Just Getting Started in the Virtual World

What if now they're ready and they ask your advice? And, by the way, they have no real cash to spend...

Here's a list of my top ten things to consider doing:

• Use gmail to give every person in the organization that can read English an email address.
• Use a free website creating tool or even Squidoo to build a page about your company.
• Nothing fancy, but list your locations, your people (with addresses) and make it clear you want to hear from people.
• Start an email newsletter using Mad Mimi or Mail Chimp. Give the responsibility for the newsletter's creation and performance to one person and offer them a bonus if they exceed metrics in sign ups and in reducing churn.
• Start a book group for your top executives and every person who answers the phone, designs a product or interacts with customers. Read a great online media book a week and discuss. It'll take you about a year to catch up.
• Offer a small bonus to anyone in the company who starts and runs a blog on any topic. Have them link to your company site, with an explanation that while they work there, they don't speak for you.
• Have the president post her (real) email address in every invoice and other communication the company sends out, asking people to write to her with comments or questions.
• Start a newsletter for your vendors. Email them regular updates about what you're doing, what's selling and what problems are going on internally that they might be able to help you with.
• Do not approve any project that isn't run on Basecamp.
• Get a white board and put it in the break room. On it, have someone update: how many people subscribe to the newsletter, how many people visit the website, how many inbound requests come in by phone, how long it takes customer service to answer an email and how often your brand names are showing up on Twitter every day.
• Don't have any meetings about your web strategy. Just do stuff. First you have to fail, then you can improve.
• Refuse to cede the work to consultants. You don't outsource your drill press or your bookkeeping or your product design. If you're going to catch up, you must (all of you) get good at this, and you only accomplish that by doing it.

So, what are you waiting for now? Go to it!

Identity Scams on Job Search Sites: Protect yourself

1. Never share your bank account information (with anyone)
Legitimate employers don't need to access your bank account until you become an employee. They are more interested in getting the right candidate. If you are asked for bank account details as part of the application process, it's a warning sign that this "employer" is up to no good.
2. Never share your Social Security number (with anyone)
Legitimate employers will ask for your Social Security number only when they have made a considered selection and are serious about making a job offer (e.g., after they've interviewed you).

They can conduct a background check after they have made, and you have accepted, their offer. Also, they do not need your Social Security number, for tax purposes or any other reasons. Identity thieves will be very persuasive and will try different ways to ask for your Social Security number up front. Don't give your SS number to anyone.

3. Never agree to a background check online
Until you have proof that you are a bone fide candidate for a bone fide position, it's not necessary for an employer to do a background check, the only exception may be the government but they will be very sympathetic to your requests to prove their legitimacy.

In fact, given the high level of responses from every job ad posted, the average HR department has neither the time, the funds nor the resources to do 'background checks' on all candidates.

4. Research potential employers (always)
If you're unsure whether a potential employer you've found on a job search site is legitimate, it is very easy to check them out. Find out whether the business has a physical address and check with the local town hall, mayor's office, directory of companies or even the telephone guides.

All companies and organisations have customers, support services and suppliers. Ask who they are? A scammer will get very defensive but a 'real' company can see this as a candidate showing interest in their organisation. Even if they don't know there and then, they will be able to give you a better 'sense' of the company.

5. Consider sharing less information on your resume.
Many people include their phone numbers and mailing addresses on their resumes, and indeed, employers like to know job applicants' area codes and Zip /Post codes because they sometimes screen candidates based on that information.

So, if your wary of identity theft, you should only include one e-mail address, during the initial stages with prospective employers. The e-mail address that you use should be a clean and unique e-mail address, created only for your job search. Keep your personal e-mail accounts and social networking sites /usernames, private.

6. Opt out.
When you sign up for e-mail newsletters and offers from legitimate businesses, opt out of receiving offers from their third-party business partners. It will definitely cut down on the amount of spam e-mail you receive and substantially decrease the chances of your personal information ending up on the scammers black market.

There are no signs of these job search scams abating, but as the holiday season approaches, identity thieves are likely to shift their tactics to target online bargain shoppers. The more adventurous will run parallel activities, of course.

Be assured, if the criminals concentrate on Xmas shoppers for the season, they will bounce back to job search sites as soon as the shops close. As long as job seekers are so willing to share personal information, identity thieves will be be there to take it.

Identity Theft and Job Search Scams

In difficult days like these, ones filled with higher unemployment rates and desperate people, new to the job hunting market, it is easy to see how the ever watchful and predatorial scavengers that are the Identity scammers can easily proliferate and prosper.

Their net area increases exponentially and at the same time the virtual mesh size decreases, and the bate varies, just so they can catch the little guys too. In this case we are talking of job search scams. The posting of fake jobs or sending out fake enquiries from non-existent recruitment companies, all in an effort to make you part with your identity details.

1. Phishing Scams - Job Candidates
Currently, two types of job search scams are most common. One is a phishing scam, where identity theft perpetrators e-mail would-be victims to tell them about potential jobs and opportunities to make extra money. The e-mails direct recipients to credible websites that the identity thieves have created specifically to gather personal information. The overall appearance is contrived to make it look like a genuine job site where you would be willing to submit your genuine job application info.

These fake applications request all the information job seekers would expect to provide, such as their name, address and phone number, but in addition, they also ask for information that you would not expect to provide. Certainly not so early in the process. Beware of sites that make unusual requests and ask for Social Security numbers, permission to conduct a background check and /or bank account information.

They may tell you they need your bank account information so they can make sure your salary can be direct deposited. Some may even sweeten the request by saying that they'll place money in your account and then remove it just to make sure it works. Do not allow this. No professional company will do this. It is simply step one (1) in a trick to fool you and the bank into giving the criminals access to your bank account.

Step two (2) is to empty your bank accounts and Step three (3) is to sell your details to other scammers and criminals. Step four (4) is yours and it's the biggest and most difficult one of all, trying to convince your bank, your family and your creditors that you lost all your money by trusting someone you did not know, had never met and had not even spoken to.

Oh yes, and it goes without saying that you never will receive any information about jobs, because it is not what these people do, it is simply what they say they do.

Identity thieves buy e-mail addresses from legitimate businesses who don't care if they are selling people's information to the Internet black market. It's a bit extra cash for them. So don't expect them to protect you, that's your priority.

2. Phishing Scams - Fake Employers
In the second scam, identity thieves pose as genuine employers on legitimate job search sites. They post a generic job that would appeal to a large number of people (phishing with a wide net, small mesh), and in the course of talking to applicants (online or via phone), they carefully ask for more and more personal information.

They are professional con people (men and women). So they will take it slowly, and spend time 'romancing' you. So as not to spook you, they will sound as credible and plausable as a 'real' employer would but probably more positive about offering you a position, just to draw you further in.

Despite the efforts of the owners, there are identity thieves on all valid and existing job search websites who are posing as employers.

Remember that, in these cases, there is no job to be lost. There is no career path to join. There is only the long road to the Police station to report the loss of your money. Be cautious, question any 'strange' requests and above all good luck with the job hunting.

Facebook Password reset scam is Bredolab botnet attack

Virus hunters are raising the alarm for a large-scale spam attack that uses fake Facebook password-reset messages to trick PC users into downloading a dangerous piece of malware.

The malicious executable is linked to the Bredolab botnet, which has been linked to massive spam runs and identity-theft related attacks.

According to Websense, the address of the sender is spoofed to display “support@facebook.com,” a trick commonly used to trick targets into believing it’s a legitimate e-mail from the popular social network.

The messages contain a .zip file attachment with an .exe file that connects to two servers to download additional malicious files and joins the Bredolab botnet which means the attackers have full control of the PC, such as steal customer information, send spam emails. One of the servers is in the Netherlands and the other one in Kazakhstan.

Caution! Rise in Scareware Tactics - Rough Security software

Rogue security software, also dubbed scareware, is an "ongoing threat" that is impacting largely users from English-speaking markets, according to findings from a year-long study by Symantec.

Released Tuesday, Symantec's report on rogue security software noted that 250 rogue security programs launched some 43 million attempts to prompt user installation between July 2008 and June 2009.

Read also: Fake 'Conflicker.B Infection Alert' spam campaign drops scareware

Further analysis on the top 50 most reported scareware was carried out between July and August this year, during which Symantec found that 38 of the programs had been detected prior to Jul. 1, 2008.

"The continued prevalence of these programs emphasizes the ongoing threat they pose to potential victims, despite efforts to shut them down and raise public awareness," the security vendor said in the report.

The five most commonly reported rogue security applications during the study were SpywareGuard 2008, AntiVirus 2008, AntiVirus 2009, Spyware Secure and XP AntiVirus.

For more info read ZDNet Asia Security Blog.........

Avoiding Identity Theft: What to be aware of

Look out! Look out! There's a thief about! You would be amazed how little information a criminal needs to steal your identity.

Social Engineering is the real threat

Even a piece of direct mail that you've carelessly thrown away, can be enough for a fraudster to pose as you, borrow money or acquire sweets and goodies and then vanish. What do you get? Debts in your name and your credit status in tatters.

The information they use varies but the personal information that an ID thief is typically interested in is your full name, date of birth, current addres, account numbers and, if possible, passwords and PINs.

It sounds a lot but a little work can deliver a surprisingly large amount of data. The idea is to do a bit of cherry picking, and the internet and social networks are a big help.

Here are the ID fraudster's 10 most wanted items.

1. A bank statement
If they're really lucky, a statement might indicate your overdraft limit as well as your full name, address and account number. Shred, burn or rip em up, before binning them

2. A credit card statement
This won't contain your PIN, so they can't use the card account in a British retailer, but it could be enough information to enable the fraudster to purchase from foreign websites. Shred, burn, rip..

3. Access to your social networking pages
It may seem innocent enough, but many people innocently reveal enough information on Facebook, My Space or other social networking sites for a fraudster to guess their PIN and passwords. Don't make it too easy. Change them regularly.

4. Direct mail
Fraudsters are always on the lookout for direct mail containing an offer of a credit card or loan, with your details filled in that they can intercept. Once a crook has one fake account in your name, it's easier to open others. Shred, burn, rip...

5. Your driving licence or passport
These documents provide vital photographic ID that can be amended by an expert and used to prove that he or she is actually you. Secure them securely....they are worth 50,000 GBPs

6. Replies to phishing e-mail
Phishing e-mails are messages that appear to be sent from your bank or other trusted authority and are designed to capture your personal or financial information. Always remember that banks never ask for your PIN or internet banking details. Don't respond to scam stuff...

7. Your PINs and passwords
These are essential if a criminal wants access to any of your accounts or to use your payment cards. Guard them securely and change them regularly

8. A catalogue
Mail-order catalogues may appear innocuous enough, but if they're stamped with your name, address and account number, a thief could claim you've moved home and hijack your spending limit. Shred, burn, rip up anything with your name and address on it before binning

9. Your CV
Most CVs had a lot of personal information, such as your name, address, date of birth, employment history and marital status. Your CV contains so much information that could be used to impersonate you that some online job search services are advising people to be careful before uploading them to to their sites Be selective and question people who want your details.

I agree that it is difficult if you are looking for work and broadcasting lots of CVs in an uncontrolled manner. Keep a spreadsheet of who you have contacted (Company, Contact person, phone number) and when, also which CV version they have but 'be aware' that not all e-mails asking for CVs or CV updates are genuine.

Question them! and do some research on THEIR contact details and website credentials. We all know how easy it is to create a believable or viable website!

If in doubt, don't do it! or severely restrict the amount of personal information on the CV provided. Think of it like this; someone (an attractive stranger) has just stopped you in the street and asked for your contact details; name, address, phone number, e-mail address, etc. In return, you get a moment's 'hope'; hope of a job, hope of money, hope of a future. It is a very attractive offer!

Would you do it? Consider under what circumstances you would do it and why? Consider also how you could replicate those 'conditions' online, when responding to requests for personal details?

10. Online banking information
A prime target for credit-hungry fraudsters, who often set up fake websites to con genuine account holders into parting with their access data. Never click a link in an e-mail directing you to a supposed banking site - it could be a trap. Watch out for scam e-mails and don't click on anything from anyone you don't know

How thieves get your details

The snail mail post and mailing lists, is the most likely way that ID fraudsters would get hold of some of your personal details. The crooks' top choice of method is to forward your mail to a collection address. This was the cause of 36% of identity frauds during 2007. Check with the Post Office if your mail suddenly stops arriving

In second place, with 30% of cases, comes present address fraud, in which someone living at the same address - often flats with communal postal delivery areas - steals your mail. Previous address frauds, when the criminal uses your name and a previous address to take over your ID, account for 24 per cent of cases. Make sure your Postie knows you (I am Spartacus) and make sure your post box is secure - change the lock if you are suspicious or paranoid

Other popular cons to steal your personal details include:

• Stealing your stuff /belongings
  
• Tenancy fraud, where the tenant uses the landlord's details to borrow money
• Jackal fraud, when the criminal uses personal details of a dead person
• Card not present fraud, which occurs when someone has your credit or debit card details, but not the card, uses it on the internet or over the phone

Social Networking is the next best tactic for stealing people's identity and it is closely related to this article. The thief simply uses his /her personality to trick the target into divulging information about people, places or companies. Click Here for More Details