Data Entry Scams

Many people have grown weary after trying many Data Entry programs only to have lost their time and money. It is very easy to get scammed on the Internet now days. Whenever there is a lot of people that are making money, the old scammers will come to get their share.

It is good to see people at least trying to do some fundamental research. You can see the phrases being searched for by checking the online search engines. They are phrases such as data entry scams, data entry job scams, data entry online scams and data entry work at home scams.

I have written in many of my articles that research is the key in my opinion. No one has a crystal ball, but with the proper research you can put yourself in the best chance for success. You can't just join the first program you find that promises you the world, and expect to be successful. You will either have to find a website like mine, but not necessarily mine, that has done some research for you or spend the hours to do the research yourself. It's that simple, otherwise you can expect to have limited success.

In my research I wanted Data Entry companies that had good, customer support, product, track record of on time payments, step-by-step guidance on how to be successful with their program and a money back guarantee when possible. I also encourage feedback from my customers to ensure that if there is any change I am able to respond quickly.

There is another side to this whole scam thing. Many times people will see the ads, join a program, not do any work and expect to be paid a lot of dollars. It's simple if you are not prepared to do any work at home, then don't join, because chances are you are not going to be happy or make any money. The folks that join under these circumstances typically end up quitting and calling the program a scam and move on to lose some money somewhere else. Many times programs are called scams when actually its either someone wanting to get paid for doing nothing or it's simply not a good fit for that person. That's why I particularly like the money back guarantee programs, because this minimizes this problem. Sometimes when a company gives the person the refund, it does not help, because the person goes around on forums posting that they have been scammed anyway. Sad!

It's sad because viable programs get scammed and lumped in with the really bad programs that are out there. There is plenty of the bad ones out there already without anyone adding to the list. You need to either do the research or use a website that has done it already to have a chance for success.

If you are reading this article you more than likely have the skill sets and equipment necessary to work from home doing data entry.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Find a good program using the methods mentioned above

2. Join the program

3. Start working the program either full or part time

4. Have some patience, while you get your work at hope program up and running

With some research, discipline, patience and yes a little luck you will be on your way to making a nice income while sitting in the comfort of your home.

Please feel free to read more of this article by visiting my link in the resource box below. I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles or my site. Your feedback is important to me.

Low Cost Advertising and Scams Online

"A business without a sign is a sign of no business". This is an advertising banner or quotation that can be seen in large billboards along the roads and on the side or top of buildings that is vacant. Television and radio would say, "This program would not be shown or be heard without advertisement". It is true since most of us are watching the free television channel and programs are produced by payments of advertisements.

Business owners understand how important an advertisement is. It is in this manner that they would tell to everybody that they are selling products and offering services. They would not have sales, which in turn give them profit, if people would not notice and buy their products and avail of their services.

However, it is not happy to note that there are people who would try to steal money from advertisers and business owners by offering cheap advertisement packages and not delivering the agreed service. Business owners and advertisers should be informed of this because they would become victims of a scam.

The scam here is when the advertiser paid for these different kinds of services but none or some of them are not really even performed. The main point to consider here is to whom is the advertiser transacting with. To avoid being ripped off doing a background check by knowing the following will help.

-past successful projects as evident on customers comments

-a good reputation that will be confirmed by his references, (people that he's had past transaction with and that are also reputable)

The pay-per-click ad campaign is when an advertiser would pay a certain agreed amount by the search engine developers every time a user clicks on that banner. This was a good idea before it was not touched by hackers who developed a certain program to automatically click on that banner which increases the amount to be paid by the advertiser. The next paying scheme was the "pay per action", which is harder to hack since the advertiser would only pay the search engine developers an agreed amount every time a sale would be done on that customer.

One thing is for sure, advertising in the Internet is not easy but it is fun, especially when one understands fully the power of the Internet. It is not a unidirectional means of advertising like the television or radio, but it is an interactive avenue for both the advertiser and the prospective clients.

eBay Users: What You Need to Know About Phishing Scams

Are you an eBay user? Whether you use eBay to do your online shopping or if you use eBay to generate extra income for yourself, as an eBay seller, there is something that you need to be aware of. As an eBay user, whether you are a seller or a buyer, you need to be on the lookout for phishing scams. Phishing scams are rapidly increasing in popularity and many are using eBay as a front. To protect your identity, as well as you finances, you need to be on the lookout for them.

If you are relatively new to eBay or online shopping in general, you may not know exactly what phishing scams are. Do you? If not, you should know that phishing scams are actually complex online scams. A shady individual or a scammer makes a fake website that is similar to eBay or at least a fake eBay sign in page. You are then sent an email that appears as if it was from eBay. The only thing is that it wasn't. The goal of a phishing scam is to get you to visit the fake page and enter in your eBay sign in information, including your eBay screen name and your eBay password. Once a scammer has your information, they get access to you personal information stored on eBay, as well as free use of your eBay account.

One of the reasons why phishing scams are so easy to fall victim to is because they give you the impression that is something is wrong with you eBay account or that you did something wrong yourself. For instance, many phishing scams contain a message asking why you didn't pay for an item that you ordered or outline the fact that your eBay account has been suspended. The goal is to get you so worried that you will automatically click on the link to get the problem solved; however, as previously mentioned, the link takes you to a site that looks just like eBay, but it isn't. There is where the trouble comes in.

If you get an eBay phishing scam email, you will want to do a little bit of detective work, before actually clicking on the link. In fact, you shouldn't even click on the link. The first thing that you will want to do is look at your name, as most eBay phishing emails start with “Dear eBay Member,” or something along those lines. Real eBay messages will refer to you by your eBay screen name or even your real name. You can also roll your mouse over the link provided to you and see where it will actually take you. In most cases, you will find that you are being directed to another site, not eBay.com. All eBay messages should appear in your “My eBay,” message box. To see if eBay really sent you an email, you can log into your eBay account, from a brand new window that you open up, and check your messages, if you even have any at all.

If you do receive an eBay phishing scam email, you are advised to contact eBay or examine eBay's help center. There you will find instructions on how to report the email or send a copy of it to eBay. Although your first thought may be to delete the eBay phishing scam email, you will actually want to follow eBay's reporting instructions. You may know that you are being scammed, but other may not. Reporting an eBay phishing scam to eBay allows them to take care of the problem; thus likely reducing the number of eBay users who fall victim to similar scams.

Now that you know exactly what eBay phishing scams are, you are urged to be on the lookout for them. Keeping an open eye is your best line of defensive against eBay phishing scams or any phishing scams for that matter.

Low Cost Advertising and Scams on the Internet

"A business without a sign is a sign of no business". This is an advertising banner or quotation that can be seen in large billboards along the roads and on the side or top of buildings that is vacant. Television and radio would say, "This program would not be shown or be heard without advertisement". It is true since most of us are watching the free television channel and programs are produced by payments of advertisements.

Business owners understand how important an advertisement is. It is in this manner that they would tell to everybody that they are selling products and offering services. They would not have sales, which in turn give them profit, if people would not notice and buy their products and avail of their services.

However, it is not happy to note that there are people who would try to steal money from advertisers and business owners by offering cheap advertisement packages and not delivering the agreed service. Business owners and advertisers should be informed of this because they would become victims of a scam.

The scam here is when the advertiser paid for these different kinds of services but none or some of them are not really even performed. The main point to consider here is to whom is the advertiser transacting with. To avoid being ripped off doing a background check by knowing the following will help.

* past successful projects as evident on customers comments

* a good reputation that will be confirmed by his references, (people that he's had past transaction with and that are also reputable)

The pay-per-click ad campaign is when an advertiser would pay a certain agreed amount by the search engine developers every time a user clicks on that banner. This was a good idea before it was not touched by hackers who developed a certain program to automatically click on that banner which increases the amount to be paid by the advertiser. The next paying scheme was the “pay per action”, which is harder to hack since the advertiser would only pay the search engine developers an agreed amount every time a sale would be done on that customer.

One thing is for sure, advertising in the Internet is not easy but it is fun, especially when one understands fully the power of the Internet. It is not a unidirectional means of advertising like the television or radio, but it is an interactive avenue for both the advertiser and the prospective clients.

How to Avoid Scams With Make Money Writing Articles

If you want to make money writing articles online, there is a good chance that you will turn to the internet in search of paying clients. Unfortunately, you are likely to come across a number of scams along the way. Writing articles for money is a great work-at-home opportunity, but, work-at-home opportunities are often common fronts for scammers. So, how can you avoid these scams? You may be surprised just how easy it is.

First, it is important to know what types of scams are out there. You may find what appears to be a great client who wants you to write 15 articles on fashion jewelry. However, after submitting your articles, your client is nowhere to be found. They took your articles without paying for them. For a writer who takes great pride in their work, this is one of the worst types of scams to fall victim to. There are also scams where companies, claiming to provide you with article writing jobs charge you a fee and then just take your money and run. Some scammers will also create fake article writing jobs in hopes of getting your personal information.

As for acquiring your personal information and using it illegally, a legitimate business owner may need your social security number, as they need to report this information on their taxes. Unfortunately, this is how many scammers get personal information out of hopeful writers. To prevent this from happening from you, know the difference between a well-established website and company versus someone who is only asking you to write four articles. Work with a new client a few times before providing them with any personal information. If you are paid and without problems, the individual or company in question really may need your personal information.

As for someone taking your articles and running, without paying you, there are a number of ways to avoid this scam. Be cautious of new clients. For projects that are large in size, request a small amount of the payment upfront or at the halfway point. If you aren’t paid, don’t write more articles. For smaller projects, where you may feel uncomfortable asking for payment upfront, use you best judgment. If your articles are not paid for, you retain the rights to them, meaning you can resell them.

As for "companies", who request you pay a fee, you will also want to use your best judgment. There are legitimate companies online that will charge you $5 or $10 a month to participate in their article writing programs. A small fee doesn’t mean that the site is legitimate, but run away from fees that are high, like $20 or more. Also, never pay a company that claims you can make thousands of dollars a day. Article writing can be a well-paying gig, but since it is a legitimate job, so you should have reasonable expectations.

As previously stated, be sure to use your best judgment. Although some online scams can be easy to fall for, most are easy to spot and from a mile away. As long as you know that article writing scams do exist and what to look for, you can better protect yourself. By steering clear of the above mentioned scams, you can enjoy a long and profitable career as an article writer.

Protect Yourself From Fraud While Making Money On Craigslist

You can make money on craigslist.org, Just as easily as you can make money, you can also lose it. There are many unscrupulous individuals out there who are just waiting to take your money and run. So how do you protect yourself from fraud while making money on craigslist.org?

There are many things you can do so let's start with the very basics. Craigslist.org has a short piece on how to protect yourself from fraud. Before you start to buy and sell on craigslist.org you should familiarize yourself with this document. This however, is just the first step.

Now that you have read that article on craigslist.org, let's review it here and build on the concepts that it covers. First, remember that craigslist.org is a local list. Any communication from someone outside the general area, especially from outside the country, should be viewed with suspicion. There are plenty of check, certified check, and money order scams out there. This is also true for wire transfers. Here is a good way to protect yourself from fraud while making money craigslist.org. Never accept a check, or certified check from someone outside of the US. If you decide to sell to someone in another location, request that they send you an international money order. This can be cashed at the post office and it is traceable. Never ship goods until the payment has cleared. Do not fall for the partial payment. Never ship COD, never ship until you have cleared available funds that are payment in full. Overall it is safer not to deal with anyone who is not local. A face to face transaction is far better than one where you never meet your customer.

After covering payments, we need to cover other types of scams. Get cash whenever possible. This avoids most problems. Let buyers know that your sale is as is, no refunds not returns accepted. Craigslist.org will not get involved in any aspect of the sale. They do not offer "safe harbor" like eBay, they do not certify buyers and sellers, and they do not offer buyer or seller protection. If someone is touting themselves as craigslist.org certified, they are lying. Do not conduct business with them.

Here are some other things to be aware of. Always set up a meeting to see the merchandise that you are buying. Craigslist.org is a local community website. Anyone who does not want to meet you or if they do not want to let you see the merchandise first hand that you are buying then chose another seller.

Are you looking for a work at home opportunity? While there are legitimate offers out there, be very careful about assembling items at home, envelope stuffing, medical transcriptions, and just about anything else that seems too good to be true. If it seems too good to be true it usually is. Do your homework before deciding on a work at home opportunity. Unless you are looking for a business opportunity like Tupperware or Avon, you should not have to put up any money for a work at home job. Be wary of commission only positions as well. If in doubt, check with your state attorney general's office and the Better Business bureau. These entities are there to protect the consumer so you should make use of them. Neither agency will charge you for your request.

Now that you know a little bit about how to protect yourself from fraud while making money on craogslist.org, remember to always keep these items in mind when dealing with someone you do not know. The idea is to make money, not to lose it. A little common sense will go a long way. So be careful and make sure that you know who you are dealing with and what you are getting into. You can always walk away from a deal. It may be difficult but it is preferable to losing a lot of money.

What is accounting fraud?

Accounting fraud is a deliberate and improper manipulation of the recording of sales revenue and/or expenses in order to make a company's profit performance appear better than it actually is. Some things that companies do that can constitute fraud are:

* Not listing prepaid expenses or other incidental assets

* Not showing certain classifications of current assets and/or liabilities

* Collapsing short- and long-term debt into one amount.

Over-recording sales revenue is the most common technique of accounting fraud. A business may ship products to customers that they haven't ordered, knowing that those customers will return the products after the end of the year. Until the returns are made, the business records the shipments as if they were actual sales. Or a business may engage in channel stuffing. It delivers products to dealers or final customers that they really don't want, but business makes deals on the side that provide incentives and special privileges if the dealers or customers don't object to taking premature delivery of the products. A business may also delay recording products that have been returned by customers to avoid recognizing these offsets against sales revenue in the current year.

The other way a business commits accounting fraud is by under-recording expenses, such as not recording depreciation expense. Or a business may choose not to record all of its cost of goods sold expense fore the sales made during a period. This would make the gross margin higher, but the business's inventory asset would include products that actually are not in inventory because they've been delivered to customers.

A business might also choose not to record asset losses that should be recognized, such as uncollectible accounts receivable, or it might not write down inventory under the lower of cost or market rule. A business might also not record the full amount of the liability for an expense, making that liability understated in the company's balance sheet. Its profit, therefore, would be overstated.

Self-Publishing: Common Scams to Avoid

Are you an author who has decided to go the self-publishing route? If you have received numerous rejection letters from publishing companies, but you still believe that you have a sellable book, you may be. Self-publishers also like the freedom and control that they have.

As nice as self-publishing is for many authors, it is still important to proceed with caution. Did you know that there are a number of self-publishing scams out there? There are and these are scams that you will want to avoid.

If you are self-publishing a book, you should not be required to sign any contracts. What you will want to do is search for a printing company that will turn your words into a real book. You do not need to sign any contracts or agree to give away your work for this to be done. Often times, all you need to do is agree to pay the already agreed upon fee. If you are sent a contract, chances you are dealing with a vanity publisher, as opposed to a printing company.

Whether you examine vanity publishers or a printing company, be cautious of any recommendations that you receive. For example, if an individual in your travels says “I know of a great designer who can design an amazing cover for your book,” proceed with caution. Of course, the individual or company in question is more than worth the look, but you should know that many companies do not recommend others out of the goodness of their hearts. Many do so because they receive a percentage of each sale made by working as an affiliate.

Even if you make the decision to self-publish a book, there is still a good chance that you will turn to other experts. You may be interested in hiring the services of a professional editor or a designer to make your book cover. When hiring a designer, give them an outline of your book or your expectations, but never hand over your completed work. A designer does not need this. If they ask for it, they may have bad intentions.

As for hiring the services of a professional editor, know who you are working with at all times. Do the proper amount of research first. You can honestly never tell if an editor actually reads your books and make changes. Be leery of anyone who says “everything looks good to me,” and then hands you a bill. It is also important to remember that when you hire an editor, you essentially hand them everything that you have worked on for the past year or months. Make sure you hire a trusted editor who will not run with your work and then later claim it as their own.

In keeping with hiring assistance, one of the downsides to self-publishing is that you, as the author, are responsible for selling your book. This is something that many authors do not have the time and experience to do. That is why outside help is often used. If you do use help, choose a different person. Do not let the same company publish your book and then sell it. This is often a sign of a scam. Instead, hire a marketing specialist who can help you develop and market your own website where your book can be offered for sale. Or, approach local retailers, like your local bookstores, to see if they can carry your book.

Although there are a number of scams associated with self-publishing, it is a great way to get a book published. Just be sure to use your best judgment.

Senior Citizen Scams

If you have a senior citizen in the family, there really is nothing more heartbreaking than to discover than to find out that your loved one has been the victim of a senior citizen scam which robbed them out of their precious retirement savings and puts their retirement at risk. When you come to the realization that this wholesale robbery has occurred, you don't know who to be angry at. It's easy to want to be angry at your parent or grandparent but its they who are the victim here. They need your love and help more than ever now, not guilt and anger.

But its you who feels victimized as much as your loved one. By robbing your parent or grandparent of their savings, they could be come a liability to the family which will be costly to you and your siblings. You are not going to let your own flesh and blood go hungry or go with out medical care or a good place to live.

These are good motivations to know what can be done about senior citizen scams so you can have a plan of attack. Now, once the scam has been executed, there may be some resources to track down the crooks and recover the lost funds. Scams come in all shapes and sizes. They may come in the form of an internet scam that steals thousands from your parent or grandparents credit cards. They may come from home repair scams that cost them big bucks and deliver nothing. They may be "get rich quick" schemes that targeted your loved ones because they were concerned about retirement savings.

If you can locate who scammed your loved one, be relentless in pursuit of them. Don't be afraid to enlist the aid of local media. Local television news teams often have groups trained to go out and target these scam artists and expose them to public scrutiny and distain. Scam artists are like cockroaches. They don't like attention and they don't want to be noticed. If you can get your scam artist under that kind of microscope, they will often crack and return the stolen funds rather than face further attention.

But there is a limit to what you can do legally and it's not a good idea to go after them personally. Not only do you not need to commit a crime yourself but these people are criminals so they may not be the kind of people you want to tangle with. So be smart but if the funds cannot be recovered, just get control over the situation, stop payment on any checks and cut off the funds quickly to stem the hemorrhaging of funds from your senior citizen loved one's accounts.

The real defense against senior citizen scams is prevention. Even if it is just this article that raised the red flag for you, start now finding out how your retired parents or grandparents are using their funds. One way to do this is to offer taking over the management of their money. They may love to see you handle paying their bills and worrying about their taxes so they can relax and enjoy their retirement. Then you can be sure that any money that goes out through those accounts goes to proper and worthwhile uses.

But talk to your senior citizen to inform them of the dangers of scams. Many times people of the previous generation are too trusting and easily convinced of the validity of a scam. They need to have that high level of distrust so they become virtually scam proof. One rule you may put in place might be that they have to review any investment or new expenditure with you so by talking about it, proper questions can be asked. Convince your senior citizen that anything that cannot stand up under scrutiny is probably a scam. Make sure you emphasize to them that any offer that must be done now or could be lost if you require documentation is not a worthwhile business no matter how enticing their offer is.

By instilling a measure of caution and skepticism in your senior citizen and by becoming a watchdog of their resources yourself, perhaps you can spare your senior parent or grandparent from the heart ache of a senior citizen scam and deny access of crooks to the ones you love.

Work at Home Employment Scams

This article is not aimed at discouraging people from starting Home based business through the Internet, but to guide the people about the Business opportunities available on the net that are bogus and illegitimate. These are more popularly termed as Scams. There are numerous opportunities available on the Internet for starting a home-based business successfully. Some of these opportunities are really success oriented. However all these business strategies require hard work and dedication besides thorough knowledge about the market.

Some of these opportunities are quick and easy way of making money. Before getting involved into any business opportunity through the Internet, people must make themselves cautioned against the fraudulent scams. They should not get carried away by people who try to fool others using fake testimonials, documents, guarantee cards, and offering huge income potentials in short period of time.

There are many reliable work at home jobs on the Internet. These jobs do not claim to give easy money in short period of time. These jobs are based on hard work and open-minded communication between the employers and trusted employees through telecommuting. These jobs are more or less similar to the regular jobs in many ways. The employee must first qualify for the job that is offered. He must then develop trust with the employer through dedicated work. Most of these telecommuting jobs are treated as part time opportunities. Another way of working on the Internet is to work as freelancer or on independent contract. You can work as article writer, consultant, editor, designer and numerous other ways. With all these type of opportunities the risk of getting involved in scams is less.

The Internet business opportunity scams are more common in sales endeavors. The scrupulous people who run the Internet scams are always on the look out for a naïve wishful and desperate surfer. Many homemakers, and elderly people become a prey under these scams. Before getting it to any business option, people must get a thorough knowledge about these scams. They can get all the necessary information from the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission. These organizations help you to keep away from the Internet based scams and also help to verify the offers on the net and file complaints if necessary. Another way to avoid scams is to start up the home based business after getting the necessary information from the Small business Administration.

It is essential for people to come forward and report the scams however small be the money involved. Scams have proliferated through Internet because of the access to millions of customers. The most commonplace for Internet scams is through the auction sites. Fraudulent merchandise sales sites are on the rise. The scammers try to allure customers by offering hard to find goods such as electronic gadgets. Thousand of shoppers who whisk their money have never received their goods. The people are advised to be skeptical of sites, which offer the goods at incredibly low prices.

Scam Domain Names

Do you think buying something as simple as a domain name means that industry is free from scams? If you do think again, since everyday hundreds of people get milked out of their money thinking they are going to get a perfect domain name. Granted, fraudulent domain name companies haven't received as much press as 'work-at-home' companies or other businesses of that nature, but they are still just as deviant. The two main ways a domain name company goes about scamming its customers involves either selling the domain name at a ridiculously high price and/or not delivering the domain name as promised.

The typical price of a domain name ranges from being 0 dollars to around $35. However, if a domain name company is shady they could charge a price that is much higher. This fee could range from $300 to over $2,000. And, unlike legitimate web hosting companies that might charge such a fee, domain name companies of a shady vein do not offer other services such as web hosting or marketing assistance. Their sole sale is of the domain name.

The second way fraudulent domain name companies scam people is by not providing a domain name at all. This happens a lot with so-called 'free' domain names, but can also happen with paid ones of any price. The normal turnaround time for domain name forwarding ranges from 1 to 7 days. If this timeframe has passed and a customer has not received a domain name, they probably won't receive one.

What does a person do if they discovered they've been scammed? Well, if they fall for the first scam where they pay hundreds for a domain name, they may not be able to do much, if the company does indeed deliver the domain name. At most they could try to get a refund, but this is a long shot since companies that shady probably won't allow for such things.

On the other hand, if a domain name hasn't been delivered at all, a person can first file a complaint with the Internet Crime Center, (also known as IC3). This organization has a partnership with the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. So, if they think a domain name company has acted in a fraudulent manner, they could use these entities to help conduct criminal investigations against them.

Next, the jilted party needs to consider filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Although this organization doesn't have as many legal/governmental ties as the Internet Crime Center, it still has a lot of power. This is because many people turn to the BBB before they decide to do business with a company. By filing a complaint with them, a person that has been scammed could protect others from undergoing these same difficulties.

Finally, there's the option of reporting the fraud to the credit card company or payment processor. If a credit card company determines fraud has occurred, webmasters will at least get their money back. If payment processors such as Paypal think fraud has occurred, they will proceed with freezing the account of the domain name company. When this happens they cannot do further business until they clear up the discrepancy.

How to Spot and Avoid Equity Scams

Most lenders on the equity loan marketplace are legitimate lenders; however, a few lenders are taking the less fortunate for a ride. These unscrupulus lenders offer appealing loans, yet fail to tell the borrower about hidden charges or "balloon" charges. Hidden charges are often stripped from loans, since the APR is a supposed security to borrower that weeds out hidden fees.

"Equity Stripping" is one of the leading scams on the loan marketplace. The lenders engaging in "equity stripping" will often present to borrowers (too good to be real) deals, leading them to believe that they are saving money. Thus, once the borrower agrees to the contract, the lender will pose new charges, high interest, and other fees that puts weight on the borrower, until he or she breaks and fails to make payments on the mortgage. The lender then repossesses the home, selling the house for profit while the borrower is standing on the corner, wondering where he will live next.

Thus, the Federal Government has provided information to help borrowers avoid losing. Since equity stripping is becoming a huge industry, the Fed’s advise homeowners to watch out for equity stripping, including paying attention to lenders that are offering loans that reach above your wages.

The feds also advise borrowers to stay alert to "loan flipping", which is the process of switching loans regularly and requesting larger amounts of cash on each refinance applied. If a lender is pressuring you to sign an agreement, you will need to find another lender, since pressuring borrowers is a surefire tip that the lender is out to take you for a ride. You will also want to consider PMI, which is personal mortgage insurance, which is a requirement; however, few lenders attempt to charge for additional coverage that is not needed. Thus, homeowners, especially the less fortunate, should adhere to advice and read details of any loan offered thoroughly.

What are the Most Common Ways to Commit Identity Theft or Fraud

It's the number one source of consumer complaints at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and unfortunately, it's one of the simplest crimes to commit. Identity theft involves information from your daily life, from shopping, bill-paying, and even applying for a job. Thieves take advantage of everyday opportunities to discover your personal information, including your Social Security number (SSN), bank or credit card account numbers, income, name, address, or phone number, and use it to commit fraud or other crimes.

How can a stranger get to your information? According to the FTC, identity thieves may pose as legitimate representatives of an organization, as business professionals or agents of the government, conning you into revealing sensitive information. Common scams include impersonating employees from banks, credit card companies, Internet service providers, and utility companies. If someone calls you claiming to represent a legitimate organization, confirm this by calling the customer service number listed on your statement or bill.

Thieves may also use your place of employment to get the information they need. A co-worker may steal information from your employer; someone could hack into your company's computer and copy employee records; or a criminal could resort to the old-fashioned method of bribing someone you work with for your information. Check with your employer to find out the company policy on securing your records and disposing of them when you're gone.

If your employer is authorized to pull credit reports on employees or potential customers, someone could take advantage of this access to retrieve illegal reports. Criminals may also pose as employers, landlords, or collection agents to pull your credit information. It's a good idea to order a copy of your credit report once a year to check for unauthorized entries.

Shredding your documents before you throw them away is also good idea, whether at work or at home. Identity thieves have been known to sift through garbage, in the trash can or at the dump, to find sensitive information.

The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud. Technology has allowed criminals to begin stealing your credit or debit card numbers as you use the cards, "skimming" them with an information storage device. In addition, thousands of drivers' licenses and credit and debit cards are stolen each year. Keeping your Social Security card in a secure location and safeguarding your purse or wallet while at work are necessary precautions.

Even your mail is a source for identity thieves, who may complete credit card applications in your name and go on a spending spree. After stealing your bank or credit card statements, tax information, or box of replacement checks, criminals are able to access your accounts and spend the funds in your name. They may even change the address on your existing account, diverting the bills to keep you from recognizing the problem until it's too late. Being aware of your billing cycles can help you catch a discrepancy in the arrival of your statements.

Identity thieves have a variety of ways to use your information for their personal gain. They may shop for big-ticket items using your credit or bank account information and then sell the items for cash. With your SSN and date of birth, they can open new bank accounts or apply for lines of credit. In fact, banks have granted loans to criminals using stolen identities for purchases as large as cars.

Telephone or internet service can be set up using your SSN. Thieves can avoid impending eviction or accumulated debt by filing bankruptcy in your name. Perhaps the most emotionally traumatic, police could issue a warrant for you if a criminal was arrested using your name and failed to appear at a court hearing.

The ways that identity thieves have conceived to acquire your personal information are numerous, but your vigilance and heightened awareness can curb their ability to make you a victim. And, if you sustain credit damage, go to apscreen.com to find out what you can do about it.

Latest Work From Home Offer Just Another Scam

Many Americans would love to work from home. The reasons vary; some people may not wish to commute and some may simply not enjoy working in an office environment. Others may have small children at home and would prefer not to have to enroll them in day care. Whatever the reason, companies that offer to provide people with an opportunity to work from their homes usually find themselves quite busy with inquiries.

While there are legitimate opportunities to work from home, many such offers are just scams designed to get the "employees" to part with hard earned money. A recent offer to work from home that has been circulating via e-mail is just that. The offer, from a company in Europe, offers a salary of several thousand dollars per week. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the company for further information

If you contact the company, you will be told that some checks in the amount of several thousand dollars are coming to you in the mail. You will be instructed to deposit them in your bank account, keep 10% for yourself as a fee, and send the remainder of the funds to an address in Nigeria. Should you do so, you will soon discover that the checks were forgeries, but the money that you sent to Nigeria was real. Your bank will want their money back, and you will be left several thousand dollars poorer.

This is just another variation of the "check overpayment" scam that has been making the rounds for a while now. In that scheme, someone who has something for sale online, such as on eBay, is sent a cashier's check for payment in an amount that exceeds the purchase price. The seller is asked to send the merchandise along with a refund for the difference. Again, the check is a forgery, and by the time the bank discovers that, it is too late. The money is gone.

Anyone looking for work from home should be cautious about jobs promising a lot of money for little or no work. A little common sense will go a long way here; no one is going to pay someone thousands of dollars a week for doing next to nothing. There are some companies that will hire people to work from home, but most such offers are simply attempts to steal from well meaning people.

Avoiding Online Money Making Scams

Are you tired of finding online "opportunities" that promise you all your dreams, but, deliver a nightmare. You end up no better off than when you started, except now you are out a few hundred dollars.

I'm sure that if you are reading this, then you are interested in making money over the internet. you are probabally wondering how much money you can make, what is the fastest way to do it, and what is the easiest way to make money online. Most people dream of a job that they can do at home, in their pajamas, and make real money doing it. But, the reality is that most of the money making "opportunies" online are really just scams.

They will tell you that all you have to do is buy their ebook and all of your financial dreams will come true. But the real truth is, that they are telling you things that you alreaky know, and you end up no better off than when you started, except now you are out a few hundred dollars.

You could waste lots of time and tons of money trying to get your foot in the door of financial success on the internet and still never make it. The key is knowing where, and how, to start. If you are really serious about making money online, skip the scams-do your research.

Don't just take the word of the person that is trying to sell you the information that it is for real. Check to see if there have been any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau or the Better Enterprises Bureau. Also, look for reviews and forums where you may find people with more information, it takes minimal time and is well worth the time it takes. Remember, a little bit of homework goes a long way.

Avoid Being Scammed By Survey Websites

There are lots of paid survey sites out there, most of them out to get your hard earned money. But like everything there are some exceptions. I myself have been tricked more than once. Is everyone out there really willing to give you cash and free merchandise for your opinion? The answer is NO. But there are a few out there that are for real.

In this article I will try to clear up the mystery surrounding “paid surveys”.

While some people may find it hard to believe, it’s absolutely true that companies are willing to pay you to take surveys. Why? Simple there interested on what you have to say.

A paid survey, are a serious of questions that are presented to individuals to get their opinions on a product, this product may already exist or might be a new product the company surveying is planning on launching. Their purpose might be also just to improve their current product or to make changes due to the fact that its not performing like they planned.

How does it work?

Its actually very simple you just need to join a market research panel. The more panels you join the more paid surveys you will get. The good news is that there are real survey sites out there that can provide you with this opportunity; the bad news is that for every legit survey site out there are at least 20 more that are out there just to get your money.

Be careful before joining one of this paid survey sites out there. You should really do your research before you join one of these companies. Make sure to read testimonials, read their FAQ and make sure they are the right pages to join.

How much can I make?

The potential is up to you there are companies out there that will pay you anywhere between $1 to $75 for 12 minute online survey, and there also some companies that will pay you with gift certificates or products. Take into account there is no limit on the amount of paid surveys you can take so the possibilities are endless.

How am I Paid?

Normally they pay by mail with a company check. But there are also some that will do direct deposit, or online gift certificates.

Are these paid survey sites worth the money?

Yes, in my opinion they are very worth the money. They establish relationships with hundreds of survey companies; they usually carry the best opportunities out there.

In conclusion

Its very important to do all your research and find out all that you can regarding paid surveys, you can definitely make some good money online. Good luck.

Act against Identity Theft Scam, Preserve your Wealth and Identity

"One significant thing that I can be proud about myself is none other than my identity. I was born unique over all other people. I was given name by my proud parents, I struggle hard for my bank accounts, I'll be expecting a lot of benefits with my SSS when I arrive at my retirement period.

So, what do you think will my life be if someone steals all of my wealth, my identity? I will feel so much disgusted. Identity theft is my greatest fear in life."

"I do not want to grow old without anything left to me. Let us all join hands in fighting against identity theft because the thieves do not deserve a place in our society"!

Did you hear the enlightening statement? US citizens demand for the security of their identity. The main reason behind is the continuous existence of identity theft.

This crime is a grave threat to the personal data and property of the citizenry. They want possible actions that will combat the crime.

As much as possible, every precaution should be done to protect your identity. Once you have settled your identity, you can ensure that you will be out of risk from the identity thieves.

If only there is a way to trace the origin or the person who discovered the tricks of identity fraud, the entire US citizen will surely condemn that person because of bringing so much suffering to them.

From an individual to a group of persons who promoted identity theft, the idea that was later handed to other people.

Starting on that point, identity theft fraud spread out. Until now, the Bureau of Investigation finds it quite hard to eradicate the problem.

The thieves use several unpredictable strategies to operate the crime. This make hard for the investigators to identify the thieves.

Aside from personal business transactions, identity theft fraud is also flourishing on the web. You need to be meticulous about the websites that are usually selling highly demand items.

Most of the items such as the iPods and the high-tech cellular phones are sold in minimal prices. Sometimes, the site also bargains the product for almost free to the subscribers.

What kind of operation does the identity theft fraud carry on over the Web? Be careful and listen to the trick properly before you will be the next in line to become the victim of the fraud.

Oftentimes, majority of the previous victims are advice to pay nothing not unless they already receive the item that they are going to purchase.

Afterwards, the person who is behind the scam will use the name of the victim and an account number of another person will also be utilize to pay for the original prize of the item to the legitimate website.

In other words, the moment that the customer will already pay for the item, the money will directly go to scammer. The scammer can now present to you a valid receipt coming from the legitimate website who receives the actual payment from the account of another person.

On the other hand, there is also identity theft fraud that happens using your e-mail. Listen, this is being addressed to those end-users who dedicate much of their time in surfing the Net.

Somebody who claims to be from your credit company can send you messages in various forms. The scammer will ask to give all the personal data regarding your account as they site you different reasons.

One can be by having them note all the information about your account because their database may crash anytime. The scammer can also reason out that they are doing this to protect your account.

After you are convinced to give all your personal information, the scammer will grab the chance. He can already use it for fraudulent transactions. He can also make withdrawal from your account with your consent.

See. This is how identity theft fraud works. It can bring you so much destruction, even more crucial than what you think.

What are you waiting for?

Before you fall victim to their trick, make initial precautions as early as possible so that you will have no regrets.

Avoiding The Scammers

In the issue of repairing your credit, it is best to do it yourself. Most often, you may hear or see advertisements claiming outstanding credit repair services offering you "legal" and "guaranteed" solutions for your credit problems. These services may use mottos that are quite enticing to those who are in dire need of credit repair. There are even others who get easily convinced after reading "authentic" testimonials from several customers, who might not actually exist.

When you are really in need of credit repair, the first thing you want to do is to act immediately. You should remember that this action should be done by you and not anyone else. Luckily, there are several factors that can help you avoid scam credit repair services.

The Fraudulence

Day after day, several companies appeal to consumers who have awful credit histories. Often, they promise to tidy up credit reports, for a price, to help consumers loan a car, mortgage a home, or even get a job. The horrible fact is they cannot deliver; you should keep this in mind especially if you do not want to worsen your debt. These companies would only take the cost of the services with them and vanish into thin air.

The Signs of a Scam

If you had responded to a credit repair service, there are warning signs that can help you determine an authentic credit repair offer from a fraud. Firstly, be aware of companies that wish for you to pay the cost of the repair before providing any services. In addition, avoid those companies that do not divulge any possible legal rights you are entitled to and what processes you can do yourself without payment.

There are companies that advise consumers to directly contact a credit reporting agency - you should avoid such companies. More so, if the company you have responded to suggests that you to create a new credit identity and then make a new credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use rather than you SSN, you should immediately stop contacting that company.

Lastly, those that advise you to argue all information included within your credit report or take actions that may seem illegal, i.e. generating a new credit identity, should be avoided.

Remember that you could be prosecuted for wire or mail fraud if you use the telephone or mail to apply for credit and give information that are not authentic. Lying on a credit application, misinterpreting your SSN and acquiring an Employer Identification Number from the IRS under false pretenses are all federal crimes.

Most importantly, you should remember that included within the Credit Repair Organization Act is the rule that credit repair companies should not require you to pay until the services they have promised are complete.

The best possible way to avoid poor credit history, and totally keep you safe from fraudulent credit repair services, is to do a periodic credit report review. Reviewing your credit report is important because the information in your report affects your chances of getting an insurance or loan. Make sure that the information is correct, complete and regularly updated before applying for a loan. Lastly, by doing periodic check-up on your credit report, you can be safe from identity theft, which can create a major problem not only in your credit report.

Broker Scam Alert

The world is full of all kinds of people. If we just examine the family and friends we are close to, we'll see a wide range of values and behaviors and different levels of integrity. While it's unfortunate, every profession has its bad seeds. This is particularly true of psychic and astrology scams. Let's face it. When you're happy and fulfilled, you have little need to delve into why things are happening to you the way they are. When a relationship is not fulfilling or you have a run of bad luck, that's when it's easy to get taken in by scam artists who claim they can help you – at a price of course.

Additionally, the world of psychics is a much unregulated one. Therefore, there is no real way to check a psychic's qualifications, or experience (everybody seems to have 20+ years of experience), or morals. Consequently, anybody can get up one morning and declare themselves psychic without any problem.

It is important to be able to make the distinction between serious practitioners and the charlatans. While the following advice cannot guarantee that the psychic you will choose is a good one, it nonetheless will help you avoid a good bunch of scammers.

Also, there are a few of my clients that have been scammed by very ingenious, shameless and heartless con artists who have no trouble using personal faith and Christianity itself as a vehicle to gain a victim's trust and scam them out of substantial money.

Trust that all that you need and want will come to you easily when you learn love yourself and live fearlessly again. That will take some time. Be assured, a psychic can neither hurt nor benefit you by asking for large sums of cash to help you with a curse ... you'd be better off taking the money and going on a holiday.