The sales industry is fascinating. When it’s done well, you receive great value and both parties leave the transaction feeling happy. But the tactics some merchants use are downright manipulative and often veer into illegal territory. For example, you might see an infomercial on TV for vitamins. The ad targets the elderly and promises something…
Many of us are told that, when we’re attacked, we should let it happen so that the situation doesn’t get any worse. In some cases that may be your only option. But some studies have shown that fighting back is a better option. Showing resistance and making it difficult for your attacker to do their…
Recently I became aware that many if not most home Wi-Fi routers are very easy to hack by cyber criminals. I thought, my mom has Wi-Fi, and so probably does your mom. So here is a letter you can share with your loved ones—be they tech-savvy or not, to protect them from the hidden dangers…
Call them con men, grifters, scammers or thieves. Or simply call them liars, because lying is what they do best. They stare you in the eyes, do it via email or over the phone, and lie through their teeth. They do it casually and with such conviction that we have no reason not to believe them. Sometimes they…
If you live in or travel to a country that controls what websites their citizens can and cannot visit then you might not have access to sites like Facebook or YouTube. In this case you may have considered using a proxy or a VPN.But what’s the difference? A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network…
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, people took pictures of the Tyrannosaurus Rex with film-based cameras that required them to drop their pics off at a Fotomat for processing. Then, instant pics in the form of Polaroid cameras came along and the term “instant gratification” was born. Today, most of us snap pics on phones…
Mobile technology is the new frontier for fraudsters. Today, there are more wireless devices than American people. Mobile devices connect to the Internet and have much of the same information and capability as a personal computer. Your device and the private data it holds are very, very attractive to thieves. Yet, most of us don’t protect…
“Malware” is a shortened version of the words malicious software. It is defined as: a generic term used to describe any type of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer/mobile device or the data it contains, without consent. Most malware is designed to have some financial gain for the cybercriminal. Whether they are…
A recent article I wrote, titled “A Predator is Always a Predator,” discussed the 750,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S., the thousands more unaccounted for, the thousands more who’ve never been caught, and the fact that predators live amongst us. In Cleveland, Ohio, the residents know this all too well. Shock and disbelief is…
Love’m my credit cards. I get points, mileage and one place to view all my spending. Who doesn’t love that! But I hate having to go through the misery of disputing charges. In my own research, I’ve determined four types of credit card disputes to look out for. Unauthorized use: Basically, this is fraud—unauthorized use…
