Key loggers broadly can be split in to two major types. A hardware type which is a component actually installed inside your keyboard, or the software virus type.

While you have great cause for concern if someone has gone to the trouble of putting a hardware key logger in your pc, these days it is perhaps the software virus kind that is all the more worrying for the average computer user. Because they are so freely and cheaply available anyone with an internet connection has the potential to be a victim of this crime.

The crime can be of great concern due to the invasion of one’s personal privacy. Such software can provide the criminal with details of all documents viewed, websites visited, passwords used and access to all online accounts such as email, social networking and perhaps most worryingly Online Banking. Not only is your privacy invaded but this could lead . . . → Read More: Keyloggers]]> There are many malicious threats that can potentially infect your computer such as Malware, Adware, and Trojans. Some of them can be a nuisance – causing ads to pop up all the time or redirecting you to spam web pages all the time. Some of these can be highly malevolent in nature, perhaps one of the worst forms being the key logger.

Key loggers broadly can be split in to two major types. A hardware type which is a component actually installed inside your keyboard, or the software virus type.

While you have great cause for concern if someone has gone to the trouble of putting a hardware key logger in your pc, these days it is perhaps the software virus kind that is all the more worrying for the average computer user. Because they are so freely and cheaply available anyone with an internet connection has the potential to be a victim of this crime.

The crime can be of great concern due to the invasion of one’s personal privacy. Such software can provide the criminal with details of all documents viewed, websites visited, passwords used and access to all online accounts such as email, social networking and perhaps most worryingly Online Banking. Not only is your privacy invaded but this could lead to one of the great fears of modern day life – Identity theft.

Once a thief has your identity they may open accounts in your name, setting up mobile phone accounts, loans and credit cards and generally using your name to run up lists of bills. The effects wreak havoc in the lives of the victim who is forced to spend large amounts of time and money in an effort to try to prove their innocence. Victims must give up working hours, or valued time with friends or loved ones in order to attempt to clear their name.

In many cases a Key logger may sit on an individual’s pc for years and may never be noticed. If the victim leads a typical modern life with a lot of time spent online then it is easy to see that untold damage could be done with just a few hours of key logger data never mind several years of it.

Some viruses have clear signs such as the annoying pop ups, processes slowing down or removal of important files. A well designed key logger will leave almost zero trace. Traces they do leave are often very well disguised.

The Malware industry including Key loggers is a game of Cat and Mouse between the cyber criminals and the IT industry. Because this threat is particularly nasty anyone that spends any deal of time online needs to take the following precautions:

Use the best antivirus software available
Choose a well known brand. When downloading antivirus software be very careful where it comes from as some fake antivirus software actually contains viruses.AVG Norton and Avast are well known and very effective. Trying to save a couple of dollars on internet security is a false economy.
AVG is recommended as its frequent updates help you stay one step ahead, and the scans run nicely in the background without hogging too much of your computers resources.

Always download updates as soon as possible
This includes updates to your virus software, but also your operating system, web browser and any other program that you run. Hackers can take advantage of gateways or loopholes found in these systems and updates are often released to fix such issues when identified.

Not content with the massive market of online marks Malware and bogus Virus Software companies are taking to high pressure cold calling techniques to get people to download their rubbish – and pay for the privilege.

There are numerous pitches, but they have one thing in common – they sound professional and extremely feasible to anyone who is not technically minded.

One such pitch asks that the user test their computer by going to Start – Run – Then type Prefetch.

Apparently doing so brings up a list of infected files on the computer. This is not the case it simply brings up a list of files in the prefetch directory and have nothing to do with malware.

With a professional pitch combined with the fear that people have of Trojans and Key loggers etc it is easy to see how they can sell this idea to people. They take it one step further with the classic if you pay now you can get at . . . → Read More: Telephone Virus Scam]]> Online we see malware, scareware and fake virus software all too often. The problem seems to be growing and while the majority of tech savvy individuals can now spot many of these tricks a mile off as more and more people start using the internet new marks become available every day.

Not content with the massive market of online marks Malware and bogus Virus Software companies are taking to high pressure cold calling techniques to get people to download their rubbish – and pay for the privilege.

There are numerous pitches, but they have one thing in common – they sound professional and extremely feasible to anyone who is not technically minded.

One such pitch asks that the user test their computer by going to Start – Run – Then type Prefetch.

Apparently doing so brings up a list of infected files on the computer. This is not the case it simply brings up a list of files in the prefetch directory and have nothing to do with malware.

With a professional pitch combined with the fear that people have of Trojans and Key loggers etc it is easy to see how they can sell this idea to people. They take it one step further with the classic if you pay now you can get at a ridiculous discount but if you do not take advantage of the special offer you pay a ridiculous price. What’s wrong with AVG or AVAST People?

What makes this scam even worse is that when the antivirus software is actually purchased they badge it with a legitimate name ensuring that if further investigation takes place the victim is unlikely to notice that they have something dangerous.

Far from just selling antivirus with high pressure sales calls what they are actually selling is a nice package of malware, adware and key logging software so the chances are they will later hack in to your online banking and empty your bank account as well. Plus they charge £70 for the privilege.

Paul Barrett has been sentenced to 250 hours of community service and made to pay £5000 for his ebay scheme of bidding on his own items to increase the price.

Paul a mini bus hire manager was initially investigated after North Yorkshire Trading Standards received a complaint that he had advertised a vehicle on ebay with a false low mileage. On investigation they had found that Barrett actually had two ebay accounts. One of them used for selling goods, the others used to make fake bids on his items to increase the bid.

Using his online aliases to boost sale prices Paul sold two Mercedes vehicles, a Land Rover, a cash till, a refrigerated display unit, a pasty warmer, 3 mobiles and a Camera. This practice known as shill bidding is fairly common with 14% of respondents in an office of fair trading survey expressing they believed it had happened to them. Ebay spend £6 Million GBP per year in an attempt to control the problem.

Barrett was found to have breached Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair trading Regulations 2008. Laws introduced in the UK to clamp down on internet fraud. Had Barrett been convicted under the fraud act his sentence could have been even more . . . → Read More: Ebay Shill Bidder Sentenced]]> July 2010

Paul Barrett has been sentenced to 250 hours of community service and made to pay £5000 for his ebay scheme of bidding on his own items to increase the price.

Paul a mini bus hire manager was initially investigated after North Yorkshire Trading Standards received a complaint that he had advertised a vehicle on ebay with a false low mileage. On investigation they had found that Barrett actually had two ebay accounts. One of them used for selling goods, the others used to make fake bids on his items to increase the bid.

Using his online aliases to boost sale prices Paul sold two Mercedes vehicles, a Land Rover, a cash till, a refrigerated display unit, a pasty warmer, 3 mobiles and a Camera.
This practice known as shill bidding is fairly common with 14% of respondents in an office of fair trading survey expressing they believed it had happened to them. Ebay spend £6 Million GBP per year in an attempt to control the problem.

Barrett was found to have breached Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair trading Regulations 2008. Laws introduced in the UK to clamp down on internet fraud. Had Barrett been convicted under the fraud act his sentence could have been even more serious.

The judge told Barrett that he only escaped prison because of the relatively small amount of money involved and his previous clean record.

Ebay are said to be pleased with the result and the sentence. At last UK authorities are taking ebay fraud seriously.

Not only do they have a big and well known brand but they have some good deals. The tyres and MOTs are very reasonable and if you need your aircon looking at they may just be the best people to go to. Also you have to love the way if they change a tyre for you their very friendly team will get your car up on the ramp and give it a quick once over free of charge.

This is the thing that gets to me – I wanted one tyre. They get it up on the ramp and say I need 3, I say nonsense. They know tyres better than anyone and to be fair I could have used 3 but to tell me I am breaking the law by not having 3 replaced was in itself ironically breaking the law. How can I make such an accusation? Well I did not get them replaced, got pulled two months later and the police said nothing after inspecting my tyres.

It doesn’t end there, I also apparently needed new rear coil springs and . . . → Read More: Kwik Fit BS]]> Kwik Fit – the friendly face of UK car garages, why would you want to go to a grimy back street garage when you can stick to a name you can trust?

Not only do they have a big and well known brand but they have some good deals. The tyres and MOTs are very reasonable and if you need your aircon looking at they may just be the best people to go to. Also you have to love the way if they change a tyre for you their very friendly team will get your car up on the ramp and give it a quick once over free of charge.

This is the thing that gets to me – I wanted one tyre. They get it up on the ramp and say I need 3, I say nonsense.
They know tyres better than anyone and to be fair I could have used 3 but to tell me I am breaking the law by not having 3 replaced was in itself ironically breaking the law. How can I make such an accusation? Well I did not get them replaced, got pulled two months later and the police said nothing after inspecting my tyres.

It doesn’t end there, I also apparently needed new rear coil springs and the helpful chap pointed out the problem with them and said it would definately not pass an MOT with those on. Two MOT’s at two different garages later and I’m still rocking the same springs.

Kwikfit as a company are legit – they have a valuable brand image it is essential they protect. The problem lies within the fact that the workers are paid a bonus dependant on work done. This motivates excessive work, and a quick web search will reveal that they have previously been investigated for charging for work that was not carried out.

So by all means go, get your cheap tyres or cheap brakes if that’s what you are aware you need. But please think carefully before you listen to all the other suggestions they make. Appreciate the advice they offer for any extra’s you were not expecting to need but do try to get a trusted second opinion before you shell out more than you had anticipated.

It seems a little unfair to direct all of this at Kwik Fit – this type of “Bill Padding” takes place at small back street garages and National dealerships.

As a customer without much experience and concerned about your car it is all too easy to take whatever the garage says and go along with it. The car is already in their hands and now many issues can only be found with access to special diagnostic equipment. Following a few simple rules will help you avoid getting taken in to easily.

Try to find a reliable Garage before you need one
Ask your family or friends. When you go to the garage tell them you are there on a recommendation. They may treat you even better to keep you and your refferer happy.

Compare Garages
Go in and talk to them, find out how they treat their customers and what they offer under a service.

Maintain your vehicle Carefully
Make sure you keep up with the servicing – a well maintained car is less likely to need repairs. Also regularly check coolant and oil levels. Basic advice but all too often people fail to do this causing untold damage to their vehicles.

Check their credentials
Find out if they are a member of the Motor Vehicle Repairers’ Association or Good garage scheme. Find out if the mechanics have certificates of training

The victim is informed that they have to pay the operator outstanding fees, and until they do their line is cut off.

Here’s the really sneaky part, the scammer will say that the line is already cut off and is under their control. This can be tested by hanging up and then attempting to make another call. The victim hangs up but the scammer simply presses the mute button so the connection is not terminated. When the victim picks up the handset again sure enough they cannot call anyone – they cannot even get a dial tone. The scammer on mute can hear the call attempts and probably the person swearing on the other end. When the victim is done the scammer calls back and says that they can be reconnected immediately on payment.

This is such a good trick because under pressure people do not think everything through, plus it has been proven that the line has been cut . . . → Read More: Overdue Telephone Bill Scam]]> You receive a phone call from your telephone operator asking for your bank details – you probably query it and try to call them back. So they provide an 0800 number you call back and it all seems just fine, the trouble is the 0800 number is bogus and so is everything about this little scheme.

The victim is informed that they have to pay the operator outstanding fees, and until they do their line is cut off.

Here’s the really sneaky part, the scammer will say that the line is already cut off and is under their control. This can be tested by hanging up and then attempting to make another call.
The victim hangs up but the scammer simply presses the mute button so the connection is not terminated. When the victim picks up the handset again sure enough they cannot call anyone – they cannot even get a dial tone. The scammer on mute can hear the call attempts and probably the person swearing on the other end.
When the victim is done the scammer calls back and says that they can be reconnected immediately on payment.

This is such a good trick because under pressure people do not think everything through, plus it has been proven that the line has been cut off and a feasible 0800 number is provided.

This is not such a good trick because the scammers do not know which network each victim uses and half the time end up calling very confused individuals that use a completely different network. Thanks to this minor detail the scam has been reported and the Police as well as BT are well aware of it.

BT say that the do call customers with outstanding bills but would never advise customers to provide banking details by phone. If there is any doubt at all ask for the BT agents identity number and call the official 0800 800 150 number.

If you are ever tempted to use such a service please, please don’t do it just think about it for a second. Where do you start with something like this? If you are reading this and are not extremely lonely and in possession of an IQ as low as the bottom feeders that run this scam then you will know that this is a bad bad idea.

£1.50 per text – and how many texts will it take to get this “lovely lady” “in your area” to meet you? Do you think you can do it in two or three texts – trust that even if it wasnt a computer or an overworked young boy you are texting in India this is not going nowhere.

I hope someone types adult text chat in to google and comes up with this site – but that is very unlikely to happen, these services are everywhere. That means that these services are a success. Of course they are profitable the operator is getting paid for sending . . . → Read More: Adult Text Chat]]> You see these services advertised late at night.  Basically you text your name to 696969 (or something) and the chat service will put you in touch with horny ladies in your area for adult text chat fun.  Texts received cost something like £1.50.

If you are ever tempted to use such a service please, please don’t do it just think about it for a second.
Where do you start with something like this? If you are reading this and are not extremely lonely and in possession of an IQ as low as the bottom feeders that run this scam then you will know that this is a bad bad idea.

£1.50 per text – and how many texts will it take to get this “lovely lady” “in your area” to meet you? Do you think you can do it in two or three texts – trust that even if it wasnt a computer or an overworked young boy you are texting in India this is not going nowhere.

I hope someone types adult text chat in to google and comes up with this site – but that is very unlikely to happen, these services are everywhere. That means that these services are a success. Of course they are profitable the operator is getting paid for sending text messages, but the problem is that people must be using the services. In today’s society when it is actually possible to speak to real people free of charge it seems incredible that this can succeed.

To add insult to injury anyone who uses this service effectively signs up to endless phone / text message spam. The people that operate this can sell names of clients for a very high premium. We know marketing lists are valuable, but just imagine the value of a list of lonely, gullible and happy to waste money individuals.

Please note that while all reports are moderated the admin can not be held responsible for any stories posted in this section.

Feel free to comment on any posts on this site as you see fit, if you have a problem with anything posted please use the form to contact . . . → Read More: Scam Reports]]> This is where you can report and post any dodgy dealings and tomfoolery you have witnessed.  If you have any stories that may serve as a warning to others please fill out the contact form

Please note that while all reports are moderated the admin can not be held responsible for any stories posted in this section.

Feel free to comment on any posts on this site as you see fit, if you have a problem with anything posted please use the form to contact site admin.

I downloaded this software that was meant to give me pretty much every sattelite channel in HD see it advertised everywhere.

It kind of works but 90% of the channels don’t – it basically just takes you to a website where you can view some channels but I think it is only a few of the free ones anyway.

The quality is rubbish as well and it is meant to be HD – it isnt.

I feel an idiot for buying it, at the end of the day subscription channels are just that – that is how they pay for teh channel in the 1st place do if you are getting it for free then you are breaking the law. No worriwes here because you are not getting . . . → Read More: Satellite direct]]> Posted by: RhianwenJJ

I downloaded this software that was meant to give me pretty much every sattelite channel in HD see it advertised everywhere.

It kind of works but 90% of the channels don’t – it basically just takes you to a website where you can view some channels but I think it is only a few of the free ones anyway.

The quality is rubbish as well and it is meant to be HD – it isnt.

I feel an idiot for buying it, at the end of the day subscription channels are just that – that is how they pay for teh channel in the 1st place do if you are getting it for free then you are breaking the law. No worriwes here because you are not getting them anyway.

When the web hosting company Volsh pulled the plug on their clients recently I wrote about some of the main dangers of picking the wrong host. Dangers of Picking the Wrong Host The Volsh debacle being one of the worst possible scenarios.

The whole article was pretty negative and probably a little worrying if you are new to the business. It got me to thinking about how fortunate I have been with my hosting providers. This site is hosted by Dreamhost and as far as I am concerned they have a customer for life. This is why:

Domains set up in minutes with minimal technical knowledge

Having previously hosted domains I am aware of how much work it can be setting up the online database. With Dreamhost it really could not be easier. One click installs are available for a wide range of online applications such as content management systems, forum and management software including WordPress, Joomla and ZenCart.

With another host the same process would look a bit like this:

i)    Download the software (e.g. WordPress, Joomla etc)

ii)   Select and download an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program

iii) Create a database at your domain

iv) Figure out the FTP client

v)  Upload your software

vi) Install . . . → Read More: Dreamhost]]> Good Hosting is available when you look in the right place

When the web hosting company Volsh pulled the plug on their clients recently I wrote about some of the main dangers of picking the wrong host. Dangers of Picking the Wrong Host The Volsh debacle being one of the worst possible scenarios.

The whole article was pretty negative and probably a little worrying if you are new to the business. It got me to thinking about how fortunate I have been with my hosting providers. This site is hosted by Dreamhost and as far as I am concerned they have a customer for life. This is why:

Domains set up in minutes with minimal technical knowledge

Having previously hosted domains I am aware of how much work it can be setting up the online database. With Dreamhost it really could not be easier.
One click installs are available for a wide range of online applications such as content management systems, forum and management software including WordPress, Joomla and ZenCart.

With another host the same process would look a bit like this:

i)    Download the software (e.g. WordPress, Joomla etc)

ii)   Select and download an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program

iii) Create a database at your domain

iv) Figure out the FTP client

v)  Upload your software

vi) Install your software

The prospect of this process alone makes it worth giving Dreamhost a shot and since they have a two week free trial and 97 day money back guarantee there is nothing to lose.

With the unique control panel anyone could manage an online database

Setting up your database is only the beginning, you likely going to be setting up multiple domains, email addresses as well as uploading and managing files.

The user control panel is as good as it gets with all of these features made simple. You can setup new domains or transfer them in minutes. Built in features make linking your domain to a Google mail account simple.

One of the best features is the built in web FTP client. There are so many FTP clients available to download for free it is difficult to know where to start, and some of them are quite technical. The web based version links to your domain automatically making it faster to use but the best part is its simplicity to use. Anyone can easily manage their online databases with basic IT skills.

No reason to get stuck – at any time

With the exceptionally easy control panel when it comes down to it you are going to have fewer queries than with a less developed system. But what about times when you have a more difficult question?

In this situation you can contact the support team with a query who are very helpful. The one time I have had to contact them I found their response helpful and friendly; although the support documentation is so good I found my solution for myself and solved it very quickly. The support documentation is so comprehensive you have a good chance of fixing any issues quickly. There is also a forum with a network of experienced individuals who I found to be willing to help.

100% Uptime guarantee

When you have invested time and money in to your domain you need to know it is up and running as intended. Whichever host you choose there is a risk that they may have some downtime.
What makes Dreamhost refreshing is that they readily admit this and have a linked site that reports on any server errors they have. They actually go a stage further and put reports as they occur in the user control panel.

This is exactly the sort of information pretty much every other provider keeps top secret so you have to admire their honesty. Plus with the 100% uptime guarantee if your site ever does suffer downtime – report it to them immediately and you will not pay for the time the site is down – doesn’t get much fairer than that.
Confidence your applications are supported by the most up to date technology.

So far we have covered the basics, but if you are a masterwebmaster you probably laugh in the face of one click installs and easy to use database management utilities – what about the technical stuff? Well that is beyond the scope of this article but suffice to say no corners are cut.  A full technical specification is available from XLINKX
Excellent value

2weeks free, special deal with code MAX20 for the maximum discount of $20 off a year subscription and 97 day money back guarantee. Then what else do you get for all this?

Unlimited:

-          Disk Storage

-          Bandwidth

-          Domains

-          Full Shell/SSH/FTP/SFTP users

-          Email accounts

-          Mysql 5 Databases

-          Domains, sub domains and Mirrored Domains

Here are some of the main dangers of choosing the wrong host.

Your site is deleted from existence To some this scenario may seem a little farfetched but choose the wrong host and all of your work can go up in smoke with little to no warning. In May 2010 this is exactly what did happen to clients of a company called Volsh. This is a company that claimed to offer the best support and care to their clients. They also claimed they would never sell their client base on but when they were ready to move on they did just that.

When a host “sells you” to another provider it can be a serious inconvenience and if you have multiple domains – . . . → Read More: Web Hosting Dangers Exposed]]> If you are new to the webmastering game chances are you want to keep costs to a minimum. While this is a perfectly reasonable consideration when it comes to choosing your hosting cost is not the main factor. If you are new to the scene then you may have no idea what criteria you should use to select your host or what to look for. Any host you go to will claim to have minimal downtime and the best service and at the end of the day hosting is hosting right? -Wrong!

Here are some of the main dangers of choosing the wrong host.

Your site is deleted from existence

To some this scenario may seem a little farfetched but choose the wrong host and all of your work can go up in smoke with little to no warning. In May 2010 this is exactly what did happen to clients of a company called Volsh. This is a company that claimed to offer the best support and care to their clients. They also claimed they would never sell their client base on but when they were ready to move on they did just that.

When a host “sells you” to another provider it can be a serious inconvenience and if you have multiple domains – a pain in the ass. But in this case once the business along with all the clients had been sold Volsh pulled the plug. They deleted everything. Online businesses ceased to exist at the flick of a switch while the management saved a few coins for their next venture. This is not the first time a host has done this and it will likely not be the last.

When choosing your host find out how long they have been established and find out if they are legitimate registered companies. Some very nice people may offer fantastic maybe even the best support from their garage conversions – but so many of these small companies come and go overnight and you have to ask if it is worth the risk to your domains.

More downtime than uptime

Chances are you are looking in to this seriously because you need your site to promote your business. You need your investment to work for you. When your site is down you are not making money. Perhaps even worse it makes you look unprofessional. Visitors to a broken link may never return.

When evaluating a host ask what their downtime is. It should be less than 0.01%. The trouble is whoever you ask they will claim that it is less than this. So all you can do is try to ensure failsafe methods are in place and they are well established and serious about hosting.

While small hosts can potentially offer better service than some of the big players you need to ask for their technical specifications before you can go ahead with them. Also ask if they can guarantee the uptime and what they will do if they fail to deliver. Under no circumstances should you be paying for hosting that is not taking place.

Once you are signed up you can’t get away

You should be able to cancel any hosting contract when you wish – so make sure you do not have to give long notice periods. The majority of providers would not be so militant so there is no reason to pick one that will.

Even if there is no long term contract, it can still be extremely difficult to move on when you need them to transfer the domain to another provider. You can avoid this scenario completely if you purchase your domain names from another registrar. Transferring the Domain names is a simple process taking minutes and you can guarantee to avoid any problems moving the domains later.

Domain owners risk a similar situation where a web designer develops the site and provides a Content Management System (CMS). The CMS makes it easy for you to change the site yourself, but chances are the designer will insist that since it is their CMS it must be hosted on their servers. This of course is nonsense but unfortunately fairly standard practice. Many domain owners are happy to go along with the deal but some do not fully understand or anticipate being forever dependant on the designer and having to pay them a commission on the hosting until the site is taken down.

Usage Problems

With a well thought out, user friendly control panel anyone with a little technical knowledge can manage their own website. However with a basic hosting system and no support then you may need to be a technical genius. Even if you do consider yourself to be such, without support a single query could stop you in your tracks.

Before signing up it is helpful to establish:

i)  Host offers easy to use functional control panel (set up emails, users, domains, FTP)

ii) Quality support documentation and help is available

It would be easy to assume that a big well known provider will be able to offer the most help while a two man operation will not have the same expertise or time to help. This can be but is not always the case. Sometimes a small company may really go the extra mile to look after its valued customers.

To find out how helpful a company is email them before signing up asking for help and evaluate the response. Consider the potential pitfalls and ask how they can help you avoid them.

Choosing a host can be difficult with the sheer number of options available. One of the biggest mistakes a domain owner can make is to choose based purely on price – hosting is not a commodity product. Since resellers buy the cheapest hosting and sell it at the highest prices this means that you can pay a low price or you can pay a high price but this does not directly correlate with the quality of the provider. Being aware of the dangers of poor hosting services is essential before entrusting potentially valuable domains to a third party.

Update: What to expect from a good host

Written by Marcus Lewis