Your Money and Your Life - Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat!

Cybercrime is on the rise. Your Money and Your Life: Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat! "How?", you ask. OK, let me elaborate on a few of the many ways cybercriminals steal your money, and, literally, your life and they can do so in seconds, not minutes, or hours.


You may not be the only one using your computer. Cybercriminals known as hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.


Personal information is now so readily available that a total stranger with nothing more than an online connection and a credit card could discover everything there is to know about you. He or she could compile a complete dossier on you, your family members, friends, work associates, or business rivals without any special investigative training.


Fears about identity theft are not limited to spyware or to records stolen from corporate databases. As it turns out, the neighbor next door can be just as big a concern. "Definitely, using the Internet to spy on average citizens is our next big social problem," said Avivah Litan, security analyst for identity-theft issues at the research firm Gartner.


One of the latest hacking trends is called "Drive-by Hacking". Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.



The new trend recently discovered: online hazards in hotels. Authorities are becoming alarmed at the number of traveler-victims who have reported that their personal or financial information was stolen after they had used a computer in a hotel's business center. It seems like the criminal use keylogging software to record the victim's key strokes. See related Story: ABC News Video: Online Hazards in Hotels.

With cybercriminals always on the move and coming up with new and creative moves to steal people's money, it would be wise to educate ourselves about the attacks, risks, and threats they perpetrate. Learn all you can, and then take evasive and preventative action. Get the strongest protection you can get that is best suited to your needs. The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you'll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you'll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

� MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

Your Money and Your Life - Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat!

Cybercrime is on the rise. Your Money and Your Life: Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat! "How?", you ask. OK, let me elaborate on a few of the many ways cybercriminals steal your money, and, literally, your life and they can do so in seconds, not minutes, or hours.


You may not be the only one using your computer. Cybercriminals known as hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.


Personal information is now so readily available that a total stranger with nothing more than an online connection and a credit card could discover everything there is to know about you. He or she could compile a complete dossier on you, your family members, friends, work associates, or business rivals without any special investigative training.


Fears about identity theft are not limited to spyware or to records stolen from corporate databases. As it turns out, the neighbor next door can be just as big a concern. "Definitely, using the Internet to spy on average citizens is our next big social problem," said Avivah Litan, security analyst for identity-theft issues at the research firm Gartner.


One of the latest hacking trends is called "Drive-by Hacking". Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.



The new trend recently discovered: online hazards in hotels. Authorities are becoming alarmed at the number of traveler-victims who have reported that their personal or financial information was stolen after they had used a computer in a hotel's business center. It seems like the criminal use keylogging software to record the victim's key strokes. See related Story: ABC News Video: Online Hazards in Hotels.

With cybercriminals always on the move and coming up with new and creative moves to steal people's money, it would be wise to educate ourselves about the attacks, risks, and threats they perpetrate. Learn all you can, and then take evasive and preventative action. Get the strongest protection you can get that is best suited to your needs. The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you'll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you'll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

� MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

Your Money and Your Life - Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat!

Cybercrime is on the rise. Your Money and Your Life: Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat! "How?", you ask. OK, let me elaborate on a few of the many ways cybercriminals steal your money, and, literally, your life and they can do so in seconds, not minutes, or hours.


You may not be the only one using your computer. Cybercriminals known as hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.


Personal information is now so readily available that a total stranger with nothing more than an online connection and a credit card could discover everything there is to know about you. He or she could compile a complete dossier on you, your family members, friends, work associates, or business rivals without any special investigative training.


Fears about identity theft are not limited to spyware or to records stolen from corporate databases. As it turns out, the neighbor next door can be just as big a concern. "Definitely, using the Internet to spy on average citizens is our next big social problem," said Avivah Litan, security analyst for identity-theft issues at the research firm Gartner.


One of the latest hacking trends is called "Drive-by Hacking". Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.



The new trend recently discovered: online hazards in hotels. Authorities are becoming alarmed at the number of traveler-victims who have reported that their personal or financial information was stolen after they had used a computer in a hotel's business center. It seems like the criminal use keylogging software to record the victim's key strokes. See related Story: ABC News Video: Online Hazards in Hotels.

With cybercriminals always on the move and coming up with new and creative moves to steal people's money, it would be wise to educate ourselves about the attacks, risks, and threats they perpetrate. Learn all you can, and then take evasive and preventative action. Get the strongest protection you can get that is best suited to your needs. The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you'll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you'll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

� MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

"Make Money Online" Fraud: 10 Tips To Help You Play Your Cards Right - Spot Dirty Tricks Online

For many years I had a psychotherapy practice in a large British city. One client who came my way had worked since his teens as a fraudster and thief. He was trying hard to leave a profession that burdened him with a complicated, frightening life.

Over three years, the man I'll call Ron revealed many tricks of his trade to me - things he did to make people hand over their money. Since I've just had another encounter with online villains employing similar tactics, I've decided to share what I learned from him with you - alongside a few observations about this "profession."

Tricks of the Trade

1) A thief will tell you he's a thief. Somewhere during that first encounter with a trickster, he'll tell you he's a thief. Doing this is part of the excitement for him - a way to feel superior to his victim. He may say it straight or in code, but it's almost certainly there.

For instance, he may tell you that he is, or was, a hacker. Or he'll say that his "system" is fool-proof because it operates below the radar of the search-engines, or only steals information from big websites with lots of profits and traffic.

All this means that no-one's information is safe with him. If he steals from others, watch out: there's nothing to stop him doing it to you. He feels contempt for his "mark," not loyalty. Engaging with someone who makes this boast means you need to stay alert.

2) A fraudster will avoid identifying himself with any verifiable information. The trickster probes skillfully for information about your you and your financial and/or personal affairs without sharing anything verifiable about himself, his location, or his company. But you need ALL this information, and to have researched it with due diligence, before you buy any major purchase like a training course. Such tactics are the cyber-version of that old con-trick, the shell-game.

3) A fraudster won't let you talk or engage in a real conversation. At some level, you KNOW you're being conned. He's trying to fill all the space in the "conversation" so that you don't use your judgment. He may defend what he does as something that will help you and teach you - but such hard-sell tactics are almost always shady.

4) A thief wants you to act without thinking. He'll pressurize you about acting NOW, losing out, missing this one-time-only deal. These pitches are often very psychologically sophisticated - but no-one on the level rushes your decisions or tries to makes you put your doubts aside.

5) A thief appeals to your vulnerabilities, your dreams... and your vanity. We all like to be flattered and sometimes we're more open to flattery. Spotting these moments is one of the thief's core skills. That "work from home" link you hit last week, late at night, led to this come-on. It told him you're a "warm prospect."

He may try to entice you to become part of his elite. He may claim that the only people he targets are big companies, not from fellow "rebels" like you and him - the smart ones who know how to seize an opportunity when they see it.

When a thief speaks like this he wants us to collude with what he's up to so afterwards we'll only blame ourselves. The embarrassment and shame of being caught out, recognising that it was our own greed, fear or vanity that led us to take the bait, means we're less likely to report what happens if the trickster succeeds.

6) A thief wants your money. However he begins, a thief will bring the conversation round to what he can get from you as soon as he thinks you've bought his spiel. Whether he's "just" pumping you for information or is probing about your credit card balance, this is a sure-fire sign that you're dealing with a trickster.

So, What Can We Do?

7) Learn to listen closely. Pay close attention to those sales videos, and to any follow-up telephone calls you get if you've swallowed the pitch. If you listen closely, you'll hear the bullying, or the flattering, collusive tone, or the attempt to establish what you're worth to him. Or you'll hear straight out that he's a thief - because he just can't help telling you.

8) Verify, verify, verify. When straying into new territory on the net - away from the safety and security of the big merchants, dealing with people posing as individual traders, establish who you're dealing with right away, what they want, and why they're acting as they do, every step of the way. (Read those boring terms and conditions, too!)

9) Never invest more than you are prepared to lose. Just in case you get it wrong.

10) Report these incidents. Sadly, the difference between legitimate sales tactics and high-pressure fraud is diminishing as business goes global. There are no laws yet to protect someone in Coventry adequately from criminals and con-men (apparently) calling from California.

Most losses that result from tricksters hooking up with or hacking into the information of legitimate online businesses are very small. We chalk these up to "experience," grit our teeth and move on. But we shouldn't - these operations are already big businesses. Fraud is theft.

If someone online has cheated you, sold you a worthless product, pressured you on the phone, bullied or hurt you in any way, complain. Complain to the credit card companies, ClickBank and PayPal for a start, to the Better Business Bureau if the company (apparently!) is in the States, to your local police,* to the FBI. Blog about it, Twitter about it, shout about it. Nag Google and the other search engines, too - they have the resources to do something.

File That Complaint!

The rule of law makes transactions between parties possible, and sustains any civilized society. Cyber-fraud is impinging upon our freedom to act onilne. If we can't stand up against it, we'll soon find the Net strangled by regulation and restrictions.

Ron never found his way back from the edge. He couldn't give up his illusion - the idea that he was part of a brotherhood of the clever, living dangerously at the expense of the naive. This myth kept the truth of his isolation and fear at bay for a while; he left therapy when substance abuse overwhelmed his life and caused him to despair.

We're all human, sometimes vulnerable to temptation. We have fears, hopes and dreams, want our lives to be a little different. We all buy a bit of dreamland occasionally - but let's not let our dreams become a feast for those who want to prey on them.

* Here's a good source of advice from a joint venture by the UK government, leading merchants, law enforcement and money men: http://www.getsafeonline.org/.

c 2011 Alexandra Brunel, all rights reserved.

Alex Brunel is one of Ezine's elite Diamond Authors, which means that her work has shown exceptional quality and consistency.

An American writer/researcher based in Stratford upon Avon, England, she has a background as an international research analyst, and has worked for many of the world's top companies and organisations. She's an expert in perception and the psychology of the Web, and worked for ten years as a Gestalt therapist in private practice.

More information about her therapy work can be seen at:

http://www.riveralex.com

Alex writes fiction, too. She's currently working on an adaptation-for-TV of Christine Richard's novel, "Whitewalls," set in the Scottish Borders. You can see a collection of Alex's short stories under her pen name Riveralex - online - at Storywrite: http://storywrite.com/riveralex

Your Money and Your Life - Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat!

Cybercrime is on the rise. Your Money and Your Life: Gone in Sixty Seconds Flat! "How?", you ask. OK, let me elaborate on a few of the many ways cybercriminals steal your money, and, literally, your life and they can do so in seconds, not minutes, or hours.


You may not be the only one using your computer. Cybercriminals known as hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.


Personal information is now so readily available that a total stranger with nothing more than an online connection and a credit card could discover everything there is to know about you. He or she could compile a complete dossier on you, your family members, friends, work associates, or business rivals without any special investigative training.


Fears about identity theft are not limited to spyware or to records stolen from corporate databases. As it turns out, the neighbor next door can be just as big a concern. "Definitely, using the Internet to spy on average citizens is our next big social problem," said Avivah Litan, security analyst for identity-theft issues at the research firm Gartner.


One of the latest hacking trends is called "Drive-by Hacking". Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.



The new trend recently discovered: online hazards in hotels. Authorities are becoming alarmed at the number of traveler-victims who have reported that their personal or financial information was stolen after they had used a computer in a hotel's business center. It seems like the criminal use keylogging software to record the victim's key strokes. See related Story: ABC News Video: Online Hazards in Hotels.

With cybercriminals always on the move and coming up with new and creative moves to steal people's money, it would be wise to educate ourselves about the attacks, risks, and threats they perpetrate. Learn all you can, and then take evasive and preventative action. Get the strongest protection you can get that is best suited to your needs. The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you'll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you'll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

� MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.