Internet Vane

2011-10-17T11:47:00.027-04:00

Web Threats Watch.............

Read about my experiences on the internet.It just might save you some dough and keep you from making the same mistakes I did.Do not put the possibility to earn some bucks, traffic or links above your real opinion and thoughts about things. If you think something is not really useful, do not promote it on your website just because it has an affiliate scheme and because you could gain something out of it.It is not easy to follow such a path, and I am not here to preach anyone. Online credibility is hard to gain and easy to lose....

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
Nelson Mandela

Remember knowledge is Power!!Spread the Word!!
In my experiences on the internet spreading the word is the best defense against scammers on the internet. I do not have a lot of money for lawyers which is probably the case for most people.I doubt if I will ever see my hard earned money again but it makes me feel better to talk about it and just maybe prevent someone else from losing their money and offering some internet safety tips I picked up along the way.Many scammers play the numbers game betting the average person will not check them out before buying....they know customers are pressed for time. I encourage everyone to take the time to check out all businesses before doing business with them especially if money is exchanging hands..from yours to theirs.The problem, also, is that the increase in people going online around the world is giving scammers plenty of fresh targets.I found out things are not always what they seem.Some of the biggest scams I saw on the internet had well written websites.

A Reminder:Your Home PC/Web Threats

The old ways of maintaining security on your home pc do not provide enough protection from web threats, and no single method or technology will improve this situation. You must use a comprehensive set of techniques to fight cyber thieves.

Many hackers will break into your system by taking advantage of "security holes" in your Windows operating system.You can fix many of these "security holes" by keeping your
Windows operating system up to date. You can update windows by visiting:http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Even though updating Windows regularly will help stop some security breaches, it won't stop everyone. To fully protect your computer you need to make sure the "firewall" is turned on for your windows operating system. A firewall, when combined with a good anti-virus program helps stop unauthorized access on your computer and prevents virus infections.Configure your anti-virus and firewall software to update automatically. (Anti-virus software will be useless if you don't update it regularly.)Viruses and nasty programs have a much easier time infecting unprotected computers, or those with expired antivirus software. Once your computer is infected by one bug, it becomes more vulnerable to repeated attacks.

The single most important factor in avoiding web threats is this.Learn to trust the feeling in the pit of your stomach.PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!!!!

Lottery Scams....Congratulations you are a winner!!!!!
Do not sucumb to pressure tactics to buy.Some try to make you feel special,some try the old limited quantities bit,some use lotteries to make you think you have won something..You’ve won’ may be totally misrepresented. If you haven’t sent in a contest entry form for this item, chances are you’ve only won a chance to participate in a pressured sales scam.Often, they’ll use a highly publicized news item,to lure potential victims and make their “opportunity” sound more legitimate. . A scam artist may discourage you from talking about the opportunity with someone you trust, like a loved one, attorney or financial professional.If this happens hang up or delete the email.Do not be surprised that your telephone number is being passed around the internet like a puck at a hockey game!!!!!

Lotteries in the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, and most developed countries, are illegal, except when conducted by states and certain exempt licensed charitable organizations. If you believe you have received a solicitation in the guise of a sweepstakes which is an illegal lottery, you should contact your local Post Office™ or state Attorney General’s consumer protection office.
The vast majority of Lottery Scam letters are actually form letters.Only the Lottery numbers and contact information - not the contact name - has been changed. Names are just made-up names and do not represent real people. The addresses are frequently mail drops, the phone numbers belong to cell phones registered with phony information.

There are several different types of lottery scams:

A lottery notifies you (email, mail or phone) that you won.
You go to a lottery website to play/ buy a ticket.
You buy a "program" of "secrets" on how to win lotteries.
Green card (immigration VISA) lottery.
Sweepstakes scams.

One of the most common fake lottery scams on the internet is the "Microsoft lottery", "Micro Lottery International" or "Microsoft E-Mail Lottery".

REMEMBER:

You never have to pay to collect winnings from a legitimate lottery. You pay taxes AFTER you you receive the winnings. There are no other fees.If you hold a winning lottery ticket, you notify the lottery (they do not notify you; not by email, not by phone, not by mail).

Money Back Guarantees......Wishy Washy???????

Beware of these so called money back guarantees."Money back guarantee scams"take thousands of dollars from trusting people who need help. Learn that there is no guarantee in life and that you want to avoid scammers who promise you everything. Scammers are trying to take your money in large amounts by promising you a money back guarantee. Scammers rely on the psychology that if you have nothing to lose because they promise you a money back guaranteed then you are more likely to pay them more.Why would a scammer be able to offer you all your money back? Scammers would because they aren’t out the cost of materials or their time to begin with…

Some will charge you a high restocking fee.Stay away from exaggerated claims. Some companies often do not honor their guarantee simply by ignoring the customer's complaint. The Terms of Use policy or similar wording should show the limitations associated with the product you are interested in buying not mentioned on the web page..probably a marketing ploy..The money back guarantee I have found in most cases was completely worthless when I tried to get my money back.The FTC frequently has sued companies that offered “a money back guarantee” to customers but didn't.

Points of Interest:

The seller is relying on the fact that many will just keep the product even if they are not happy with it, wanting to avoid the hassle of mailing it back.
You have been lied to and tranferred around the world but never to the right individuals who can help.
The receipt, money back guarantee and certificate of authenticity are barely worth the paper they're printed on......Just So You Know...........

Phony Product Reviews.It Will Cost you.Believe me I know.

Research the company name and owner you are interested in buying from..chances are someone on the internet has tried it and written a review or comment.Beware of Fake Online Reviews...Also called Astroturfing, it is the practice of creating the illusion of spontaneous support for a product or cause.They also create their own sites for product reviews that appear as independent sources(this is the one that got me)I thought I was reading an independent review site and the company that owned the product also owned the review site but the name was different. ..pretty slick.....

Here is the latest twist on websites created to give reviews of products.They'll title their review Is This A Scam? and then optimize around this keyword so that they will be at the top of the search results whenever someone searches for product scam.

But, the webpage is not a real review of any kind. In fact, the page isn't about the product being a scam at all. Instead,it recommends the product and includes an affiliate link.Whenever I read a review of a product and the reviewer also recommends the product I hit the back button on my browser..this smells like a scam to me.
There are now web specialists called “online reputation managers,” who claim to manipulate Internet search results so the negative links will appear further down the list of results, and hopefully be missed.

These fake "negative" reviews serve two purposes, one is to block the actual negative reviews (if you see a whole page of these kind of fake reviews, click the next button a few times to find the real ones), and the other is to make some money by tricking suckers into thinking, well if this guy was skeptical but he found it is great, then it must be good.....You would think that people who invest so much time and energy into these scams could just as easily build a legitimate business.

Most fake testimonials often heaps tons of praise on the company, and use fake names even though the website was only registered a few months ago.If a feature or function is outstanding or disappointing, it likely will be mentioned in multiple reviews.I found out the hard way....I lost $200.00..and I later found out others had too...Apparently this is a thriving business in itself on the internet..Any company's attempt to generate business by duping consumers is cynical, manipulative, and illegal,".Weight loss claims are the most popular on the internet.Did you know you can pay someone to write fake testimonials on the web for you?....What will they think of next?????

The FTC updated 29-year-old guidelines on endorsements, making it clear they ban phony online reviews. The FTC revised its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (“Guides”) to include reviews posted on the Internet, such as endorsements by websites. For example, the Guides require website owners to disclose if they have received any freebies or other benefits for their posts. The Guides also require that someone endorsing a product needs to disclose any material connections between the endorser and the advertiser. The same guideline would apply to someone who works for a competing business and posts a negative review.

If a business is finding itself the target of negative reviews that sound the same, or reviews that point consumers from the business to its competitor, then there is a good chance that the business is the victim of unfair and deceptive advertising practices in violation of the FTC's statutory prohibitions. 15 U.S.C. § 45. Other indicators of a fake review include: (1) clumps of like-minded negative reviews written within days of each other; and (2) a number of reviews with only one star in an attempt to bring down the business’ legitimate positive ratings.A company may want to lodge a complaint with the FTC.The FTC has a process for entering complaints into a centralized online database that is used by civil and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide.

An advertiser that poses as an ordinary consumer reviewer risks paying the price through FTC enforcement.So online scammers writing phony reviews BEWARE...You could be prosecuted!!!!!!!!

Phony-baloney Credentials..
Trust seals or trust marks, also known as verification seals are small graphic images that are placed on a website to help a visitor see at a glance that some part of the website has been verified by a third party. They're called trust seals, because they can instill trust or confidence in a visitor, especially if a visitor has never been to the website before.
A recent study found that 7 out of every 10 shopping carts are abandoned! 63% of shoppers will not complete a purchase online because of security and trust concerns.

Trust seals are needed to show the visitors that ; their privacy is safe, thE website IS secure, and that this business been verified.
Privacy. Privacy seals help address the concern that many visitors have when visiting a website.Will this website protect my privacy.Will they sell it to a third party.Will I get a bunch of spam from this company or some other company.
Security. Security seals help address the concern visitors have about their credit card information or any other private information that they may provide. For example, does this website have an SSL certificate, does it actually work or hasn't expired, and is my credit card information really safe?
Business verification. Business verification seals help address another concern visitors have and that is.Is this a real business, do they have a real address that a third party has actually verified, do they have a real phone number, a real e-mail address.

Some websites have false or phony credentials,trust seals ,such as the Better Business Bureau logo or other trustworthy seals on their website.It is worth your time to actually click on these certifications to see where they lead.You will be surprised how many lead nowhere or are invalid.Don't be fooled by websites that tell you how and where to check out their credentials. Do your own independent investigation.All of the major web privacy seals, regardless of type, offer a link to a page on the seal provider’s site.The BBB says know the red flags of a scam site.If the retailer claims to have earned a seal, but that seal is not connected back to the appropriate seal provider’s site, move on -- even if you can’t beat the price.

Consumers Always check out the trust seals ,contact page,about me...etc for every website you intend to do business with.If there is no address or phone,trust seals..etc..keep on trucking....Any website that does not have this information you are probably better off by passing.There is a reason they do not have the proper credentials...BEWARE!!!!

Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

A Penny for your Thoughts.......

Work from Home Scams

2011-09-27T09:28:00.003-04:00

Promises, Promises: Work-from-home scams

Where do I begin with these so called work from home jobs!!!!!Ahhhhh! let me see.....The first and most important observation is that 98% are just scams.The so called testimonals are usually fake.Typically, these work at home scams promise big financial rewards for very little effort. Make money instantly, work just a few hours a week to suit yourself, no skills needed, guaranteed income.I tried some of these work from home jobs and I have yet to find one that was not a scam. Staffcentrix researchers screen about 5,000 home jobs leads every week, and there is a "56-to-one scam ratio" among work-at-home job ads. Any opportunity where you can "make money fast," "no experience is necessary," or "work in your pajamas" is appealing to people, so they get thrown into the scam mix.

This one is just awful..a typical email processors wanted ad.....

Make Big Money Processing Emails At Home. Simple Pleasurable Work Anyone Can Do."

When you answer the ad you're asked to pay a one time registration fee of $10 to $50. And after
you pay the fee, you're sent instructions telling you that to make your money you should place an ad for "Email Processors Wanted" just like the one you answered and charge the same $10 to $50 processing fee.Placing an ad cost money.....The biggest danger of the email processing scam happens if a company convinces you to buy a list of email addresses from them and send emails for "Email Processors Wanted" to those email addresses. Generally the lists are either worthless or even worse have been collected by unethical means. And if you send emails to the list you could possible get fined in the tens of thousands of dollars or more and even face criminal prosecution and jail time.They make their money selling you their so called kits or packages.

Google Home Business scam consist of urging consumers to obtain a kit supposedly showing them how to make money working from home with Google.Google is taking legal action to stop companies from allegedly using the search giant's name to trick people into paying for supposed Google Home Business Kits advertised online and in e-mails.

How about those get paid to fill out surveys scams?One of the major ways that paid survey scams make money is by selling the participants’ contact information to marketing firms. The marketing firms use that data to send unsolicited mail, emails, and phone calls to the survey participants.Also the companies you are taking the survey for usually require you buy one or more of their offers before you can complete a survey...Slick HUH!..

The typical profile of victims who are most susceptible to these scams has changed very little. Work-at-home con artists have always preyed most heavily upon senior citizens, the disabled, mothers who want to stay at home with their children, people with low income and few job skills, and people who just want to get rich quick.Here are some things to look for to avoid work at home scams. I found out today some of these work from home scams have repackaged themselves...the names were changed but the scam is the same therefore wiping the slate clean on search engines.pretty slick I must say......Useful tip... I put the word scam after the type of business or name of the business and got useful results in the search engines(these results are not fool proof..use your best judgement to filter out the phonies).

Selling on the Internet?......Don't believe the HYPE!!!!!!
Contrary to what is being broadcasted on television you
MOST DEFINITELY will need to have a background in computers,
programming,internet,business,marketing and etc to do business on the internet.
Also expect to spent long hours on maintenance,updates,security,marketing and a host of other things.I had an awful time just keeping my ecommence website up and running.There was always some problem with it ..sometimes it was just down or more correctly the hosting server was down and several times it got hacked into.Once your site is hacked into it takes a mountain of work to restore it .If it is a store and you are dependent on another website to get product information don't be surprised if that is down...What really annoyed me was how often my website as down.You have to constantly call these people to get your store up again...it was a real headache.I will not say who the web hosting companies were but I tried more than one and they were well known.

The cookie cutter websites(you have seen them on tv and the internet) are a waste of your time.The latest news on this is these scam artist are offering the website for "FREE" but the scam is the same.A "cookie cutter" site is one that the builder creates so the title of the site can be easily changed to your domain name and the sites can be stamped out like using a "cookie cutter". The site is sold with the pretense that all you have to do to make LOTS of money is buy the site and pay to have it hosted on the Internet. The site has ready made links to products and services from which you are told will make a commission each time a person clicks a link. Usually the products and services are sold by the company that developed the website so they make most of the money if you do get a sale. They keep telling you, "Just think how much money you will make by having a site like this on the Internet".You get the exact same website and products that has been sold to millions of other people.There is no unique content… I’ll bet you can even search for the code and find tons of similar pages out there. The big money has already been made and now you are being sold an opportunity that is now saturated with competition.

The only way you can compete is to significantly lower your prices which will probably leave you in the red... if you sell at all.The search engines are saturated with websites with duplicate website content. Advertising will cost you an arm and a leg..so be prepared to shell out some big bucks...results are not guaranteed.The so called technical support I got from these hosting companies was awful.Often times I was just lied to to get me off the phone or I got no response to my emails.

UPDATE:These so called free websites being offered are nothing but another form of spam.What happens to all that data you have entered on these websites if you sell something?Customer names,addresses,phone number...etc.I will tell where it goes....it goes to an online database which you do not own...... The company that gave you the website owns it!!!!!You are lining these scam artist pockets with fresh leads every time you make a sell.THINK ABOUT THAT!!!!!!!!!

Best advice for having a good ecommence store:

Find a web hosting service you can depend on!!!!!
extensive inventory
competitive prices
easy-to-use interface
fast-loading Web pages
massive marketing campaign.

Scam Letters

2011-09-25T10:37:00.008-04:00

These are scam letters I get in my email folder that I felt were note worthy.These scammers are using legitimate businesses and websites to sell their scams..
Beware...these scammers are using some new tricks for old scams..

This one is using the name of Western Union to sell this scam.....Notice they also used all capital letters to make themselves sound and look important....BEWARE......

THE NEW MANAGER OF WESTERN UNION

Saturday, August 13, 2011 7:14 AM

From:

"file office"

ATTENTION BENEFICIARY

PLEASE WE ARE VERY SORRY FOR ALL THE PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE PASSED THROUGH BECAUSE OF THIS YOUR BELONG PAYMENT OF WHICH YOU FAILED TILL NOW, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO INTRODUCE MY SELF TO YOU, MY NAME IS MR.ADAM DALLEY,I AM THE NEW ELECTED DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WESTERN UNION OFFICE BENIN REPUBLIC I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN LAST WEEK. I AM WRITING THIS MAIL WITH DEEP SORROW, I SAW YOUR NAME ON OUR FILE YESTERDAY THROUGH MY SEARCHING AS THE ONE OF THE MOST BENEFICIARY WHICH DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR FUND VALUED $1.5MILLION USD WHICH SUPPOSES TO BE TRANSFERRING AT THE RATE OF $5,000.00 PER DAY DURING FORMER MANAGER REGIME.

THE REASON I AM EMAILING YOU TODAY IS TO INFORM YOU THAT THE FORMER
WESTERN UNION MANAGER. HAS BEEN SACKED OUT SINCE LAST WEEK DUE TO HIS
ILLEGAL WORK UNGODLY ACT, I AM HERE TO INFORM YOU THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND IS BY TRUSTING ME AND FOLLOW MY DIRECTION. YOU SENT LOT MONEY TO HIM IN ORDER TO GET YOUR FUND WHICH FAILS. THEREFORE I AM TO TELL YOU THAT THE REASON YOU DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR FUND IS BECAUSE YOU DID NOT FOLLOW THE DIRECT WAY TO GET YOUR FUND BUT TO EXTORTING MONEY FROM YOU IN VARIOUS QUARTERS. DUE TO THE FORMER MANAGER'S ATTITUDE WE THEREFORE RESOLVE TO SACKED HIM OUT SINCE HE DIDN'T KEEP OUR INSTRUCTION,SO NOW WE HAVE ARRANGED TO PAY YOU BECAUSE ALL OUR INVESTIGATED CONFIRMED THAT YOU ARE THE RIGHT PERSON TO RECEIVE THIS FUND NOTE WE HAVE TWO OPTION TO PAY YOU AND YOU THE ONE TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE OPTION (1) 0UR WESTERN UNION GOLD CARD WHICH YOU WILL WITHDRAW DAILY $4000.00 OPTION (2) RECEIVE DAILY CASH $5,000.00 TILL THE TOTAL PAYMENT COMPLETED. THERE IS ONE CERTIFICATE CALLED (FUND RELEASE ORDER CERTIFICATES) WHICH YOU SUPPOSE TO OBTAIN FROM FEDERAL HIGH COURT SERVICES WHICH WILL NOTICED THAT YOU ARE NOT A BENIN CITIZEN BUT YOU DID NOT HAVE IT AND THAT IS ONLY WHAT YOU NEEDED NOW.

ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTION PASSED TO THIS WESTERN UNION DEPARTMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE (FEDERAL HIGH COURT SERVICES) THIS WILL DULY GUARANTEE AND COVER THE MONEY AS BEING LEGITIMATELY ACQUIRED FROM THE BENIN GOVERNMENT. SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOUR FUND OF $1.5MILLION USD IS STILL WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT BUT IT WILL RELEASE IMMEDIATELY TO THIS WESTERN UNION OFFICE AS SOON AS YOU OBTAIN THE (FUND RELEASE ORDER CERTIFICATES)ACCORDING TO OUR MESSENGER WHICH WENT TO THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT SERVICES OFFICE BENIN REPUBLIC FOR THE RELEASE ORDER CERTIFICATES HE TOLD US THAT IT WILL COST YOU THE SUM OF $79.00 ONLY FOR THE OBTAIN OF IT, SO HE TOLD US THAT THEY WILL ISSUE IT WITHIN ONE DAY IF THE FEE WILL BE PAID. SO RECONFIRM US YOUR FULL ADDRESS WITH THE OPTION EITHER YOU WANT IT GOLD CARD OR DAILY PER OK I WILL BE AWAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU IMMEDIATELY
WITH THE PAYMENT INFORMATION TO OBTAIN THE FUND RELEASE ORDER
CERTIFICATES,

1. RECEIVER NAME :=======Lawrence Okpanku
2. CITY/COUNTRY:==========BENIN REPUBLIC.
3. QUESTION=============GOOD?
4. ANSWER:=============NEWS
5. AMOUNT:=============US$79.00
6. MTCN=============

I AM HERE GIVING YOUR GUARANTEE AND ALSO 100 % PERCENT ASSURANCE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY MONEY YOU WILL PAY AND AFTER YOU PAY IT YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR FUND IMMEDIATELY. I WILL BE WAITING RIGHT TO HAVE THE PAYMENT INFORMATION IN ORDER TO ENABLE US OBTAIN THIS NEEDED CERTIFICATE SOON. EMAIL @
westerunion41@yahoo.de
PHONE +229 99 88 35
REGARDS,
MR.ADAM DALLEY

THE NEW MANAGER OF WESTERN UNION

.....................................................................................................................................

Here is another one....It looks like they are trying to use a legitimate looking website to sell this scam.....BEWARE...

FROM THE DESK OF: MR ISSA HASSAN
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION,
BANK COMMERCIAL BURKINA ( B C B )
BURKINA FASO,WEST AFRICA.
ATTENTION PLEASE,

I,MR ISSA HASSAN a banker in BANK COMMERCIAL BURKINA( B C B ) BURKINA FASO,WEST AFRICA. i got you contact from your commerce and chambers in your embassy here BURKINA FASO When i was searching for a foreign partner which name similar to our late customer, according to your profile, you are capability and reliability to champion this business opportunity, when i prayed to God almighty about you.

One of our late customers had a fixed deposit with my bank in 2004 for 36 calendar months, valued at US$10,500,000.00 (Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) the due date for this deposit contract was this 16 of January 2007. Sadly our late customer was among the death victims in the May 26 2006 Earthquake disaster in Jawa, Indonesia that killed over 5,000 people. He was in Indonesia on a business trip and that was how he met his end.

Our bank executives yet to know about his death, I knew about it because it’s our one customer. He did not mention any Next of Kin/ Heir when the account was opened, and he was not married and no children. Last week we have discussed about fund which it will be lodge to the bank treasure. So I don't want such to happen. That was why when I saw your last name I was happy and I am now seeking your co-operation to present you as Next of Kin/ Heir to the account, since you have the same last name with him and my bank head quarters will release the account to you. There is no risk involved and its 100% assurance the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.

I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the funds equal, 50/50% to both parties, i will come to your country for my share after the fund transfer to your account . Let me know your mind on this and please do treat this information as TOP SECRET.

Web site: http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/disaster/indonesia-2/index.html
anticipating your communication.
MR I SSA HASSAN

This is a phony website or they are using a known business(I am sure without their knowledge)to make this scam sound legitimate.HOW CUNNING!!!!!!!!!

........................................................................................

This one was just so pathetic and somewhat amusing....I had to give it an mention......
Flik and Company
I'm writing this with tears in my eyes,my family and I came down here to (Buckingham shire) United Kingdom, for a short vacation unfortunately we were mugged at the park of the hotel where we stayed,all cash,credit cards and cell were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our passports with us.

I have been to the embassy and the Police here but they're not helping issues at all and our flight leaves pretty soon from now but we're having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills. your contribution will go along way here. Please be so kind to reply back so i can tell you what to do and how to get some cash to us...

Am freaked out at the moment.

Regards,
Stephan.

MY NOTES:

I am curious as to whether anyone actually sends these people money and why....................

Report a Scam

2011-09-20T10:24:00.000-04:00

Just a partial list of agencies to report internet scams:

WHEN FILING A COMPLAINT HAVE AS MUCH OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE.. Law enforcers review consumer complaints to spot trends and build cases against hackers, identity thieves, and scam artists.
*Your name, address, telephone number, and email address *The name of the individual or business that has defrauded you *The address, telephone number, email address, or website of the internet fraud or scam perpetrator *All the specific details about the fraud and any other relevant information you might have..

PROTECT yourself from internet crime. Do not open spam or make purchases from spammers. Do not click on links in your email that require personal information such as ids,passwords,emails etc..., but go to the website directly. Do not make purchases from websites that require your Social Security Number or date of birth. Do not give credit card information to websites that do not have the proper credentials or security, but insist on PayPal or Google Checkout.

Better Business Bureau - How to File a Complaint Online
Spam Cop - A very quick and easy way to complain to a spammer's service provider
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Home
Ripoff Report-for consumers by consumers
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Internet Fraud

CyberCrime.Gov
Federal Trade Commission
Secret Service
National Consumers League Fraud Center
Securities and Exchange Commission

Avoiding Internet Investment Fraud
Find out how to protect yourself from fraud while investing on the Internet and obtain information about safe online trading.
Cyber Crime Information
Obtain general information from the Department of Justice about cybercrimes and how to protect yourself. Also find information about legal and policy issues surrounding cybercrimes.
FBI Kids' Page – Internet Safety Tips
Get advice from the FBI on how to be safe when using the Internet.
FBI Warning about False FBI E-mails
Read this warning about false e-mails that claim to be from the FBI, but contain the w32/sober virus.
Internet Do's and Don'ts for Kids
Kids can find the do's and don'ts of using the Internet on this Department of Justice kids' site.
Internet Crime Prevention & Control Institute , Phishing and Spoofed websites Phishing and Spam:a cooperative effort between Zero Spam Network Corp. and the University of Miami. Staffed by Miami undergraduate and graduate students and Zero Spam employees, works closely with the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force and ISPs in the United States and abroad to identify and block traffic to machines hosting phishing sites.Forward spam that is phishing to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems.

Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

Free Govt Money

2011-09-03T11:28:00.002-04:00

The "Free Goverment Money" Scam
The FTC website explains how free grant scammers defraud people:The ads claim that you will qualify to receive a “free grant money” grants for college, your home repairs, small business grants, or your unpaid bills. They say your application is guaranteed to be accepted, and you never have to repay the money. Then, the ad will ask you to claim your “free grant money ” by calling a toll-free number.

Once you make the call, a representative of the company will ask you some basic questions. They’ll be trying to determine if you qualify to receive a grant. Here’s a short list of sample questions they may ask:

What’s your address?
How long have you lived at this address?
Do you have a bank account?
Do you have at least $150 in your account at this time?

After asking this set of questions, the representative will then ask you to hold while she determines your “eligibility” for the free grant. Later on, she comes back and congratulates you on your eligibility. Afterwards, she will then ask you to pay a one-time “processing fee” that can range from $95 to $200.

Naturally, you will question this fee. But then, she will reassure you that the grant is guaranteed, and that if you’re not satisfied, you’ll get a refund. I received a phone call that the government wanted to give me free grant money for being a good citizen, for having no criminal background and no bankruptcy record. They said they needed my banking info and that in 45 minutes, the money would be deposited into my account.However, she won’t offer to tell you all the conditions for a refund.

So what does this processing fee mean? Supposedly, the money is used to cover finding a grant source and sending you the appropriate application package in the mail or they said that it was for donations. But what do you get in the mail instead? Not an application. Not even a source. Rather, you will get a list of agencies and foundations to which you must write and request an application. Pretty sneaky, considering the fact that you can get the same information from any public library or the Internet. Don’t believe anything you read or see. Always, ALWAYS check with legitimate sources of free grants before applying for any grant you find online.Don’t be fooled by official or impressive-sounding names.If you tell the scammers you would like to contact your local officials and police to check them out I guarantee they will hung will up!

Common sense should tell entrepreneurs that no one besides Mom and Dad (maybe) will give you no-strings money to start a for-profit business. If the government was in the position of providing all of the funds for free to people who start their own businesses, we wouldn't last long, Not to mention that the American people would never stand for the government setting individuals up in business at no cost, and all at taxpayer risk.
These con artists take a grain of truth and distort it. There are a few highly specific grants for small businesses. A look at the details shows the money is hardly free. It comes with a host of restrictions. For example, some local agencies give small grants to businesses that locate in poor areas and guarantee jobs to people in an underemployed community.There are also some very restrictive, difficult-to-obtain grants given to small businesses to research new technologies for the government.

These scammers find ready victims because people want to believe there's a way around the hard work of raising capital. So many people say they heard it from a friend or saw it on TV. Of course, they've never actually met anyone who got any free money.

I wanted to start my own business and got sucked into some of these govt grant scams.These scammers have elaborate schemes and slick talkers who make you think you can get a free grant from the govt.Lucky for me I realized my mistake and quickly got my money back.I used a credit card so it was easy for me to get my money back with out a hassle....This is a good example of how valuable a credit card can be if used properly..they will get your money back.

The FTC Consumer alert on these free grant scams....
The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov .Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Word of Note:
I have heard of some people who challenged these scammers and they got threats and constant phone calls from these scammers...so please be careful how you deal with these people ...some will become violent if they do not get their way.

Email Scams

2011-08-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

Email fraud.....this is so last year!!!!

Everyone with email need to watch out for this one.This is just another attempt to gain access to confidential information like your email address book or login information.Of course you do know this email never came from yahoo or any other legitimate email service.All of the online services have been affected by this(ex...facebook,gmail,yahoo,paypal,twitter,myspace..and the list goes on and on).The Best advice here is never login into anything from an email.I hope no one fell for this scam....to tell the truth this one is a kind of let down. I expected more from the cybercriminals....Symantec issued its December 2008 State of Spam Report and spam levels have dropped but they will likely rise again.

From:"Yahoo!" email.support@yahoo.com

To:undisclosed-recipients

Dear Account Users,
Due to the congestion in all Yahoo Accounts, There will be removal of all unused Yahoo Accounts, Yahoo will be shutting down all unused Accounts, so you have to confirm your E-mail by filling out your Login Info below after clicking the reply bottom, or your account will be suspended within 48 hours for security reasons.

Please Re-confirm your account information to avoid account interruption:

User Name: ................................
Password: ................................
Current Password: ........................
Date of Birth: ...........................
Country Or Territory: ....................

After following the instructions in the sheet, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

Thanks for your attention to this request. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Warning code:.....................VX2G99AAJ

Failure to do this may automatically render your e-mail account deactivated from our e-mail database/mail server. To enable us upgrade your email account, please do reply to this mail.

YAHOO! Account Users Alert
BEWARE DO NOT LOGIN...THIS IS A SCAM!!!!!!!!

Free Stuff...Is it really free?.....
You have seen the ads on websites....Click on the right answer for a "free" plasma tv,laptop computer, iPod, trip etc.Free, that is, after you complete five purchase offers from site sponsors and convince ten of your closest friends to do the same.Also After going through 20 surveys and saying no to all, you finally get to the last, and they say you must at least pick two items in order to be able to get whatever they are giving away or you get caught in a endless loop of popup windows and surveys, You become so frustrated and do not follow through to get the free stuff which I am sure the scammers are counting on.

I notice people will still try these scams probably thinking maybe this one is legit. Here is another twist on this...These free stuff spammers are using craigslist to advertise these scams now.When a customer contacts the ad they are told they no longer have the free item and are directed to a scam website for free stuff...They then basically charge the buyer a fee to pretend they are a business (THIS IS FRAUD) and request free samples of products from many different manufacturers and wholesalers.

The bigger the prize, the greater the chance it's not a good deal. You always have to give your e-mail address and other information. Then your e-mail is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements that you can never seem to stop unless you change your e-mail address.

Moral of this story is: Nothing is free.Remember spammers have nothing of value to offer. Just delete these without giving them a second thought. A popular solution to e-mail harvesting is to create a "throwaway" e-mail address at free services such as GMail or Yahoo Mail. Set this as your e-mail address in your profile.

GUESS WHAT??????????????? YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE FREE GIFT....

Email Check Scam....Do you Believe this guy?
The unsuspecting seller is contacted by e-mail by a prospective buyer who is located outside of the US. This buyer agrees to the asked-for price without haggling and looks for immediate assurance the item will not be sold to anyone but him. He offers to have someone pick up and ship the item once the sale is complete, making it clear he alone will bear all charges associated with that aspect of the sale.
The buyer wants to send a cashier check for more than the agreed-upon price for the item. This check is to come from the buyer , with the residue to be sent to a third party in the USA the buyer says he owes money to. The seller is asked to cash the check, keep the right amount for the sale of his item and send what's left to a third party.

* The cashier check for the larger-than-necessary amount arrives and is duly deposited in the seller's bank account.

* Three days later, the check appears to clear, and any freeze the bank had placed on these funds is removed.

* Satisfied that the check was good (the bank had released the funds, after all), the seller wires the overage to the person it's owed to and waits for someone to come pick up the item.

* No one ever comes to pick up the item.

* Two weeks later, the seller is informed by his bank the check was a forgery.The seller is held responsible for the bad check.

This is also just another version of the Nigerian money scam so BEWARE!!!!!!

Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

Fake Websites,Degrees

2011-08-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

FAKE WEBSITES.........This is BOGUS!!!!

There seems to be an increase in fake websites..All the information on the website is false.Shoppers are increasingly heading to the Internet to look for deals.Unfortunately, not all Web sites promising rock bottom discounts on products are legitimate and consumers need to do their research when shopping online or they risk getting ripped off by a scammer’s online store.Everyone will be looking for the best deals this year and scammers know that they can take advantage of that by using low prices to lure in victims.

Here are some things that might help:
Use your instincts and commomsense.If it smells bad,it's probably rotten..

Look for evidence of a real-world presence: an address, a phone number, an email contact. If in doubt, send an email, make a phone call or write a letter to establish whether they really exist.

The website’s address is different from what you are used to, perhaps there are extra characters or words in it or it uses a completely different name or no name at all, just numbers.

Even though you are asked to enter private information there is NO PADLOCK in the browser window or ‘https://’ at the beginning of the web address to signify that it is using a secure link and that the site is what it says it is.

Don’t judge a website by its appearance. It is easy to create flashy, professional-looking sites and it is easy to steal other people’s web pages and designs.

Be wary of websites that are advertised in unsolicited emails from strangers.

Online Schools....FAKE DEGREES
You’ve found the online program you want, all you to do is click, pay, and you are in! Is it too good to be true? Well, yes. You can end up not getting the education you paid for, credits that are not transferable, or course work that is not accepted by professional organizations. Worst of all, you can end up finding yourself registering for a bogus online schools offering fake college degrees--a diploma mill. When you can buy a diploma for $500 to $2,500 and pay an extra $500 for high honors, that’s a diploma mill. They have mushroomed in the online environment.If you haven't read a text book, taken a test, or heard a lecture, your degree is fake.The best way to make sure you aren’t falling for a scam is to make sure the online provider is accredited.

Nonetheless, just knowing if an online program is accredited is still not enough. Anyone can set up an organization and call itself an accrediting agency; there are still accreditation scams. It is not that common, but diploma mills have been known to create their own accrediting agency and then declare they have accreditation and continue to sell people their fake degrees.

Seeking accreditation is entirely voluntary. The initial accreditation process can take as many as five or ten years and it costs money. For that reason, recently established online program providers that are perfectly legitimate may not have been in operation long enough to be accredited.

Call the state agency with jurisdiction over higher education in the state in which the school is located. The agency can at least tell you whether or not the school is operating with a legitimate charter and if any complaints have been lodged or legal action has been taken.

If you know an online provider is accredited, you will know about the quality of the provider, whether you can get federal financial assistance and state funds, and if you will be able to easily transfer credits from one school to another. The Department of Education Web site: www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ can help you avoid a fake online school.

Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

MISC LINKS....

2011-08-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

Sunpebbles Beaded Jewelry

Inspired beaded jewelry such as beaded bracelets and beaded necklace.

Jamaica Tube

Jamaica Tube is one of Jamaica's best video sites . We specialize in short-form original content - from new, emerging talents and established Jamaican Media alike. We're committed to delivering an exceptional entertainment experience.

Engraved Plaques

Acrylic awards, custom awards, engraved plaques, perpetual plaques, awards and trophies. Engraved trophies and sports awards. Great discount prices, free shipping in the u. S. A. Full design and engraving service. Wall and desk clocks and more. .

Sign Riders

We are one of the largest suppliers of yard signs, election signs, and political signs in the usa. Our store features a large selection of professionally designed templates, an online design tool, and the ability to upload your ready to print artwork.

Custom Window Decals

Customize rear window graphics for your vehicle, truck, suv or car! Truck window decals and more are available. Our categories are: art, fantasy, fishing, horses, hunting, military, nature, patriotic, racing, snow sports, and wildlife.

Iphone Skins

Provider of skins for psp, xbox, ps3, gameboy, wii, apple ipod, computer laptop, zune, mac mini, nintendo, ds, nano and more. Custom skins look great on your game console, video or mp3 music player. Cool sports, cars, wrap graphics upload photos ect.

Outlet Gucci

Gucci famous brand sale cheap handbags,shoes,boots,wallets,scarves,bags - outlet online store:outletguccisale. Com,free shipping.

Garden Furniture

We have been essential to use kiln-dried wood before processing. Starting from choosing the materials, processing, constructing, finishing to packaging, we always set up a high standard of controlling to keep the best quality.

Herve Leger Dresses

World-class brand, elegant and noble design, fashion and sexy style, come here to enjoy shopping cheap and authentic herve leger dresses as the best gift

Weaving/weaves
We offer a wide selection of black hair weaving/weaves ranging from 100% remy human hair weaves to affordable synthetic hair weaves.

Napoleon Perdis Store
Napoleon perdis features sensational makeup for enhancing the complexions of all ethnicities and ages - makeup, make up, cosmetic, ethnic, fashion, runway, napoleon perdis makeup, napoleon perdis make up, napoleon perdis cosmetic

Ceiling Tiles Store
We sell decorative ceiling tiles, styrofoam ceiling tiles, faux tin ceiling tiles, contemporary ceiling tiles and backsplash. Polystyrene, plastic & metal ceilings. Ceiling tiles,faux tin,metal,plastic,decorative ceiling tile,modern,conteporary,ceilin

Original Perfume
Find original perfume, original fragrance, original cologne products. Lowest price guarantee search catalog with price comparison.

Lease Option Group And Owner Finance Group
Website for buyers and sellers to post or view homes for lease option to purchase, rent to own, or owner financing. Offering no cost service to buyers as well as an amazing credit restoration service that we will refund in full once you buy!

Mobile Phones
Sgbest. Com is the leading online shopping mall that provides the most comprehensive handphone, tablet pc, mobile phone, accessories deals.

Quality Bedroom Furnitures
Quality furniture, living rooms, massage chairs, bedroom furnitures, infrared portable sauna, spas, jacuzzi, vending massage chairs.

Link To Link
Add url to submitlinksite. Com, your website will be increased search engine ranking, page rank & link popularity

Your Web Graphics
10,000 + free professionally designed web templates , graphics, logos, banners, sound loops, animated graphics, flash games, scripts, software and lots more

Pacific Heights Associates
Discount quality home improvement parts, accessories, lighting, heater parts, key blanks, remote controls, kitchen and bathroom faucets, fireplace accessories, tools, home electronics, merchandise and appliances at a bargain price.

Barcode Scanner
Murho is a leading provider of supply chain execution solutions that streamline inventory, wip & operational information in real time from with our full suite of wms, inventory management, tracking softwares and barcode scanners.

Online Shop
Indian online shop is one of the best place to buy online. This website not only provides you information about products but also provides good products to buy.

Easy Search Ads Free
Easy search by visitor, using alphabet, postcode, street, state, country, category, sub category and keywords when you are advertise and classifieds your website or without website or products or services or any items or employment. Free to advertise

Photo Restoration
Photo restoration, photo repair and picture restoration specialists. Services include photo restoration, photo repair and picture restoration.

My Email Spam Folder

2011-08-16T13:18:00.014-04:00

My Email Spam folder is full of these eye catching subjects geared toward getting you to look and spend your money.......99% ARE JUST PLAIN SCAMS.......

People are still looking for something for nothing..........

Have you seen these in your email?????

This is insane! - I can't believe this has happend!!!!!!!

Your Check is Waiting!

7 People Searched for You!

Your friend GET PAID $750 A DAY JUST PROCESS 30 EMAILS, AND YOUR'RE DONE!!

Inheritance/Prize Winning Payment Notification.......

CASH PROMOTION.....CONGRATULATIONS FROM FACEBOOK!!!!!!!!

Because they're Free, these Cell Phones are even Better.

$7000 in 2 Weeks!!!

THIS IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE...GET IN NOW!!!

Make thousands from your Twitter account!!!!!!!!!!

17 Postions left (500day)!!

EARN $4000 /week. NO Recruiting, NO Selling And NO Ads. 1OO% ORIGINAL Content!!

Waiting to hear from you as urgency required!!

Loans are available, regardless of what they say!!

Your FREE gym pass is waiting!!

Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires

Simple Automated 2K+ MonthlyGuaranteed!!!

FREE GROCERIES/GASOLINE + $500!!!

100K in 90 Days!!

5 websites that forcibly put money directly into your pocket!!!!!

win over 97% on sure system!!

INCREDIBLE NEWS * MUST SEE!!!

Pre-approved wire-transfer!!

75 bucks for your opinion!!

Attention: Beneficiary: Your ATM VISA CARD is ready for pick up!!!!

6,765month part time!!!

No-Risk Trial!!!

Work at home positions, Work from home, start today!

Get a loan. Dont worry about your lousy credit!

$500 Unemployment Check – Details Inside!

Best-kept secret.....

Recession Buster!!!

20/20 Unlimited $20 Cash Paid Daily!!!!!!

No Leaders, No Prelaunch - You Can Get in Now!

$1-Million Give-Away!!!!!!

Never Worry About Money Again....

Read this and dont go broke....

No Cos’t To You, EVER

How many $1000+ Cashier Checks Would You Like To Receive This Week?

Make $105 in just 1 min 42 seconds!

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!

EXCLUSIVE OFFER * MUST SEE

Earn 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 And Much More, Over and Over Again!

160 Billion Dollar Secret!!!!

How $5 Turns Into Millions!!!!

ONE MILLION DOLLAR BONUS!!!!!!!!

There are many,many,many,many more............

Internet Scam Terminology

2011-08-16T11:23:00.000-04:00

"Internet fraud" uses online services to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions, or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme. Internet fraud can occur in chat rooms, e-mail, message boards, or Web sites.

Bait and Switch

An illegal sales practice in which a business advertises a bargain price for an item in order to draw customers into the store, then tells the prospective buyer that the advertised item is of poor quality or no longer available and attempts to sell them something else that is higher priced.

Bait and switch is also used by foreclosure rescue scammers to get victims to sign what they believe are loan documents but turn out to be documents that transfer ownership of the victim;s property to the scammer..

Botnet

A network of computers secretly taken over by scammers and used as "robots" to send spam. Your computer can become a "bot" without your knowledge.

Cramming

The act of adding services to your phone bill that you did not ask for or charging you for calls you did not make.

Fraud

A scam meant to cheat people by using misleading information or misrepresenting legitimate information.

Hacker

Someone who uses the Internet to access computers without permission.

Hoax

Deliberate trickery or deceit used to gain an advantage.

Malware

Malicious software installed on your computer without your knowledge. It is used by scammers to steal your personal information, send spam, and commit fraud.

Pharming

A virus or malicious program that is placed on your computer and takes control of your Web browser in an attempt to direct you to sites owned by identity thieves.

Phishing (also called spoofing)

The act of sending an e-mail or pop-up message that tricks people the computer's user into believing it is from a bank, legitimate business, or government source in an attempt to get recipients to reveal information that can be used to steal identity.The fastest-growing form of bank card fraud is "phishing" in which fraudsters set up a fake version of a genuine bank website and then send out thousands or even millions of spam emails driving consumers to the site.

Scam

An attempt to intentionally mislead a person for financial gain. Sometimes the scam involves a second person who "believes" the scam is legitimate.

Smishing

The act of sending a text message in an attempt to get you to reveal personal information.

Spam (also known as junk e-mail)

Unsolicited commercial e-mail; also unsolicited commercial calls to cell phones.

Telemarketing scam

A scam that uses the phone to con people into sending money or revealing personal information that can be used to steal identity.

Vishing

The act of sending a recorded message, e-mail or text message to a cell phone that tricks the user into believing it is from a bank, legitimate business, or government source in an attempt to get recipients to reveal information that can be used to steal identity.

Work-at-home scam

A scam that involves an easy work-at-home job opportunity with hidden costs or paychecks that bounce.

Pop-up Ads
Unsolicited advertising in a new browser window. Criminals create pop-up ads that seem to be from a trusted source and ask for personal details or download spyware, when clicked.

Trojan Horse
Malicious programs that are often hidden within legitimate programs and secretly executed when the legitimate program is installed or run on the user's computer.

Virus
malicious code or program that can be carried by any attachment. Such an executable file, when opened, copies itself and uses up memory to damage software or hardware

Worm
A program that replicates itself within a network to hijack or shut down systems.

The black money scam
sometimes also known as the 'wash wash scam', is a scam where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by persuading him or her that piles of banknote-sized paper in a trunk or a safe is really money which has been dyed black (e.g. to avoid detection by customs). The victim is persuaded to pay for chemicals to wash the "money" with a promise that he will share in the proceeds.

419 scam
A Fraud (usually advance fee fraud) perpetrated online or by email. There are many variations, but typically the victim is offered a very large sum of money (usually millions of dollars) in exchange for a relatively small amount of money (usually a few thousand dollars). Variants include lottery scams, inheritance scams and loan scams.

Pump and Dump Scams

Spam email messages will sometimes reach your mailbox, claiming to know about a stock investment that will rapidly grow within days. But these are often scams.

Zombies
Home computers that have been taken over by spammers who then use them to send spam in a way that hides the true origin.

Browser Hijacker
A common spyware program that changes your web browser's home page automatically, even if you change it back.

Misspellings in emails
Scammers, being largely uneducated criminals, frequently misspell words in their scam emails or the English is broken or unstrutured. No legitimate company would make these mistakes!

Hidden Dialers
Programs that you may unknowingly download that can use your computer to silently dial expensive phone calls which later show up on your phone bill.

Scareware or rogue anti-virus software
An ongoing threat exists for computer users who, while browsing the Internet, began receiving pop-up security warnings that state their computers are infected with numerous viruses.The scareware is intimidating to most users and extremely aggressive in its attempt to lure the user into purchasing the rogue software that will allegedly remove the viruses from their computer.

And the beat goes on...stay turned for updates......

FREE OFFER SCAMS

2011-07-27T11:22:00.001-04:00

‘Free’ offers displayed on the internet often turn out to be scams. I know from my own personal experiences.They might offer you free access to an otherwise restricted site, free shares, free downloads, free trials of certain products or even a free holiday. They can appear as annoying pop-ups while you are on the net or as ads at the tops or margins of websites. Sometimes entire websites could be set up to advertise a ‘free’ offer.
It’s almost a sure thing that if you order anything that is a FREE OFFER from an ad off the internet or tv , you are asking for problems from the get go.

The main problem is that most of them only take a credit card, no checks, giving them free access to your money.
This should be your first clue as to the can of worms you are opening.

Even if you cancel out of the process before giving your credit card info they have saved your personal info and will use it to call you or sell your info to third parties.

Second, when you call to cancel! "Sure you can." But will keep sending you unwanted product and charging your card like it’s free money.

They don’t care if they send you into overdraft or if you get penalized or not.

They just want to get as much money as they can and hang on to it for as long as they can because your money times all the other money they are illegally collecting ads up to a lot in their bank in interest!So they are in no hurry to straighten things out!!!!

They continue to charge your credit card until you finally have to file a dispute.
Some of the products described on this site have terms regarding continued billing after the trial period ends. This is referred to as negative option, or continuity billing. Therefore, it is important to ensure that you are fully aware of the terms associated with each product before you order.

Usually, the offers either require you to provide credit card, bank account or other personal details, or they require you to pay an upfront fee to claim your ‘free’ prize or product.

Be sceptical of free offers and ask yourself: what’s the catch? Remember that you don’t get something for nothing. It’s better never to click on internet ads which promise you something that looks too good to be true.

If the free offer involves an up-front payment or has other strings attached (e.g. to claim a ‘free holiday’), seek independent advice from an accountant or a solicitor before doing anything or contact your local office of fair trading for assistance. If you are asked to register your credit card or bank account details, for example, to gain entry to a ‘free’ website, ask yourself why this should be necessary if the offer was really free. If you do enter these details, there is a very real chance that these details will be used to steal money from you or to run up debts in your name.

If you come across an advertisement on the internet that offers something for free, be very careful. If the offer looks to good to be true, or asks you to provide credit card or banking details, do NOT respond. Do not make contact with anyone listed in the ad, do not call the telephone number listed and do not send any money, credit card details or other personal details to the scammers. Responding only indicates you're interested and you could end up with lots more scam offers in the future.

It can be difficult to determine if a free offer is worthwhile or not. A good, but not foolproof, method is to ask other internet users you trust for information and to search for information about the product on trustworthy internet sites (sites that you have heard of before and are not connected with the free offer).

I’m not saying that everything out there is a hoax, but I am saying that most of them are, and to check them out thoroughly before you give anyone your credit card number or any personal information.The premise of a free trial offer does make a lot of sense. A company wants you to get hooked on their product or services, so they offer a certain amount for free in hopes that you will become a loyal customer in the future. When free trial offers started there were usually no strings attached, you would simply get a free trial and then they would speak with you and encourage you to keep the subscription or buy the product, whatever it may have been. Now at the very minimum almost all of the free trial offers require you to input your credit card number and the company will automatically charge your card if you don't cancel within a certain amount of days. While I understand this is a good business move for them, giving out your card and having to remember to cancel within a certain amount of days is not a good deal for consumers at
If a free offer does look reasonable (for example, the offer is being made by a well known company) be sure that you know what the offer is actually for, if there are any costs involved and what conditions are attached. For example, do you have to sign up for a subscription service where only the first order is free?

If you believe the website and offer may be genuine, make sure you find out all the terms and conditions involved. Make sure you have reliable internet security software installed and keep it up-to-date. Be very suspicious of an offer that requires you to give over your credit card, bank account or personal details as these are nearly always scams.

Free trial offers have been around for a long time. There has always been some risk to them, but in the past year or two the amount of free trial scams has really increased exponentially. The sad truth is running a free trial offer scam is not that difficult. Companies will change the terms on you, not give you the refund you were promised, then close up shop and move to another state in the United STATES or even another country and start the process over again.

If you have seen a free offer on the internet that you think may be a scam, you can report a scam through the SCAMwatch website. You should also spread the word to your friends and family to protect them.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) carefully monitors the marketing practices in this area and offers this information to help you make wise purchasing decisions.....

It's The Law

According to the law, companies must clearly and prominently disclose the "material" terms of their trial offers before you give your consent. Material terms may include:

the fact that by accepting the trial offer, you're actually agreeing to be enrolled in a membership, subscription or service contract or paying for additional products and services if you don't cancel within the trial period;
how much time you have to cancel before you incur charges;
the cost or range of costs of goods or services you'll receive if you don't cancel during the trial period;
how to cancel during the trial period;
whether you'll be charged a non-refundable membership fee if you don't cancel within the trial period;
whether fees will be charged automatically to the credit card you used to buy other goods or services.

Where to Complain

If you have a problem with a trial offer, try to resolve it with the seller first. If you're dissatisfied with the response, contact your local Better Business Bureau or local consumer protection agency.

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a new video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Special Introductory offer!!!.Hogwash!!!!

Find out the total cost of a service or product before you buy.

I found lots of websites that offer a low price to get you interested then once you order the price goes up...WAY UP!!!!.

Some introductory offers seem too good to be true, and they should be avoided because they are.I ordered this introductory offer from a website for $1.98. I had forgotten about it until I noticed a pending charge on my CC for $69.95. I called the number given and it just said try your call again later and that happened every time I called that number.I had to contact my CC company to dispute the charge and get my money back .

If you find an introductory offer you like call both the Consumer Protection Agency and the office of the Attorney General of the state from which you received the offer. Inquire if there have been complaints. Ask specifically about the company that sent you the offer.However,no matter how good it sounds your best course of action is to say no if you do not have time to verify the offer.Here is another helpful tip I got from my sister..if you want to try some of these products but reduce your risk use a prepaid debt card with only the amt of purchase.You can get them in any store.

DID YOU KNOW

2011-07-24T12:44:00.000-04:00

One of the greatest things about the Internet is that nobody really owns it. It is a global collection of networks, both big and small. These networks connect together in many different ways to form the single entity that we know as the Internet. The World Wide Web is the collection of linked pages that are accessed using the Internet and a web browser.

The Internet is freedom of speech’s ultimate achievement – a place where anyone can start their own website and say whatever they want.

Not entirely. There are limits to what you can do on the Internet, and even to what you can say.

Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.

Social networking is the fastest growing part of the Internet.

More than half of study participants feel that cyber bullying is as bad, or worse, as bullying in real life.

It's easier for a bully to get away with abusing another individual online than offline. The obvious reason is anonymity. No one will ever likely see the abuse occur unless the victim tells.

One in five of the world’s Internet users visits YouTube each day.

One THIRD of all Internet searches are specifically for pornography. It is estimated that 80% of all images on the Internet are of naked women.

Being ignored and disrespected were the most common forms of cyber bullying.

Almost every person nowadays uses the internet in some fashion practically every day.

Someone is a victim of a cybercrime every 10 seconds, and it is on the rise.

160 billion emails are sent daily, 97% of which are spam.

9 out of every 1,000 computers are infected with spam.

Money is more popular than God in the internet.

There are more than ten billion web pages on the Internet.

2 billion people still cannot read.

According to Kidsafe, nearly 50 percent of children in kindergarten or first grade report talking with people through websites. Only half have parents watch their online activity.
While 48 percent of kids in kindergarten or Grade 1 report to have seen content on the Web they were not comfortable with, 28 percent did not tell an adult.
This national summit agreed that most kids, about 90 percent, have used the Internet since they were nine years old or younger.
Child predators often hang out on social networking, gaming and chat sites to try to find their victims.
Many children are trusting of anyone they meet that seems nice, even if they meet them online

A picture may be worth a thousand words but it uses up a thousand times more memory!

People view 15 billion videos online every month.

There are some 1 billion computers in use.

Over 72% of businesses use the internet for email and customer contact.

The internet is where fortunes are being made. And we’re only at the beginning. In fact, it’s rumored that currently 50 cents of every dollar in North America is spent online. Amazing.

For someone wanting to change his or her lifestyle, the internet is the smartest form of leverage available.

MORE TO COME.........

ABOUT ME

2011-07-20T16:49:00.009-04:00

Thanks for Stopping By............................
I have put together some of the things I have learned while doing business and just plain surfing on the internet over the years.I hope it helps someone who is new to the internet and overwhelmed with information.This website will help you to avoid some of the pitfalls therefore making your time on the internet safer and more enjoyable...All in all I like the internet..it can provide useful information as well as fun and entertainment if used properly.....

Some of my favorite things to do:
Reading e-books
treasure hunting at yard sales
collect art
My favorite Movie
"To Sleep with Anger"

Did You Know?
There are estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.
They use various postures and other means of nonverbal communication that reveal their states of mind.

A few pics of my best friend........................
Her name is Sage and she loves to play and watch tv!!!!!!!!!!

ON A SOMBER NOTE:
I am unemployed now but I am actively seeking a job.
Many of us are still out of work, and out of unemployment funds.

It’s important that I generate some money from my work, but it’s not necessary that I extract every possible dollar.Money is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. Making a positive contribution to the world is a lot more important to me than money.I seek to earn money for the purpose of increasing my freedom . I don’t want to get myself stuck in a pattern of working for money only.I DO NOT SUPPORT SPAMMING.

We HAVE LOST A LOT IN RECENT YEARS.........

BUT WE KEEP GOING!!!!

Pet Peeve

2011-07-16T13:06:00.002-04:00

My Pet Piv....time wasted....
This is one of my personal pet peeve.....I go to the search engines looking for a particular item or information and I have to go through lots of websites before I finally come across one that is actually what it says it is. What I get most of the time are websites displaying only paid links of marginal relevance. I have spent countless hours looking for something in the search engines which makes the Web feel like a hall of mirrors. What was promised in the search listing should be generally the same as what someone gets when they arrive at the page, if not then it is deceptive advertising .I see alot of this in the major search engines.Apparently this is called cloaking and it is designed to achieve a higher placement or prominence of a website in the search engines than the content delivered to searchers would achieve..

The major search engines are aware of this practice. Search Engines stay in business based on their offering of relevant search results. Cloaking prevents them from seeing the same page as the user- this undermines their ability to produce relevant search results. Delivering content designed to influence a search engine's rankings to an engine spider is officially called spam. The search engines are becoming more savvy at detecting Cloaking. It can result in permanent banning. So you have to start all over with a new URL.The FTC found that cloaking can lead to deceptive advertisements appearing in search results.Obviously no consideration is given to wasting the customers time.I know the justification for this is trying to get the customer to their website.....here is something to ponder..if the merchant lies to me from the beginning why would I trust them or buy from them????trust between the customer and merchant is what will make the sale and keep the customer coming back... not slick,misleading advertising...

Cluttered Websites...everything but the kitchen sink......
Website owners need to keep their websites clutter free and easy to read and navigate.Successful websites are pleasant on the eye and give you all the information you need when you need it.Space is cheap on the internet but it still does not stop people from trying to cram hugh amounts of information onto a single page.They feel that they have to fill every bit of available space.White space is good!!!!Nothing annoys me more than having to sit through those dull intro pages and pop up ads before getting to any useful information.Time is valuable to internet users, don’t squander it and annoy them with designer garbage.

I have talked to countless average people and these things are high on their list of problems with the internet.No one wants to navigate through all of the clutter on most of these websites.I have to admit when I am looking for something on the web if I click on a website and it is cluttered and not easy to read I will quickly leave that site and find one that is easy for me to read and navigate....I am very sure others do the same....something else to ponder......

Internet Browsing....Proceed at your own RISK!!!!!
Recently I clicked on several Michael Jackson video websites using the search engines.......
May he rest in Peace.....
What came up shocked me....My computer was immediately being scanned.I quickly tried to cancel out of this and that did not work so I closed the browser.The server that is hosting the website has been hacked to where, when you go to the website from a search page, you are redirected to a malicious URL.So what is the benefit of tricking people? The main reason is money.When unsuspecting people click on what seems like an innocent URL, their computer system could be infected with malware (malicious software). This software could take complete control of your computer or use it to display revenue generating adware.Scammers are using shock value to scare the customer into thinking something is wrong with their computer.

Which countries in the world are responsible for harboring the greatest number of malicious domains? At least two popular web browsers are using Google Safe Browsing to warn users about phishing sites and other malwares: Firefox and Chrome.The cybercriminals have figured this out, so they are using some new and interesting techniques that can easily bypasses the Safe Browsing mechanism. One of them is using URL shortening and redirection services.The owners of these short url services have been notified of this problem and they have begun to take action against these cybercriminals .

Be warned that users looking for information related to help with Office products on Microsoft’s own site are being targeted.Studies show that on average of 50% of malicious URLs identified change monthly. The rates pose a challenge to blacklisting services as well as a risk to end users.Frequent scans of the web are required to obtain a good up-to-date view of the threat .Lucky for me I never keep personal information on my computer...I have not reached that level of trust with the internet yet.Moral of this story..be very careful which websites you click on...and if you find yourself in this situation just close your browser as quickly as you can and pray that no harm has come to your computer or software.It probably will not hurt to run a spyware virus scan if you have one on your computer...
UPDATE:
SEARCH ENGINES are saturated with these spyware virus scan websites including videos and images.

>>MORE SCAMS.....
Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

Advance Fee Scams

2011-07-15T13:14:00.004-04:00

Advance Fee Scam.....Dont't be a Sitting Duck!!!!
Advance fee loans are usually, if not always, empty promises of a personal or business loan requiring payment of a fee in advance. Fraudulent advance fee loan schemes generally prey on vulnerable consumers — the unemployed, those who have bad credit ratings, or those in immediate need of money for emergencies.

Ads promising "money to loan . . . regardless of credit history" lure consumers into paying fees that range from $25 to several hundred dollars, in advance of supposedly receiving loans that are "guaranteed."

The fee may be called "processing", "application" or "insurance". While legitimate lenders may require you to pay application, appraisal, or credit report fees, these fees are never required before the lender is identified and the application is completed. In addition, the fees are generally made payable to the lender, not the broker or arranger of the supposed "guaranteed" loan or extension of credit.You never receive the promised loan and never hear from the loan company again.The address they gave is false.The telephone number is quickly disconnected after receiving the money from you.These are typical loan scams.A lot of the loan scam sites seem to only last a few days before they are taken down. A great deal of personal information is requested to be entered into these online loan forms. This information could then be used for unlawful purposes such as highly targeted spamming via email, surface mail and telemarketing. The information could also be sold to other spammers. If enough information is provided, scammers might even be able to steal the person's identity.

In the U.S. it's against the law to ask for money up front to help obtain a loan. The money must be in your hands for seven days before payment can be requested. This is the same for either a direct loan or through a third party.

If you want to know more about a company you are dealing with go to the Better Business Bureau online and do a search or send them an email on that company including the address.They can tell you if the company gave a false address and phone number and if there are any complaints against them.I recently dealt with a website where all the information on the website was false including the address,email,telephone.There have been numerous complaints filed at the Better Business Bureau for advanced fee scams.

Another indication of a scam is I checked the whois database for a website and found out they had just created the website no more than 30 days ago so there were no reports on the internet or with the BBB..pretty slick hmmmmm...It looks like they know they will be caught so they make their move within the 30 days the website is up.Once reports start coming in the website is promptly removed and repackaged with an new name....thus erasing the past history on the internet and other agencies.These scammers get to run the same scam all over again just by changing the name.....how simple yet affective.....I ran across one advance fee scam website that had changed it's name 178 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rule 1) No legit lender requires you to send them money first in order to secure a loan.
Rule 2) Never forget Rule 1!!

TAKE HEED!!!!
Do a search on a search engine using the term lending group scams and you will see a long list of advance fee scam websites.The names are different but the scam is the same.

Person to Person Loans...How Touching!!!!!
These scammers only goal is to separate you from your money and you will NEVER SEE A LOAN!!!!!This is a peer to peer lending scam.This is the same thing as the advance fee loans scams with a personal twist.Instead of dealing with a fake bank you are dealing with individuals who supposely have money to loan.They prey on people with poor credit. This is an unrealistic scernio to start with..no bank will touch this.It is meant to play on your emotions.All I can say is I hope no one fell for this.Notice how they use god,trust and sympathy to sell this scam....this is a disgrace...is there nothing that is sacred any more?
This letter I received in my email would bring anyone to tears...

Hello,
I greet you in the Lords name. My name is Maria Coleman,a widow.I am a business woman who is engaged in retail trade and I also have Industrial companies in a few major cities in Europe.Sometime In 2003, an accident occured that took the life of my husband and 2 kids. After this had happened, I didn't think I would live another day, I thought it was the end of the world for me.I was a strict woman who was had hearted towards others, my life has now change since the departure of my family.I have thought of committing suicideDecember 2004, I was diagnosed of lung cancer. I now went to my pastor for prayer and advice on what to do with all of my wealth because I knew I had limited time to live. I was then adviced by him to make donations to charities, orphanages and also try to reach out to people who need help to get on with their life, including students, workers that don't earn enough to take care of themselves and their family, widows, woman, who are divorced single mothers and businessperson that needs financial assistance

This letter is hereby addressed to whom so ever is in need of help, please do contact me via email and let me know how I could be of assistance to you, and I would do my best to help. I have started a new life ever since I found God, it feels so good to be born again, if you are not, I suggest you turn to him for it is only God that can save you.Do get back to me as soon as possible.

God bless,
Maria Coleman
HOW TOUCHING!!!!!.....SCAM,SCAM,SCAM..........

Bank Scams....Dont't be a Doormat!!!!!
I have the feeling I will be writing to the end of time on internet scams.I think most people are familar with this email scam but if you are not heads up on this one.....you get an email supposely from your bank stating their is a problem with your account and they want you to sign into your account from the email..I have also gotten this email message from scammers:Your account has been suspended and compromised by email scammers! DONT FALL FOR THIS SCAM EMAIL either....their only purpose is to gain access to your userid and password.You don't even need to enter your information on the scammers' fake site to become a victim.These scammers play to two basic emotions to lure people in: greed and fear.More scammers are embedding data-stealing spyware that downloads to your computer as soon as you click on one of the embedded links in the email.

The scammer realizes that, although he's sending the scam out to thousands of people, and of those thousands, only a handful actually do their banking at the particular bank he's writing about, it only takes one or two bank clients to make him a good sum of money.The email NEVER came from your bank...best practice and get in the habit of doing this.....close your browser down completely and go directly to the website of your bank and log in from there or call the bank..never log into your bank from an email.Log out of banking and other sensitive online apps and accounts before going to other Websites; and be suspicious of any popups during a Web session if you haven't clicked on a hyperlink. If you look at the email address of this scam it is very close to your bank name but maybe one letter off...pretty slick I must say.These thieves get more cunning by the minute.....The FBI reported that their name was being used (yet again) in a campaign involving a typical Nigerian 419 scam..

Feel free to post your internet experiences here.Please no foul language,adult content,racist remarks....and no names....

Internet Vane

Work from Home Scams

Scam Letters

THE NEW MANAGER OF WESTERN UNION

Report a Scam

Free Govt Money

Email Scams

Fake Websites,Degrees

MISC LINKS....

My Email Spam Folder

My Email Spam folder is full of these eye catching subjects geared toward getting you to look and spend your money.......99% ARE JUST PLAIN SCAMS.......

People are still looking for something for nothing..........

Have you seen these in your email?????

Your Check is Waiting!

7 People Searched for You!

17 Postions left (500day)!!

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There are many,many,many,many more............

Internet Scam Terminology

RELATED LINKS

FREE OFFER SCAMS

It's The Law

Where to Complain

DID YOU KNOW

ABOUT ME

Pet Peeve

Advance Fee Scams

Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires

Never Worry About Money Again....

Read this and dont go broke....

No Cos’t To You, EVER

How many $1000+ Cashier Checks Would You Like To Receive This Week?

Make $105 in just 1 min 42 seconds!

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!

EXCLUSIVE OFFER * MUST SEE

160 Billion Dollar Secret!!!!

How $5 Turns Into Millions!!!!