Even though I feel that I am fairly savy — after all, I read many technical e-newsletters, Internet articles and Internet Technology (IT) magazines — I was completely taken in by a clever con artist. If you want to read the whole story, check out the article, Curious about Con Artists: You Find Them in Unlikely Places — My Story. There are so many scary fraud schemes out there, I thought as a warning to you and for your safety, it would be a good idea to discuss some of the "biggies."

Definition of Fraud: “In a broad strokes definition, fraud is a deliberate misrepresentation which causes another person to suffer damages, usually monetary losses.”

Fraud Tip #1. Phishing

1. This is one of the most prevalent and most convincing fraudulent schemes. It may refer to your PayPal account, eBay membership, bank account, credit card, or other account where you need an ID, password and/or personal information.
2. You receive a legitimate sounding e-mail message from support@… similar to the following: “Dear eBay member, You have received this warning because we have strong reason to believe that your eBay account had been recently compromised and it could be used by a third party without your authorization. In order to prevent any fraudulent activity from occurring we are required to open an investigation into this matter. To speed up this process, you are required to verify your eBay account by following the link below.”
3. When you click on the link listed, you are taken to a web page that looks exactly like the account page — for example, you are sure you are at your PayPal account page. You are asked for personal information, including ID and password, etc.
4. DON’T DO IT! Always go to the legitimate website on your own and check it out with them.

Fraud Tip #2. Patch or special download

• This supposedly is sent by Microsoft and you click to download the patch for an update. You will be downloading an unpleasant virus or worm. Microsoft will never, never send a patch by e-mail. They will check your machine for updates and then ask your permission to download them.

Fraud Tip #3. Internet Investment Scams

• The Internet serves as an excellent tool for investors, allowing them to easily and inexpensively research investment opportunities. But the Internet is also an excellent tool for fraudsters. That’s why you should always think twice before you invest your money in any opportunity you learn about through the Internet. Visit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that has a great website that lists a huge number of scams.

Fraud Tip #4. Preventative Measures - tips for your protection

• The IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) has an excellent website that includes a tips page where you will read about Internet Auction Fraud, Non-Delivery of Merchandise, Credit Card Fraud, Investment Fraud, Nigerian Letter Scam, and Business Fraud.

In a perfect world, everyone would be honest and trustworthy, but, unfortunately, there are those who will try to take advantage of others. The Internet provides a fertile ground for their creativity and dishonesty. I hope I have alerted you to some of the most common frauds and also made you more skeptical and careful than you have been. I know I am now!

Chris King is a professional website creator / designer, storyteller, writer, free agent, and fitness instructor. You will find her business website at http://www.creativekeys.biz where you can sign up for her monthly Internet Tips E-zine. In addition visit Chris’ information website at http://www.creativekeys.net and her blog at http://www.curiositycubed.blogspot.com

Spyware is more dangerous than a virus. It can steal personal data and track your internet habits. It might be concealed in a free screensaver or other software that you download. Computer safety expert Leif Wheeler advises us to be aware of any offer of free software. Many times, spyware is hidden in legitimate software. Be cautious of deals offered by well-known companies. Crooks and thieves often create web sites that resemble Adobe, Google or Microsoft, says Wheeler. They instruct you to download upgrades which secretly contain spyware. Common sense should tell you to download things like screensavers or wallpaper only from a company’s registered web site. Have a safety talk with anyone who uses your computer. Run an anti-spyware application. The schemes for stealing are the same, notes Wheeler. What’s changed is the technology. The rest of us have to try to stay one step ahead.

There is a type of spyware that the New York Times has labeled as “Stealware” and what spyware researcher Ben Edelman refers to as “Click Fraud”, also known as “Affiliate Fraud”. The most notable vendors of this kind of spyware are 180 Solutions and WhenU. This spyware redirects the payment of the rightful affiliate’s commission to the account of the spyware vendor.

An instance of spyware rarely "exists" alone. An afflicted computer can rapidly become corrupted with a lot of spyware devices. Frequently, users will notice erratic behavior and a decline of the system’s operation. Spyware contamination can cause considerable inappropriate CPU activity, network traffic, disk usage and the slowing-down of the legitimate uses of these resources. Stability issues, system crashes and application crashes are also very common. Spyware which disrupts the networking software normally causes problems connecting to the Internet.

A Trojan horse, by definition, sneaks in a danger-some program cloaked as something acceptable. Many spywares get spread in this way. The representative of the spyware presents the program as a suitable utility, for example, as useful software or as a web-accelerator. Users then install the software not suspecting that it could do harm to their computer. A classic case of this is Bonze Buddy, a spyware application designed to trick children, claims that: “He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you’ve ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he’s FREE!”

Often times, spyware programs are revealed by visibly presenting advertisements. Some spyware simply displays pop-up ads on a pre-determined schedule. For example, a pop-up may appear when the user opens a new browser window. Yet other types display ads when the user visits a specific type of site. Spyware developers use this as a selling point when pitching their wares to advertisers who want to buy ad placement in pop-ups shown when the user lands on a particular site. It is also one of the reasons why spyware programs collect and store information on user behavior.

Leif Wheeler began marketing on the internet in 1992 and he retired in 2004. Leif’s internet-time is now spent researching and writing articles that improve everyone’s internet experience. Benefit from Leif’s vast experience at http://www.leifwheeler.com.

The largest target of spyware is without a doubt Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. It is the most widely used web browser and it has a long history of weak security. Its deeply integrated into the Windows operating system and its scriptability make it very susceptible to intrusion by malicious software. Browser helper objects can easily attach to Internet Explorer. These helper objects redirect traffic and add toolbars.

The most common cause for users of the Microsoft Windows operating system to seek technical support from internet service providers or computer manufacturers is the infestation of spyware. In most cases the user has no comprehension of spyware and thinks that the system’s stability, performance, and/or connectivity issues relate to Microsoft Windows, hardware, or to a virus. Occasionally, owners of seriously infected systems end up purchasing an entire new computer system because their existing system "has become too unreliable or slow". Extremely infected systems sometimes require a clean re-install of all their software to allow the system to function properly. This is a highly time-consuming chore, even for accomplished users.

Normally, a single piece of spyware does not make a computer unusable. However, an infected computer almost always has more than one piece of spyware installed. AOL did a study in 2004 and concluded that if a computer has any spyware at all, it will be infected by dozens of different pieces. Its the cumulative effect of the different spyware components that cause the problems reported by users. The computer slows down to a crawl, overpowered by the many power-draining processes running on it. Similar to an immune deficiency disease, some kinds of spyware disarms anti-virus software and firewalls, and/or lowers browser security settings, which subjects the system to additional infections. In addition, there have been cases where a spyware program has disabled a competitor’s spyware program already installed on the computer.

There are some forms of spyware that modify system files to make themselves very difficult to remove. For example, Targetsoft changes the "Winsock" Windows Sockets files. Removing the spyware infected file "inetadpt.dll" will interfere with networking usage. For the sake of convenience, a Windows user generally has administrative-level system privileges. Because of this, any program which the user runs, intentionally or not, will have full access to the entire system. Spyware, along with other various dangers, has caused some Windows users to change to other platforms such as Apple Macintosh or Linux, which are less frequently targeted by spyware authors.

The most common complaints about spyware are Pop-up advertisements. Displaying and/or downloading ads can overwhelm a system. Its very rare for an infected system to have only one spyware program running. More typically, the system will be infected by dozens of applications. So, while one of the programs may display ads infrequently,the cumulative effect on the system can become overwhelming.

Most web users dislike offensive or irritating advertisements. Just like banner ads, some spyware advertisements use flickering banners or animation designed to get the user’s attention — because of this they are very distracting. Pornography Pop-up ads often display indiscriminately, this even includes when children may be using the computer which is in violation of many anti-pornography laws.

Leif Wheeler began marketing on the internet in 1992 and he retired in 2004. Leif’s internet-time is now spent researching and writing articles that improve everyone’s internet experience. Benefit from Leif’s vast experience at http://www.leifwheeler.com.

The first known use of the expression “spyware” occurred on October 17th, 1994 in a post that joked about Microsoft’s business model. Spyware later came to allude to snoop equipment such as diminutive cameras. In early 2000, the man who started Zone Labs used the term in a press release for a new product. Since then, the computer-community has used the term in its current definition.

Spyware often comes wrapped-in with shareware or other software, and with music CDs. The user installs a program, for example, a file-trading utility or music program. The installer also installs the spyware. Even though the acceptable software itself may not do harm, the wrapped-in spyware does. Occasionally, spyware authors will pay shareware creators to wrap-in spyware with their software. An example is the Gator spyware distributed by Claria. There are instances when spyware authors will repackage desirable free software with destructive installers that add spyware.

Another way of propagating spyware is by tricking users. A program will manipulate a security feature that is supposed to prevent harmful installations. Internet Explorer is designed to stop websites from starting an unwanted download. Alternately, a user action must normally trigger a download (like clicking on a link). Nevertheless, links can prove misleading. For example, a pop-up may look like a normal Windows dialog box. The box contains wording like "Do you want to improve your Internet experience?" with links that look like real buttons reading No and Yes. It doesn’t matter which button the user selects, a malicious download will start, installing the spyware on the user’s computer. Newer versions of Internet Explorer offer better security against this tactic.

Many unscrupulous spyware creators infect a computer by going after security weaknesses in the Web browser or in other applications on the targeted computer. When the user arrives at a Web site controlled by the spyware creator, the site includes code that forces the download and installation of spyware or infiltrates the browser. This kind of spyware creator will have broad knowledge of commercial-quality firewall and anti-virus programming. This is commonly known as a “drive-by download”. It leaves the user an unfortunate onlooker to the intrusion. Conventional "browser attacks" target security weaknesses in Microsoft Java Runtime and Internet Explorer.

Another problem in the case of some kinds of spyware programs is that they will replace the banner ads on visited web sites. Spyware that acts like a Browser Helper or web proxy can replace a site’s own advertisements with advertisements that benefit the spyware author. This can seriously affect the revenue stream of advertising funded web sites.

There have been instances when a worm or virus has delivered a cargo of spyware. For example, some attackers used the W32.Spybot.Worm to set up spyware that caused pornographic ads to pop up on the screens of an infected system. By re-routing traffic to commercial sites that are set up to funnel funds to the spyware creators, they can profit even by such obviously illegal actions.

Leif Wheeler began marketing on the internet in 1992 and he retired in 2004. Leif’s internet-time is now spent researching and writing articles that improve everyone’s internet experience. Benefit from Leif’s vast experience at http://www.leifwheeler.com.

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.

Detecting Spyware

Like anti-virus software, anti-spyware software relies on databases of known rogue programs that must be updated weekly to be effective. Detecting spyware files works in much the same way as your anti-virus software by scanning your hard drive files and folders.

There is some very good anti-spyware and anti-adware software is which is free such as adaware se. However you need to be aware that some anti-spyware software may only specialize in locating keyloggers, so it is important that you read the key features of the software before you use it.

Spyware programmers go to a lot of trouble to ensure their software remains hidden and performs the tasks that they require for months. If you belive you are infected with some form of adaware you can do two things:

Search the Internet for information and reviews about adaware and see if anyone has reported the same spyware problems.

Or download a free adaware se spyware removal program to check your system integrity.

Sometimes the more advanced anti-spyware software is overzealous and blocks legitimate things like the use of cookies to enable shopping carts to work properly,you will need to do some tweaking to stop this from happening by allowing program access.

When choosing your adware spyware program make sure you decide on a reputable company as some spyware removal programs once installed, have also been known to have installed spyware alongside your spyware program and of course will never be detected by your installed spyware program. This is a very good way for advertisers and the like to use spyware unchecked on your machine.

Spend the money you’ve budgeted for on an anti-spyware detection software package a firewall and of course an anti-virus program for your desktop computer. This will ensure that you have a pleasant internet experience without the worry of the prying eyes from spyware.

Ron is the webmaster of numerous sites the most recent being Detecting Adware Spyware and is feed up with all the adware spyware that is constantly infecting computers.

If your computer has slowed, or you are receiving pop-ups or even web browser problems maybe you are the victim of Adware.

Protect your Identity from Internet Attacks

How many of you are surfing the web right now, thinking I’m fine this can’t happen to me. Or my firewall or antivirus will protect me. Unfortunately you are not alone this carefree attitude by web surfers is allowing the internet to become infected with adware and spyware. Every time you log into the internet you are at risk, adware is waiting for its next victim, there are many unscrupulous people designing adware/spyware that is just waiting to steal from you. As soon as you log into your internet account and have no protection this silent enemy will embed its self into your system just waiting to transmit your information to its creator.

Have you ever visited a peer-to-peer file sharing site and downloaded games, movies or just about any files from these free sites. If this is the case you are at risk and if not you, maybe your children are putting you at risk, can you be sure.

Approximately 90% of all computers on the internet are infected with some form of adware. Of those computers an average of 24 adware programs were found hiding inside their systems. I use a an adware removal tool which I run every day and I am constantly removing between eight to ten adware spyware programs a day. If this isn’t alarming to you it should be. In my experience most surfers are very naive and trusting and not having an understanding of the internet and its dangers are virtually inviting these unwanted guests into our lives.

Have you ever had your Identity stolen, did you own a computer at the time of this theft. Was it protected with an adware removal software?

Here is are a few ways to avoid adware.

- Do not open Email from an unknown source
- Set your browser security to medium
- Do not participate in file sharing programs

The tell tale signs of Adware Spyware

- Your web browser is constantly changing your home page
- Pop-up windows appearing from no-where
- System slows for no reason as if under a heavy load
- You are constantly receiving uninvited emails trying to sell you products
- Your modem lights are flicking out of control while your computer is idle

These are just some of the symptoms of an adware infected computer.

You have spent money to purchase your computer but as with most people you forget the most important aspect of surfing the internet. You need to get protected from all the malicious files out there and with some simple solutions you can.

Get yourself a good anti-virus program then a firewall and last but not least an adware removal program. These three additional items included into your computer purchase will save you the discomfort of having your computer invaded by these dangerous programs.

As an internet user myself I have grave concerns about the lengths these unscrupulous programmers will take to access your personal and private information. And as a webmaster I am constantly battling these invaders daily.

If you would like to know more about adware spyware and the effects it can have on your computer, family, friends and your bank account visit my adware review site on software to Detect Spyware

My name is Ron Cripps and I have had enough of Adware and Spyware invading my computer. I have created a webstite Detecting Spyware to make all internet users aware of this adware spyware threat.

Adware and Spyware are malicious files that have been created for the purpose of being installed onto your computer, usually without your consent or knowledge. Spyware has become the number one threat to all internet users world wide. Did you know that it is possible that 9 out of every 10 computers that are currently online are infected with adware or spyware and worst of all possibly both.

Adware Spyware will ruin your internet experience and your expensive pc, this spyware killer can lead to you being fired from your job, it has caused family break ups and bank accounts to be emptied without a trace. People have also been sent to prison for what this spyware has added to their computers.

Invest in an Eliminator Spyware software program today! Why because these malicious adware spyware files are invading your PRIVACY, attempting to Steal Your IDENTITY, and destroying your valuable computer.

Having an antivirus program is Not Enough! You need to equip yourself with a firewall and a reputable anti spyware removal tool to ensure that you are not infected with spyware.

You have spent the money on buying the latest technology computer why not protect it for a few bucks more.

Detecting spyware should be your first priority on the internet today to protect you from this killer spyware plague.

Ron Cripps is a webmaster and has concerns on the ever growing adware threat the we all currently face on the internet. Ron has a web site that reviews Adware and Spyware Software and its threats.

There are many adaware spyware removal tools available for free downloading. We will be recommending and reviewing many spyware removal tools on our site.

Why do I need a spyware cleaner?

Removing spyware, malware, adware and trojans from your computer will help to speed up your system. Stop those annoying pop-ups and generally keep your safe from any form of identity theft or losing your valuable information such as passwords.

When removing spyware you should close down any active programs to allow the scanner to do its job properly. There are many scanners that are coming to the fore front and making names for themselves when it comes to removing spyware.

I have had personal experience with spyware, malware to the extent as with many internet users I didn’t feel spyware was important enough to get protected. I am now very passionate and believe that all internet users should have some form of protection against adaware, spyware. You too will think this way once this threat costs you money and invades your privacy.

Removing spyware and adware today will save you money and embarrassment tomorrow.

If you are unsure of anything while removing spyware or adware pause the process and set a system restore point so that you can undo any changes that take place.

Once the cleaning of your system is finished your will in most cases be prompted for a restart, do this as a matter of fact because if you don’t that nasty spyware is still lurking in you system and is necessary for removing some forms of adware, spyware.

Testing Adware Spyware Programs

Download as many free trails as you like then run each spyware program in turn and scan your computer, removing any spyware and adware they find. Once you find a program that you like purchase it and use it at a minimum of weekly. I personally scan my computer for spyware and adware every day, but a bit more paranoid than most.

I have found over time that the best tactic for removing adware and spyware especially if you visit adult, mp3 download sites or any peer-to-peer file sharing applications or sites is to use more than one spyware adware remover tool to scan your computer

Ron is the webmaster of Detecting Adware Spyware and is very aware of the current threat that adware and spyware is having on the internet today.

Spyware has to be the most talked about PC security threat of 2005. It has now surpassed the computer virus as the No. 1 menace to computer user both at home and in the enterprise. Despite efforts from Microsoft and independent security software companies, the spyware menace is set to continue through 2006 and beyond. The research firm Radicati Group expect worldwide anti-spyware revenue to surpass $1 billion by 2010.

There are numerous types of spyware with some more dangerous than others. At one end of the spectrum spyware pushes annoying ads to your computer as is usually referred as “Adware.” It is still spyware as the ads are generally pushed to you based on your surfing habits. A bad infection can also dramatically impact your computer’s performance as your desktop slowly gets overwhelmed with pop up adverts.

At the other end of the spectrum spyware programs can record what you do on your computer including individual key strokes. This information is then shared with a third party. This data is then sold to marketing companies or used to profit from. For example, the program may have captured your bank log-in details or credit card information.

Profit from these activities drives spyware development and deployment. According to anti-spyware vendor Webroot Inc advertising revenue generated from spyware is much more lucrative than trying to generate profit through Spam Email.

Here are the common ways spyware gets onto your computer:

• Bundled with free software like screensavers or P2P file sharing programs which you download. For example Kazaa, a P2P file-sharing application, installs adware onto a user’s computer even though it claims to contain “no spyware.” Waterfalls 3 from Screensaver.com installs spyware and Trojan horses. Examples are courtesy of a report from StopBadware.org’s website.

• Opening Spam email attachments.

• Being enticed into clicking on links in pop up adverts which then downloads spyware. These pop ups usually display messages to do with winning money or entering a special prize drawer.

• “Drive-by downloading” – this is when spyware is automatically downloaded onto your computer from the website you are surfing.

Earlier this year a report published by the University of Washington revealed categories of websites which are mostly like to host spyware or infect users through “drive-by downloads.” Their research revealed the following categories:

• Gaming sites

• Music download sites (I interpret this to mean “illegal” music sharing sites like dailymp3.com or where you can find P2P applications)

• Adult sites

• Celebrity sites

• Wallpaper / screensaver sites

Here are some tips and strategies to reduce the chance of spyware infection:

• Switch on your browser’s pop blocker.

• Install an anti-spyware tool with active protection which helps prevent infection in the first place.

• Keep Windows and other Microsoft applications like office up to date with the latest patches.

• Use SiteAdvisor - http://www.siteadvisor.com. This is a free plug-in for your browser which tells you whether a site is safe or not based on their testing. This is new software which is highly recommended.

• If you are a frequent visitor of the high risk categories please consider changing your surfing habits or at least making sure your system is fully protected.

Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.