys and law firms. It took a while to learn out how to represent myself in court and win against lawsuit happy debt collection law firms and debt collection companies. Most consumers have no idea how to deal with debt lawsuits and most cannot afford to be represented by an attorney. This is why I wrote this book. In this book I will cover original creditor lawsuits and junk debt buyer lawsuits. Both are very similar in the way that you will deal with them. I will also cover how to keep debt collectors off your back before any lawsuits are filed. I also cover how and when to sue a debt collector for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). My ultimate goal is to show you how to overwhelm the opposing attorney and to show them that the burden of proving the debt is going to be an arduous, long, tiring and expensive (for them) journey. Most attorneys will bailout (voluntary dismissal) once they see that they
I Can’t Say This Enough: When Sued By a Debt Collector You Need to Respond and Show Up
December 25th, 2009. Published under Business Scams. No Comments.
According to a Scripps News article ( read it here ) upwards of 70 percent of consumers sued over credit card (or other) debts never show up, either because they don’t think showing up will help any, or they are too embarrassed or never receive notification of the lawsuit. Debt collectors are filing lawsuits and winning judgments against thousands of Americans every year, often without having any concrete evidence to support their claims. That’s because the defendants often don’t appear at the hearing. Not showing up in court results in an automatic win for the collectors, and that, in turn, often gives them the legal right to tap a debtor’s bank account or salary. “I’m behind the eight ball,” said James Flanagan, a Suffolk County, N.Y. judge who oversees 25 debt collection cases a day. In all but one or two of Flanagan’s cases, the defendant does not show up, Flanagan said. “I can’t do anything about it.”
Those CRU emails expose Copenhagen as a farce – First Post
December 18th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
First Post Those CRU emails expose Copenhagen as a farce First Post Wondering why the chatter is about carbon and not hunger, ' carbon credits ' and not effective malaria control? Then follow the money as Mr Cockburn suggests … and more
Business Bureau’s top 10 scams – Agassiz Harrison Observer
December 17th, 2009. Published under Political Scams, Scams. No Comments.
Business Bureau's top 10 scams Agassiz Harrison Observer Remember that money transfers and direct debit are two of the main methods by which scam artists seek to obtain your money. to charge fees to credit cards. … and more
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
Protecting forests through democratic institutions – Livemint
December 6th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Protecting forests through democratic institutions Livemint Finally, India and other governments propose that much of this money can come through carbon trading. Companies here can earn “ carbon credits ” by Redd …
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Protecting forests through democratic institutions – Livemint
Congressman Nadler Defends ACORN, Again – Big Government (blog)
December 3rd, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Congressman Nadler Defends ACORN, Again Big Government (blog) They did it for the money! it was inthe fox news the other day that GE would be forced out of bussiness if the new cap and trade bill doesn't pass because … and more
Why do climate deniers hold sway in Australia? – guardian.co.uk
December 2nd, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Why do climate deniers hold sway in Australia? guardian.co.uk You want to follow the money, well it seems carbon credits make some alarmists rich, book sales others and research grants make yet others tell porkies. … and more
What Is Disability Fraud?
November 15th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Its a sad thing to say but it seems that earning money illegally is becoming easy these days. One such method I’ve noticed, and it really upsets me, is disability fraud. Personally I think it is right that we, as a society, look after those who are unfortunate to be disabled. However, there are many individuals who feel that it is ok to play the system and claim benefits for disabilities they do not have . In both legal and medical terms disability does not mean that a person is physically handicapped. Just because a person is able to do all the things that a normal man can do it does not really imply that the person is not disabled. There are a number of medical conditions which are not physically visible but they are still termed as disabilities. Invisible Disabilities Such disabilities are known as “invisible disabilities”. This is the area in which criminals are taking advantage of the system and literally cashing in. Below are some of the common types of invisible disabilities – Chronic Dizziness: This kind of disability is related to an improper functioning of the inner ear. Such a problem would cause problems to a person whilst performing some of the basic tasks like walking, sleeping or working. Chronic Fatigue: If a person does not feel like working and always feels totally tired, then he might be suffering from Chronic Fatigue. This can have a very negative impact on the person’s daily life routine. Mental Illness: Some forms of this disability can make a person mentally so vulnerable that they find basic and common daily tasks very had to perform. Disabilities like agoraphobia, depression, lack of concentration and schizophrenia are categorized under mental illness. Chronic Pain: Some bone or physical injuries and back problems can lead to chronic pain. This kind of pain or disability might not be visible to everybody but people linked with the medical fraternity will easily detect such disability. Of course there are a great many people with invisible disabilities such as those above who are perfectly genuine and who are suffering. Unfortunately, however, there are also many people who fake such conditions for financial gain. Types Of Disability Fraud Below are some of most common types of disability fraud – Doing legitimate work despite claiming to be suffering from disability: It has been found that people suffering from various invisible disabilities are working in jobs they claim they cannot do while enjoying the benefits offered for the disabled. Pretending to be suffering from any kind of Injury: People do pretend to be suffering from some kinds of illness and even doctors can’t prove that wrong. So they intentionally pretend to be disabled, in order to enjoy the benefits offered to them by various agencies. Continuing to claim benefits even after recovering from disability: Not all disabilities are permanent and people are cured every day. Some, however, continue to claim benefits for many years afterwards regardless though. Tackling Disability Fraud Disability fraud is extremely hard to prove and prosecute. Many governments have already initiated various methods to tackle disability fraud but cynics, such as myself, wonder if they are doing enough, especially when recategorising such people as being merely unemployed could prove detrimental to their boasts of keeping jobless figures to a minimum. Doctors cannot always detect whether a claim of disability is genuine or not and the politically correct society we live in now means you really ought to be very careful about questioning whether benefits claimants are legitimate or not. Having said that, here in the UK we are encouraged to grass on our neighbours (another ploy designed to destroy society no doubt) but could you tell whether the disabled person living next door to you was faking it? Probably not. I don’t know what the answer is but I do know that we need to cut out disability fraud. I’m of the opinion that far too many people claim benefits for fake disabilities in order to avoid working and we really ought to get them off their lazy backsides and into work so that they can contribute to society, allowing us to divert the money saved to those who really need it.
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What Is Disability Fraud?
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
October 23rd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
If you use a computer and have ever searched for an internet security program or antivirus then you will almost certainly have come across the name Kaspersky. The Russian Security specialist has earned a respectable name in a very short period of time. As you hopefully know by now, a computer without an antivirus program is much like a bank vault without a door. Enter Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 – one of the best all-in-one security packages for all types of users. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 integrates all the significant programs that can protect your computer from a wide range of external threats. This is achieved through the inclusion of – a robust anti-virus scanner a strong firewall an anti-spyware scanner and parental controls. The quality of these components has led to Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 winning several awards. From the moment you install this internet security program on your computer, you will surely find life easier, as well as being protected from virtually all current threats. Features Below are some of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009’s features which make is a hot favorite in this competitive market – User-friendly graphical interface This is a feature on which the designers have obviously worked really hard. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has got a very clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. All it’s features and options are well laid out and this can only help you take care of your computer better. Antivirus Program, Spam and Anti-Phishing Program I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you must have an antivirus program installed if you are a Windows user. Kaspersky’s antivirus component is supported with a huge database (which can also be updated), which makes sure that your computer is safe from all the latest viral infections. KIS 2009 goes beyond some of the alternative antivirus programs as it is provided with e mail scanner which detects and deletes spam and phishing emails too. KIS 2009 also introduces Secunia vulnerability scanning, which is one of it’s best features. KIS 2009 scans all the applications that are installed on your computer to let you know about the vulnerable programs and by removing those applications you can enhance the security parameters of your computer. This makes KIS 2009 far more advanced than some other basic antivirus programs that you could get elsewhere. Robust Firewall Having an alternative firewall to the default Windows one is always beneficial. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 offers its users robust Firewall protection against many different types of rogue applications and programs. KIS 2009 also allows its users to customize the settings of the Firewall as per their own individual requirements. Proactive defense tool and Parental Control If standard antivirus programs are meant to protect your system from standard viruses then KIS 2009 features its Proactive defense tool which detects any king of suspicious activity on your computer and terminates such applications. Parental Control features enable you to customize the settings of your computer to ensure a safe browsing environment for your kids. The Kaspersky brand is highly popular because they ensure a high level of trust in the minds of their users when it comes to protecting their computers for any viral threats such as rootkits, spam, malware and adware. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is extremely worthy of your money and is undoubtedly one the best options available on the market today. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
Pique’n yer interest – Pique newsmagazine
October 21st, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Pique newsmagazine Pique'n yer interest Pique newsmagazine Now carbon neutrality is a scam all its own. Part of Whistler's effort to get there is spending the money on carbon credits to offset its emissions. …
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Pique’n yer interest – Pique newsmagazine
What Exactly Is Scareware?
October 19th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The term ‘Scareware’ is often applied to software that is in some way deceptive. (Scareware can also be known as fraudware and includes rogue scanners) A future article will look at how scareware has evolved into ‘ransomware’. What Is The Point Of Scareware? The aim of scareware is quite simply to frighten people into buying something that they otherwise wouldn’t want. In many respects scareware acts like a Trojan, deceiving recipients into installing an unwanted program. Whilst scareware can refer to many different types of products it is typically associated with antivirus scams in which the tactic is to suggest that your computer is either at risk or already infected. Naturally, the scareware then offers the solution – a highly overpriced piece of software which offers to right all the wrongs that have been identified on your system. In fact, only today, I read an interesting article on the BBC website which claims up to 40 million people have fallen victim to such scams in the last year! Its no surprise then that scareware scams are a growth industry – too many internet users have insufficient knowledge to protect themselves and are easily duped by such schemes, spending their money on fake antivirus products that either do not work or, in some cases, actually install Trojans and viruses themselves. How Does Scareware Work? There are 3 main ways in which scareware will trick you somehow – Getting you to pay up – You buy the fake antivirus product, which is bad enough, but then the scammers take your credit card details too! Zombie time – Many scareware programs will ensnare the victim machines into a botnet which can then be used for sending spam or engaging in DDoS attacks. Identity theft – Scareware can install keystroke loggers and Trojans which will record what you do online and search your files for anything containing your private or financial information. How Do I Protect Myself Against Scareware? Avoiding scams isn’t so hard – common sense and inquisitiveness go a long way. If a popup window appears on your computer then you should question it and never, ever buy online unless you yourself have taken your browser to the page you wish to buy from. Here are 3 more tips for avoiding scareware and fake antivirus scams – Only use antivirus programs that have come from a legitimate security vendor – here are the best 10 free ones . Always read your email in plain text – this looks horrible but will display links as they really are, rather than disguised by fancy pictures. Be wary of email attachments – unless you completely trust the sender then do not open them and never be tempted by email offers of free antivirus programs from companies you’ve never heard of. Once again, only buy or download security software from trusted sources – here are 10 more that I trust – and stay safe!
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What Exactly Is Scareware?
The surpression of Truth from a liberal political front
October 14th, 2009. Published under Tea Party. No Comments.
Well, it looks like Rush Limbaugh’s money is worth nothing to those who love their money and politics over this country. How ironic, this political affront to anyone who doesn’t think as they do. Ye
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The surpression of Truth from a liberal political front
Fighting Back Against Spam
October 7th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Spam wastes your time, and when you’re using your mobile device, it wastes your money. Of course I’m not talking about Hawaii’s favorite canned meat. I’m talking about unsolicited commercial e-mail, junk e-mail in fact. Once your e-mail finds its way onto a spammer’s list, your inbox is inundated with spam advertising from personal enhancement ads to car loan notices and everything in between. Spam Filters Many e-mail service providers provide some sort of anti-spam service that filters out spam messages with varying degrees of success. If you have access to one of these services I suggest that you use it, but monitor it to make sure that it doesn’t mistake your legitimate e-mail for spam. Spam filters usually move suspected spam to a junk folder where you can view it at your convenience, just to make sure that no real mail gets deleted by mistake. Spam Prevention The best way to reduce spam is to prevent your e-mail address from getting on a spammer’s e-mail list in the first place. When one spammer has it, they will all get it sooner or later. Also, once you’re on a list there’s no way to get off of all of them; you’re going to get spam forever. There are a few ways that you can avoid getting on spam lists though – Don’t ever give out your real e-mail address when filling out online forms, especially when you’re entering contests or claiming “free” prizes. Don’t post your e-mail address to Web sites or discussion and news groups. Don’t post to discussion or news groups from your real e-mail account. Consider setting up a throwaway or junk e-mail account that you can use as the address you give out when you sign up for stuff online. This way once the address starts finding its way onto spammer lists, the spam doesn’t wind up in your real inbox. Periodically, you can log in and check the spam account to delete piled up messages and make sure that no important mail is waiting there among the spam. Also, if you use a free e-mail service you’ll have to log in periodically to keep the account active. If you participate in Usenet or other discussion groups, don’t post from your real e-mail account. Spammers use automated software that scans groups and compiles lists of e-mail addresses. Post from your throwaway account, and keep your inbox spam-free. The automated software that spammers use also can detect and copy e-mail addresses from Web pages and the bodies of news postings. If you post from your junk account but list your real e-mail address in the message body you’ll end up on the junk e-mail lists. If you must post your real e-mail address, obfuscate it so that the spammers scanning software won’t recognize it as an address. For example, if your e-mail address is you@yourisp.com, you could post it as “you at yourisp dot com” or “youNOSPAM@yourNOSPAMisp.com.” Either one would be decipherable by a reasonably intelligent human being, but not by a spam-bot. Reporting Spam Besides filtering, another step that you should take is to report spam. Rather than ducking and hiding we should start hitting back. Many spammers use (abuse) someone else’s mail server, often without their knowledge. If you take the time to report the spam, mail administrators can take action and stop spammers from abusing their servers. Web sites that use spam to advertise may be in violation of their service agreements and reporting the spam can get them shut down. The best reporting tool I have found is Spamcop.net . Once you register, you can report spam through an online form or by forwarding spam to an e-mail address that they assign you. You also can get a spamcop.net e-mail address, which spamcop.net monitors to filter out spam.
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Fighting Back Against Spam
What Exactly Is A HYIP Scam?
September 28th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Firstly, for those of you who don’t already know, HYIP stands for High Yield Investment Program. HYIPs are one of the most common scams on the internet today, though they became a source of income for scammers well before the digital age. There are a huge number of people looking to make extra money, for many reasons, including becoming debt free or in the hopes of giving up their day job. A large proportion of those people have internet access and will come across some of the thousands of HYIPs that are circulating the net at any time. The allure of HYIPs is the promise of large returns on small investments, the type of investment a lot of potential internet investors may believe they can afford. With some HYIPs offering returns from 10% to even 50% per day on an investment of as little as $10, it is easy to see why some people get suckered into them, especially when it is known that some people do make the quoted returns. The downside of HYIPs, however, is that a larger number of people lose all their money. In order for the HYIP to pay out to some investors, they use the money invested by the newer members. In other words, a high yield investment program is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme. Whilst anyone getting in early could make a profit, the truth is that the only people consistently making money from HYIPs are those that start them. As no-one really knows how much money is circulating at any time it is impossible to predict when the HYIP will crash, as it surely will. Therefore, investing in one is not much different to flipping a coin – ‘HEADS’ I win : ‘TAILS’ you lose
How Craigslist Scams Can Be Avoided With Common Sense
September 17th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Have you ever shopped on Craigslist? If so, then you probably know that they offer tons of deals (including wives – see Yuliyana Kalinina And The Green Card Marriage Scam ). Sometimes, people buy stuff and then they don’t want it after a period of time and sell it for cheap. Other times, people receive gifts and sell those gifts back for cash. Everything seems ideal, right? Like the old adage goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” However, if you’re a Craigslist shopper you need to beware of all the scammers. For example, I read an article about a man in the UK trying to sell a car to a man in the US, and when the money was sent, there was no car and no trace of the man who claimed to want to sell the car. Further, there was a case about a person who bought a 500 dollar gift card for Macy’s for only 50 bucks! But it turned out, the card had a balance of zero dollars and zero cents on it – the buyer should have called to check. As you can see, these cases teach us a lot about scams and scammers. Most of the scams you will come across are often very obvious – I mean, who would sell you a 500 dollar gift card for 50!?! And scammers tend to be very distant and compromising when it comes to it. So, watch out if you’re going to buy stuff on Craigslist!
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How Craigslist Scams Can Be Avoided With Common Sense
FREE – Consumer Credit DVD Available to Consumers
September 9th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
The Center for Consumer Law at the University of Houston has produced an educational DVD entitled “Money, Credit and the Law–Know Your Rights.” Funded in part by grants from the Texas Bar Foundation and Money Management International, the video shows consumers how the law protects them from abusive practices. It also explains how knowing your legal rights can resolve some credit problems, and let you work out a reasonable payment plan. The DVD is available to be viewed online at www.peopleslawyer.net , or, will be sent free to anyone who requests one from me, alderman@uh.edu Thanks to the Public Citizen Blog for the info
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FREE – Consumer Credit DVD Available to Consumers
Read My Mind For These 8 Tips On Avoiding Psychic Scams
August 26th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again : I don’t believe that psychics are genuine. A huge number of my friends do though and I respect their opinion so here are some more tips for them, and you, on how to avoid a psychic scam – 1. DO NOT MAKE JUDGEMENTS BASED ON PHYSICAL APPEARANCE If you are meeting your psychic face to face then check out their physical appearance as well as their choice of clothing. If they have gone over the top with their make-up or are adorned in fancy robes and feathers then ask yourself why? If a psychic is in any way genuine then they wouldn’t need to resort to such amateur dramatics in order to convince you of that fact would they? 2.BEWARE OF BOGUS NAMES AND FANCY TITLES A psychic, if such a thing does truly exist, is someone who was born with a special gift. If they need to hide behind an obviously false or fancy name then you should wonder why. If they are using mystical names then perhaps it is because it is all part of their ‘act’. As for qualifications, well beware once again, as fake diplomas and degrees are a dime a dozen on the internet these days and so are quite meaningless unless you have the ability to check their authenticity. 3. WATCH OUT FOR HIGH PRICES Getting value for money is a good idea in every are of life of course. Its not always true that you get what you pay for so if your psychic is charging a couple of hundred bucks an hour then you should be curious as to why. The famous psychics of the world may be able to justify their high fees as they are used to good earnings from working on tv, etc. Other psychics may feel that they are worth it because of their level of experience and the years of training they have completed. Scam artists just don’t care though and will charge exorbitant prices to anyone they feel are sufficiently stupid to pay them. 4. DEMAND COHERENT READINGS, NOT BABBLE A psychic cannot possibly know every last detail about you but they should be able to convey what they do know in a simple manner that you can understand. If your psychic babbles on in a strange manner, spewing forth garbage that makes no sense whatsoever then remember you are paying for it. Whilst you may not be able to get specific answers you certainly should be able to get coherent answers from them. 5. GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH If you are paying top dollar for a service then its only fair that you get maximum value from it. Its no good trusting everything to memory so take something you can record the reading with. A genuine psychic would, I’m sure, have no problem with you making a recording for your own future reference. If you then later play the reading back and come across something you are unsure of then you could call the psychic for further clarification. 6. DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU ARE TOLD People who believe everything they are told probably deserve to get scammed. So don’t do it! A little skepticism goes a long way. If a psychic starts saying bad things are going to happen and the only way to prevent them is by paying them additional fees then are you going to believe that? 7. RELY ON WORD OF MOUTH This is probably the simplest tip on offer here. If you have friends or family members who use psychics then talk to them. If they are happy with the service they receive then there is a fair chance that you would be too. 8. WATCH OUT FOR COLD READINGS Cold readings are a psychic scam artists best friend. These people use psychology to learn as much about you as possible and they can do it in a mere moment. Got a Ferrari key ring? They know you are rich. Wearing a ring? They know you are married. White band where a ring used to be? They know you have relationship problems. Etc, etc, etc. Your clothing, accent and general body language give much away and these people will use that information to tell you what you are already expecting to hear. Not sure you can do much to mask who you really are but beware all the same.
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Read My Mind For These 8 Tips On Avoiding Psychic Scams
Mid state Group Financial of Jonesboro Georgia 770-473-6976 Email Spamming
August 4th, 2009. Published under Business Scams, Scams. No Comments.
This state of Georgia spammer claims to be Mid State
National Health Care Reform – A Convoluted Prostitution of our Constitutional Rights
July 30th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I am one of the nations uninsured. Back in November 2008 my wife broke her foot, the healing process was quite long (about 6 months). We paid out of pocket for the physicians care, x-rays and the walking cast boots she had to wear. Being uninsured we found that everyone we dealt with gave us a very nice cash discount for not using insurance. What a blessing that was. For the last two years my family has lived below the national poverty line. Things are tough. Both my wife and I are self-employed and we felt the economy going downhill nearly three years ago. In fact last year my wife closed her business (hair salon) and went to work for another salon. Closing the salon got rid of a huge amount of overhead. However, our combined income dropped because consumers were spending less and doing without. So far June and July has been the worst for us than we can ever remember in the past. We are just barely squeaking by, if you can even call it getting by. More like doing without many, many things. The main point of this is, I and my family cannot afford to buy insurance, nor do we want to have someone decide for us. It’s either pay our house payment, food and utilities or purchase health insurance. I bet you can guess where our money goes. If I don’t buy insurance, according to H.R. 3200 ( 1,017 page Bill in PDF format ) I could be penalized. Hey congress, just exactly where are you going to get money from me if I don’t? Are you going to force me to default on my home in order to pay, or are you going to garnish my bank account (then I can’t pay my bills or buy food for my family). Just exactly what are you (Congressional) idiots thinking? Congress can’t even (or won’t) fix Medicare or Social Security. Try fixing the things that are broken before you legislate more things that you will break and can’t fix. Put that in your pocket for a while and think about it. I don’t want anyone to dictate how, when or where I and my family get healthcare. I am a citizen of the United States and I have a freedom of choice. It doesn’t matter how much honey and perfume you pour over this bill, it still stinks as bad or worse than the TARP bailout from earlier this year.
Mr Osas Henry Wants $290.00
February 15th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Here’s the latest scam email to hit my inbox. Strangely, this one is quite open about requiring an advanced fee before, supposedly, passing on a fortune in return – Greetings! I have been waiting for you to contact me for your Confirmable Bank Draft of $800.000.00 United States Dollars, but I did not hear from you since that time. Then I went and deposited the Draft with FEDEX COURIER SERVICE, West Africa, I travelled out of the country for a 3 Months Course and I will not come back till end of December. What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX COURIER SERVICE as soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you because of the expiring date. For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance premium and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country. Contact Person:Mr Osas Henry Email Address sas.dispatchofficer.henry2@googlemail.com Telephone: 009 234 802 626 2996 The only money you will send to the FEDEX COURIER SERVICE to deliver your Draft direct to your postal Address in your country is ($290.00 US) Dollars only being Security Keeping Fee of the Courier Company so far. Again, don’t be deceived by anybody to pay any other money except $290.00US Dollars. I would have paid that but they said no because they don’t know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage. You are to make the payment to the information below by western union or money gram. Receiver Name: Mr Osas Henry Receiver Address: #10 Old Obasanjo Road Lagos, Nigeria. Once you forward the necessary details to the Representative Mrs. franka isibor ujeh and once your payment is been confirmed by them they will issued your Tracking Number. Sender’s Name:……………………. ……………… Sender’s Address:…………………. ……………….. Amount To be Sent:$290 Text Question to be used: WHO CAN HELP US? Text Answer: OUR LORD ONLY. Money Transfer Control Number (M.T.C.N). Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address() and Direct telephone number to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and ask them to give you the tracking number to enable you track your package over there and know when it will get to your address. Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee of $290.00 US Dollars for their immediate action. You should also let me know through email as soon as you receive your Draft. Yours Faithfully, MRS.Elizabeth Gate The most obvious giveaway with this one is the fact that it promotes urgency yet the dates are messed up – it’s February already so we’re a bit lit with this one arn’t we! Mr Osas Henry Wants $290.00 is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Mr Osas Henry Wants $290.00
The Next Of Kin Email Scam
October 1st, 2008. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Linking to real news stories is a technique designed to give credence to a scammer’s claims – From: Mr. Jude Godwin (Security Company) Subject: Next of Kin To: Date: Monday, December 15, 2008, 9:00 AM From: Mr Jude Godwin African Security Company Ltd No. Plot 22 Williams Close–Victoria Island Lagos-Nigeria Dear Friend, With due respect,I wish this letter will not come to you as a surprise.I am Mr Jude Godwin, the auditing director of African Security Company Ltd, Apapa Branch here in Lagos. We had a foreign customer one Mr N.Merrigan . who deposited a huge sum of money (US$22.3)Million United States Dollars Only) with our company .Eventually,this customer was among the victims of the Swissair Flight 111 ,which crashed into the Atlantic off Nova Scotia in september 2nd 1998. The plane crash was in the news.See links below for more detail informaion: http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/ http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/americas/9809/08/swissair.02/ http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/americas/9809/05/swissair.transcript Which claimed so many since then,we have not had anybody coming for the deceased funds/properties documents as the next of kin, and I have been monitoring this account with my position here in the Security Company for the past years. However from the information that I have gathered, the deceased died along side with the wife who is supose to produce the next of kin In view of this,I search for someone who is of the same last name or the same Nationality so when i got your contact my mind told me that you will be of good assistance in this deal. Our company guidelines indicated that if such money remained unclaimed for a period of Seven (7-8) years, it would be transferred/reverted into the company Treasury as unclaimed consignment That is why I write to solicit for your assistance to present you as the next of kin as every other arrangement has been concluded by me and I am only waiting for a response from you to enable me move the fund out to any account you present for our mutual benefit. This does not have any risk attached to it as all his secret information that will be required from you by the bank is with me right now over here. I therefore request you to confirm your interest by a return message and I will furnish you with details on how to proceed with the bank for the claim to be paid to you as the rightfull beneficiary next of kin to their late customer. Note that part of this money will be donated to charity home and other less priviledge, has i have vowed to God at the end of this transaction. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Your interest will be negotiable before we commence the operation and upon conclusion of the transaction, I will be flying over to meet you for disbursement of the fund and make possible arrangement for a lucrative investment in your country through you. I look forward to hear from you so as to enble us forge ahead to achive this mutual benefit. Please do reply me with my personal E-mail Address mrjudegodwin@hotmail.com Kindest Regards. Mr Jude Godwin Even though the links to plane crashes may be real, it doesn’t mean that this email is in any way genuine. The Next Of Kin Email Scam is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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The Next Of Kin Email Scam