Recognizing Spam Scams Tutorial

September 1, 2010 — Sr Editor

By: raju 0239

Spam advertising for legitimate service and products is problematic enough. Although the issues that apply to the transmission and receipt of such spam are the same, the worst category of spam is for scams, hoaxes, and illegal schemes. Being aware of the common practices employed by spammers who are seeking to defraud you is essential to safeguarding your personal information, finances, and even your life. There are some very crooked people out there and you would be wise to stay on top of the most common schemes.

Most of us have heard of Pyramid schemes, also known as Ponzi schemes after the Italian immigrant in the 1920s who was convicted of such a ruse. This spam will come in the form of a great investment offer. It requires you to pay money for a membership, goods, or simply to “invest”. You will then receive much more money in return. That money comes from those that join after you. Your payments are distributed to those that joined before you. Eventually, the pyramid collapses because there are not enough new people joining to keep the money flowing. The only one who makes out is at the top of the pyramid – the spammer. The offer may not look like a pyramid scheme. It may be a chain letter email that you forward to others. It may ask you if you want to use your computer to send advertising to email addresses that they provide, for a fee. They will promise that these are “opt-in” addresses. Do not believe it. These are spammers trying to use you to spam others and promising that you will get paid for your efforts. Pyramid schemes are illegal and any spam that you believe may be one should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission.

Phishing is a practice used to defraud you of private and financial information. This is spam that looks like it came from a company that you do business with, like your bank or credit card company. It will urge you to follow the link in the email to update your account. When you follow that link, it will look just like the company’s website. As you log in or begin to fill out the form offered, the program is recording your keystrokes and everything is divulged. Your account numbers, user name, password, and/or social security number is now theirs. Never follow the given link in one of these emails, no matter how convenient. Simply access the website in the normal fashion in a separate window. Turn the spam over to the Federal Trade Commission if you find that it is fraudulent. There are email addresses available for the paypal scams and that email address is spoof@paypal.com

One of the most dangerous spam offers is the 4-1-9 scam, also known as the Nigerian Fee Fraud. The name 4-1-9 comes from the section of Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud schemes. The email may not reference Nigeria; instead it may purport to come from some other distant and foreign sounding country. The basics of the email are simple; you receive a badly written email from a government official, deposed ruler, or relative of a ruling family who needs your help. They have money, oil, gold, or heirlooms that they cannot access due to political reasons. If you will allow them to transfer large sums of money into your bank account, they will pay you a fee or let you keep all of it. How nice of them. All that they need you to do is give them your account number and bank transfer information, and maybe send them a fee to bribe some corrupt government official with. You will probably receive additional official looking correspondence and be asked to provide further documents, private information, and money – legal fees, of course. When they have had you on the hook long enough or believe that you may suspect that you’re being duped, they will clean you out and close up shop.

In 2003, a Nigerian diplomat at the Embassy in Prague was shot and killed by a Czech citizen who had been defrauded by one of these 4-1-9 schemes. As a result, the State Department issued travel advisories to Americans seeking to go abroad to reclaim their life savings. Take these emails seriously and fax them to the US Secret Service when you receive them. Hopefully, they can shut down the spammer before they dupe someone else.

Keith Londrie II is a successful Webmaster and publisher of spam-resources.info A website that specializes in providing tips to help eliminate and avoid spam. Getting rid of spam that you can research on the internet in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home. Visit how to combat spam Today!

About the Author

(ArticlesBase SC #3116835)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Recognizing Spam Scams Tutorial

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So, What Happens When We Run Out Of IPs?

August 30, 2010 — Sr Editor

The IP address is one of the most critical parts of the Internet. It tells websites the location of the computer requesting information from them. It serves as a quick reference for figuring out what parts of the world are generating the most traffic on a given website. Sites that provide proxy IP addresses or software that does the same thing are also mentioned as being good tools for protecting one’s privacy. The fact is that the IP address has become part of the foundation on which the Internet stands.

So what happens when we run out of them?

People who decide to hide IP addresses may be aware that these are long strings of numbers. The current IP format allows for around four billion addresses. Factor into that the number of computers in the world that broadcast unique IP addresses and the IPs from shared networks which may broadcast a single one for the whole network or have rotating IPs. Virtual private networks also use IP addresses, as do cell phones that connect to the Internet. Conservative estimates show that the supply of unique IP addresses could run out by 2012. It is uncertain how anonymous surfing via proxy IP sites affects this.

What does this mean for both those who surf the Internet normally and those who hide IP trails? Some organizations in the past acquired more IPs than they needed, but there is still uncertainty about whether these addresses can be used. Without new IPs, it will be harder for anyone to start up an Internet or hosting service. Existing networks may also face difficulty expanding without forcing multiple users to share a single IP. Numerous online functions depend on each participant having a different IP. Projections on what might happen to people who use hide IP software are still up in the air, as is their websites’ functionality if networks decide to switch from the current model, IPv4, to a more robust one, IPv6.

Transferring to IPv6 can solve the problem, but it isn’t easy. Everything from user products to websites to software used to mask IP addresses function on IPv4. Switching to the newer form means a lot of inaccessibility. Websites that run on IPv6 won’t be accessible to computers than run IPv4, and the reverse is true. The effects are estimated to only really affect end-users of websites by a small percentage, but look at it from a business perspective. Would you want to shut out even a small fraction of your market base? It is likely that software used to generate proxy IP data in IPv4 won’t be able to do the same for IPv6.

Right now, the possible solutions to running out of IP addresses aren’t simple. Establishing address sharing cuts off a lot of the Internet’s functionality. Switching to IPv6 is something most companies are terrified of doing, and getting unused addresses has proven difficult at best. The business and IT fields will have to face up to it sooner or later, though.

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The Dangers Of “Free” Hide IP Services

August 27, 2010 — Sr Editor

Many hide IP services use what is called as an “open proxy server” in order to generate the fake or masked IP addresses that you use through their software or browser add-on. Some hide IP services charge a fee for their software and basic service while others charge a subscription rate in order to use their software. With those types of companies, when your subscription runs out because you’re no longer paying for it, the software is useless.

An open proxy server is accessible by any Internet user. A private proxy system, such as the one used by Hide-My-IP.com can only be used by clients of the company who have purchased that company’s software. It is a safe and secure system because it is not open to the general public. It costs money for a company to maintain such a system in terms of providing the server hardware, the security for its users and in providing the necessary masked IP addresses its customers use within that private proxy system.

For a simple concept on how a proxy system works, review the graphic below. The reference to the “Fake IP Relay” is the same as saying a “proxy server.”

How A Proxy Server Works

How A Proxy Server Works

Enter the so-called “free” hide IP services that are also available on the market today. They use what is called a free or open or public proxy server system.

A public proxy system does not restrict its usage to its own customers but allows anyone to connect to it. Essentially, the open proxy will accept almost any connection from a computer coming from any IP address and then make a connection to any Internet resource you’ve directed your computer to. And by this process, you are able to hide your real Internet IP address from the resource you have requested the proxy server to access for you.

Using a free, open or public proxy server system is extremely dangerous you, your computer, your personal information, and possibly to your family. Here are some reasons why:

- An open, public proxy system does not usually require a password and/or user name to long onto or use.

- Open, free public proxy systems are suspect to the motives and intentions of the person, or company that is offering such a service. In other words, can you trust their proxy connections?

- On the Internet, “free” is never free. There is always a catch somehow, somewhere. It costs a lot of money to provide bandwidth; machine maintenance and the faux IP’s in such a system. “Free” is not really feasible. What are the folks really getting from you when you’re using their supposedly “free” proxy system?

- By using a free, public proxy system to acquire a masked IP addresses, you are essentially trusting your email messages, payment information, personal information, and other sensitive information to perhaps an identity thief that set up a proxy server? Good luck!

- When using a free, open and public proxy server system you probably are going to become a victim of identity theft.

It is never “free” on the Internet. There’s always a catch.

Be smart. It is always good advice to hide your real IP address whenever you access the Internet. But if you think you’re out-smarting the companies that run such an operation for a fee, by using a free, public proxy system, think again.

When you use a private, hide IP proxy system that requires a fee, you’re also paying for Internet security and privacy when using such a system. A “for profit” company offering hide IP services for a fee has no reason to capture the information passing over its servers and it certainly would never be in the best, profitable interest of that company to capture such information and disclose it.

More Info About HideMyIP.com:

Hide My IP offers different packages. The original purchase of the software and unlock license key code gives you access to their Basic Service for as long as you own that key code which is compatible with the version of the software you purchased. In your first year of ownership, the $29.95 also gives you, without additional charge, one full, free year of access to their Standard Service. You also have the option of subscribing to their Premium Service and/or Gold Pass Service which offers additional IP addresses to the customer and more ease of functionality to the software. The Premium Service or Gold Pas Service subscription rates depend upon whether you’ve selected the Premium Service
or the new Gold Pass Service or both.

But the bottom line for the HideMyIP.com service is that $29.95 gives you access to their basic IP proxy server system for the rest of your life.

You can read more about the latest version of Hide My IP here.

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Hack Attack

August 25, 2010 — Sr Editor

Here’s a program where you can catch hidden keyloggers, Trojans, worms, and other suspicious programs.

Anti Hacker will help you find out who is spying on your computer activity.

Is someone covertly watching your computer, recording your key strokes, viewing your screen, tracking your every move?

Is your firewall, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software up to date, will they catch and block the very latest threats on your computer?

Anti Hacker, an advanced anti-root kit utility, can answer these questions by utilizing four powerful functions:

- keylogger detection
- open port scanner
- remote connection spy, and
- suspicious/unwanted program analyzer.

A variety of system scanning and analytical methods are used by Anti Hacker to detect those “hard to find programs” that purposely evade anti-spyware tools and firewalls.

Click here for a screen shot of the software

Some of The Key Benefits & Features of The Software:

- Multiple Keylogger Scan – Scan for three types of keyloggers: system hook-based, timer key capture, and Windows driver based based keyloggers.

- Connection Monitor – Find out who is connecting to your computer without you knowing. Displays the remote computers IP address, location, and more.

- Open Port Checker – Reveal all open ports and which programs are using each opened port. Close unwanted open ports.

- Suspicious Program Scanner – Find invisible programs, spyware, covert desktop monitoring processes, hacking tools, and other possibly unwanted programs.

Find out more about Anti Hacker at Hide-My-IP.com

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Internet Privacy Laws – Your Ultimate Guide

August 23, 2010 — Sr Editor


Author: Bob Silber

A breach in privacy, receiving all kinds of spam, and even distributing private information are just some of the violations and “online crimes” that many people are doing on the internet. Though we can say that the World Wide Web provides access and convenience for many in terms of communication with others, there are just some instances when abuse and violations of privacy happen because of this freedom. Therefore, for internet users all over the world, it is important that they know or be aware of internet privacy laws that could protect not only their rights as internet users but their overall privacy and personal information as well. Whether it is within the home or at the office, internet privacy should be taken into much consideration, be respected by both parties, and laws regarding its protection should be enacted and exercised in order to promote discipline and limitation on the World Wide Web.

This article is going to provide several state laws regarding internet privacy in terms of its different aspects such as ISP permissions, confidentiality with regards to email addresses, and the like.

• Both Nevada and Minnesota have passed internet privacy laws which require Internet Service Providers to keep certain information concerning their subscribers confidential unless the subscriber stated otherwise or gives permission to disclose information. Though Minnesota allows the act of asking permission from subscribers, both states still prohibit unauthorized disclosure of personally identifying information, which includes the person’s email addresses or telephone numbers. Violation of this law is punishable by a fine of $50 to $500 per violation.

• For California and Utah, non-financial businesses are required to disclose to customers, either through writing or email, the types of personal information that the business shares to a third party for reasons such as direct marketing purposes or for compensation. Specifically under the California internet privacy law, businesses can provide its customers a privacy statement in order to give them a choice whether to disclose such information or not at no cost whatsoever.

• California also has the Online Privacy Protection Act which requires an operator or a person that collects personally identifiable information from residents of the state through an online website for commercial purposes to post clearly and concisely its privacy policies on its official website and to completely comply with such policies. These policies should display the number of categories of personally identifiable information, provide descriptions for each, as well as the third party sites with whom the operator shares the information with.

• Connecticut and Delaware are states that both require employers who are established there to give prior notice to its employees with regards to monitoring their email communications or internet access. This basically means that an employer is absolutely prohibited to intercept electronic mail or the history of the employee’s internet usage unless he or she has notified the employee prior to this, either through a written or electronic notice. This law, particularly under the Delaware code, punishes each violation with a penalty of $100.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/internet-privacy-laws-your-ultimate-guide-972833.html

About the Author

Want to make sure you know all the laws associated with internet marketing? We have everything you need to know to stay compliant at
http://www.BusinessLawsForYourWebsites.com


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Wipe Out!

August 20, 2010 — Sr Editor

Need to effortlessly and quickly clean all of your Internet history, your web browsing and your computer use? Then you need to use this very cost effective computer evidence and web history cleaning tool.

Wipe your web surfing and computer use activity permanently! Many programs and web browsers log data of which programs you run, which videos you watch, and which websites you visit. Easily and safely clean this saved data so the next person using your computer, or snooping around in ti, will never know your computer activity.

You can wipe the activity history of dozens of programs such as FireFox, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Yahoo, MSN, and Google. Automatically empty your recycle bin, clear your clipboard or “copy and paste” feature, clean your history of run programs, recently opened files, and more.

Clear My History comes with a full-featured 30-day trial.

Click here for a screen shot on how it works.

Key Benefits & Features

- Purge Stored Web Browser Data – Clear cookies, stored passwords, history, and temporary cache files from Internet Explorer, FireFox, Netscape, and Opera.

- Hotkey Quick Clean – Set a Hotkey to instantly wipe all your history and activity with one quick tap of the keyboard.

- Many Windows History Cleaning Tools – Erase saved clipboard data, purge recycle bin, clear recent documents list, run history, and more!

- Automatic Cleaning – Ability to run when Windows starts and clear the specific settings you select at selected times.

- Clean Tool Bar History – Toolbars like Yahoo, MSN, and Google can store a history of which sites you visit, which are not removed with many standard history cleaning programs. Clear My History can easily clear your website history of these toolbars.

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The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale Ends Today! (75% Off!)

August 18, 2010 — Sr Editor

The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale Ends today as a huge success. But, you still have time to join in!

My Privacy Tools, Inc. and Hide-My-IP.com had attained the elite Twitter followers mark of 75,000 followers just a few days ago.

We wanted to thank all of our Twitter followers for making Hide My IP the software and Twitter success that it is!

In order to show our sincere appreciation for all of our friends, followers and supporters, we are offering 75% off Hide My IP (Windows and Mac versions) in celebration of reaching that distinguished milestone.

But like all good things, this one must come to an end! And it ends today! But there is still time!

To receive your 75% off, you’ll need to use coupon code: twitter75

- Get Hide My IP for 75% off the retail price for 50 hours. Limited Sale!
- Starts Monday, August 16, 2010 at 9 am (Pacific Time) and ends August 18, 11 AM (Pacific Time).
- 50 Hours of One Huge Sale! But there are only a few hours left to take advantage of this sale!
- Limit: one per customer. Hide My IP for only $7.49 (that’s 75% off the regular, retail price of $29.95!)
- You must use Coupon Code twitter75 to receive your 75% discount! (Windows and Mac versions available).
- On the Billing Information page, make sure you click the “Have a coupon code? Click here to input your discount coupon.” link and type in twitter75.

Hurry! The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale ends today at 11 am (Pacific Time)!

Click here to take advantage of this Celebration Sale!

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Our 75-50 Hide My IP Sale Is A Huge Success – You Still Have Time!

August 17, 2010 — Sr Editor

Thank You For Making Our 75-50 Hide My IP Sale A Huge Success! And you still have time to join in!

My Privacy Tools, Inc. and Hide-My-IP.com are proud and pleased to announce that we’ve attained the elite of Twitter accounts by surpassing the 75,000 followers mark!

We want to thank all of our Twitter followers for making Hide My IP the Twitter success that it is!

In order to show our sincere appreciation for all of our friends, followers and supporters, we are now offering 75% off Hide My IP (Windows or Mac versions) in celebration of reaching that distinguished milestone.

To receive your 75% off, you’ll need to use coupon code: twitter75

- Get Hide My IP for 75% off the retail price for 50 hours. Limited Sale!
- Started Monday, August 16, 2010 at 9 am (Pacific Time) and ends August 18, 11 am (Pacific Time).
- 50 Hours of One Huge Sale! But the clock is ticking down.
- Limit: one per customer. Hide My IP for only $7.49 (that’s 75% off the regular, retail price of $29.95!)
- You must use Coupon Code twitter75 to receive your 75% discount! (Windows and Mac versions available).
- On the Billing Information page, make sure you click the “Have a coupon code? Click here to input your discount coupon.” link and type in twitter75.

The Hide My IP Sale has been an enormous, successful event.

Hurry! The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale ends tomorrow, Wednesday, August 18 at 11 am (Pacific Time)!

Click here to take advantage of the Hide My IP 75-50 Sale!

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The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale Is Here (75% off Hide My IP!)

August 16, 2010 — Sr Editor

- 75% off your purchase of Hide My IP
- Windows or Mac Versions
- 75,000 Twitter followers
- 50 Hour Sale!

Hide-My-IP.com gave you an earlier notice about its 75-50 Hide My IP Sale. This was in anticipation of us achieving 75,000 followers with our Twitter account. From a Twitter ranking standpoint, that puts us in the “elite” of all Twitter accounts. And there are millions of Twitter accounts.

My Privacy Tools, Inc. and Hide-My-IP.com are proud and pleased to announce that we’ve attained the elite of Twitter followers by surpassing the 75,000 followers mark! We want to thank all of our followers for making Hide My IP the Twitter success that it is!

In order to show our sincere appreciation for all of our friends, followers and supporters, we are offering, for a limited time, 75% off the purchase of Hide My IP (Windows or Mac versions).

Come celebrate with us for reaching that distinguished Twitter milestone, 75,000 followers!

To receive your 75% off, you’ll need to use coupon code: twitter75

- Get Hide My IP for 75% off the retail price for 50 hours. Limited Sale!
- Starts Monday, August 16, 2010 at 9 am (Pacific Time) and ends August 18, 11 am (Pacific Time).
- 50 Hours of One Huge Sale!
- Limit: one per customer. Hide My IP for only $7.49 (that’s 75% off the regular, retail price of $29.95!)
- You must use Coupon Code twitter75 to receive your 75% discount! (Windows and Mac versions available).
- On the Billing Information page, make sure you click the “Have a coupon code? Click here to input your discount coupon.” link and type in twitter75.

Hurry! The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale ends Wednesday, August 18 at 11 am (Pacific Time)!

Click here to take advantage of the Hide My IP 75-50 Sale today!

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Announcing Our 75-50 Hide My IP Sale!

August 13, 2010 — Sr Editor

- 75,000 Twitter Followers
- 75% Discount off Hide My IP
- 50 Hours Only!

Hide-My-IP.com is very close to attaining 75,000 followers with its Twitter account! From a Twitter ranking standpoint, that puts us in the “elite” of all Twitter accounts. And there are millions of Twitter accounts.

So we are announcing our 75-50 Hide My IP Sale and it is coming soon!

We want to thank all of our Twitter followers for making Hide My IP, My Privacy Tools and its Twitter account the success that they are!

When we reach 75,000 followers with our Twitter account, and we’ll be doing it very shortly, we’ll offer, for a very limited time, 75% Off Hide My IP for 50 hours only!

- 75% off your purchase of Hide My IP
- Windows or Mac Versions
- 75,000 Twitter followers
- 50 Hours only

Watch our blog entry entitled “The 75-50 Hide My IP Sale Is Here!” for details on how you can purchase Hide My IP, for 75% off the $29.95 price!

You will need a special COUPON CODE to receive your 75% off!

Hide My IP for only $7.49! Coming Soon!

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