Kaspersky Internet

Here are some tips during the holiday season that will help you with your online marketing.

Often we hear that to attract viewers to your site you need to write about it. I would have never thought that a couple of years ago. Looking at the way Google and other search engines work, they seek targeted keywords within your article, to get your site ranked higher. The ultimate goal is to get on the first page.

Learning these techniques requires time and persistence. You develop persistence by being patient and focused. Now you just cannot write about any old thing that comes to mind, I suppose this is one reason why so many marketers shy away from this type of marketing. Even though it is free it is also difficult.

I myself, struggle, to come up with keyword rich articles just to make a point. But that is the way it is.

Love it or leave it or do something else that will get you traffic. There are many venues to accomplish this. When writing, however, quality content is very much respected especially if it is informative, short, and to the point. This is what people look for. Quality content is the key to getting repeat readers; keep pumping out quality content and you will have a decent following.

From this point a certain level of trust begins to emerge between you and the reader. I say this because I myself book mark certain sites that I really get something out of. I do not necessarily buy anything but if I do, I will know where to go. We should all treat our business seriously and we should all try every venue possible to attract readers, viewers and buyers.

One particular issue I hear from friends and acquaintances is that most folks think that many sites and products are scams. And that many sites do not deliver what they promise. Unfortunately this is true. So how do we overcome the trust factor?

Does the content on the site solve a particular problem? What else do we look for in order to make a buying decision? Is the site informative enough and are there any comparisons to make reference to? This is where a review site might be helpful, but always look, for the commentary section to see what others are saying about the product.

Ultimately most buying decisions are based on emotions, “I just gotta have this” the research is the prelude but the cash comes out when all of the above elements make sense. We rationalize it, thus we buy.

So does quality content matter? Sure it does. Your site presentation is also equally as important.

Ever wonder why some sales person gets the sale and others selling the same exact thing cannot.

What exactly was the difference? It all comes down to presentation. The successful salesperson covered the following elements.

a) A selling approach with informative facts, and interesting quality content.

b) Solutions to a few particular circumstances thru examples and real life situations.

c) Referral reviews customer feedback

d) Product usage and popularity

e) Demonstrating a need and building the desire to have it.

So why do we have to have it? Because I wanted it and it was the answer to my problem.

These points of consideration are essential towards taking your internet business serious.

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The IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) received over 200,000 complaint submissions for 2004, an increase of 66.6% from 2003. The total dollar loss from all referred cases exceeded 68 million dollars, an average loss of $894 per complaint. There are many types of internet frauds that exist including auction, email, foreign investment letters and online dating. Here are some ways to identify a possible scam or fraud that you may have encountered while surfing the internet.

Auctions

Auction sites are one of the best places to purchase and sell items. They are also one of the easiest places to become an internet fraud victim. Auction fraud represented 71% of the total referred fraud complaints. How the scam works is that you win the auction, but never receive the item. Most of the time the auction site cannot assist you in recovering the money stolen. They will remove the memberโ€™s account and disqualify the memberโ€™s email address from their site but are not able to do much else. It is in your best interest to research each seller before making any purchases.

Auction sites have a rating system for their members and I would advise you to check this and their profile for certain clues. The first is to check how many sales have been completed and the response from the buyers. I would suggest no less than a hundred transactions for moderately priced items (less than a hundred dollars). A scammer will become a member and sell fifty items for a dollar or less usually in a week or two to build up his member rating. Then they will post twenty auctions ending within a day of each other for items that retail for over a hundred dollars but they are selling them for an unprofitable amount. Again, research a sellerโ€™s auction history before placing your bid. Also, if Western Union or similar is stated to be the only form of payment, move right on to the next auction.

Fraudulent Email

Email is a great form of communication and also an easy target for schemers. Electronic mail is the primary mechanism by which a perpetrator makes contact representing 63% compared to just 7% by phone. Fraud victims will receive an email with a link stating that their account information needs to be updated. Upon clicking on the link you are taken to a page that looks almost identical to the member page and asks you to enter in your name, address, social security number, checking account routing number and/or credit card number. When you hit the submit button, your information is instantly shuttled to someone waiting to separate you from your money. Before submitting your information, verify that you are truly on the site that the link states it is taking you.

Foreign Investment Letter

Another popular email scheme is an email from a foreign country stating that they have millions that need to be transferred to the United States but need a bank account to finalize the transaction. The sender of the email is willing to give you a percentage of the amount transferred in exchange for using your bank account. Never submit your social security number and checking account or credit card number via an email or an unfamiliar website. This is also known as Nigerian letter fraud and among one of the highest dollar loss frauds with an average of $3000.

Online Dating

You would also be surprised how easily people give their hard earned money away to people they meet over the internet but not in person. The victim meets someone in a chat room or message board and builds a friendship with the perpetrator who usually sends the victim a picture of an attractive person. When the time comes to meet, the schemer admits to not having the money for airfare and expenses, so the victim sends the money via Western Union or similar money transfer service, never to hear back from the person again.

Avoiding Scams

Here are a few ways to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:

1. Do not disclose your social security number, credit card or banking numbers to anyone you do not feel comfortable with.


2. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) and Scambusters.com before making a purchase from an unfamiliar website and company.


3. When purchasing items online avoid force seller tactics. If they canโ€™t wait, then tell them youโ€™re not buying. Whenever possible, use escrow. Escrow is a third party who holds the money until the item or service has been delivered to the buyer.


4. Avoid Western Union or similar forms of payment at all costs.


5. Most importantly, do your research.

Please visit the IFCC or view the annual report at http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/statistics.asp for more information about internet fraud.

James Junior is a freelance writer and web programmer for http://www.jccorner.com

What do you normally use as a login name or nickname when you register for an online service? Many people use a number or a keyword that is easy to remember and the easiest thing to remember is obviously your own name. However, your own name is the last thing you should use for any kind of login details and the same rule applies when you choose an e-mail address.

Why is it important for a spammer or phishing scammer to know your name? The main reason is authenticity. Let me explain with an example. If you have an account with PayPal and you receive an e-mail asking you to update your details, are you going to take the e-mail seriously if the e-mail starts with “Dear PayPal Customer“? Most people will say no, but what if your name is John Doe and the same e-mail starts with “Dear John Doe“? You can easily argue that anyone can send a PayPal look-alike e-mail starting with “Dear PayPal Customer“, but not everyone knows my name, so chances are good that the latter version are probably from PayPal. I won’t be too sure of that, especially if your e-mail address is john.doe@example.com. People often use a dot (.), a dash(-) or an underscore (_) as a separating character in their e-mail addresses and even a novice computer programmer will be able to extract the name and surname part from an e-mail address similar to the one given above

An e-mail starting with your name draws your attention immediately, so you tend to read more carefully and in most cases, the whole e-mail. Most people will respond immediately if they hear someone calling their name. The same basic principle applies to e-mails starting with your name, or containing your name in the subject line. This is why it is so popular among e-mail marketers to use your name in the subject line, you immediately want to see what the e-mail is about, because the person addressed you personally, like a friend or familiar person would do. Spammers use the same technique so that recipients open their e-mails and read what’s inside. They normally use the first part of your e-mail address as your name in the hope that it contains your real name.

What about jdoe@example.com or doej@example.com or jd@example.com? If everyone calls you John, then jdoe, doej or jd will have little effect on drawing your attention. If someone sends you an e-mail with a subject line reading “john.doe check this out” and another one sends you exactly the same e-mail, but changes the subject line to “jdoe check this out“, which one will draw your attention the most? The fist one off course and it will attract even more attention if the spamming software replaced the dot between your name and surname with a space, wouldn’t it?

Ok, so lets come back to the example of the PayPal phishing e-mail. People are less suspicious when their real names are mentioned in the e-mail, but you will always be able to spot a scam if you choose an e-mail address that is not related to your name, surname or any of the nicknames your friends and family normally use. In other words, when you see someone using the first part of your e-mail address in the subject line, instead of your real name, you can know for sure that the e-mail is the work of a spammer and if the sender used it in the body of the e-mail, then it is obvious that the sender doesn’t have a clue what your real name is. PayPal is supposed to know what your real name is, so if your e-mail address is jdoe@example.com, then they will never send you an e-mail starting with “Dear jdoe“, only spammers will.

What if my current e-mail address contains my name or surname? I know that it is a lot of work and a huge frustration to change from one e-mail address to another, a lot of people have to be informed and a lot of e-mail subscriptions have to be changed. If your current e-mail address contains your name or surname, consider changing it as soon as possible and rather choose a name that does not reveal any personal information. A telephone number written on a little piece of paper reveals nothing about the name or surname of the owner, your e-mail address should have the same effect on strangers.

About the Author
Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, leaders in Internet security, prevention of online fraud and raising awareness about online scams and malicious software.

Did you know…?

• 1 in 5 children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles.
• 89% of sexual solicitations were made in either chat rooms or Instant Messages.
• 13 million youth use Instant Messaging.
• 1 in 4 kids has been sent a picture of naked people or people having sex online.
• 1 in 33 kids received AGGRESSIVE sexual solicitation (asked to meet, called them via phone, sent mail, money or gifts).
• 25% of youth who received sexual solicitation told a parent.
• Nine out of 10 children aged between eight and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet. In most cases, the sex sites were accessed unintentionally when a child, often in the process of doing homework, used a seemingly innocent sounding word to search for information or pictures.
• Children are reported missing at the rate of 750,000 per year, 62,500 per month, 14,423, per week, 2,054 per day, and 85 per hour or 3 children every 2 minutes.
• 44 percent of children polled have visited x-rated sites or sites with sexual content. Moreover, 43 percent of children said they do not have rules about Internet use in their homes.
• 11/98 – 11-year-old Josh had been looking at graphic violent porn on the Internet for 20 minutes immediately before stabbing 8-year-old Maddie Clifton to death.
• 6/29/98 – 13-year-old (boy) was in the Phoenix Burton Barr Library viewing porn on the Internet. He followed a 4-year-old into the bathroom and asked the younger boy to give him oral sex.
• While 75% of parents say they know where children spend time online, the truth about kids’ Internet habits show 58% of teens say they have accessed an objectionable Web site: 39 % offensive music, 25% sexual content and 20% violence.
• 62% of parents of teenagers are unaware that their children have accessed objectionable Websites.
• 21/5/02 – was the first death of a child linked directly to an Internet Predator?

The Internet is a wonderful tool for communications, education or leisure. It is a library with an incredible 100 million books on every topic known, easily accessible for research and study . It gives you the ability to chat in real time to anyone, anywhere across the world. Its high speed electronic mail routes link up the entire world into a true global village. Its an exciting and essential resource for all our children – as essential as learning to read, write and do Math.

But there are some risks to our children when they are using the Internet, risks which parents need to be aware of. Internet technology is a tool. A tool can be used or abused.

For a long time now the biggest concern for parents about the Internet used to be pornography. Today there is an even greater fear, live chat rooms.

The live chat rooms are the main areas of the Internet where sexual predators cruise searching for vulnerable children.

Due to the relative degree of anonymity online predators are able to deceive children. They may lie about their age or gender. Online predators often establish intimate relationships with children under the pretense of being part of the child’s peer group. Since age identification is impossible, kids need to be careful when chatting online with who they think is part of their peer group. Children are curious and trusting. Unless they are well prepared for what can happen in live chat, they may innocently believe what they are told online by strangers.

Predators target children online who appear lonely, have low self-esteem, and lack parental supervision. It is not uncommon for a pedophile to become the online “confidant” of a lonely child, and they will often teach the child how to keep the online friendship a secret from their parents. Online, just as offline, it is the child who is left alone who is most at risk.

Children who have been seduced, lured or abused online in real-time chat generally have parents who are not Internet experienced.

So whats the solution for todays parents?

Top 10 Internet Safety Tips:

1. You need to educate yourself in the use of the computer and the Internet. Both pre-school and school children generally have more of a working knowledge about computers and the Internet than their Parents.

2. As with any other topic, you should openly and frequently talk with your children about the usage and expectations of the computer and the Internet usages.

3. Put the computer in a common room so it and the child activities can be easily observed.

4. Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. Are the services appropriate for your rules and your child’s age?

5. Tell your child to NEVER EVER give out identifying information such as: home address, school names, grade, age, telephone number, etc. With the information available on the Internet and a little time and effort, it is easy to locate information about a person.

6. Keep track of the amount of on-line time your child spends on-line, and what your child is doing while on the Internet.

7. Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without your permission and supervision. If your child has a special friend, have they received gifts, computer programs, phone calls or any other favours?

8. Never respond to messages or bulletins if they are from an unknown source. Do not reply to the remove me from list or similar message. This will confirm your email is a valid one.

9. If there is a problem or suspected problem with a Chat Room report it immediately. Try to obtain:

a) What is the name of the chat channel or chat room?

b) What is the nickname or screen name or the suspect?

c) Time and dates are very important.

d) If possible, save the chat or at least print a copy of the chat log or user list.

10. Use technology to help you protect your child. Internet Monitoring Software gives you the ability to review your child’s Internet usage. Even if you don’t look at each and every email or instant message they send, you’ll have a good idea if they are making smart choices online.

By following these steps and becoming an aware and informed parent you can help keep your child safe.

Profile: SavvyApps is a privately owned software company which specialises in leading Internet Monitoring & Surveillance Software Solutions for parents who want to monitor their child’s Internet usage.

If you would like to learn more about how Internet Monitoring Software can help you or would like some more ideas please use the link below:

Internet Monitoring & Surveillance Software