How to avoid being crammed

Written by David McDonough


Continued from page 1

Consumer tips on cramming There are some simple tips consumers can follow to avoid being “crammed.”

Carefully readrepparttar fine print before filling out contest forms or coupons. You may be agreeing to new telephone services.

Review your telephone bill each month. Look for company names you do not recognize, charges for calls you did not make and charges for services you did not authorize. The FCC requires any changes of service to be “clearly and conspicuously” indicated on telephone bills.

Educate children and other individuals who make calls from your telephone aboutrepparttar 127545 charges for calls placed to information and entertainment services.

Allow others to use your telephone only for calls and services you authorize.

Keep a record ofrepparttar 127546 telephone services you have authorized and used, such as information services. These resources can be helpful when billing descriptions are unclear.

If you have been crammed If you find charges on your telephone bill which you cannot account for, contact your telephone service provider and ask thatrepparttar 127547 charges be removed.

Webmaster and owner of TheLowestRates.Com, LLC - Your residential and business cheap long distance telephone, internet service and travel source.


Be Aware of Phishing Scams!

Written by Nowshade Kabir


Continued from page 1

The scammers also started to use more sophisticated technologies in recent months. The latest generation of phishing scammers uses several methods to trick users, including pop-up graphics to mastrepparttar true web URL ofrepparttar 127544 phishing site andrepparttar 127545 installation of Spywares and Trojans on victim’s computer. The perpetrators also take advantage of security bugs in web browsers, in whichrepparttar 127546 URL inrepparttar 127547 address bar appears to be for one site but is, in fact, a link to a totally different site.

A new Windows worm underrepparttar 127548 name "Korgo" is able to infiltrate into victim’s system with a key logging Trojan, steal information thatrepparttar 127549 victim input in web forms and secretly transmit to designated server. There are a number of variants of this worm and they are spreading rapidly. However, Microsoft in April came up with a patch to seal this glitch. Many computers withoutrepparttar 127550 patch are still vulnerable to this potentially dangerous worm.

A U.S. Treasury report provides consumers with steps to prevent and report phishing scams:

- Do not respond to or open any e-mail that warns that an account is about to be closed. Contactrepparttar 127551 company directly by phone and inquire of this e-mail.

- Do not submit financial information unless there is a symbol for a locked padlock onrepparttar 127552 browser's status bar. Also look forrepparttar 127553 https:// atrepparttar 127554 beginning ofrepparttar 127555 Web address. If both of these signs are absent, repparttar 127556 Web site is not secure.

- Always review your bank statement and credit card statements immediately upon receipt.

- Verifyrepparttar 127557 domestic telephone number listed onrepparttar 127558 Web site through directory assistance or other reliable sources and callrepparttar 127559 number. Many phishing attacks have originated outsiderepparttar 127560 U.S. and don't have a domestic number.

- Report suspicious activity or if you have been defrauded torepparttar 127561 FTC andrepparttar 127562 FBI.

- Phishing e-mails can be forwarded to uce@ftc.gov. Complaints can be filed at www.ftc.gov. Phishing attacks can also be reported torepparttar 127563 Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ifccfbi.gov.

Other cautionary measures you should take in order to protect yourself are:

- Since most ofrepparttar 127564 phishing emails come through spam, get a spam filter and install on your computer.

- If you suspect a phishing attempt, report immediately to repparttar 127565 bank. Every bank web site has a link or a toll-free number to report scams. Don't be ashamed if you were tricked into divulging account information. If you report it immediately, your account will be protected until you receive a new PIN.

- Change your password and PINs regularly. Banks advise that you use separate PINs and passwords for different accounts, that way if one gets compromised, your entire financial life won’t be revealed. - If you are a frequent user of EBay, download its Web browser toolbar, a small program that runs with a user's Web browser. It flashes red whenrepparttar 127566 user visits a possible spoof site. The toolbar uses a database of spoof site URLs, submitted by customers and is updated quite often.

- Check your computer frequently for possible Trojan virus.

Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade[at]rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com/newsletters/newsletter33.htm


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