Categories:
UncategorizedStock markets are highly erratic markets. They can move up dramatically in a matter of hours or days or go depressingly low anytime. This is the reason why most investors and traders make huge money and fatten their bank accounts every time that they make real profitable trades. But on the other hand, even in thebest online trading site , they can be left with nothing due to unwise or failed decisions. For anyone who wants to try their fortune in stock markets, you need to be on the best online stock trading. This can open you to real money-spinning opportunities. However, the problem is when you don’t know what stocks to look for and how to wisely deal with your money and make your profits grow.
More often than not, beginners and inexperienced traders end up wasting cash instead of making their money grow. This is the reason why it is important to have a full understanding on how the market works and what moves should be made to make profitable buying and selling decisions. There are basically countless best online stock trading software out there that you can acquire. These can support and help you go about with your trades wisely and profitably. However, you need to choose the best online stock trading system that will help you the most and will meet your trading personality. A brilliant tip here is to test, test, and test.
Aside from getting good software, it is important too that you are armed with effective trading strategies. Your strategies must not slow you down as this can even worsen the scenario. Being slow when trading stocks can be dangerous as this is like you trading without knowing what to do in the first place. In conclusion, be sure that you have the best online trading site methods in order to make a huge difference in your results as a trader.
Categories:
ArticlesGetting into the stock market used to be the privilege of the wealthy, but thanks to many new options, even smaller investors can do well. The Internet is perhaps one of the best tools for anyone to use to start investing, but there are some serious considerations that should come into play before an investor hits the buy button.
While there are many great, reputable sites to buy stock online from, not all sites are the same. There are even some that aren’t worth the pixels on the page. With that said, potential investors should look for these things in sites before they buy stock online:
Reputation: This is perhaps one of the biggest considerations when looking at different sites to buy stock online through. To check the reputation of the company offering the purchase and sale services, look at consumer reports, visit investor bulletin boards and even seek out recommendations from friends.
A lot of the big-name stock trading companies now have their own online buying and sales sites. These are typically very good choices, but some of the smaller ones, too, can be worth a look. Just make sure a site used is one that’s known to have a good reputation for doing what it says it will. If you’re not sure, don’t invest.
Selection: Some sites that offer to buy and sell stocks online for clients don’t always offer the types of stocks a buyer might want. Check to see what markets a site has access to before deciding to use it. Some sites might cater to only foreign markets while others might offer access to both foreign and domestic.
Security: Since your financial information will be inputted into the site for buying and reaping sales benefits, it’s a good idea to make sure the site and your information are well protected. Do not give out personal information over connections that aren’t locked, secured and encrypted.
Fees: A lot of investors find that some sites charge more per transaction than others. When every penny counts, it’s a good idea to make sure the fees are within a range that’s deemed acceptable. The perk of buying online is that fees are less than those associated with dealing with a broker directly. If that’s not the case, a site might not be the best one out there.
Help: Good online investment sites offer clients access to assistance when it’s needed. If the sites you’re looking at don’t, they might be worth passing up even if the fees are reasonable. The fact is even the most knowledgeable investors sometimes need assistance. The sites should also offer access to help with technical issues to ensure that clients can use their services easily.
Deciding to buy stock online is one of the best ways for almost anyone to get involved in the market. Choosing the right site to invest through can take a little work. Research should absolutely be done before personal, financial information is given out over the Internet. While most trading sites are very reputable, there are some that are not.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesPoker is one of the most popular card games in the world. Although the game has been in existence for several years, it has received a recent revival in the form of Internet Poker. Even though many people know what poker is, they are reluctant to go ahead and try the online gambling version since most of them are unaware about its features.
Online poker is similar to the card game played at the casino. The only difference is that online poker saves you the time and money spent on traveling to the casino. Additionally, you don’t have to wait for other players to gather before you start the game. When people host game nights, it requires a lot of preparation such as arranging for snacks and other refreshments that the other players would need. In online poker, you can forget all these formalities and just concentrate on the game you are playing. The online poker game facilitates automatic dealing of cards, thus guaranteeing absolutely no mistakes from the dealer’s side.
To start with online poker, you might have to download the specific software from a gambling website. These sites also host virtual rooms where you can start playing the game without the software. Players, who are logged on to the site at that particular time, can start a game of their own, without any interference from the server.
Pros And Cons Of Online Poker
The Internet is the largest mode of communication, entertainment and information in today’s world. The advantage of playing online poker is that you do not have to wait around for people to join you for the game. There is no need to wait for a table and most of all, no need to tip the dealer. Another advantage of online poker is that you can play according to your budget since there are low stake games available for those who do not want to risk too much before they get a hang of the game. The experienced poker players can concentrate better from the comfort of their room than in the noisy interiors of a casino.
It is best for beginners to learn the tricks of the trade without losing huge amounts of cash. However, online poker can be disadvantageous if you proceed without the proper knowledge. You need to know the best places to play the game. Online gambling is not legally recognized. However, this also depends on which part of the world you are playing from. In the United States, there is no law that states that online gambling is illegal, but even so, there are no registered gambling sites. It is advised that the players check out the online gambling status of the site from reliable sources before venturing ahead to avoid any unpleasant situation.
Many people are wary of the Internet because of the scams that have come into being recently. Since placing bets and receiving the proceeds are all handled via the Internet, some people are reluctant to play. However, most of the poker websites are safe and make use of more or less the same kind of security devices and techniques that are used by online banks.
Tips To Play Online Poker
While you are trying your hand at an online poker game, there are certain tips to be kept in mind that will give you the extra nudge to improve your existing game style.
1. Confidence is the biggest key that helps you in taking the lead in a game of poker. You should never be afraid of committing to the pot. If you have a good hand, make sure that you place the bet at a good amount. There is always a possibility that when you place a large bet, there would be some players who would re-raise it. Do not hold back to call in such circumstances. Re-raising is practiced by many players just to scare the one who has raised the stakes. When you have a solid hand, committing to the pot should not be a problem. If you end up folding your hand in case of a re-raise in spite of having a good hand, then you are just giving away a huge amount of money, which you can win if you call.
2. Steer clear of underbetting the pot, as betting small amounts is going to attract more players to the table, which is exactly the situation you want to avoid. This is because; larger the number of players; there are more chances of you loosing the bet as the odds of someone else hitting good cards increases. This will result in you losing on any kind of win that could have been possible if you had kept the stakes high. It is necessary that you drive all other players away from the game except one. For devising a winning strategy, you need to know when to play tentatively and when to switch to a more aggressive mode.
3. The players should know how to handle a “draw” situation when faced with one. Keep in mind that if a situation demands that you draw, you would require one good card to make your hand superior. For instance, if you need one card to get your flush and if you get carried away and bet extremely high, then there is a chance that you could lose the hand completely. In case of a draw, you should either bet small or check properly. Go ahead with a large bet only if you are absolutely sure that your hand is unbeatable and the other players have nothing compared to your hand.
Dos And Don’ts Of Online Poker
To make certain that you learn through your experiences in online poker, one of the basic do’s is to constantly keep altering your style of playing. It is required that you do not appear predictable to other players because the game of poker is largely based on chance and guesswork. The guesswork is supplemented by certain observations and mathematical calculations, which result in the opposing players defeating you since they are able to figure out your game plan. It is important that you are constantly reinventing and practicing the game often enough to devise new methods and strategies to win.
Another important thing to do before you start off with the game is to ensure that the security measures of the site you are playing on are recognized or are VISA verified since you would be doing monetary transactions for betting and wins. Aside from that, players should also check the website details such as how many years has it been in operation, how many players are registered on it and what kind of reviews has it received so far. The number of players that are registered on a particular site illustrates the site’s popularity, which could mean a portal is trustworthy.
Usually before the signup, the site prompts the players to choose their payment options and in most cases, it is done via a bank account since the credit card options are much more risky in case the site turns out to be illegitimate.
Another thing you need to consider when playing online poker is that things can go wrong at times. There could be a network failure or another website issue. The best bet in such cases is to get in touch with the customer care people and get it resolved.
People who plan on cheating in an online poker game will find that most sites are quite resistant to fraud. Almost each online poker website has security measures that record every player’s move in every game.
Several websites list and rank Internet poker portals based on several factors such as usability, security, traffic and the prize money offered. Poker Online UK is one of the most popular sites as it displays bonus codes and links that would give the beginners a cash bonus on signing up. For players who want to play only low stake games a search of “low stakes poker online” or “poker games online low stakes” on the search engines, will give desired results.
Since the advent of Internet. The Internet has become the most popular medium for people to play bingo game and online casino game on the net. The game played in an online gaming or gambling sites (as it is also known) in United Kingdom is known as UK bingo. Playing from within the comfort of your own home is certainly more fun as compared to playing in crowded parlors and parties. Not only does the Internet enable you to play various exciting versions of bingo but also facilitates socializing across the cyber world. Online casino sites allow you to play internet casino or gambling on the net.
The sites are designed in such manner that you can download the software from the site to play games or you can play games online from the software that is installed there. The online casino sites offer many online gambling games like online bingo, keno, craps, blackjack, roulette, poker, and online slot. These are very popular games on the Internet and are played fro jackpot, bonus and cash rewards.
There many sites offering online gambling resources like article on strategies, tip, advice, rules, news reviews, and offers to keep you informed on latest updates in casino gambling in UK and elsewhere. There are various types of portals on Internet for to play casino online that offer free gaming or gambling, free game, cash bonus, rewards, jackpot, fortune and no deposit gaming. Many portals on gambling online offer list or directory of online casino sites and online casino halls.
Free gamble on Net is fun to pay, and you can win a fortune get cash rewards, bonus and a big jack pot. Free gaming is the best for betting on Internet. Learn about gambling strategy, rules from experts. Cyber chatting is an added attraction for online bingo players as it helps them meet new friends. It is truly an exhilarating feeling to hit the jackpot in an online bingo game and have someone interesting from the chat room congratulate you on a great game.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesIn today’s internet world, it is often difficult to know which online casinos offer the best in software, game choices and payouts if you don’t visit each one personally. However, there is a terrific site that can help you decide which casino offers what you are looking for. Online Casino Hero provides you with the best online casino information but you will also find articles and overviews for specific games, such as Online Blackjack.
For those of you that are interested in playing Online Blackjack, there are few things you need to consider. The first is to determine which online casino offers the best software for your online gambling. Another important aspect is that some casinos do not operate in certain countries. You will also need to keep that in mind when you are searching for a place to gamble online.
You’ll need to find out which casinos offer bonuses and how the bonuses work as far as payouts. While a bonus may seem like a terrific deal, many require you to win many, many times over before you can collect any of your winnings. Some only offer bonus winnings in the form of extra points that can be used to play specific games, tournaments or the casino promotional products.
Online Casino Hero can help you choose the right place to gamble on the internet. Here, you will also find tips and techniques to play online casino games such as Poker, Baccarat, Roulette, Craps and Blackjack. You will find the rules of each game and information on how to play. You can also learn a little bit about the history of each game and some tricks of the trade to help you win more often.
The online world of gambling is always changing. You will find a greater selection of games available now than even a year ago. Many of the games are quite complicated, while others, such as Online Blackjack, are much easier. Online Casino Hero helps break down the games so that even the novice player can understand the games.
The software information provided by Online Casino Hero can really be a great benefit as well. Since not all of the software is created the same, you’ll be able to read up on each of them to see which offers the most for your playing experience. You also find a listing of which casinos offer the best choices for winning if you are in the United States.
Many of the online casinos do not offer their services to residents of the United States. It definitely pays to make sure you will receive your winnings, should you be so lucky to win, no matter where you live. This terrific website also lists which casinos have Flash games and those which will require a download to play. This is really a great service for online gamblers, as many people do not like to download the casino software on their computers. You can also begin playing immediately and sometimes for free at the casinos that offer the Flash games.
No matter if you want to play Online Blackjack, Poker, Slots, or Keno, Online Casino Hero has the information you need to find the right casino that suits you. There is an fantastic assortment of information on this site and you will quickly see how beneficial it can be.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesMost of the information that you read will be focused on marketing appropriately whether using Ad words to offline classified ads or building your email list. Because building a list provides you with organizations and companies that you would not have thought of as revenue for your exact situation. By developing such a list of the members of a target universe, by holding a Medicaid luncheon, by “dripping” on referral sources and by building a senior source guide booklet, a lawyer may well be identified as the pre-eminent source of information on senior affairs in general, and elder law in particular, simply visit to www.build-huge-list.com .In his region. By allowing site visitors to sign up for your nonprofit email newsletter list, you’re building a database of people who are specifically interested in your organization and its well being.
This is a not as much of effective means of building your mailing list but it still works. On the other hand, building an opt-in list is a perfectly acceptable and highly successful method that will keep you from being labeled bad business. Here are ten ways that you can start building or increasing your list today.
The list building online marketing business opportunity is the best in my opinion because of the enormous leverage and marketing power that you can create. Start building your list of responsive peeps from the beginning. The most successful online entrepreneurs concentrate hardest on building as huge an Opt-in list as they can handle in order to get the consumer’s attention and sustained interest. Building a successful opt-in list doesn’t happen in a moment.
Refer back to the issue on keyword list building for keyword avenues you can explore. You can easily incorporate into your online strategies building an email list, developing relationships, responding quickly to a crisis and cutting campaign costs. To know more logon to www.build-own-list.com .There are numerous free list-building programs that offer ways you can build your list. Find one or two in the areas of Internet Marketing you need help with: SEO, Mini Sites, Affiliate Marketing, List Building, Google Adsense/Adwords, Copy Writing, etc.
Building a media list of local newspapers, trade journals, magazines, web sites, radio and television shows. Here area few ideas for building your mailing list: add all of your customers, offer a free newsletter, offer drawings for free products, do reverse phone number searches on prospects to find their address. Start building your list of responsive peeps from the beginning. None of us know what’s going to be on that equipment list, so get the CCNA and CCNP first – by building your own Cisco home lab. So list building is not just about “recruiting” (although that is certainly very important), but it’s about “retaining” also.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesWhen it comes to selling our electronics online there is no need to go haring off like a Gazelle to a site, just because it´s the first one you have heard of – there are now many alternatives online and if you are not careful you miss out on some great opportunities. Sites such as Gazelle offer some great advice, and possibly a good service in some areas, but what Gazelle lacks is what seems to be the way forward – dedicated sites for specific gadgets, gizmos and electronics.
Gazelle are a general electronics buyer, not a specific electronics buyer, this means if you want top prices paid when you sell your electronics Gazelle may not be the first and best choice, and it may be worth doing a little homework to find a site that specializes in whatever you are selling, whether it be a cell phone, iPhone, or laptop – Gazelle will give you a reasonable price for this, a dedicated site will give you a great price. Consider this fact alone before you sell or trade online and you can benefit greatly.
Ok, so we know Gazelle are well established online, and they have a fancy looking blog with Gazelle splashed all over it, but what we don´t find so often is a positive review, or a general review about Gazelle – trying to find one of these through search engines is not an easy task. For me this says Gazelle offer a standard service, where as other sites I have seen video testimonials which knock spots off of written testimonials by Joe Bloggs, so for sure Gazelle offer a service, but with seeing video testimonials I am driven to these other sites first and foremost leaving Gazelle in the background, and time and time again this proves to be the better option.
When looking over some sites to sell my electronics one thing I always look for is the layout, use and navigation of the site – Gazelle seem to have some things tucked away that make using their site not as easy as I would like, for instance, you can view Gazelle´s privacy policy and contact Gazelle if you have great eye sight and can see the very light colored links at the bottom of the page – for me this says that they would rather you didn´t see these things, and immediately I question the service I would receive from a company like Gazelle that try to avoid some points of the trade.
To summarize, I am not telling you to never trade with a site like Gazelle, I am merely telling you that dedicated sites can prove extremely beneficial and a better option than Gazelle, for instance check out www.cash4laptops.com, see their layout, the friendly usability of the site, and the ease of navigation – to me this shows dedication and quality which are two things we must have when we trade online. At the end of the day it is your choice, go with Gazelle and see what happens, or choose a dedicated site and know what to expect.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesBY.- www.ChatHotStocks.com
It’s no secret that online trading can be a very lucrative, yet highly competitive field, and the truth is that the stock market doesn’t care if you are an experienced or a beginner trader.
The rules and the opportunities are the same for everyone, so either you are going to make money when you pick a stock and make a trade or you are simply going to lose it in favor of the more seasoned ones.
As a stock trader your homework is all about studying and testing different market strategies that can help you take advantage of stocks while at the same time protect your gains.
Just always keep in mind that a good strategy is simple and practical. Complicated stock systems will always make you slow in your decision making process or confuse you from the start.
A trader must always read as much as he can. There is simply no other way to prepare one self for this difficult yet incredibly rewarding activity, but to read and put into practice as much ideas as you can, at least by paper trading first.
The are a lot of books on the subject that pretend to help you, however many of them where written 6 or 8 years ago and that kind of makes them obsolete in this constantly changing field.
Fortunately there are some practical stock trading sites on the web where you can access proven trading strategies that are easy to implement. One of those sites is ChatHotStocks.com
They focus on stock trading methodologies that can help you identify and take advantage of certain stocks with momentum, while limiting your risk.
Visit them today and improve your stock trading potential in 2009.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesNow you can shop till you drop online and never once have to take out your wallet to pay for what you acquire. On the flip-side, you can now clean out your garage and rid yourself of all the clutter that you no longer have a use for, in exchange for things that you and your family can actually use and enjoy. This is because new online garage sale sites are now the latest places where people are giving and getting the best deals that can be had for online buyers and sellers.
Keep Your Wallet in your Pocket or Purse
Its such a simple and pure concept that it is truly amazing that they took so long to appear and flourish the way that they have. Simply put, a buyer or seller barters with another buyer or seller until they come to some agreement on what they are buying or selling. So, for instance, if you have moved from the ocean to the mountains, you can trade your old diving gear for mountaineering equipment and never have to spend a dime.
Online Bartering is Addictive but thats OK
So how good are your bartering skills? These sites are a great place to test them and the beauty of it is that you can start out with smaller items that you have and slowly work your way up to “larger game” as you progress. Watch out though, because it can become addicting but unlike standard online auction sites such as Ebay, you can wallow in your addiction for years and it won’t cost you a dime.
Check Out Your Friends Garage
So you don’t have a garage full of unused items of value? Thats no problem, because for sure one of your friends has something that they no longer need. If they allow you to handle it, both of you can have a great time searching around for something that you both can use, so everyone benefits.
The Ancient System of Bartering
Bartering is the original economic system that ancient cultures and societies used before the advent of money. There is an element of purity that it containes that you can discover and feel for yourself at these new online garage sales. Also, you will be amazed at the variety and quality of the goods and services that are “up for grabs” at these refreshingly new online garage sales.
http://www.google.com
Categories:
ArticlesThe 2008 IC3 report on cyber crime is just out, and the news is not good: cyber crime is up again. This, of course, is hardly surprising seeing as the cyber criminal is getting smarter, and more numerous, by the day; while law enforcement continues to play catch-up.
What is a little surprising, however, is that Internet Auction Fraud—which was the most reported online crime for the last two years—no longer heads the pack, though at 25.5% of all reports, it runs a close second; instead, the most reported online crime for 2008 is Non-Delivery of Merchandise and/or Payment, which comprises 32.9% of all reported instances of internet fraud.
The IC3
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) began operating on May 8, of 2000, as the Internet Fraud Complaint Center—a partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—to serve as a vehicle to receive, process, and refer cyber crime complaints.
IC3 was intended for and continues to serve the broader law enforcement community, including federal, state, and local agencies, and since its inception, IC3 has received complaints running the full gamut of cyber crimes, including online fraud (in its many forms), intellectual property rights matters, computer intrusions (hacking), economic espionage (theft of trade secrets), child pornography, international money laundering, identity theft, and a growing list of additional cyber crimes.
The 2008 Internet Crime Report is its eighth edition.
The Numbers
From January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008, IC3 received 275,284 online complaints. This is a (33.1%) increase over 2007, which saw 206,884 online complaints.
Of all complaints received, IC3 referred 72,940 of them to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies around the country for further consideration. The vast majority of these cases was of a fraudulent nature and involved a financial loss on the part of the complainant.
The total reported dollar loss from all referred cases of fraud was $264.6 million with a median dollar loss of $931.00 per complaint. This is up from $239.1 million in total reported losses in 2007. Other significant findings related to an analysis of referrals include:
Non-Delivery
Non-delivered merchandise and/or payment was, by far, the most reported offense, comprising 32.9% of referred complaints—this is a 32.1% increase from the 2007 levels of non-delivery of merchandise and/or payment reported to IC3.
Internet Auction Fraud and Other Scams
Internet auction fraud accounted for 25.5% of referred complaints. Credit/debit card fraud made up 9.0% of referred complaints. Confidence fraud, computer fraud, check fraud, and Nigerian letter fraud round out the top seven categories of complaints referred to law enforcement during the year.
Access Method
E-mail (74.0%) and WebPages (28.9%) were the two primary channels over which the fraudulent contact took place.
Fighting Back
According to the IC3, the best way to guard against Internet facilitated scams is to stay informed. Keeping informed of the latest scams on the Internet may enable Internet users to recognize and report these scams instead of losing money or their identity information in one of them. To learn about the latest scams, we recommend periodically checking the IC3, FBI, and the FTC websites for the latest updates.
Additionally, the IC3 and its partners have launched a public website, www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com, which briefs the consumer about various consumer alerts, tips, and fraud trends.
Fighting Non-Delivery
The IC3 makes specific recommendation about fighting non-delivery of merchandise or payments:
• Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source. As with auction fraud, check the reputation of the seller whenever possible, including the Better Business Bureau.
• Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number. Also, call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
• Send them an e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address. Be cautious of sellers who use free e-mail services where a credit card was not required to open the account.
• Investigate other websites regarding this person/company. Do not judge a person/company by their fancy website; thoroughly check the person/company out.
• Be cautious when responding to special offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
• Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country. Remember the laws of different countries might pose issues if a problem arises with your transaction.
• Inquire about returns and warranties on all items.
• The safest way to purchase items via the Internet is by credit card because you can often dispute the charges if something is wrong. Also, consider utilizing an escrow or alternate payment service after conducting thorough research on the escrow service.
• Make sure the website is secure when you electronically send your credit card numbers.
Fighting Internet Auction Fraud
The IC3 also makes specific recommendations on how to battle Internet Auction Fraud:
• Understand as much as possible about how Internet auctions work, what your obligations are as a buyer, and what the seller’s obligations are before you bid.
• Find out what actions the website takes if a problem occurs and consider insuring the transaction and shipment.
• Learn as much as possible about the seller, especially if the only information you have is an e-mail address. If it is a business, check the Better Business Bureau where the seller/business is located.
• Examine the feedback on the seller and use common sense. If the seller has a history of negative feedback then do not deal with that particular seller.
• Determine what method of payment the seller is asking for and where he/she is asking to send payment. Use caution when the mailing address is a post office box number.
• Be aware of the difference in laws governing auctions between the U.S. and other countries. If a problem occurs with the auction transaction that has the seller in one country and a buyer in another, it might result in a dubious outcome leaving you empty handed.
• Be sure to ask the seller about when delivery can be expected and warranty/exchange information for merchandise that you might want to return.
• To avoid unexpected costs, find out if shipping and delivery are included in the auction price or are additional.
• Finally, avoid giving out your social security number or driver’s license number to the seller, as the sellers have no need for this information.
Steps To Take If Victimized:
1. File a complaint with the online auction company. In order to be considered for eBay’s Fraud Protection Program, you should submit an online Fraud Complaint within 90 days after the listing end-date.
2. File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
3. Contact law enforcement officials at the local and state level (your local and state police departments).
4. Also, contact law enforcement officials in the perpetrator’s town & state.
5. File a complaint with the shipper: USPS, UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.
6. File a complaint with the National Fraud Information Center.
7. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
A Closer Look at Non-Delivery
Doing the non-delivery math paints an unpleasant picture:
Since Non-Delivery constitutes 32.9% of the 275,284 reported cyber crimes in 2008, this means we saw 90,568 reported non-delivery cases. Now, since according to the National White Collar Crime Center’s August 2005 report, The National Public Survey on White Collar Crime, only one cyber crime in seven is actually reported to police or a regulatory agency, we will have to multiply this number by seven to get an accurate count of perpetrated non-delivery crimes for 2008, which ends us up with 633,976.
This in turn means that 1,736 such crimes occur every day, or 72 ever hour, 24/7.
Or, to put it in another light, here in the United States, every minute of ever day (24/7), a product is fraudulently sold (and gullibly purchased and paid for) online.
Not a laughing matter.
Fraudulent Online Escrow Protection
One of the IC3’s key recommendations is to consider utilizing an escrow or alternate payment service after conducting thorough research on the escrow service.
However, please take careful notice of the line “after conducting thorough research on the escrow service.” Why did the IC3 include that warning?
It is because fraudulent online-escrow protection has proven to be a very profitable online fraudulent activity, masquerading as it does as protection, while only intending theft.
It is nothing short of escrow wolves in sheep’s clothing. For this is the world of praying on the innocent and unsuspecting; of perpetrating fraud in the guise of help.
This is the world where the weary online buyer—well informed perhaps about online auction frauds and false promises—to safeguard his money turns to an online escrow service to make sure that he receives and approves the merchandise before his funds are released to the seller.
He Googles “Online Escrow” and is met with a host of sites, one seeming more legitimate than the next. He reads the “about us” carefully, and as much of the fine print as he has time or mind to absorb. Finally settles on one: Integrity Escrow.
He establishes an account, and his email is verified by the site, over a secure https link. So far so good. Seeing the https and the little security symbol in his browser makes him feel warm and fuzzy.
He then provides the details of the transaction, and, as a final step, deposits the purchase amount—in this case $3,500—in his newly established escrow account.
And that, as the saying goes, was the last he saw of that money.
How do they do it?
Impersonating the Solution
Turns out Integrity Escrow was nothing but a slick impersonation of a bona fide escrow company, established—normally in China, Russia, or the former Eastern EU—for the sole purpose of stealing your money while pretending to do the exact opposite, i.e., preventing theft.
Unfortunately, online escrow fraud is escalating, due to factors such as:
• Online identity/credit-card theft
• The Anonymity of the Internet
• A lamentable lack of public awareness about fraudulent escrow sites
• Web hosting companies that allow fraudulent escrow sites to be created with stolen credit cards, and then allow them to remain on their service even after they have been reported.
To this, add an increasing number of tech savvy criminals with zero concern for their fellow man.
Luckily—for those who’s job it is to track the fraudulent online escrow sites down—those who set then up fraudulent are, as a rule, lazy people, who wouldn’t (probably couldn’t) create original copy if their lives depended on it. No, too much work.
Lazy people normally resort to templates, made to order scam sites (which abound as well) where they go to download a respectable site. As for trust-inducing copy, few sites are better than bona fide online escrows, which is where they go for the words.
Safeguard Your Money
How can, you, the average Internet user protect yourself against online escrow fraud?
Firstly, it is important that you (as recommended by the IC3) research these sites before ever sending money or merchandise. First, do a WHOIS search on the domain. This will show you how long the site has been up, where it is being hosted, how many times the site has been taken down. These are clues. If it smells fishy at all to you, go elsewhere.
It is your money. Handing it over to a cyber criminal probably has not yet made it onto your top-ten list of what to do with it.
There are many great deals online. There are many great auction houses online. There are bona fide online escrow sites, but nowhere near as many as there are fraudulent ones.
So do all the online research you can. When you have found a site that seems legitimate, you should take one of several additional steps:
• Firstly, while fraudulent sites can buy the necessary certificate to make it a secure site, they seldom do;
• Secondly, you can check at escrow-fraud.com to see if the site you have decided on is listed as a fraudulent site by them; they also maintain a list of bona fide sites;
• Thirdly, you can call the site’s customer service department to make sure they are based in the United States. If you have any doubts about that, ask them to call you back, and check the caller ID—if it is an international call, beware. Also, if the site does not have a customer service department, again, beware;
• Once you know that you’re talking to a U.S. based service department, ask any questions you can think of to ensure they are legitimate, such as which bank are they using for their escrow accounts, and who is their main contact at that bank (whom you can then call to verify that this online escrow company does in deed have an escrow account there);
• If the answer is a well-known American bank, and if the customer service rep can supply contact information at the bank, you are 99% there. Then, if you want to reach 100%, make that final call to the bank to rule out any vestige of doubt.
Now you have found an online escrow company you can trust; register with them and enjoy your purchase.
Escrow.com
To make your life a little easier: there is an online escrow company with the credentials to put your mind at ease.
Licensed by the state of California—as well as by the States of Idaho and Arizona, who require separate licenses—Escrow.com is the only on-line escrow company credentialed to serve every state of the Union, and who indeed does so 24/7.
While Escrow.com will handle transactions of any size, it may not make financial sense to turn to them for low cost items since their transaction fee is $25, and their commission is $63 per $1,000 value of the transaction if payment is by credit card and $32.50 per $1,000 for wire transfers.
But, if you value your sleep, Escrow.com would be indispensible for any transaction of $250 on up.
While Escrow.com is gaining increasing recognition as the Internet escrow company to turn to for peace of e-commerce mind, their staff, on a daily basis, also hunt and diligently work to shut down fraudulent impostors, which are encountered daily.
And they spring up like mushrooms, these impostors: there are days that Escrow.com staff discovers as many as ten new such sites.
The good news is that as these sites are tracked down, authorities are alerted and the sites are soon off the air.
eBay Weighs In
To quote the biggest online auction site of them all, eBay: “Pay safely – beware of fake escrow services when you consider using them to pay for your eBay item.
“For eBay transactions, you should use eBay’s only approved Escrow Company: www.escrow.com.”
Escrow.com—A Soon-To-Be Household Name
As Escrow.com gains further and further recognition on its way to become a household name, it gets harder and harder for impostors to defraud the public for the excellent reason that they are not Escrow.com—the only name you know you can trust.
Here’s to peace of mind and a good night’s sleep.
http://www.google.com








