"What You Need, When You Need It"

Have you ever been surfing the Internet and stumbled across a website that looked like the picture above? Is the motto in my title familiar to you? If so, you've run afoul of the cybersquatter. Cybersquatters are lowlifes who profit off of foolish or ignorant web users and sometimes the hard work of others.

In order to make an independent website, one needs a "domain name" - the URL. Many websites, like the blog you're reading now, have domains provided by a parent ocmpany - Google - for free. If you want your very own domain with no ties to other companies, though, you have to pay for it.

What cybersquatters like to do is get good URLs before a legitimate business or person can. They then turn the website into a cesspool of advertising, but add a few things to try and trick people who aren't paying attention into thinking that the site is a legitimate resource for information or media. They'll also offer to sell the address to anyone who wants it - at a very high price so they can buy more domains to squat on. I sometimes fell prey to these sites when I was younger. If you click on any of their links or make any searches on their search bar, the cybersquatters make money.

One example of a cybersquatter is "Goggle.com", a seething mass of ads that seeks to trap people who accidentally misspell "Google" when typing in their address bar. A rumor made the rounds back in 2006 that Goggle would infect your computer with unstoppable viruses if you visited it. While not true, Goggle is not a website you should visit, as its owners are obviously profiting off of barely legal means and they know it.

Here's how to avoid giving these jerks money:

* Avoid typing addresses directly into the URL bar. Use bookmarks and search engines instead.
* If you see a website that looks like the one above (especially if it has the motto "What you need, when you need it"), immediately hit the Back button and do not visit that site again.
* Use a little common sense. If you find a website called, for instance, "cats.com" and it has pet care links but also links to movie downloads and sports news on the same page, it's a cybersquatter. (I tried cats.com to see if it was a cybersquatter, and although it doesn't have the unrelated links it is still very suspicious looking and I am certain it is not a real site. Do not ever visit cats.com.)
* Adblock and Noscript will protect you if you accidentally visit a cybersquatter.
* You can avoid "Goggle" by making Google your homepage. Then you never need to type Google into the URL bar.

Here's a great article about cybersquatters:
http://thecoffeedesk.com/news/index.php/2009/06/23/what-you-need-when-you-need-it/

The Robocall Squad Won't GIve Up

I really wish sometimes that nobody was gullible enough to fall for robocall scams. Otherwise, they wouldn't exist. Clearly, someone must be taking them seriously if they're still around.

Today's call was from "WCA", talking about health insurance. Looking up their opening line ("Hello, this is WCA calling") shows me that this group, like most of the others, has been active for at least a couple of years and nobody seems to be able to find them and arrest them. Looking at search results, WCA has also tried several of the other pitches other robocall scam rings use, like Home Protection's security systems and Cardholder Services' credit card debt assistance.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that there is not a single legit telemarketer left in the country. Non-criminal money is made on the Internet now... not to say that the Internet doesn't have any crime. Heck, just look at my previous blog entry. Stay smart and ignore robocalls.

How to Avoid Advance Fee Fraud

It used to be a frequent thing to see news stories about people who were scammed out of hundreds or thousands of dollars by online fraudsters who promised huge amounts of money. Most often called the "Nigerian banker scam", these dirty tricks affected hundreds of people every year, and undoubtedly even more went unreported due to the victims feeling ashamed that they fell for it. If you can believe it, these scams are still ongoing even today, and people are still taking the bait. Here's what I know about Nigerian banker scams - or, their proper name, "advance fee fraud".

The basic idea behind advance fee fraud is to promise a massive reward in exchange for just a small amount of money up front. Obviously, there is no reward, and the scammer cuts and runs after milking the victim. The scam is called the "Nigerian banker" scam because the most famous version of advance fee fraud is a claim that a rich man in Nigeria has died and his massive wealth is supposed to be split between the writer (scammer) and the helper (victim). The victim is supposedly needed because the scammer needs to move the money from one account to another, or some other nebulous reason. As for the "Nigerian" part being so frequent? The majority of advance fee fraud cases come from Nigeria. The country is a hotbed of crime, online and off.

So how does it work? First the scammer trawls the Internet for email addresses. Comments pages and message boards are common methods of getting emails. He then sends all of the addresses a form letter that lays out the details of how the victim can get a whole lot of money for very little work. If they reply and seem hooked, the scammer will start asking for money. For whatever reason, there are suddenly all sorts of fees that can't be paid with the huge stockpile of cash, or can't wait until after the money is free. Sometimes the scammer claims to be very poor and needs some money to stay safe. Other times the money is locked behind deposit fees or customs charges. The scammer hopes the victim will consider it an easy choice to pay a little money now to get a big pile of money later. But since there's no big pile of money, the scammer just strings the victim along until they catch on or go bankrupt. There are cases of victims borrowing from friends and selling possessions in desperation, constantly thinking that the prize is just around the corner. There are even cases of people actually flying to Nigeria to collect the money, and getting robbed or even murdered once there by the very person they were communicating with via email.

There are other, similar scams, too. Some scammers use fake websites that look like popular online stores to get people to enter their credit card numbers or passwords. Others pretend to be charities, soliciting money from generous people who think they're helping the poor when they're only lining the pockets of a crook.

Fortunately, if you have any idea what you're doing, you can easily avoid advance fee fraud. Here's a simple list of tips on what to look for.

1: Is the email from Nigeria? While not all scams are Nigerian, many are, and it's likely you wouldn't be contacted legitimately by Nigeria.

2: Is the email in ALL-CAPS, or does it use lots and lots of caps for emphasis? Professional people do not use all caps when trying to negotiate major business deals. It looks silly and is hard to read.

3: Are you being promised something for nothing, or a huge reward for very little work? If so, you're basically guaranteed to be looking at a scam.

4: If you reply to such an offer and are asked to give money or personal information, IMMEDIATELY stop contact and do not provide anything.

5: Be wary if the email throws around lots of religious phrases like "Greetings in Christ" and "May God be with you". Scammers will frequently pretend to be deeply religious to try and convince victims that they are legit. A victim may believe that someone so pious must be telling the truth. However, religion is very easily faked over the Internet. These people do not have the values they claim to. Stay away.

6: Scammers can't even send you an email if you don't post your address anywhere. A good piece of advice is to have two email accounts. Give one to only friends, and use the other whenever a website needs it. This will keep your personal address from getting any spam at all, not just scams. The other can use the Junk feature of most email services to keep suspicious mail quarantined.

7: Oh, and by the way: If somebody wants to give somebody else millions of dollars, they're not going to pick email addresses at random. That's stupid.

Why I Use AdBlock

My Internet browser of choice is Mozilla Firefox. This browser allows downloading of "add-ons", special applications that add new functions and features to the browser. The most popular of these is AdBlock, a program that automatically removes and disables advertising on the Internet. Even the commercials played before some YouTube videos are taken out. Thanks to this, I have seen virtually no advertisements online for about three years now. Why did I do this? I have three reasons.

The first issue is a fairly personal one: I have been resistant to advertising since childhood. Through a few stumbling blocks in my early years where a toy seen on TV turns out to be not as fun in reality, I grew hardened against advertising claims, and began to treat ads as always lying and exaggerating in order to secure my money or my parents' money. For years now I have only trusted advertising to mean one thing: "This product exists". While sometimes impressed by given statistics, I prefer to research the product first to see if their claims are true. Since ads use fine print and exaggerated hype on every topic from usefulness to effectiveness to features to pricing, I can't trust them for anything except "this product exists".

While advertising may not work on me, that seemed like all the better reason to keep it around. It helped pay for the websites I visited, and some of them need the help. So why did I turn off the ads? There were two important things that made me use AdBlock. The first reason was that advertisers were trying too hard. Much of the advertising on the internet isn’t alluring, just annoying. Pop-up windows that take up most of the screen get in the way of your content. Pop-under windows make your taskbar flash with a new window alert, and require closing. Commercials interrupt your video experience and cause more loading and buffering. Flashing animated images can hurt your eyes and distract you from the website’s text. But worst of all, my absolute least favorite type of ad, is the ad with sound. Frequently I would be browsing a page, listening to music in another window, when my experience is ruined by a voice at high volume prattling on. "Congratulations! You've won a free Macbook Air." I knew darn well that I didn’t win anything and that the "free" Macbook was probably buried under a pile of nonsense "offer forms" and paying for shipping and handling, so in addition to interrupting my browsing and drowning out my music the ad was also insulting my intelligence. These ads frequently made me consider AdBlock, but I was always hesitant to finally pull the trigger.

The last straw was the proliferation of what are essentially cybercriminals in advertising. These are the ads that cause viruses to be downloaded onto your computer. Normally, they weren’t a problem, because all I needed to do was not click the advertisement. However, when browsing one of my regular web destinations, I noticed a news post where the administrators were apologizing for an ad their advertising service provided that could cause viruses to download to a user's computer just by them loading the ad, not even clicking it. With my computer at risk, that was the final straw, and I immediately got off the site and did not return until I had downloaded and tested AdBlock.

Through harassment, unwanted pitches, loud interruptions, and cybercrime, I was left with no option but to use AdBlock, preventing any website from ever getting advertising dollars from my visits. This is what happens when an industry seems to be built on frustrating and hurting its consumer base: The smart ones tune out entirely.

Safety Warning: "This is Your Second and Final Notice" Isn't Final

You've met Tom from Home Protection and Rachel from Cardholder Services, but there are even more robocallers running around out there, fleecing people without a care in the world.

I've just received another automated message. This one is a female voice who neglects to introduce herself and instead says "This is your second and final notice" and talks about lowering monthly credit card rates. Like all the other robocallers, these people are breaking the law and you should absolutely not respond to them. They will not help you, they will scam you.

I've also noticed that despite getting this same call many times, it's always my "second and final notice". There was never a first notice, and the "final" notices will keep repeating forevermore.

So, just another important reminder: Do not EVER believe a robocall that is trying to offer a service or product. There are much safer ways to purchase goods and services than over the phone (or through email, for that matter - I suppose I'll write a post about the Nigerian banker at some point).

Here's a newspaper article about a similar robocall dealing with extending warranties on cars:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=20090511&id=7nxdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VFwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6296,1912987

Safety Warning: "Rachel with Cardholder Services" is Dangerous!

You can consider this a sequel to my earlier post about "Tom with Home Protection". For a while now my home has gotten calls from "Rachel with Cardholder Services", and they are similar to Home Protection and just as crooked. I just got another call from Rachel this morning, and was inspired to Google her opening line. When I saw the results, I knew I had to post about it to keep you all informed.

Here's the scoop: Cardholder Services (which starts out by using robocalling - "Rachel" is just as fake as "Tom") claims it can lower your monthly interest rate on your credit card debt. They do this by asking for the phone number on the back of your credit card, whereupon they set up a three-way call between themselves, you, and the credit card company. Cardholder Services then asks for your rate to be lowered.

Do you see the problem?

It's very simple: anyone could do this all by themselves by simply calling the number on the back of their card without getting Cardholder Services involved. Similar to FreeCreditReport.com, Cardholder Services scams the ignorant by charging them for things they can do themselves for free. Cardholder Services will lower your rates, all right - and then you'll be charged as much as 1000 dollars for letting them do something you could've done yourself.

Like Home Protection, Cardholder Services is secretive and nearly impossible to track. And while this sort of scam may technically be legal, robocalling without the consumer's written permission is not, thanks to a law the Obama administration signed in September 2009. The company thought to be responsible, DHC Financial Services Group, was found over two years ago, but they dodged a bullet by settling and making a "promise" not to continue. Of course, they simply dissolved the company and started a new one, and Rachel continued trying to steal people's money.

Do not EVER listen to or believe a robocaller. Because of the 2009 law, all remaining robocallers randomly calling people are working illegally and their products and services cannot be trusted.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/17/hanging-up-on-rachel-robo-calls-have-been-banned-yet-the-phone/

Internet Advertising - The Hilarity of Evony

Back in 2009 a series of ads began to make their way across the Internet advertising something called "Evony". Evony is an online video game where you are placed in charge of a medieval village and are tasked with building it into a robust community that can then wage war on other players' towns. But Evony's reputation is not for its gameplay, but rather its advertisements, which are among the most ridiculous attempts to get people (specifically men) to click an ad that I have ever seen.

Evony's ads were originally fairly up-front, depicting a medieval landscape and a knight in armor. The implications were clear - Evony was a medieval fantasy game appealing to people who like that sort of setting. But then, things got strange. Evony's next advertisements featured a girl in medieval dress with the message "Save the Queen!". As it turns out, "the Queen" was wearing a fairly revealing dress. From this point on the ads began sliding into increasingly false and tasteless territory, depicting women that were more and more scantily clad and eventually ditching the medieval theme altogether. Most of the later ads come off as being for a dating site, and certainly not a strategy game. A common phrase (and one the Internet mocked mercilessly) was "Play now, My Lord", which appeared on many of the ads. Further adding to the saucy implications of the ads is the claim that you can "play discreetly". The ads reached their nadir with a banner that consisted of nothing but a closeup of a woman's breasts, covered only by lingerie. It's one of the most ridiculous cases of false advertising I've ever seen, and the resulting widespread mockery they received in the gaming community was fully deserved.

Oh, and to add insult to injury? If you actually play Evony, your computer gets tracked and spied on. Lovely.

Here's a link to a progression of Evony's ads. (contains scantily clad women - think magazine covers)
http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/a-history-of-evony-ads-the-insanity-continues/

Safety Warning: "Tom With Home Protection" is Dangerous!

If you ever get a phone call that begins like this:

"Hi, this is Tom with Home Protection. How are you today?"

...then you better hang up! "Home Protection" is a dangerous and illegal telemarketing group. "Tom" himself is a pre-recorded message on a computer. The computer is able to detect certain things you say and change "Tom's" responses (for instance, he'll understand you if you answer him with "Good. And you?").

I got my first call from Tom last year. After a few more, he stopped. However, I received another call from Tom last night, prompting me to look him up and see if anything had changed from last time I researched Tom. Sadly, no - he's still at it, and still hasn't been caught.

Here's the details, as I've heard them: What Home Protection likes to do is attempt to sell you a home security system. If you buy into the pitch, they'll ask for your address. If you comply, they'll send someone over to install your new home security system. Such a deal!

Here comes the scary part. All homes with Home Protection's security systems are kept track of. These homes are then targeted for robbery by Home Protection themselves. And they know they'll have a good chance at getting away with your stuff because their security systems are dummies. It's the perfect crime.

I can't confirm for certain that the burglary aspect is true. What I can confirm is that there is a company named "Home Protection" out there, aggressively pushing poor-quality or fake security alarms and cameras. If you call one of Home Protection's many numbers, You'll hear the following message: "Thanks for calling back. If you are not interested in our promotions and would like to be removed from our calling list, press 1." If you press 1, they'll know they called a number with a real person on the other end, and they'll ramp up their efforts, calling you more frequently. They are also breaking federal laws by calling mobile phones. They'll call anything - unlisted numbers, people on the Do Not Call list, anywhere and everywhere all across the country. But they're very slippery and work from a multitude of different phone numbers. They've been at this for years.

If you get a call from "Home Protection", immediately hang up. Do not talk and do not call back. You aren't ruining the day of some poor guy trying to make a living, you're cutting off the robo-caller of a pack of criminals.

Here are some people's experiences with Tom:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-701-625-5444/10

And here is one man's crusade to take down the entire operation once and for all:
http://stoptomwithhomeprotection.wordpress.com/