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Online business is becoming an ever increasing field of scammers that exploit the hopes and aspirations of common people like you and me. However, because of this increasing number of scam programmes available online, it is becoming easier to identify them and avoid falling into their attractive traps!!! The repeated fraud can now be spotted much easier from experts that follow the developments in the field of online products. I am going to give some hints here on how to spot scams, before it is too late!!

If you do not want to become another “expert” victim of such scams you must understand how they “charm” people to fall into the wolf’s mouth. For example you cannot trust most programmes out there, especially in the self-help field, for common sense reasons. If someone says you will find info you have never read about is probably a scam..When they say their programme is worth hundreds but they leave it only for few tens, that doesn’t sound as a reliable programme. Beyond that, the fact is that most programmes offer the same things over and over again… What you need is to look for those with the greatest success, the most popular, the ones that are widely respected- if there are any..

Other very common practices, that I have encountered repeatedly, include putting special offers and giving away free gifts. Allthough in some cases the gifts may - ironically- at times be more valuable than the product itself, giving it away is like bribing you to do a stupid thing; buy their scam! In the case of special offers the trick is too obvious..they tell you tht this offer is for limited time only- lets say for a couple of days- but even if go back after that period you will still find the offer there!!

But it is not only suspicious practices that catch your attention. There are also characteristics you can consider as worthy of your trust. If the programmes are offered from people that have some vast experience in their relative field, they tend to be more popular and successful, and thus the more reliable their products are! However, you should always do some research and look out for the scams yourself, or even better become a member at www.thementalman.com/services.html and get all the free advice you cannot easily find elsewhere in the internet.

Check out the top quality programmes online and become an expert in spotting scam programmes at http://www.thementalman.com/services.html for free as a member of The Mental Man website.

Are you the victim of identity theft? According to Joanna Crane of the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Program, 80% of the victims who call the FTC say they have no idea how it happened.

Furthermore, an FTC survey reported that 4.6% of those polled reported that they had been a victim of identity theft within the past year. Additionally, according to a recent General Accounting Office report, it is estimated that as many as 750,000 Americans are victims of identity theft every year.

Is this an invisible enemy and are American’s personal and financial information that easily accessible to identity thieves? What can the average American do to protect themselves from these personal attacks on their privacy? Although there are no guarantees, here are five simple steps to help prevent identity theft:

1) Shred private credit card statements, tax documents, bank statements, pre-approved credit card offers or any other documentation with private financial information.

2) If you are inundated with pre-approved credit card offers you can call toll free 1-888-567-8688 to opt out and request to have your name removed from the mailing list. In addition, you can call the national do not call registry at 1-888-382-1222 to stop unsolicited telemarketing calls where you could divulge personal information.

3) Monitor your credit report at least once a year. You are entitled to a free credit report and can get one by calling 1-877-322-8228. Look for suspicious activity. It is also wise to subscribe to a credit protection service which will inform you of changes in your credit report.

4) Check your mailbox daily and do not allow mail to sit overnight in your mailbox. Mail theft is an easy way for thieves to secure personal information. It is best to mail outgoing bills and checks at the post office or other secure locations. If you believe your mail has been stolen you must contact the nearest postal inspector. You can look in the white pages under Government Services or call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

5) Be defensive and more guarded with your information. Do not divulge your personal information freely. Never “validate” your personal or financial information when contacted through an email, even if it is a company you do business with; they have this information on file. It may look legitimate and realistic, but these attempts are getting more sophisticated and these types of scams are what is known as “phishing”.

We have explored five simple steps that the average person can do to help themselves prevent identity theft. In this age of advanced communications and technology and with the thieves getting more deceptive than ever, it is imperative to continue to educate yourself. Be cautious and understand that this information can be abused and it is up to you to safeguard yourself and your famliy from this growing trend.

Robert Benson operates www.ezshoppinghere.com a web site devoted to helping shoppers find unique gifts in unique places. Find Three Stooges Memorablilia, Collectibles, Home Decor, Novelties and more articles from Robert at the web site.

Some frauds have been around for years. Others are new. This is how they work - and how to avoid being defrauded.

Crooks will stop at nothing when it comes to parting you from your money Some schemes have been around for years, others have emerged more recently. It’s estimated that consumers lose over $1 billion dollars a year to cons. Here are some that are still operating , and others to expect in the future.

The Free government Grant

Here’s another way they entice you to give out sensitive information that they can use to steal your identity and defraud you. Beware

This one is the offer of free government grants. A man was nearly a victim of this scam. He received a phone call from a man with a heavy accent who claimed to be from the “Government Grant Processing Center ” and that he had been selected to receive a free grant of $8000.00.

All he had to do was furnish his checking account number so they could take out a service charge. The man became suspicious when he was asked for more and more personal data, so he hung up. Had he given the information they wanted they could have stolen his identity

This practice is very common and comes in various of guises. Do not give any personal data to anyone unless you have initiated the transaction and know who you’re dealing with. Do not respond to any unsolicited offers or requests for personal data.

Identity Theft

An e-mail fraud scheme designed to get people to divulge account information has intensified recently.

The scheme known as phishing, AKA identity theft generally uses e-mail to link us to bogus sites that lure you into disclosing credit card numbers, passwords, user names PIN numbers and other sensitive information.

The e-mails purport to be from well known institutions, banks, online businesses even government agencies. The links are exact copies of legitimate web sites and even use a lot of genuine links.

There are in the neighborhood of 400 active phishing sites and they are on the rise so be Cautious

They use a combination of threats and urgency to entice victims to fall for their schemes. Once the phishers get the data they need they can cash bogus checks, buy expensive merchandise, withdraw money from ATM machines, open new accounts in your name, pay expensive hotel bills or anything else they can think of to spend your money on. So beware.

Phishing, or identity theft is really a two part crime where the first step is e-mail fraud but the main goal is identity theft, says a spokesman for the Justice Department.

Most of these operations are overseas so prosecution is virtually impossible. Reimbursement can be a problem because you are considered responsible if you give out personal data although most banks consider phishing a fraudulent transaction.

Tax Refund Fraud

This is an iteration of Phishing or Identity Theft.

The tax refund phishing scam starts with an e-mail, which appears to originate from taxrefunds@irs.gov. The e-mail tells recipients they may be owed a federal tax

The IRS does not use e-mail to solicite personal information so Beware Do not reply.

Telemarketing scams

This is an example of the unscrupulous .taking advantage of current situations. When gasoline prices went off the charts it was a severe blow to my wife who distributes newspapers.

At the height of this fiasco I received an offer of $200.00 in gasoline vouchers as an inducement to try out a telephone service and a couple of other products. It also involved coupons for discounts in restaurants and other services. It sounded plausible, I had used these programs in the past and the companies mentioned were known entities.

There was a charge of $1.95 for the package which didn’t appear unreasonable so I acquiesced to an electronic transfer from my checking account. These trial offers were subject to your cancellation when you received the material in the mail and had an opportunity to inspect it.

The upshot was that they delayed mailing the material until the time limit had expired and substantial charges had been made to my account.

Being furious I began an offensive. I called the phone company, the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau the FCC, the FTC and any other agency I could think of, as well as the principal companies.

Most of them claimed lack of jurisdiction. I also called my credit card company, who were unable to help because technically I had sanctioned the transaction. The next step would have been small claims court, but my aggressive action paid off and the companies eventually issued full refunds.

This all took time and involved needless aggravation. My first mistake was giving out my checking account information. NEVER, EVER, do this.

In the first place don’t fall for deals like this. If they sound too good to be true, they usually are. Again if you are going to buy, use a protected credit card, don’t use checks or even debit cards, you are too vulnerable.

Not only was that a problem but apparently I got on a sucker list and I am plagued with calls from people who want my account number under one pretext or another. BEWARE

Work at home schemes

Not only are we deluged with “Get rich quick ” schemes in the form of work at home offers by email and telephone, we are now getting a dose of them on TV and the radio. Be careful of these work at home offers. Be alert, use caution before you get involved in any of these schemes.

As stated in our introduction: “If it seems too good to be true it probably is.” Some of these offers may be legitimate, but remember: “You get nothing for nothing.” If you want to generate income, you are going to earn it.

We’re used to seeing the scam artists on the internet. Now they’ve invaded TV and radio promising earnings of $5000.00 to $50,000.00 per month by staying at home and doing practically nothing.

These commercials are obviously misleading if not downright dishonest, to say the least. some are outright fraud, Common sense tells you that a business earning the kind of money that they offer would be worth a fortune.
Do not fall into their traps!

Most work at home scams are legal. That doesn’t mean that they are honest. They are cleverly planned to entice you to spend more money than you intended to spend, or they garner personal information that they use for other lucrative nefarious purposes.

Classified Advertising Scams

Basically these frauds operate in similar fashion. They are triggered generally by a classified ad for a major item such as a car or some other relatively expensive item.

You are contacted by someone from another country offering to pay your price or more. Because of exchange rates or some other nonsense. they want to issue a certified cheek far in excess of your price.

You are to deduct your price plus the export charges and send the excess money in a money order to the buyer.

You would think this would arouse suspicion, but many people become victims.
The problem is that the cashier’s check you receive is counterfeit but of such high quality that the bank tellers are unable to detect them. They are caught when they are processed.

In these cases you, not the bank are responsible and you are out the money.

Pyramid Schemes

One pyramid selling scheme is known as the VIP club. It was claiming to provide significant discounts on travel and leisure services through the club in exchange for a substantial membership fee.

The club was then offering members large commissions for introducing other people (usually family or friends) to become members, often this indicates a pyramid scheme.

Pyramid scheme operators do not always use high-pressure sales measures but, however they lure you in, they always promise money in return for the number of people you are able to recruit to pay and join the scheme.

Pyramid Schemes are illegal if their sole purpose is to make money for the recruitment of other people.

Don’t sign up to them and report them to your local authorities.

Lotteries and Prize Contests

The highest number of complaints in relation to scams are about lotteries and prize draws. Most appear to be notification of a prize in an overseas lottery in return for administration or registration fees.

How can you win a lottery you never entered?

Never send any money to receive a prize, and do not give out private financial information.

Nigerian Scam

There are a number of these scams, named after the Nigerian criminal statute against fraud, which essentially offer to pay you thousands of dollars for allowing a large amount of money to be paid into your account.

The scam? Before this can happen you are asked to pay a fee in advance. Once the fee has been paid, the correspondent offering this fantastic deal disappears along with your money.

These are old tricks thatyou would think no one would fall for, but they are becoming more sophisticated all the time. They come in many different disguises. The Nigerian crime squad, issued a fresh warning about them in November. ‘These people are very convincing, they have an answer to every question.

Some of the scams purport to be from a juvenile orphaned by the tsunami disaster asking for help in moving their parents millions out of an overseas bank, and a journalist who has unearthed Saddam Hussein’s missing millions and needs to deposit them in your account in return for a share.

If you are approached do not reply and do not give out your personal details.
Also send the email to the internet service provider from which the scam email originated. These emails should be addressed to: abuse@the ISP name (example: abuse@yahoo.com).

Pet Scams

A variation of theNigerian Scam is being used to rip-off pet owners and breeders. Use caution dealing with people on the inernet whether you’re buying or selling.

Do not use Western Union or money orders and if you resort to eascrow accounts be sure you use a reliable one. They are another vehicle susceptible to fraudsters.

An internet associate publishes a warning site identifying some of these villians and has been threatened for doing so. They don’t like publicity and do all they can to thwart crusaders.
So Beware. Use caution and common sense in these “Too good to be true ” offers.

For a full article onthis subject go to:
www.caveatemptorus.com

Second chance offers

eBay has changed the way we shop, but it’s auctions are rampant with fraud.

The “Second-Chance offer”. works this way: Someone claiming to be the seller in an auction that just ended emails a bidder saying that the highest bidder has reneged, and offers to sell the goods to the runner-up.

As soon as the money is transferred, the seller disappears with your money, and the goods are never received.

eBay is banning the use of money transfers after mid-January, because bidders errantly wired money to scam artists.

eBay has a page on their web site on how to detect a second chance offer that’s genuine. They strongly discourage anyone from accepting transactions “off eBay” since you are not protected by eBay’s safety provisions.

eBay says an offer to sell an item directly to another member through email violates its rules and should be reported to eBay.

When it comes to paying, never use money transfers. Use a reputable payment system backed by a protected credit card.

Written by: George W. Cannata, author and publisher of the web site http://www.caveatemptorus.com
a web site dedicated to informing readers on how to avoid fraud and get the most value for their money.

Sleigh bells ring, and choirs sing. It’s the Holiday season, and one of the happiest times of the year. It’s also a time to enjoy your home.

Picture your home with holly and mistletoe, twinkle lights and seasonal decorations.
There’re stockings filled with surprises, and presents under the Christmas tree. The only visitors you’re expecting are Santa Claus, family and friends. But unexpectedly, there could be a Grinch who steals your Christmas.

“The holidays should be a time when neighbors get together and enjoy the season, but it should also be a time when they discuss safety in and around the home,” said Officer McCorkle, who is with the Cedar Hill Police Department Patrol Division.

“Neighborhoods with neighborhood watch programs may consider distributing a holiday safety flyer,” McCorkle said.

Neighbors can watch each other’s property, and notify the police department when they notice suspicious activities. “The police department is here to serve as visible deterrents to those would-be criminals,” McCorkle said.

Homeowners need to be aware that the Christmas season is a time to be aware of your surroundings. You hate to think you left cookies and milk out for the wrong person visiting your home.

Be extremely careful around empty and unoccupied houses in the neighborhood. These are often targets for people wanting to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Again, neighbors should keep an eye out on such properties.

According to McCorkle, there are several precautions home owners should take in protecting their residences. For instance, when you’re out shopping for a few hours, leave a radio on at your homes. Leave lights on if you’re gone in the evening, and especially a porch light. You want your home to look like it’s occupied with someone is inside.

When a trip or short vacation is in your plans, be sure and place a timer on your lights. Make your home look as if someone is inside. Ask your neighbor to pick up your mail, and stop the delivery of the newspaper. Newspapers stacked in your yard are a give-away someone is gone.

Have a neighbor periodically check your house, inside and out. If you have Christmas lights, ask a person to turn them on in the evening, and off later that night.

It’s best to leave a key with a friend, and not under the doormat or underneath a pot on the porch.

Additionally, be sure to keep draperies drawn in the home, so that peeking thieves cannot look through the windows. Just think of how tempting lots of presents look stacked under a decorated tree. You should also make sure to remove packages left inside your car as this removes any temptation for a quick grab.

While at home, make sure to leave your garage door down. Leaving it up, invites a stranger to grab something and run. Also, don’t leave your front storm door unlocked and your wooden door open. Of course, it’s nice to look outside and let the sunshine in, but it’s also an invitation for someone to just walk in.

Be aware of your surroundings and take precautions. Make sure you haven’t been followed by another car, and before you open your car door, look around.

This is a time when the good comes out in people. Gifts and food are sent to those in need, as well as victims of disasters. Presents are sent from unknowns to American soldiers who are away from home. Friends near and far celebrate the season of giving, and even a Scrooge can give thanks from the heart.

But unfortunately, there’re those who take and steal, and sometimes, kill. During the remainder of the year, take simple precautions to protect yourself and your home. You can never be too careful.

Enjoy the holidays and the spirit of giving. Remember, just a simple Merry Christmas can change the attitude of a person, even a Grinch.

Helena Hill is a Dallas real estate broker and a contributor to the
Flower Mound Homes Weblog.

Everyone should eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive for your computer privacy protection. Spyware and adware programs also slow down the speed of your computer by cluttering your hard drive with annoying programs. Once you eliminate adware and spyware, your computer speed will improve immediately.

Spyware compromises the security of your personal information because the creators of these hidden programs can get access to your desktop even while you are offline.

Adware creates annoying pop ups while you use the Internet. It can change your home page and even hijack certain pages to display their own messages, which are sometimes obscene.

One of the most effective ways to stop spyware and adware is the use of computer firewall protection. These programs eliminate incoming spyware and adware that is attached to the legitimate data that you download when surfing the web.

Some computer firewall protection programs display the number of attempted ‘hacks’, which includes any illegitimate programs or data: spyware, adware, or other potentially harmful files such as viruses.

It is not unusual for computer firewall protection software to block hundreds of ‘hacks’ per day. Some users are more exposed than others to the negative effects of spyware, adware, and viruses.

One important factor is the type of connection that your computer has to the Internet. For example, DSL ‘cable’ connections are replacing the old ‘dial-up’ connections that run over a household’s normal phone lines.

With a DSL connection, your computer can be connected to the Internet all day, every day. This increases the likelihood of your computer becoming infected with spyware and adware.

With today’s Internet, there’s no such thing as too much computer privacy protection. It’s important to find and eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive because computer security is as important as the lock on your front door.

Copyright © 2005 Spyware Information.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is provided by http://www.spyware-information.com where you will find free spyware cleaners, downloads, removal software, valuable tips and updated articles about adware and spyware that show you how protect yourself from identity theft. For other informative spyware and identity protection articles go to http://spyware-information.com/articles_1.html

Spyware and its endless threats to internet users can strike in numerous ways; penetrating areas users thought were secure and untouchable. Recently, a day trader logged into his TD Waterhouse online account and found his account was nearly empty. The cause was a keylogger. The perpetrator had sent a message inviting investors to test a new stock charting tool.

Anyone who wanted to participate in the testing was sent a link to download and install. The download was actually a keylogger that found and recorded usernames and passwords keyed into the infected computer.

The intruder was charged with fraudulently accessing an individual’s computer and executing security transactions. The transactions amounted to nearly $50,000. Owner of the spyware software SpyCop said this example of keylogger intrusion is one of many that occur regularly, especially with spouse tracking each other.

Keyloggers have the capability to record everything you type into your computer. The information they can gather may be your credit card number, social security number, username, password and more.

Once a spyware application such as keyloggers has your information it is often sold or sent straight to the intruder who will use it for identity theft or fraud. Programs such as SpyCop are able to detect and remove current spyware infections. Once your system is clean SpyCop has features that will actively protect your computer from spyware while you surf the internet.

Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/, a site that focuses exclusively on spyware removal software, as well as tips on how to prevent spyware from popping up on your computer. This site articles on has spyware guard, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_guard.htm as well as spyware scanner, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_scanner.htm

The most basic home security alarm systems include a control panel, a keypad, a siren, access monitors and, in the case of monitored systems, an off site control station. These basic features are adequate for simple home protection against burglars but some people may opt for more advanced home security alarm systems that incorporate more advanced features. Home security alarm systems may include a smoke detection system, glass break detectors, panic buttons and motion detectors.

When most people think of a home security alarm system, they think of a burglar alarm system. While it is true that the primary function of a home security alarm system is to protect your home and your possessions from burglars, this is not the only function of home security alarm systems. As the name home security alarm system implies, the system is devised to protect your home. This includes protecting your home from damage due to fires. For this reason, many people have a smoke detection system linked to their home security alarm system. This will sound an alarm and alert the control station if smoke is detected.

Glass break detectors are another advanced feature that some individuals like to include in their home security alarm system. These systems are able to identify the sound of glass breaking and will activate the home security alarm system when this sound is identified. This is helpful because most home security alarm systems include access monitors that determine when doors or windows or opened. This makes your home vulnerable to burglars who break a window rather than opening the window to access the home. Installing glass break detectors in your home security alarm system will minimize this problem.

Panic buttons are another optional feature in a home security alarm system. These are hand held devices that can be placed in strategic locations throughout the house. These panic buttons enable the homeowner to send and immediate message that they are in trouble to the monitoring center. This alarm can be sent silently or can be an audible siren that sounds throughout the house.

Another feature that many individuals elect to incorporate into their home security alarm system is a set of motion detectors. These motion detectors act as a second line of defense in the home security alarm system. If the burglar is able to enter your home without triggering the alarm, the motion detectors will sense that he has entered your home and will trip the alarm, thus sounding the siren and sending a message to the monitoring center if your system is monitored.

Your home security alarm system can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Incorporating some of the more advanced features into your home security alarm system can provide your home with better protection. These home security alarm features can be very valuable in the case where a burglar knows how to work around the confines of a standard home security alarm system.

Robert H the author of this article, invites you to Find more informative articles on home security, and news on all the latest home security products at his his website here www.homesecurity.info-net-work.com

Usually your personal security won’t be much of an issue. Yes, anyone can get mugged, but unless you go around upsetting dangerous people or living in dangerous places you shouldn’t need a bodyguard. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to keep a low profile. When mixing with wealthy people it’s fine or even desirable to dress up, wear your expensive watch and jewellery & flaunt youself. It’s fun. But there is a time and a place for everything. Don’t rub your wealth in the faces of non wealthy people. Their life is hard enough already without being reminded of what they don’t have but would love to possess. Most people (wealthy or not) would never dream of hurting you or robbing you even if they are jealous. But don’t tempt fate. Jails are full for a reason. Some people are desperate enough to steal with or without violence. I do recommend you take self defence classes, they keep you fit, help your self confidence and could save your life. If you do find yourself in the position however where someone sticks a gun or knife in your face and demands your watch, give it to them, it should be insured anyway. Don’t be a hero, graveyards are full of heroes.

To secure your car, get an alarm and never leave it unattended when it is unlocked. Keep it fully insured and park wherever possible in a well lit parking structure which has video surveillance and a boom gate that needs to be raised using a ticket or manually by some person in a booth when you want to leave.

To secure your home you need to take a good hard look at the estates weaknesses. Start at the perimeter. Fences are designed to keep the faint hearted out, delay intruders, warn the resident of intruders, if alarmed, and it fitted with cameras identify the intruders. The best fences are masonary walls at least 2.5m high with barbed wire or broken glass fastened to the top. Don’t have more gates than necessary and keep them locked. For convenience have automatic gates with a card or pin number access. Remote controlled gates can be hacked too easily. The gate should be made of similar strength material as the wall.

Normally when people steal from you they do it in a way so they are not seen or they use a ruse (like pretending to be a removalist and clear out your house openly in front of the neighbours). If you take the right precautions you can be very well protected. You don’t need to turn your house into Fort Knox. Nobody with half a brain is going to ram through your front gate and storm your house armed with machine guns if you have a decent police force in your country. Too high a profile, limited chance of success.

Keep your yard clean and free from hiding places. Clear shrubs away from windows. Use cameras, have some clearly visible as a deterrent and some hidden so they can’t be found and neutralised (not a likely event). Flower beds around the house are a good idea as they offer no where to hide and are very good at collecting footprints. Thorny plants around fences and around downpipes are a good idea. Cactuses are good for this, so are roses, bouganvilleas, holly and barberry. Guard dogs are excellent if they have been trained not to take food from outside their bowl and they have been trained not to eat your kids. Put up ‘Beware of the Dog’ signs to prevent lawsuits. Small yappy dogs make good alarm systems but they are also annoying as they often yap at anything. You need one that knows the difference between an intruder and a moth.

Lighting is important. Gates and entrance points should be constantly lighted as a deterrence. Motion sensitive lighting should be considered for the rest of your compound.

Gravel driveways and paths are difficult for people to walk on quietly. You might want to consider this.

Doors should be solid, not hollow. Use security screen doors locked at all times. Remember also, a door is only as strong as the frame it is in. Glass in the door if used at all, should be kept away from the locking mechanism. Use deadlocks (so you need a key both sides) and good quality hinges. Garage doors are a weak point in most homes. The door leading from your garage into your home should be treated as an external door and secured as such. Use peep holes and intercoms to screen people before opening the door to them.

Windows are a problem. Using pins are a good idea to lock sliding windows (and doors for that matter). They can also be easily removed in an emergency. If possible windows on the ground floor should have bullet proof glass so they can’t be smashed. Make sure skylights are reinforced and that vents that lead to the roof or walls are all too small for human access.

Invest in a quality alarm system. A monitored alarm system is best. If it goes off a security company comes to see what the problem is. Have signs clearly visible as a deterrant. If you can afford it , pay to have security patrols come by your house at irregular intervals or even have them permanently on site.

Don’t tell people your plans when going on holidays. By this I mean, keep it as quiet as possible. Have your mail and newspapers collected. Put some of your interior lights on timers so it looks like you’re home.

Also secure your home from fire. Protect sleeping areas by installing smoke detectors between sleeping areas and other parts of the house. Check the batteries regularly. Have fire extinguishers in the kitchen, sheds and garages. Kitchen extinguishers must be rated for fat fires. Also have a fire blanket fitted in the kitchen. Learn how to use them. Have monitored fire alarm systems fitted with your monitored burglar alarm system. Also have a fire escape plan and make sure everyone knows it.

You can also have a medical emergency panic button installed that is also monitored in some cases.

At the end of the day, don’t panic or live in fear, just take sensible precautions. You have worked too hard to attain your lifestyle, to just give it away to someone looking for a short cut.

Dr Gregory Lipke is the CEO of Cyber Publishing Ltd. He has a Doctorate of Business Administration & a Bachelor of Science as well as years of experience in Private Investigation, Personal Protection & Security. He is the author of Your Luxury Guide .

1. Input Checking

Always check user input to be sure that it is what you expected. Make sure it doesn’t contain characters or other data which may be treated in a special way by your program or any programs called by your program.This often involves checking for characters such as quotes, and checking for unusual input characters such as non-alphanumeric characters where a text string is expected. Often, these are a sign of an attack of some kind being attempted.

2.Range Checking

Always check the ranges when copying data, allocating memory or performing any operation which could potentially overflow. Some programming languages provide range-checked container access (such as the std::vector::at() in C++, but many programmers insist on using the unchecked array index [] notation. In addition, the use of functions such as strcpy() should be avoided in preference to strncpy(), which allows you to specify the maximum number of characters to copy. Similar versions of functions such as snprintf() as opposed to sprintf() and fgets() instead of gets() provide equivalent length-of-buffer specification. The use of such functions throughout your code should prevent buffer overflows. Even if your character string originates within the program, and you think you can get away with strcpy() because you know the length of the string, that doesn’t mean to say that you, or someone else, won’t change things in the future and allow the string to be specified in a configuration file, on the command-line, or from direct user input. Getting into the habit of range-checking everything should prevent a large number of security vulnerabilities in your software.

3.Principle Of Least Privileges

This is especially important if your program runs as root for any part of its runtime. Where possible, a program should drop any privileges it doesn’t need, and use the higher privileges for only those operations which require them. An example of this is the Postfix mailserver, which has a modular design allowing parts which require root privileges to be run distinctly from parts which do not. This form of privilege separation reduces the number of attack paths which lead to root privileges, and increases the security of the entire system because those few paths that remain can be analysed critically for security problems.

4.Don’t Race

A race condition is a situation where a program performs an operation in several steps, and an attacker has the chance to catch it between steps and alter the system state. An example would be a program which checks file permissions, then opens the file. Between the permission check the stat() call and the file open the fopen() call an attacker could change the file being opened by renaming another file to the original files name. In order to prevent this, fopen() the file first, and then use fstat(), which takes a file descriptor instead of a filename. Since a file descriptor always points to the file that was opened with fopen(), even if the filename is subsequently changed, the fstat() call will be guaranteed to be checking the permissions of the same file. Many other race conditions exist, and there are often ways to prevent them by carefully choosing the order of execution of certain functions.

5.Register Error Handlers

Many languages support the concept of a function which can be called when an error is detected, or the more flexible concept of exceptions. Make use of these to catch unexpected conditions and return to a safe point in the code, instead of blindly progressing in the hope that the user input won’t crash the program, or worse!

Bryce Whitty owns and runs www.Technibble.com”> www.Technibble.com. A website that provides technical how-to’s for repairing your computer. Technibble also has many guides for getting into the computer business or managing your existing one. We also cover other side topics such as Security and Software.

There are two different types of people who like hidden camera
sex. There are those who like is because it earns them money,
and there are those who like hidden camera sex because they
enjoy watching it. If there weren’t people paying to watch it,
then there wouldn’t be as many people victimizing innocent
people in order to profit from it. Hidden camera sex is when
someone secretly tapes sexual acts. This can be done by one of
the participants, who plans on hiding the camera or arranges for
a video to be made, or it can be done completely unbeknownst to
both participants by a third party. This is possible especially
in hotels and motels where the proprietor is a less than
scrupulous person and who makes videos of trysts in order to
make some money on the side. People who make money off of hidden
camera sex are almost always victimizing someone and betraying
another’s trust. This is because at least one of the
participants does not know that he or she is being taped. The
results can be devastating. If the video gets out, then
reputations can be lost. Sometimes the videos are used as
blackmail to get money, power, or favors. In any case, someone’s
rights are usually violated and even a victory in court may not
completely erase a stain on one’s public image. Unfortunately,
because of the widespread popularity of pornography, these tapes
are in high demand. There are many people who enjoy watching
such things to be aroused. It helps them live out fantasies.
Some people watch with their partners, in order to have a more
satisfying experience for both. Many of the consumers of hidden
camera sex often do not realize that they are watching something
that both parties did not consent to make. So they become
unwitting participants in the victimization of at least one of
the participants. You can protect yourself from being a victim
of hidden camera sex by being careful about whom you have
intercourse with, and taking precautions. Do not go to seedy
motels, and suggest a different hotel than the one suggested by
a partner. Also, in order to avoid small, wearable cameras, kick
your partner’s clothes under the bed and make sure that he or
she does not leave anything on the nightstand or hanging up in
sight of the area. And be aware that even a long time and
trusted partner may suddenly decide to have hidden camera sex.
(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about:
Hidden Camera Sex.