What to Do About Harassing Emails

For most of us, email has become such an ingrained part of our lives, it is hard to imagine life without it. If you work from a computer terminal, you likely send dozens of emails a day, hundreds a week and thousands per year, but for every email you send, you likely get several unwanted emails in return. This unwanted email is known as spam, and it is one of the biggest headaches of the Internet age.

Different email programs try to deal with the scourge of spam in different ways. Some try spam blocking software that is supposed to weed out the unwanted mail from the ones that you need, but more times than not, this software ends up sending important notices into the garbage. Other programs attempt to compile master lists of spam email addresses in hopes of screening out unwanted mail, but new addresses are made so quickly, this process is simply not comprehensive enough.

As most experienced email users can tell you, the only way to really deal with this problem is to contact each spam sender personally and have your account removed from their lists. The only problem is that many of these spammers don't want to be contacted, and simply hitting the reply button won't cut it. You need to know the company name behind the spam so that you can contact them directly and end their assault on your inbox.

Working Proxies and Why Free Proxies Break

If you want to obscure your identity and IP address from a particular web site you visit, then you'll need to find some reliable working proxies. there are lots of reasons people use proxies they are surprisingly useful servers and have all sorts of cool uses.

The main difficulty with free working proxies is because generally the administrators of these servers don't even know their server is being used as proxy server. Often these boxes are just misconfigured internet facing servers which have been left open by mistake. It doesn't take long for people to find them and they start getting added to the endless lists of free anonymous proxies on the internet.

It doesn't usually take long before they are completely overwhelmed with surfers bouncing off these proxies and browsing via them becomes a painfully slow process until they either fall over or an embarrassed systems admin realises his mistake. But never fear there will always be a new batch of proxies along very soon.

Whatever your use for using a proxy server, whether you want to bypass your work or schools proxy to access restricted sites or just you believe in privacy and freedom of speech. You should be extremely careful what you use these servers for - many, many free anonymous proxies are set up for the purposes of identity theft and stealing data. When you use a proxy all your web browsing goes through that single point first and as most html traffic is in clear text then obviously identity thieves, hackers and all sorts of spyware is usually found or installed on them.

Unless you know all about who runs a particular free proxy server, then never, ever use it to pass any sort of personal or private information. Personally I would never go near a free anonymous proxy partly because I know exactly the sort of people who target these servers to steal information.

If your goal of protecting your identity and privacy on the internet then a free anonymous proxy is about the worst thing you could use. Sure it will likely block your IP address from the web server you are visiting (if it's configured correctly) but all your data is in the clear before that point and your ISP has a complete list of every server you are visiting anyway (unless you use end-to-end encryption). That's before you include the distinct possibility of Mr Identity Thief sitting on that proxy server with a sniffer capturing every single piece of data both ways!

Free anonymous proxies are extremely costly to run and less face it you never get anything for free. If you want real privacy, real anonymity and to surf at super fast speeds you are either going to have to seduce a systems admin at your local University or use a paid service.

Elements of Some 419 Scams

Internet-savvy 419 men routinely use emails to source out and target their victims. The availability of email-harvesting software has rapidly turned this local scamming business into one of the biggest industries spanning the world. From the Americas to Europe and even to Asia and Australia, these 419 scammers send out their standard deceiving emails to a mailing list they gathered online.

Bearing their standard, albeit fake information and their scam stories, they send out these emails from internet cafes to hide their identities. They mass-send the emails although recipients would be inclined to think it was sent only to them.

The 419 scams have several elements. It would be wise for you to have a look and see at them and be guided accordingly.

Fake Checks. Scammers usually use fake checks when necessary to falsely gain the trust and confidence of victims. This scheme often takes advantage of the float. The float is that period of time it takes for a check to clear. While the float may take anywhere from 7-10 days for local clearing checks, it could sometimes take months especially when dealing with foreign banks. As is the common practice in the US and in some other countries, banks are to make funds available to the depositor in at most five banking days whether or not the clearing process has been completed. It could take anywhere from three days to several months for the fraud to be discovered.

Untraceable Communication Lines. Scammers usually communicate anonymously, almost untraceable, so it would be difficult to track them down. Watch out for:
• Web-based email accounts. Many free webmail services do not require valid information to identify registrations requests. Such webmails are often used as they can be setup in minutes and can be accessed in internet cafes.

• Email hijacking. Scammers email family, friends and even associates of the legitimate account holder to defraud them. They pose as a friend needing assistance, sending emails from a familiar account. They normally steal login information typically by phishing viruses.

Fake Websites. Email-based scammers wishing to enhance their "credibility" use fake websites. These websites may imitate real ones like PayPal, eBay and baking websites. Imitating websites is normally done for phishing. But since their goal is to entice the victims to make money transfers through legitimate means, they could create a totally fake website for a fictitious bank to suit their purposes.

Invitation to visit. Some victims get invites to visit a country and allegedly meet with real or pretend government officials. Victims who fall for this trick are held for ransom. In some cases, they're smuggled into the country and threatened to giving up more cash for the penalties of being in the country without official documents. Some victims wind up dead when the ransom is not met.

There are other elements in this business that people must know. But the most important thing to remember is to not be too trusting. It's human to want to be wealthy but it's always good to remember there's no shortcut to it. If it sounds too good to be true, then it must be too good to be true.

Email Spam Scams and Variations of 419 Scams

With the horrific stories of successful scammers making millions from fraudulent activities online, efforts are now in full force to crack down the 419 scammers. An ABC documentary on the subject traced a scam to its origins in Nigeria.

The ABC documentary was just one of many efforts, now getting more concerted, to crack down on the fraudsters perpetuating this activity on a massive scale. The Nigerian police has created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a special division specifically to enforce the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code, 419. The code makes it illegal to obtain money by false pretenses. It was not enforced until recently.

The scams happen worldwide. The old, traditional post mail scams have now escalated to million-dollar, worldwide fraud business because of the availability and accessibility of internet facilities. What authorities find out though, is that a lot of these scammers are not part of an organization. While there may be highly organized master scammers, many are small scale schemes looking to make an easy buck.

A lot of the scams have been traced back to parts of Western Africa. Nigeria is a hot spot. The decline in Nigeria's oil-drive economy has left millions desperately poor. But instead of looking for decent jobs, thousands of computer-savvy Nigerians are making a living off of thousands of gullible people from the West, many of whom are Americans.

Spam emails are the most widely used method of fraud. Spammers send varied types of fraudulent emails. It begins with the use of email extraction programs that scour internet websites for email addresses. In some instances, fraudsters obtain a list of email addresses from the black market.

The scammer would usually pose as a widow or heir of a corrupt government official who has left his family with embezzled money stashed away in some hidden account. The widow would ask help to get their money on the funds and in exchange, promise millions of dollars in reward money.

Sometimes, a scammer will pose as a diplomat or a corrupt government official looking to make for a partner-investor in a business. The proposal is usually to ask help to funnel dirty money and "cleanse" it. The money is supposedly stashed somewhere inaccessible. If one helps release the funds that would require advancing a small sum of money, the victim will supposedly receive a million-dollar reward and business deal.

Scammers will sometimes notify a victim of winning a lottery online. The amounts would be anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars purportedly held in trust somewhere pending your accomplishment of some paper work. Typically, the victim will be asked to pay a small sum to cover facilitation and processing fees before the money could be released.

Some scammers will identify themselves as a bank officer knowing of a deceased depositor who has died without a next of kin. He would ask the victim to help them get the funds before others do by posing as next of kin and filing a claim. The victim will then be promised a commission, a reward for the help.

More recent forms now involve romance angles and a lot of them now operate in dating sites and online communities. They pose as desperate women wanting to fall in love and scam lonely, gullible men for cash.

Anonymous Proxy Lists - A Warning

Nobody likes being snooped on but nowadays there are too many people online doing just that, from governments to identity thieves - lots of people with their own agendas trying to spy on what we do online. This is why so many people look for anonymous proxy lists, thinking that if they just change the proxy setting in their browser that will give them some protection from all people invading their privacy.

Unfortunately it is not quite that simple and let me explain why. An anonymous proxy will protect a little bit of your browsing online, what it effectively does is stop your IP address being logged on the web server you visit. The only address left there would be that of the proxy server, which would make all your requests for you.

Of course this only stops one little part of the trail on the internet, the most comprehensive sits with your ISP which is why the governments of Europe have decided to enforce them to keep their logs for two years. So that's every web site, email and chat session linked to your account and kept to be accessed by whoever. All this information can also be picked up along the wire or via any wireless connection you use if it's not secured. For instance anyone who logs on to a computer network in a hotel would be very surprised to see the information available to anyone who starts a network sniffer. You can learn an awful lot about your fellow guests in a very short space of time!

The anonymous proxy of course will also have a record of ALL your web traffic and what you do online. Here lies one of the main problems with using free anonymous proxies, the simple fact that instead of leaving your IP address on various web servers across the internet, it's all logged on one specific server. Given that these servers are usually just misconfigured internet facing servers they are an obvious target for another internet snooper called the identity thief. All they have to do is log-on on to the server and install a simple sniffer and they will capture all the clear text traffic travelling across the wire, extremely valuable information in their line of work.

Using anonymous proxies which you don't know about is extremely risky, it has been estimated that about 80% of them have spyware infections. But simple stuff like that would be the least of your worries if you happened across one of the faster free anonymous proxies that often appear in the lists, if they are really quick it could be one of the servers set up by one of the many hacker groups across the world who buy and sell personal information.

Protecting your privacy is a good thing just be careful how you go about it. Think, anonymous proxies cost a lots of money to run. Who is paying and why are they doing for free? Read those free anonymous proxy lists with care and be careful how you surf.

How to Use the Power of 5 in Network Marketing

I want to share with you today, what I think is one of the biggest reasons that people don't get going with network marketing, or why they quit their network marketing businesses too soon.

People don't understand the power of 5. What do I mean by the power of 5?

Quite simply: you sponsor 5 people into your business, those 5 sponsor 5 etc etc.

You can be truly successful in network marketing by sponsoring just 5 people. If more people understood this simple concept, then I am convinced that everyone would want to be in network marketing.

Now the 5 people you need probably won't show up all at once. You might only find 1 or 2 in the short term. However, when you truly begin to realize the power of 5, and the concept really takes root in your consciousness, then you just have to stick around. Most people quit too soon and don't wait around long enough for their 5 to put in an appearance.

If 5 get 5 get 5, down seven generations, then on your 7th level you would have 78,125 people. The total in your group would be almost 100,000 people. All from you starting the ball rolling, finding 5 serious people who found 5 serious people etc.

Now I live in the real world, and I know that not everyone that gets involved in network marketing ever gets serious and actually sponsors anyone. However, what I'm suggesting here is, that it is well worth the effort to keep plugging away, because your next serious player could turn up tomorrow.

How many people would you need to sign up to find your famous 5? 10? 20? 50? No one can know for sure. However, what I truly believe is this: if you can convince the people that you sponsor, of the power of 5, then more of them will put in the required effort. Why? Because they can see the finish post.

A lot of people think that they have to personally sponsor the world to make it big in network marketing. When they are struggling to sponsor even one new person into the business the task looks enormous because there isn't a tangible goal in sight.

If you can re-focus their attention on the concept that they only need 5 people, then the enormity of the task shrinks immeasurably. They can see the finish post. Even if they think it might take a year or even 2 years to find their 5, they can see that it's worth their while sticking around.

In the meantime you can point out that they already have a couple of serious people in their downline, and that even 2 gets 2 gets 2 etc can be pretty powerful too.

And here's something else that people don't usually get. Your powerful 5 don't always have to be people that you sponsored personally. If you notice someone in your downline that is particularly enthusiastic and is getting serious, go and work with that person. Even if they are a couple of generations removed from you, they could bring a lot of people into your overall organization.

If that person is more dynamic than you, they could build your entire organization for you. I'm not kidding! There are a lot of people, who are highly regarded in network marketing, who only ever sponsored one serious person. That person builds almost all of their organization and income for them.

So never lose sight of the big picture. Always keep in mind the power of 5 to build an organization of 100,000 people. And remember, when the going gets tough, you only need one serious person to catch fire and they could build an entire organization for you.

If you can teach this principle to your down-line I am convinced that more of them will get busy and more of them will stick around for longer.

Your Only Way to Achieving Outrageous Network Marketing Money and Freedom

If you want to achieve outrageous amounts of network marketing money and freedom then this article is for you.

I believe that in the 21st Century there is only one way to do network marketing. If you follow this secret method then you will be far in front of 95% of network marketers out there.

Only those people that are far-sighted enough and open-minded enough to accept this secret method will flourish in the new age of network marketing, the rest will be left by the way-side.

I'm talking, of course, about using the Internet as a marketing medium. However, although many people are belatedly catching on to the idea of using the Internet to grow their network marketing business. I would judge that over 95% of them have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

Most people are trying to market their business opportunity online in the same way that they marketed it offline. That is, they shout loudly about how great the opportunity, the products and the company are.

No one likes that approach in the offline world and it gets even less interest in the online world.

If you are thinking of using the Internet to promote your business opportunity then there are some lessons that you need to take on board. Follow these tips and you will stand head and shoulders above most of the network marketers out there.

What you must understand is: that people will not join your business opportunity whatever company it is, whatever the compensation plan is, whatever the products are. Period!

People do not choose to join companies. They choose to join YOU! Whatever your company, your comp plan, your products; if people feel that you can add value to their business and their lives, then they will be ringing your phone off the hook to join you.

How do you demonstrate that you can add value to someone's life?

You have to become a leader. Using the power of the Internet you can brand yourself as a leader. People love to follow a charismatic leader. You must put yourself out there on the world wide web, you are your product. You is what you should be promoting.

And believe me this isn't as difficult as you might initially fear.

My advice is to find yourself a marketing system that works to brand you as a network marketing mentor and leader. If you aren't sure which way to turn, find yourself a mentor that can walk you step by step through the process. There are some people on the Internet that know what they are doing. Partner up with them and let them lead you to the top.

You can make outrageous amounts of money in network marketing! You just need the right marketing system and someone to show you how, oh and you need YOU of course.

Attention Network Marketers, Here's How to Explode Your Network Marketing Income

If you are in network marketing, and you aren't yet making the amount of money that you desire, then this article will show you how to explode your network marketing income.

If you aren't doing your business on the Internet then you need to be ASAP.

If you are already using the Internet for network marketing then congratulations, you are on the right path.

However, if you aren't yet making the sort of money you thought that you would be making, there are probably a few simple reasons why. Most people make the same mistakes because they don't really understand how to use the Internet to market properly.

Most people, probably over 95%, that are promoting their network marketing business on the Internet are doing it totally wrong. They are applying the same principles to marketing online that they applied to marketing offline.

Almost all network marketers are poor at marketing. If you are in this business you need to learn how to market. Unfortunately companies and team leaders are usually poor at marketing, and this just trickles down to every member of the team.

All distributors just end up handing out the company's promotional materials to anyone that will have them. Annoying everyone that comes within 3 feet of them and becoming a social leper.

Some will have the idea of getting on the Internet. However, they usually market online the way that they do offline, that is just directing people to the company's website and expecting that to sell the business opportunity for them.

I can categorically tell you here and now that doesn't work. It doesn't work in the real world and it doesn't work online either.

The reason is: people do not choose to join a business opportunity or a company, they choose to join YOU!

Therefore, to be successful in network marketing and explode your network marketing income, you have to sell yourself first and foremost.

How do you do that?

You have to brand yourself as a leader. You have to show that you are someone that can add value to peoples lives and their business.

Using the Internet you can brand yourself as a leader, and an expert almost overnight, and have hundreds, if not thousands, of eager people ringing your phone of the wall, begging to join YOU in your business opportunity.

You can begin the branding process immediately by developing a massive presence on the WWW. There are many ways to do this. You could have your own website where you brand yourself (not your company's business opportunity). You can use the social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook etc, to build profiles telling the world how wonderful you are and what you can do for them. You can use blogs and/or Twitter to let people know what you are doing on the Internet and in your business. And of course, you could start writing articles to get yourself noticed, LOL!

So I've given you lots of ideas to be exploring. Check them out and start putting them to use. Learn to market yourself first and you will explode your network marketing income.

Network Marketing Phone Sponsoring Secrets For Ultimate Success

This article will help you to succeed, with network marketing phone sponsoring techniques that most network marketers are totally blind to.

So you are on the telephone with your prospect. Either she has called you or vice versa. My first tip is that you should always be the one making the call. Never be caught on the hop by answering an unexpected call from a prospect.

Personally, I prefer to screen ALL of my telephone calls.

The reason for this is that, at this stage YOU need to hold all of the power in the relationship. If you answer the phone to a prospect then, immediately, they will take charge of the conversation with some sort of question about your business.

Do not, under any circumstances, answer that question. If you do then you are dead in the water.

Answer one question and a barrage of similar questions will follow. This will basically be a list of your prospects objections to actually joining your business. You will immediately be on the defensive about yourself, your business, and your opportunity.

You will have given away all of your power and you will appear pathetic and needy to your prospect.

You need to have total control of the phone call and the conversation.

The reason you are calling is to qualify the prospect for your business. Not, to sell your business opportunity to the prospect.

That is the essential message of this article. So re-read that last sentence until the message sinks in for you.

You have all of the power in the relationship at this stage. Treat it like a job interview. If your prospect were applying for a job against 100 other candidates, they wouldn't have much real power would they? That's the mentality you need to project.

Conduct a typical job interview over the phone. Find out everything you can about them. Past history, work history, business experience, network marketing experience. Find out what their goals, dreams, and passions are.

When you have conducted the interview you can close by saying: "Well (Susan), you sound like you would be perfect for this business. I can see you going a long way, and making a lot of money in this industry. Shall we sign the paperwork and get you started today?"

So now you know. Start applying this technique to your network marketing phone sponsoring and watch your conversion rate soar.

How to Succeed in Network Marketing With the Internet

This article will open your eyes to the mistakes that people are making on the Internet, and show you how to succeed in network marketing with the Internet

So lots of people are finally getting wise to the power of the Internet to grow a network marketing business.

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for you and I, they don't have the first clue what they are doing.

Most network marketers are applying the same marketing techniques online that they use offline.

For example; most network marketing companies and sponsors advise outdated methods of marketing their business opportunity. You know the kind of stuff. DVDs, brochures, promotional calling cards, etc.

None of that stuff ever worked very well, however, most companies still churn out tons of the stuff. They encourage all of their distributors to buy it and distribute it randomly. There's no science behind the method. It's a case of : just present it to as many eyeballs as possible and someone might get interested.

This method is very inefficient because they don't target a specific audience to market to. When people get online to build their business they make exactly the same mistake.

Business opportunity seekers are a very niche market. You need to be marketing to network marketers, would-be network marketers, ex network marketers and failed network marketers. Most other people just aren't interested in starting a home business.

People that have been marketing successfully on the Internet for years, have realized that to be successful on the WWW, you have to market to niche audiences. You can't afford to market to everyone on the web. You would have too much competition to ever be able to compete.

For example; I know of one gentleman that has built a $20million dollar a year business from promoting dating techniques. Other people sell products on dog grooming tips, fixing cycle tires etc.

Do you get the idea? You market to a very defined niche audience, NOT the entire Internet community.

So what do you market to your network marketing niche audience?

Most people are out there just plugging their business opportunity. This is absolutely the biggest mistake that you can make.

People do not like to join business opportunities. People like to join people.

What you have to be marketing to your niche audience is YOU!

You need to brand yourself as an expert who can add value to peoples lives and businesses. If people see you, like you, and feel that you can help them solve a problem in their life, then they are far more likely to come to you than some random stranger on the Internet.
How do you brand yourself as such a person?

The best way that I have found is to give away free information. Too many people on the Internet are trying to sell something. Give information away and people are far more likely to access what you have to say.

Maybe you could offer a free newsletter that gives advice on network marketing. Maybe you could write a series of articles. What about writing an ebook and giving that away?

Whatever way you decide, you must give without expecting anything in return.

Build trust and rapport with your audience. Once you have their trust they will be far more open to considering your business opportunity.

Current Internet Network Security Policies Are Nonsense!

Internet network security policies are flawed in strategy and implementation.

Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.

Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.

The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects
that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.

New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.

In conclusion, internet network security policy implementors should focus on internal buy in among employees and proper dissemination to the entire IT work force,including contractors.This will ensure that the internet network security policy doesnt end up as a useless binder in your boss's cabin!

Gary P is one of the editors of Data-recovery-reviews.com,is the leading portal on data storage, data recovery and network security. A recent article on IS internet network security policy frameworks

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_P

Learn How to Sell Network Marketing Without Fear Now

Do you want to learn how to sell network marketing without fear? Many people do but they don't know where to start. The old way of selling network marketing was very scary for a lot of people because most times you had to use cold calling or presentations. A lot of people got used to being rejected or having the phone slammed in their ear, which doesn't help with your confidence in selling. This is something you can still do today but it is not the best way.

When you want to learn how to sell network marketing without fear, the answer will be to use the internet. By using the internet to help you start selling network marketing you will be able to completely eliminate cold calling. Selling online is so much easier because you can reach so many people and you don't have to hear them rejecting you, which gives a lot of people more confidence and helps them achieve better success.

Here are the things that you will need to have set up so that you can start selling network marketing online. All of these things are very important to have and use when you learn how to sell network marketing without fear.

One: An Opt-in page, which is also known as a squeeze page can be a very powerful tool for selling network marketing. You want to have a page that has been designed specifically for your network company. You want to offer people a report or newsletter that they find valuable to them or their business. In exchange for this, they will give you their contact information.

Two: A follow up system is the next step. You can easily set this up using an autoresponder. You need to contact your subscribers at least 7 different times because most people won't buy anything or sign up for anything until they have seen it at least 7 times. The more you can contact them the better because this will give you a better chance of selling network marketing to them, plus it will give you that many more chances to tell your subscribers about your network marketing company.

Three: You need to have a feedback system in place so that your subscribers can contact you if they need or want to. The more they can interact with you and give their opinions, the more they will trust you. Plus, no one wants to sign up for anything or buy anything if they can get a hold of the person behind the product or company.

These are not all of the things that you will need to have set up online so you can start selling network marketing. There are other things that you will need to know about so you can learn how to sell network marketing without fear but you can easily learn this by doing some research online. Do your homework about selling online and before you know it you will be able to sell your network marketing business to anyone.

Business Opportunity Leads - Let Them Feel You Are Offering Them a Legitimate Opportunity

As the world population increases you would think so would things like 'jobs', but no. Unemployment is what has increased and it increases even more year by year. That is why a lot of people are turning to the internet. The opportunities on the internet are really overwhelming, but sometimes to the point where confusion sets in and stays. When looking for a business opportunity on the web, the first thing you need to do is gather your options and understand them first, don't go signing up for everything you check out, this will just confuse you and flood your inbox with so much mail you wont know where to begin.

Next, when you've narrowed down your choices to maybe 2 or 3, study them well, look for the good and the bad facts on them, make sure you can do the job. Don't believe everything you read, use your God given common sense as well. Then make it happen. Start your home based business. Where to start? The leads. Business opportunity leads can be found everywhere. There are lots of companies that sell leads, but if you're planning to purchase them you need to consider a lot of things because all leads are not equal.

Lead generating companies generate their leads in many ways. The best leads cost a lot. Common ways of generating leads are by sending out emails or direct mail, telemarketing, proposal requests, conducting surveys on the phone or on the web, referrals, trade show demonstrations, seminars or even advertising. The more complicated, the better the lead. So your choices are either to buy the best leads or to generate them yourself. It may be more time consuming but the results are all worth it.

Once you have generated the leads, contact them as soon as possible. Waiting around too long gives them the opportunity to change their minds or to go somewhere else. When trying to make the sale, remember that its not how good you are, how great your product is or how wonderful your business is. It is always about the customer, how you can help them, how your product works for them and how your business can take care of their problems.

With the right leads and the right sales pitch your home based business should be a success. There will be problems and their will be bad leads, but no business is perfect. As long as to stick to the rules, do your research and as long as you don't bother people on the DNC list things will be A-ok.

A Review of the Share the Wealth Income Opportunity

Once you find this website - it isn't high in the page rankings, even when you specifically search for it by name - it is fairly easy to navigate. You can immediately see the product, the opportunity and many benefits of working with the company. On their home page (the only page) that tells you up front that you will have to put in "a little honest work" inorder to reap the benefits of the business. They refer to their distributors and "partners" but that's only schematics, right? As for other information on the company, they do direct you to the World Success Team and apparently Share the Wealth is a division of this company.

Who They Are

We don't really know much about who Share the Wealth is. World Success Team is internet marketing professionals. They are a company that mentors and trains people to earn an income from a home based business. They have more than 14 years of marketing experience, but that is about all the information that is available. Where the company is based and how long the actual company has been in business is a mystery.

What They Do

It is rather difficult to determine just what Share the Wealth does because they don't publish anything on their website to tell you. All they do is allude to a wellness product that is available to sell. They claim that it is the "perfect" product, it is in demand and that Share the Wealth will give you "access to one product that has scientifically validated reasons for using it." However, what the product is or why you would use it is yet another mystery of this site.

How You Make Money

Again, the Share the Wealth site alludes to this mysterious "perfect product" that is "in demand" and you can become financially independent by selling it and creating a downline. They do say that they have multiple online marketing portals. One of these is four lead pages that allow you to market your business. They also claim to provide you with free prospects of people who want to start their own work at home business. Training and mentoring by experts is another asset of the company. But if you want to know about the product or just what exactly you will be selling, you have to fill out the online form in order to take the tour and get more information.

What We've Heard

There isn't much about Share the Wealth at all. There are no reviews, no testimonials and the site itself is nearly impossible to find. On top of that, you are left asking more questions than you get answered. What is the product after all?

If you are able to find a rep for this company, make sure that you drill them first and ask them the following questions. Do they have weekly or more often conference calls you can bring your prospects on free. Do they have a solid set of marketing skills they use to grow their own business. If they can grow theirs they can grow yours too right?

Making Money With an Opt-In Box

If you have been in the home business opportunity industry for any length of time then you have heard it stated over and over the money is in the list. The almighty list; everyone needs one, but who other than the big boys really has one?

Well if you don't have a good buying list then you might be wondering just how you acquire that almighty list especially when you're new to the game of internet marketing!

Well first let me say that acquiring a list really isn't that hard. Shop around on the internet and you'll find literally a gazillion ads that promise you guaranteed traffic, or visitors they all use different verbiage but they are selling the same thing, a click to your website. Great! Wrong! So what?

What you need is targeted traffic that will buy from you. The almighty list is a list of buying customers. Now that is harder to get.

So if you haven't already figured this out, you need your very own squeeze page or website. Again, not hard to do, go to Wordpress.org or Blogger.com and setup a page you can direct prospects to. The big deal here is you need to be able to control the site. As a home business owner you need to be able manage the sight yourself. That's why I like using these two products; you don't have to be a web designer to make these products work for you.

Next you need to have reason for a prospect to want to get to know you better. That can be in the form of a newsletter, some sort of training camp, e-book anything like that. You can create this, have a ghost writer do it for you or purchase PLR rights. And now here you go, you need an opt-in form.

What's an Opt-In Form?

A form that captures prospects information, that coveted information know as "The List". The prospect provides their information to you so you can begin to build your relationship and eventually a sale. Every business opportunity needs to capture this information and will have it in some form on their squeeze page or sales page.

But lately there has been a lot of talk about what should go on an opt-in list. Most big marketers want ALL your information: name, address, city, zip, phone, email, and if they could they'd take your first born. I have found that most people when asked to give away this much privacy for a free e-book will not likely give you good data.

So I like what many of the smart marketers are doing. Asking for just a little, name and email, get you on their list and then offer to send you their free CD so now if you want it you need to give them all the other info.

This works because by then your prospect trusts you and is willing to provide this data. Good tactic for all home business owners to understand and practice.

Winning Tactics For Home Based Network Marketing Business

Let's face it, one of the best way to do online business is by making it home based network marketing business. Whatever product or business you plan to sell, selling it in a form of network marketing will surely skyrocket your income to the roof. You will need a proper plan to create your own network marketing strategy or to short cut your way to success is by joining other community of network which have the same interest like you.

When you start your home based network marketing business, you will have an army of people who are willing to promote your business or product. The first thing you need to do is create a buzz about your product everywhere on the Internet. You can spread it using social networking websites and provide some good quality content that people can really understand what is it that you are actually promoting.

The best part of home based network marketing business is that you can set your own rules. You can decide how many level of upline and downline based on your needs. People will definitely love to join in immediately if they know that their uplines are very active in promoting your product. Of course this may sound like a lazy people because they will get the benefit of getting their own downline without doing anything. Nevertheless, if you charge them membership fee for every month, you will still make money from this lazy people. Sounds pretty cool, isn't it?

To make your home based network marketing business more interesting, try to think of a benefit where people who join your network will not get it anywhere else. One good example is giving them a free hosting account which is reliable so that they will not do extra work to look for good one. Provide them some useful tips every single week on how to grow their business to the next level so they will get motivated all the time. Always keep in touch with your group of network marketers.

Achieving fast result in home based network marketing business is very important to almost everybody. No one like to hang around for weeks or months before they can see the result of making money. You must make sure you product sell very well so that your army of network marketers can earn money as soon as possible.

Of course, you can start your own home based network marketing business at the comfort of your own home. Once you have succeeded, you will have more time with your family and plan for a holiday since your business are now fully automated.

Scientists want top security for GM crop tests

Trials of genetically modified crops should be conducted within a national high-security facility or in fields at secret locations across the country to prevent them from being attacked and destroyed by anti-GM activists, scientists said yesterday.

Researchers spoke out after protesters ripped up crops in one of only two GM trials to be approved in Britain this year, and ahead of a meeting with government ministers, which has been called to discuss ways of providing better protection for crop trials in future.

Scientists claim the repeated attacks on their trials are stifling vital research to evaluate whether GM crops can reduce the cost and environmental impact of farming, and whether GM variants will grow better in harsh environments where droughts have devastated harvests.

Since 2000 almost all of the 54 GM crop trials attempted in Britain have been attacked to some extent.

In a meeting planned for early September environment ministers will be asked to consider establishing a secure GM crop facility at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Niab) in Cambridge, where the last remaining GM crop trial - of a blight-resistant potato developed by the German company BASF - is being conducted. Security for that trial, which includes a perimeter fence and 24-hour security guards, has cost more than £100,000. An identical trial at the site last year was damaged by activists in a night raid. In other proposals scientists will be seeking permission to conduct small-scale GM crop trials at undisclosed locations, and possibly a secure register to hold full details of their trials, instead of making them public. Under an existing EU directive GM crop trials in Britain can only go ahead once a full description of the crop, along with a six-figure grid reference that effectively pinpoints the planned location of the trial, have been made public.

SMBs in India to Spend US$289M on Data Security This Year

Small and medium businesses (SMBs, or companies with up to 999 employees) in India are on track to spend US$289 million on security related investments this year, up a robust 32% over last year. Medium businesses (MBs or companies with 100 to 999 employees) are generating the majority of this increased demand accounting for 54% of the country's total SMB security expenditure. Small businesses (SBs or companies with up to 99 employees) are also expected to have an almost equal share in the total India SMB security spending pie. These facts are evidenced in studies by New York based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc.

"Protection from ever increasing electronic threats is the biggest driver for adoption of security solutions by India SMBs," says Abhilash DB, Analyst at AMI-Partners. "India SMBs are realizing that having an effective security policy will boost their chances securing a link within global supply chains. That's because web-enabled activities in day to day business makes an organization highly prone to security threats."

The evolution of the paperless office has given a new impetus to the need for effective information security, as have regulatory laws that require archiving and protection of confidential consumer data. "MBs are no longer finding solace in stand-alone anti-virus solutions," Mr. Abhilash says. "They want capabilities such as anti-spam, firewall and intrusion detection, both on the client (desktop/notebook) and at the gateway. Vulnerability assessment tools are becoming important as the larger MBs are becoming increasingly more proactive towards information security management."

The AMI studies note that SMBs are the most vulnerable segment of all businesses in terms of data security. "Security software accounts for 74% of the total SMB security expenditure," Mr. Abhilash says. "The majority of this spending is on antivirus software. Security in SBs is limited mainly to the deployment of an antivirus solution and they lack proper security management."

Dependence on the Internet and on corporate networks is rising rapidly among MBs. As the employee size increases, the focus on information security also rises. Even for basic technologies, the largest MBs (500 to 999 employees) lead the way in terms of penetration. The adoption of network firewall and intrusion detection is showing significant leaps among businesses of this size.

On the other hand, traditional security solutions such as anti-virus are experiencing slower growth rates, while emerging solutions such as anti-spyware and anti-spam have exhibited the highest growth compared to previous years. Anti-spyware and anti-spam solutions will record growth rates of nearly 40% among Indian SMBs this year. The market for managed security is also expected to grow at approximately 40% this year.

The top three key trends among India SMBs are UTM (Unified Threat Management), BCS (Business Continuity Solutions) and MSS (Managed Security Services). As SMBs are more focused in simplifying their infrastructure management, they are looking for an all-in-one security appliance, which UTM will provide. As such the India SMB segment offers a huge untapped opportunity for third-party security solution providers that can monitor the network in real-time for virus attacks and unauthorized network intrusions.

Related Studies

AMI's 2007 India Small Business Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment and 2007 India Medium Business Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment studies highlight these and other major trends in the context of current/planned IT, Internet and communications usage and spending. Products and services covered include established and emerging hardware, software, applications and business process solutions. Based on AMI's annual surveys of SMBs in India, the studies track a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to budgets, purchase behaviors, decision influencers, channel preferences, outsourcing, service and support. Also covered are detailed firmographics and critically important technology attitudes and strategic planning priorities. This data points to key opportunities and messaging hot buttons for vendors and service providers seeking to match their offerings to SMB market requirements.

Platform Will Reflect Shifts

Convention delegates are set to ratify a party platform that refers sparingly to the "war on terror," among other marked shifts in tone on national-security issues from four years ago.

In 2004, national security and terrorism had top billing and took up the first half of the Democratic Party platform, which was the first since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The platform promised retaliation for a terrorist attack with "overwhelming and devastating force," making reference to the "war on terror" seven times. It identified winning "the global war against terror" as the primary national-security challenge.

A draft of this year's platform refers to a general "war on terror" just once and argues for policies that "expand our understanding of the circumstances and beliefs that underpin extremism." The primary national-security goal is "ending the war in Iraq responsibly." While the document also makes specific appeals to defeat al Qaeda, it does so by outlining U.S. policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Unlike the convention, which is designed to appeal to a broad audience, the party platform is written primarily for the party base and receives far less attention than prime-time convention speeches. But it offers clues to shifting priorities or a rethinking of stances.

With the economy and energy costs topping voters' concerns, the Democratic platform emphasizes the economy and "renewal." On national security, the platform both "is getting more specific, and spreading the net wider," says Rand Beers, a national-security adviser to John Kerry's 2004 campaign. "The circumstances that we're talking about in the world today, versus 2004, have changed."

The 2004 document, titled "Strong at Home, Respected in the World," aimed to project strength during the first wartime election in more than 30 years. Emphasizing that, Sen. Kerry famously began his acceptance speech with the line: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."

While Sen. Barack Obama's selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate adds foreign-policy heft to the Democratic ticket, Sen. Obama faces a difficult balancing act on national security. Polls show Republican candidate John McCain has a significant advantage. Voters favor Sen. McCain on fighting terrorism by 51% to 23%, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

"It's important to convey to the American people that the party and the candidate do not shy away from the tough national-security issues," says Mr. Beers. The question facing the Democrats, he says: "How do you do that when you don't have the governing reins?"

A committee of party stalwarts drafted the platform, but the framework arose from a series of 1,600 meetings with rank-and-file Democrats. "We really didn't look too much at 2004," says Michael Yaki, the national platform director. "When we were out there talking and listening to people, we concluded that, to paraphrase Bill Clinton in 1992, 'It's the economy, energy, and health care, stupid.'"

On social issues, the Democratic platform tries to strike a balance between the party's base and swing voters. "It's about threading the needle as much as you can," says Norman Ornstein of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

The platform includes new language aimed at emphasizing a desire to reduce the number of abortions, while on immigration the party promises immigration reform that is "tough" and "humane." The platform also offers a section on faith and a section on fatherhood, a favorite theme for Sen. Obama.

On gun rights, the platform has evolved considerably since 2000, when in the wake of the Columbine, Colo., shootings, the party highlighted its efforts to pass a series of tough gun measures. In 2004, the party scaled down its plank on that to one line, recognizing "Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms." This year's platform adds that "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne" and respects "different views on this issue." The centrist tilt comes even after the recent slaying of the Arkansas Democratic Party chairman.

The platform calls for an end to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays serving in the armed forces and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman, but it doesn't specifically make reference to "gay or lesbian" individuals in a section on civil rights.

The platform places considerable attention on women's rights, after a primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton left supporters upset over gender bias. Notably, the draft platform affirms support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been dropped from the 2004 platform for the first time since the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing gender equality was introduced in 1972.

Protect Your Identity

You already know the importance of not giving out your personal information to someone you don't know, or in chat rooms. You are well aware of not intentionally making yourself vulnerable to physical harm when first meeting someone you have talked to over the internet. However, there is a recent epidemic of people trying to sneak into people's personal and financial information that you should be aware of.

Recently, particularly on social networking sites such as Facebook and myYearbook, hackers have been using seemingly innocent or flirty email messages and comments to hack into people's computers. They start by possibly sending you a friend request, or an email asking you to click on a link to view nude pictures or videos. Once you do, they are, at a minimum, able to hack into your user account for that site. This can cause all types of problems for you.

First, let's say you are a member of a adult-oriented site. You may have pictures and/or videos posted there that you don't want broadcast to the world. Bear in mind that if they are posted on the internet, however, that there's always a risk of that. But, hackers and others with ill intentions can make that happen much more quickly and easily. This is only one of the minor risks you may face. They could use your profile to send unreasonable obscene, or perhaps even illegal, messages, pictures, and comments to other members of the site. At best, you could get banned from the site. At worst, you could face prosecution.

If they manage to take it one step further, and hack into your computer, they could have access to any files you have on that computer, including financial records, personal memos, family photos, etc. Many hackers also use something known as keystroke capture to log every keystroke you make, including usernames and passwords that you may use to log on to online banking websites, and other sensitive passwords that you wish to be kept secret. They also may be able to implant a virus (or worm) onto your computer, that may cause your computer to not work properly, or in some cases, not work at all.

Bear in mind that if you have a computer connected to the internet, there is always a risk that your computer could become infected with a virus, or that a hacker could break into your computer. There are many ways to prevent such things from happening, but basically, it's like the old saying goes..."locks are only good at keeping honest people honest". If someone wants into your computer badly enough, they will get in. So, all you can do is take all the precautions you can, and try to keep sensitive information to a minimum on any computer you have connected to the internet.

As far as keeping these hackers from using social networking sites to get to your computer, use a little common sense. If you receive a message from someone you don't know, chances are, they have ill intentions. The most common method they are currently using is to ask you to click on link to view nude pictures of videos. Do not click on the link, because that's when the trouble begins. Report any such messages to the administrators of the site, and delete them immediately. If each one of us does our part to stop these malicious people, eventually we may be able to stop them from trying to do harm to people who are just trying to have a good time and connect with like-minded people.

Cyber War and SEO Defense

The web Georgian Internet nation was target of a coordinated cyber attack by Russian server, which compromised several government sites with defacement and denial of service attacks, and stop the nation's ability to disseminate information. Good lesson for the future cyber attack.The Ministry of Defense website was unavailable for viewing from the U.K. The Web sites for both the Georgian presidential office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia were available, but was due to Georgian redirection work. Denial of service attacks are conducted when a coordinated network of computers sends multiple requests to a given server or computer at exactly the same time, which subsequently shuts down the targeted computer under the barrage of incoming requests.

The cyber attacks ultimately prompted the Georgian governmental sites to switch to U.S. based hosts, while Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved to a blogspot account. Cyber war has extended to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti was offline by DDos attack (DDoS attacks consist of overloading websites with so many online requests that systems crash) for 10 hours over Sunday night and Monday morning. Russian based servers AS12389 ROSTELECOM, AS8342 RTCOMM, AS8359 COMSTAR and with the more recent addition of AS8631 Routing Arbiter for Moscow Internet Exchange, are still in a commanding position. AS9121 TTNet of Turkey still remains routed through the Russian servers, not directly to Georgia. But alternative links have been made to AS35805 UTG AS United Telecom of Georgia and other servers based in Georgia.

We don't know the real sources of the attacks but the first coordinated cyber attacks against Georgia was detected in July, around one weeks before Russia launched its military intervention. Experts say that attacks launched in tandem with military conflict will likely increase as more global infrastructure is controlled by the Internet.

In 2007, disruptions of Internet service in Estonia like Georgia, formerly a political division of the Russia dominated Soviet Union prompted talk of those events as possibly the first ever cyberwar, but n this case Georgian cybersiege wasmore coordinated, professional and sophisticated. Anyway in this website we combat against to the cyberwar and cybercriminal, we assisting all the organizations or private company to the SEO defence and internet promotion.

How to Erase Your Search History Completely

It may sound a bit scary but every stroke of my keyboard is recorded by the computer memory. Mostly when I use my internet, I know that the information regarding the web sites and links that I have been browsing is stored in the memory of my computer.

Windows as well as other operating systems stores the history of our browsing on the hard disk. The "Clear history" option does not do any good and it never erases the search history fully. I know that my search history is very easy to retrieve. Now this is a severe threat to my as well as any one's privacy. Moreover, I use my computer to pay my bills through my credit cards as well as make transactions through my bank account, thus I find a dire need of something that can erase search history completely.

There is a number of Internet history erasing software available in the market. With the increasing number of cyber crimes, I prefer using this software to erase search history so that my private data is not available for anyone's use. With the use of this history erasing software I need not remember to erase search history every time I have finished accessing my browser.

The history eraser removing software will automatically erase sensitive data once I set it to do so, every time I finish using my web browser. I also have an option to manually erase internet history if for some reason I do not want the history erasing software to work on its own. I am really satisfied as I can now permanently erase search history; erase the cache as well as every track of the web pages I have visited through my browser.

It is important to make a judicious choice for the software for erasing my internet history. The software should be user friendly as well as have all the options that make our Internet usage safe. My choice of software to erase search history is Winclear. Using this software actually makes my browsing safe and secure. It is very easy to use as all that I need is use a short cut key and erase any sensitive data in the back ground while I can continue working. I can also schedule to erase any sensitive data on my computer from time to time. The most important aspect of Winclear is that it is compatible with all Internet browsers.

So, I have the freedom to use any web browser I like. One of the most popular functions that come with Winclear is the shredder function. This function gets all my unwanted files deleted forever, files that I can not afford to be seen by my employer, spouse or my children instantly. With shredder function, I can erase the search history as well as other unwanted files which are almost impossible for any one to retrieve by any means. Erasing my internet history and using the shredder function improves the speed of my PC too.

Hence, if you do not want your sensitive data to be known to others and you want to ensure complete privacy, go for the standard software to erase your search history like me. And believe me, Winclear is one of the best choice you can make.

Phishermen Use IRS As Bait to Catch Victims

It is that time of year that people's thoughts begin to turn toward Year-End and taxes. (Well, some people's thoughts anyway.) It is also that time of year that fraudsters begin to ramp up efforts to snare victims using 'phishing' techniques, i.e. using spam emails to lure victims into giving up sensitive information in the hopes for an extra portion of their refund or in exchange for answering a survey getting $80 credited to their credit card or bank account. In this article, we are going to discuss this pervasive problem and how to avoid getting suckered in by these schemes.

Below is the text of an actual spam email that has been sent to millions of US Taxpayers, we are going to take it step by step to explain how to tell if you are receiving a genuine message from the IRS or if it's a Phisherman.

"From: Internal Revenue Service [mail to:security@irs.gov]
Sent: Friday August 8, 2008 10:00AM
Subject: IRS Survey: $80 to your account - Just for your time!
Importance: High

Congratulations!

Dear Customer,

You've been selected to take part in our quick and easy 8 questions survey. In return, we will credit $80.00 to your account - Just for your time!

Please spare two minutes of your time and take part in our online survey so we can improve our services. Don't miss this chance to change something.

To continue click on the link below:

http://www.irs.gov/login.asp=survey

Copyright 2007 Internal Revenue Service U.S.A."

While the reason for asking for information from you may differ, whether it is a survey or a mistake that entitles you to more of a refund than you claimed, the result is the same. Your information and shortly later your bank account are gone. A lot of these phishermen are offshore companies that use a method known as 'hopping points' to hide the origin of their operations. A phisherman in Germany will use a 'hopping point' in South Korea; these crooks have gotten very creative and will often use several 'hopping points' to cover their tracks. But let's look at this email step by step to see what we are dealing with here.

One, any email sent to security@irs.gov is going to get rejected as this is not a valid email address, try verifying this yourself as the email address, while likely is a false one can sometimes actually lead to the IRS which will fill their inboxes with tons of requests for information on this 'survey'.
Two, when has the government EVER sent you a letter that has said, 'Congratulations', either paper or email? Chances are, the answer is never. Let's face it, the government isn't in the business of 'congratulating' anyone. One person mentioned that he got a draft notice that said, "Congratulations!" but the rest of the letter was all bad news.

Three, the IRS will never refer to you as a 'customer'. Taxpayer, yes; Citizen, sometimes, but never ever as a customer. And, even though this is a little facetious when has the IRS ever created anything that is quick and easy? This is the same government institution that sent three extra sheets of paper with each return in 2000 to explain the Paperwork Reduction Act!

Four, inevitably on these emails there will be a grammar or spelling error. Since these emails are often generated by people whose first language is not English, 99% of the time there will be an error. The English that the IRS uses might not be very clear, but its spelling and grammar are impeccable. '8 questions survey' should be '8 question survey'.

Five, about clicking on these links, remember that these links can be disguised, so while the link may say it's sending you to the IRS site, in reality, it's sending you to a cloned site, which in many instances actually looks better than the real thing. NEVER click on these links, NEVER cut and paste these links, if you want to verify the site, manually type in the site into your browser. Cutting and pasting will paste the hidden site, not the intended site into your browser!

Six, the IRS does not have to copyright itself every year, so there would be no copyright in the corner, it DOES make it look official and that is of course why the phishermen will use this tactic. And finally, number seven, and remember this one, THE IRS WILL NOT INITIATE CONTACT WITH A TAXPAYER VIA EMAIL OR FAX. So why are people caught by this scam? Simply because people are always looking for free money and those that are looking for free money are the ones who keep getting caught up in these types of scams.

Let's assume that you have already seen the email and clicked on the link (NEVER DO THIS) in addition to taking you to the wrong site, some links can put a Trojan horse or create a backdoor to your operating system that cannot be detected by Norton, AVG etc, because these backdoors are created by the people who are real familiar with how these programs work. If you have clicked on this link, you are taken either to the survey, (and in many cases, the survey is entirely skipped but regardless of whether it is there or not, this page will ask for your name, Social Security number, the card number you want 'credited', the expiration date and the CSV number on the reverse of the card.

While the IRS will request your SS #, and the amount of your refund, the IRS will NEVER ASK FOR YOUR CARD NUMBER, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, ETC, EVER! Why? Because they already KNOW it! When you opened your account, you had to use your SS number as an identifying number to do so.
In addition to using SPAM emails, these fraudsters will also use automated faxes. These faxes will often claim that you have won a vacation, or that you need to fill out IRS form W-8 for Foreign People Earning US Income. This is a completely fictitious form, do NOT return this form to the sender!

Okay let's say that you have become a victim of this fraud and you have compromised your personal information. What do you do? First, send the email to phishing@irs.gov and contact all the major credit bureaus. If this email claims to be from the IRS you may also call the TIGTA hotline at 1-800-366-4484. Fraud affects everyone, don't be a victim, learn what you can do to prevent it! And if it has affected you, fight back! There are many services you can use to repair your credit rating after your identity has been stolen.

David Roberts, CFE, CQBPA, MBA, lives in Kissimmee, Florida with four girls, three dogs, two snakes and one wife. He has been a member of the ACFE for four years and has been studying fraud for longer than that. He is the owner of Homesoon Accounting Services which specializes in Quickbooks Consultations and Fraud Prevention and Detection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_S_Roberts

Cyber Crimes - The Call For Fast Lucre

I gasp at the mere thought of imagining to be a multimillion dollar magnate, if my e-mail inbox is any indication. My inbox is inundated with messages assuring me of millions of pounds as prize money. I am told to just divulge a few personal information for easy access to the huge fortune that waits to be tapped at the click of a mouse. How nice it would be if it really happened! But we have to hold our breath for a minute. Many such spam mails from addresses 'Irish Lottery Board', 'From the desk of XXX', 'Congratulations. You have won 15,000,00000£' etc. somehow manage to creep into my inbox with audacity.

Such enticing e-mails check our resistance to avarice and if only we have a frail mind to reveal our personal information to these guys, we are sure to have long lasting problem leaving our bank balance high and dry. It all started with a mail from Nigeria, which stated that I have been chosen for several millions of pounds of prize money that actually belonged to some political bigwig who died leaving behind a deed.

There were cases, where gullible public had reacted immediately to the mail and given their details. A few cases as explained by victims in India suggest that they were asked to deposit several lakhs of rupees as administration charges and bank charges to transfer the amount. Even without a basic thought that why a stranger should offer several millions of pounds, people have deposited the amount to the fraudster's bank account. And rest need not be deliberated. Had I opted to fall in the vicious trap, I would have faced similar tribulations of terrible financial loss.

Worst things happen in the internet, where cyber crimes like 'phishing',' identity thefts' and 'hacking' our e-mail accounts, virus downloads to cripple PCs happen with gay abandon. Clarion calls for online MLM (Multi Level Marketing) notwithstanding; it only helps a top few in the top of the pyramid and gives the majority a raw deal. Advertisers of products and novel launches of software that project fast bucks in the business fasten their grip on fickle minds.

Dr. Atul Prakash, Prof of Dept. of Electrical Engineering at University of Michigan and his team has some alarming news to offer. Their study on 214 financial institutions in 2006 found that nearly 75% of the websites of the institutions had at least one design flaw. Majority of bank websites had design related flaws, which allowed hackers to gain access to personal information and accounts. They found login boxes on insecure pages that allow hackers to reroute data of create a spoof copy to steal information.

Consider the following shocking fact. According to a recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Technology report, banks listed 536 cases of computer intrusion with an average loss of per incident of $30,000 and total losses in 2007 was close to a staggering $ US 16 million.

Not everybody is cyber savvy when it comes to technicalities of computer. This fact serves to spreading of awareness to remain alert regarding proxy usage of one's e-mail addresses for ignoble motives. To prove that I am innocent of the happening becomes my responsibility in case somebody misuses my e-mail accounts. However, a basic understanding of the physical aspect of the computer comes to our rescue in such an unpleasant situation.

A recent article in an Indian Daily suggested that we need to be aware of our MAC (Media Access Control) number, which is the address of the tangible computer which we use in our home. Though somebody might have 'phished' our e-mail ID for some anti-social mailing, we can still prove that it was not sent from our machine, and some unscrupulous element has sent it from some remote corner of the globe using our e-mail ID. This stems from the fact that the MAC number is unique for a system, though our IP address may be reflected in the mails sent by the hacker.

A basic understanding of computer systems, firewall protections, virus controls and other updated information of cyberspace seems to be the need of the hour and last but not the least, let's not fall into the evil designs of alluring calls over the internet in the scramble for making fast lucre. No Midas touch can ever prevail in reality.

Homeland Security probes MnDOT official's hiring

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it will now check potential employees' backgrounds on the Internet after the department hired and then fired a disgraced Minnesota transportation official.

Kip Hawley, the top administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, recently made the change in hiring practices.

TSA had hired Sonia Pitt, who was fired in November from her emergency response job at MnDOT. She was fired from MnDOT after records showed she failed to return for 10 days from an unauthorized state-paid trip in the aftermath of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

The Department of Homeland Security fired Pitt July 31 after information from MnDOT backed up information from an internal investigation.

Homeland Security officials are investigating why Pitt continued to hold a federal security clearance after her MnDOT dismissal. They're also looking at Pitt's TSA application and whether corruption was involved in her hiring.

Social Security in forefront of 11th District race

Republican congressional candidate Lou Barletta blames a public perception that he supported Social Security privatization as a major reason he lost his 2002 congressional race against U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski.

When something works, why not try it again?

In its first two television commercials aired locally, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trying to tie the Hazleton mayor to President Bush, partly through Barletta’s past support for a limited Social Security privatization, a stance he has repeatedly renounced this year. Bush supported much more extensive privatization.

The ads are giving Social Security a prominence in the 11th Congressional District race it so far doesn’t enjoy in other congressional races across the country. The first commercial was the DCCC’s first anywhere in the general election campaign.

“I can’t think of a specific Social Security” attack television commercial across the country by a candidate, said Nathan Gonzales, political editor for the Rothenberg Political Report, a Washington newsletter that tracks congressional races.

Gonzales cautioned that it’s too early to truly assess Social Security’s prominence as a campaign issue because few candidates are airing commercials.

Social Security isn’t among the top five issues voters worried about in poll after poll statewide and across the country.

No independent poll has measured its prominence in Northeast Pennsylvania, but it’s sure getting the royal treatment.

“Did that surprise you, given the number of senior citizens here?” asked Thomas J. Baldino, Ph.D., a political science professor at Wilkes University. “There’s a large number of people who really depend on it. We all know there’s a large number of senior citizens, but they also vote.”

In a year when younger voters might figure more prominently because of the presidential candidacy of Democrat Barack Obama, senior citizens will probably again be a hallmark of the region’s electorate.

n Luzerne County, with 18.24 percent, ranked 9th in residents 65 and older among the state’s 67 counties. Lackawanna County, with 18.07 percent, ranked 12th.

Large swaths of both are in the 11th District.

Carbon, which ranked 27th, Columbia, 39th, and Monroe 66th, are the other counties in the district.

n More than 187,000 people receive Social Security benefits in the five counties — 77,178 in Luzerne and 49,777 in Lackawanna — almost a quarter of all their residents. The numbers include benefits paid to widows, widowers and disabled people.

During the 2002 race, Barletta favored allowing people to divert part of their Social Security payroll taxes into individual personal retirement accounts invested in government-backed securities or bonds, but not the stock market. The money would remain in government control, he said. Democrats say that’s privatization. Barletta argues it’s not, but says he’s against personal accounts now, too.

Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski’s campaign media consultant who developed Kanjorski’s 2002 Social Security ads, said the region’s demographic makeup isn’t the only reason Social Security is resonating at the moment.

“It’s an issue that has broad appeal with every American, especially at a time the stock market is down, the economy is so poor and people are seeing their 401(k) (pension plans) and IRAs (individual retirement accounts) diminish,” Mitchell said.

In an AARP poll of 401 Pennsylvania voters released Wednesday, almost six in 10 said they were somewhat or very worried when asked specifically if they worried about Social Security existing when they retired. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

One of Kanjorski’s top commercials in their 2002 contest accused Barletta of wanting to “gamble with your retirement.”

As hard as Barletta tried to deny supporting privatization, the charge stuck and afterward he said it was a major factor in his loss along with lacking enough money to air his own commercials.

Within hours after he announced his latest candidacy Feb. 7, Democratic Party officials attacked Barletta as a privatization backer again.

In late May, aiming to head off another barrage on the issue, Barletta had a news conference on Courthouse Square in Scranton where he made it clear he wouldn’t stand for being ripped on Social Security.

“I don’t support privatizing Social Security, and anyone who says I do is lying,” Barletta said. “I’m against personal savings accounts. How much clearer could I be? The public has said it’s against personal accounts, so let’s take that idea off the table.”

The mayor also counterattacked, accusing Kanjorski of being part of a Congress that raided the Social Security Trust Fund 18 times to the tune of $4 trillion to balance the federal budget since 1991. He made a similar accusation in 2002, though not as specific — and much later and less forceful than now.

Kanjorski said the Social Security Trust Fund, which currently runs a surplus, routinely loans money to the federal government by buying the government bonds and securities. The government must sell bonds and securities to raise money to fund the budget. But that only happens because the past Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush allowed the federal budget deficit to mushroom to historic proportions

Hu Offers Sympathy for Dead Tourist, Boosts Security

Chinese President Hu Jintao offered sympathy to U.S. President George W.Bush for yesterday's stabbing in Beijing of two American tourists related to a U.S. Olympic coach.

The Olympic host will ramp up security after the father-in- law of the U.S. men's indoor volleyball coach was killed and his wife wounded yesterday. The U.S. embassy called the assault an ``isolated'' incident unconnected to the Games.

``I want to take this opportunity to express profound sympathy to the families,'' Hu said. ``The Chinese side takes this very seriously,'' and will ``carry out a very serious investigation.'' Bush thanked Hu for his condolences as the two met today.

The murder on the first day of Beijing's Olympic Games cast a shadow on the world's largest sports event as China's government seeks to project the image of a progressive and peaceful nation to an estimated 4 billion television viewers globally. As many as 500,000 tourists are likely to visit the Chinese capital during the Olympics, which run through Aug. 24.

Todd Bachman was killed when a man wielding a knife attacked him, his wife, daughter and a Chinese guide at noon yesterday at the Drum Tower in central Beijing.

Bachman's wife, Barbara, 62, remained in a critical though stable condition at a Beijing hospital after eight hours of surgery, the U.S. Olympic Committee said today.

Internet Marketing Vs Yellow Pages!

To most companies, advertising in Yellow Pages is the unshakable cornerstone of their annual marketing spend and they would no more think of canceling it than they would hire David Brent as office manager.

Surely Yellow Pages is established, recognised everywhere and enjoys strong distribution. It's expensive, but is there any alternative?

A moderately sized quarter of half page ad is looking at 3 -5K a year. A whole page? That can be anything from 5K to over 8K for the year. There's no negotiation; take it or leave it - and that's with the regulators on their back capping and indeed cutting rates by 3.4%.

How surprising is it that more and more of my clients are cutting back expenditure on Yellow Pages?

Not surprising at all really. If you think about it, search is not new and it has played a major part in marketing activity for decades in the form of phone books and directories. Effective search engine marketing simply takes this a giant step further, unlocking as is does the incredible introductory potential the web medium provides between supplier and consumer to connect and do business.

This trend is reflected in Yellow Pages own market analysis, which shows a downward trend in client retention from 78% to 75% year on year. Interestingly, it is newer customers who are leaving.

Yellow Pages ads are viewed by people who have all ready made a decision to buy. Don't emphasise why your product or service is needed but rather why it should be obtained from you. Consumers need and want two types of information from Yellow Pages adverts.

Firstly, they need to know why they should purchase from one company and not another.

Secondly, they need information that facilitates making their purchase ie they need to know how to make the purchase or have a call to action.

If you really focus and see things through your customers eyes then your Yellow Pages ad copy should virtually write itself.

The use of colour and how Yellow Pages charge for it is pretty unbelievable.

The book is now printed on white paper (think about it you can't have white ink)

Yellow Pages charge more for white in your adverts - 40% in fact.

But, Yellow Pages actually have to take an extra step to print a yellow coloured ad ie they overlay white paper with a yellow ink but this is cheaper than a white ad.

Our surveys show that colour is not the most important factor in selecting an advert. In fact, it is well down the list.

Yellow Pages sales reps often argue:

"It'll only cost you £800 a year to move up to the next largest ad size and ad colour. Don't you believe that the increased sales you'd obtain would more than offset that expense?"

This is a bad argument for a number of reasons....

It assumes that the business generated by your original ad pays for itself

It assumes that you make a 100% profit on each sale (nice work if you can get it)

It assumes that the use of £800 for additional Yellow Pages advertising would generate more business than would the use of the same £800 in another media

Nonetheless I see many of my clients putting all their eggs in one "Yellow Pages" basket without obtaining effective proof that their adverts are actually working.

The secret is to monitor the response to each and every advert you place.

If you can't measure it you can't manage it.

I know from my experience as a former Yellow Pages sales rep that one had to continually create a false sense of urgency. Typically Yellow Pages reps only work two directories ie they are in each area for six months at a time. The reps are paid a commission on signed orders so it's no surprise they go in for the kill...

This article is free to republish provided the authors resource box remains intact.

This article was written by David Clarke a partner at DBS and an internet marketing consultant who offers 0845 to mobile and 0845 number services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Clarke

How to Wipe Your Hard Drive to Permanently Remove Private Or Sensitive Data

You may not know how to wipe your hard drive, but you should be aware of the process. Computer security is a major concern for both business people and individuals, these days. If you want to keep your data safe, you should consider clearing all of the files off of your computer using a wipe disk tool, when necessary.

What is a wipe disk tool? Well, it's a tool designed to completely delete all files on a hard disk drive. It even detects and deletes files that could potentially be used to restore regularly deleted data. There is no better way of cleaning files from your computer permanently than using a wipe disk tool.

What possible reason could you have for wanting to wipe your hard drive completely clean? Well, if you personally or your business decides to get new computers, you may want to wipe the data from the old units. That will guard against it falling into the wrong hands.

Another scenario where it could be useful is if your company is going out of business and you are selling your computers. This is especially important for business owners who have client confidentiality to consider. There's no telling who will wind up in possession of the computers, after all.

Simply using the delete key or dragging files to your recycle bin is not going to remove those files from your computer completely. You are probably only deleting short cuts, if you delete things that way. It can take hours and be totally useless for your data security.

If you don't learn how to permanently wipe your hard drive, anyone can access files on it. All they need to do is use some sort of system recovery software to access the files. System recovery software can be found all over the Internet.

You might also try clearing files from your computer by simply formatting the hard drive, but that doesn't actually protect your files. A skilled specialist in data recovery can still retrieve them. So, using a wipe disk tool is a much better and safer idea.

Disk wiping is one of the most secure ways of wiping your hard drive. It is a very thorough process, too. It can even delete licensed programs. How does it work? Well, a disk wiping tool is designed to overwrite your whole hard drive multiple times with data. That way, it's impossible for anyone, no matter how skilled, to recover files that were created before the disk wiping process was done. Not only that, but such programs are so thorough that they also usually wipe out the master boot record and partitioned drives, too.

The government has set a medium security standard that says that a hard drive should be overwritten six times, over the course of three different steps. The first step is to remove the hard drive data. The second is to replace it with a series of zeros. The third assigns a code, 246, to the wiped drive. It takes a while, but it's very important to wipe your hard drive, if you don't want people to access your files.

The Computer Security Act of 1987 - In Layman's Terms

Are you concerned about computer security? Do you worry that personal and sensitive information could be leaked to someone with the intent to use that information in a negative manner?

What Is It? The Computer Security Act of 1987 was the first true attempt by the government of the United States to legislate information in the federal government's computer systems. The overall goal was to protect and defend any of the sensitive information in the systems and provide security for that information.

Basically, what's private should remain private. The Computer Security Act of 1987 puts a check into place on federal computer systems. And, it's paved the way for the future of the public's limited access to government information.

The National Bureau of Standards, which is now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was put in control of creating a strategy to develop certain standards for protecting any information. The Computer Security Act of 1987 required the National Bureau of Standards to create an absolute minimum of acceptable security practices.

Under the Computer Security Act of 1987, security plans dealing with computers needed to be created, and people who used those systems needed to be given the correct training.

Why Did the Computer Security Act of 1987 Originate? At one point in time, the United States Congress had concerns about how vulnerable computer databases could be. Could information be leaked? How possible were breaches in security? Could there be a national security threat if any information leaked and fell into the wrong hands?

It was at this time that Congress decided to check into matters and see how vulnerable the government computers really were.

What Does the Computer Security Act of 1987 Do? The Computer Security Act of 1987 created an advisory board, consisting of twelve members, who met a minimum of three times during the year. The board would give their report to Congress, the National Security Council and others.

The government act does prevent sensitive information from being released, but it also forbids the withholding of any information that's requested because of the Freedom of Information Act. And, the Computer Security Act of 1987 does not allow any restrictions, limitations or regulations on the disclosure, collection, sale or use of public domain or privately-owned information.

Outcomes from the Computer Security Act of 1987 As of yet, there haven't been any reports of major information leaks or threats to national security. But, libraries have reported that several government agencies, like NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, have not released as many documents to the public as they did before the Computer Security Act of 1987.

Since the Computer Security Act of 1987 was passed, it has now been superseded by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, which expands on the realm of computer and network security.

Warning Spyware Detected on Your Computer! Is it a Hoax?

If you get the infamous "Warning Spyware Has Been Detected on Your Computer", you first need to take your hands off the mouse because the worst thing you can do at that moment is to click the popup, because it is a hoax.

The popup message will instruct you to click on it in order to install antivirus or antispyware software, or to scan your computer, when in reality it is designed to get you to click on it so that it can further inundate your computer with additional spyware. The irony of this is that if you do see this popup, then you absolutely do already have spyware on your computer.

So how did you get spyware on your computer in the first place?

Some of the most common places where you can get a spyware infection include:

- Peer to Peer file sharing software/websites like Kazaa and Limewire
- Pornography websites
- Gambling websites
- Freeware and shareware applications
- Email attachments from people you don't know

Even if you are using top notch antispyware software, and you should be, you should avoid all of the above as doing so will greatly reduce your chances of getting infected with spyware.

How do you get rid of the "Warning - Spyware has Been Detected on Your Computer" popup?

While you will see various "fixes" and instructions on how to remove spyware by editing the registry or removing certain files, I cannot stress enough that I do not recommend you take this course of action unless you are a trained professional computer technician because you could do irreversible damage and make your computer unusable.

I also would not recommend using any of the free spyware removers that are available such as Windows Defender or Search and Destroy as their methods of spyware detection are antiquated and are not very effective against the myriad of spyware and adware out there.

What I do recommend you do is get your hands on a proven and tested antispyware solution. You should look for one that scans your computer against a spyware database that is kept up to date by the company's programmers so that you are ensured the software can detect and remove even the most current and newest spyware that is out there.

So again, if you get the "Warning Spyware Has Been Detected on Your Computer", be certain not to click on it and go out and find the best spyware remover available to scan and clean your computer.

Encryption and Making Your System Secure

What does encryption do for me?

Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many different ways to make systems more secure. This article discusses only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

1) Encrypting your email

2) Encrypting your files

To programs are mentioned that will help encrypt information. There are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start as any. They have the added benefit of both being free with source code available.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?

Encryption simply makes it harder for people to gain access to important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected. Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is understood by hackers and is easy to break.

Why bother to encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email. A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This "is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn't have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text."

Why bother to encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer. If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords, then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information. Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.