Surf The Net, Walk Dangerously
Don’t you know that while you’re surfing the Net, you’re like walking dangerously? Dangers abound — avoid these menaces by getting yourself familiar with them. Get yourself aware with these landmines that litter the internet.
Are you new on the internet? You will get invitations as fast as you can say yes. You’re surely come across pop-up advertisements or e-mail messages inviting you to join a program and you will receive rewards or will make you rich.
I believe that there is really this dark side of cyberspace. And the American watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission has warned and has listed these scams that are most likely to arrive in your e-mail inbox.
Here are some of them:
- Bulk E-Mails. This is considered spamming. Internet service providers prohibit their users to send bulk e-mails. This scam will send you e-mail offering from a list of e-mail addresses. This is by the millions, where you can send your own bulk solicitations. With the promise of scammers that this will make you rich. And they will offer you the service of sending bulk e-mail solicitations on your behalf. Or software will be offered to you that will automate the sending of e-mail to hundreds or even millions of recipients.
- Business Opportunities. This is an illegal pyramid scheme. Scammers will entice you to start a business without investing on it, without much work and promises lots of income. That you’ll receive cash without selling anything and someone will do it for you.
- Chain Letters. Don’t believe it. Chain letters are only chain letters, there are no valuable in them. You’ll be ask a small amount of money, let’s say $5, to each names on a list, replace one of the names on the list with your own. Then you will be instructed to send the revised e-mail via bulk.
- Work-At-Home Schemes. You’ll pay a small fee to get started. A promise of income while you stuff envelopes at home. But you will be offered to buy supplies or even equipment. Spammers promise to buy those later, but never will.
- Health And Diet Scams. These are pure gimmicks. Scammers will brag about their herbal formulas and pills. About cures for hair loss and impotence. Believe me, this will never ever work.
- Effortless Income. This is what they call, get-rich-quick schemes. This will give you promises of unlimited profits or income. Newsletters with a variety of easy-money opportunities, exchanging money on world markets. The perfect sales letter — the secret to making $4 million in one day! Hahaha.
- Free Goods. Another form of pyramid schemes. The scammers will get all the money — little or none at all goes to people who pay to participate. You’ll receive e-mail messages offering valuable goods, such as computers, phone cards or electronic items. You’ll be asked to pay a fee to join a club and you have to bring in a certain number of participants.
- Vacation Prize Promos. An electronic certificate will be received, congratulating you on winning a grand vacation for a very attractive price. Believe me, the cruise ship you will be book on may look like a tugboat. Huh!
Don’t allow yourself to be a victim of these landmines that litters the internet.
The Danger of Plastics
It is with regret that some companies or stores still use plastics to sell or promote their products and services. Manufacturers use plastic in packaging since manufacture of plastics is cheaper than making paper and ceramics, thus increase their profit. This is clear detrimental to the safety and health of their customers. And this is purely trading safety for convenience.
This Christmas Season, let me share something that is truly helpful and healthful to you and your love ones especially your children:
- Avoid microwaving in plastic containers. When heating your food this Christmas, use ceramic or glass. When plastic is used, heat release chemicals into food.
- Store you food in ceramic containers. Metal canisters made for cold and hot food, brown paper bags and waxed paper may be used as alternatives too.
- Avoid cling-wraps. Use paper instead. Most cling-wraps used by grocery stores contain high level of PVC or polyvinyl chloride.
- If you can’t avoid plastics, limit your exposure to it. If you buy food in plastic, transfer it into a friendly container once you get home.
- Look for PVC-free brands of plastics. Plastic containers come with label, those triangles with numbers inside and found at the bottom. Avoid numbers 3, 6 and 7. The safest are 1, 2 and 5. These are the type of plastics used in soda and water bottles.
This Christmas season, enjoy the holidays by not adding to the sky high profits of these companies that don’t care about the welfare and safety their valued customers.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
BIOMETRICS: Highest Security for your Business
Companies of today use the state-of-the-art technology or computer systems that identify and verify authorized personnel to access their facilities. This system is called biometrics.
Here at Meeks Management, Inc., we employ biometrics to give authorized personnel access to our facilities or data centers. Information are kept in confidential and in high-performance and high-speed computers.
This advancement in biometric technology that we use is the same as the ones used by banks to prevent unauthorized access to or fraudulent use of automated teller machines. It can be used during transactions conducted via Internet and telephone (e-banking and e-commerce). This is the same technology used in mobile phones, smart cards. We use biometrics on our desktop personal computers, workstations and computer networks.
There are various types of biometric techniques for real-time identification and verification that you can use. The most popular are the face recognition and fingerprint matching system. In addition, there are other systems that use retinal scan and iris, facial recognition, hand geometry and speech.
So, why not say goodbye to the primitive and the traditional methods of identification, the use of passwords and Personal Identification Number (PIN). Here are my reasons using biometrics system in our workplace:
- Point-of-verification. On our time-clock and work stations, the person authorized to access the facility is required to be physically present.
- Biometrics avoids the need to remember a password or carry a token. This token-based method of identification, such as driver’s licenses or passport may be forged, stolen or lost.
In this information age and increased use of computers, we need to restrict access to sensitive data, company secrets, financial information and other data confidential and important to our line of business. This biometric system is either a verification system or an identification system. I suggest that in designing the system, it is important to know where, when and how you will use this system that counts.
The road less traveled
I chose banking as my career. I rose from the ranks and have achieved senior position in a banking institution. Still, did I choose to stay long? What is the significance that I built my career around a theme that is fast disappearing today — bank.
Alfred Meeks, a professional, an achiever and a banker, and in his time — it was the road most traveled.
My father, my mentor, a traveler who passed a road only few others negotiated successfully. And stand after all that arduous struggle.
I progressed on the back of this fine man through my whole history of banking career. Proud in what he has accomplished and satisfied in what he has helped to build. The man who demonstrated hard work, excellence, a strong will to succeed and the stamina to see the whole thing through to take the road less traveled. It is because of him that I did not grow and prosper accidentally as a banker.
My career and my future achievements shall be measured against the high standard that my father has set as a banker. It reflects on the discipline and intelligence needed to perform well. Find within him the qualities and example as both inspiration and challenge.
With the values that enabled success that gets transmitted from one generation — my father, to the next — to me, through his achievement and journey. I am looking to life outside this journey. This is my choice, I am so sorry Dad… to follow your journey… the road less traveled.
For any comments or suggestions, please visit my site. Thank you.
Beware and Be Aware! The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a victim too?
The Federal Trade Commission is the nation’s consumer protection agency. The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection works for the Consumer to prevent fraud, deception, and unfair business practices in the marketplace. It provides information that help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. The Bureau:
- Enhances consumer confidence by enforcing federal laws that protect consumers
- Empowers consumers with free information to help them exercise their rights and spot and avoid fraud and deception
- Wants to hear from consumers who want to get information or file a complaint about fraud or identity theft
What alarms me is a recent news item that I have read, that the supposed protector of consumers that is the Federal Trade Commission, is now the victim itself. The news is all about Bogus E-Mail that claims to be from Federal Trade Commission and supposedly sent by FTC but actually sent by third parties hoping to install spyware on computers. The targets of this bogus e-mail are the consumers, including corporate and banking executives. It is supposed to be an acknowledgment of a complaint and includes an attachment. And when the unsuspecting consumer opens this attachment, it downloads the malicious spyware onto their computer.
Aside from learning the basics about protecting your personal information to avoid identity theft and consumer fraud as well, here are the tips on how to avoid spyware:
- Run an antispyware application
- Don’t install anything without knowing exactly what it is
- Be aware of Web bugs. These are spies that are activated when you open contaminated HTML e-mail
- Make sure your browser settings are enough to protect you and your computer
- Keep up-to-date on the ever-changing world of spyware
I suggest that to avoid online scams you should practice online safety. Please be informed of the things that the Federal Trade Commission can’t help you personally. Be aware and beware.
Federal Trade Commission Help! Good luck!
