May 2009 Archives
Fortune 500 USA ~ INTERNET SCAM
How to steer clear of money scams
7/10/2009 11:06:00 AM
This post is the latest in an ongoing series on how to stay safe online. – Ed.
As the designated tech support person for my immediate family, I’m used to getting calls about issues like browser crashes and confusing websites. But recently my mom called to ask about something she saw online that said Google would pay her thousands of dollars to work from home with no experience required. She didn’t buy it, but she did want to ask — is this for real?
My mom was right to be skeptical. In the current economic downturn, a lot of people are looking for ways to make extra money. Unfortunately, some unsavory characters see this trend as an opportunity to trick unsuspecting people with scams and elaborate get-rich-quick schemes. We’re seeing disturbing cases in which websites, emails and advertisements claim that you can make large amounts of money from home with very little effort using Google products and services. They’re designed to look like they were written by a regular person, just like you, who stumbled across an amazing opportunity to make their monetary dreams come true. What they don’t tell you clearly is that Google is not affiliated with these sites and that they may add extra charges to your credit card or misuse your personal information.
To be clear, we are proud to say that many companies and individuals do legitimately make money placing ads on their websites with Google AdSense or participating in programs like the Google Affiliate Network. Creating a successful website is hard work — successful sites earn their money by writing compelling content, developing useful applications and maintaining vibrant user communities. Any claim that you can skip all of that and make just as much money by posting links, using a secret system, or running a kit to generate websites should be treated with a heavy dose of skepticism.
Spammers attempt to reach users by generating hundreds of webpages and sending out a flood of spam emails, sometimes even buying advertisements on reputable websites. Their sites also target other popular Internet companies. They may include family photos pilfered from another site or a picture of a check they supposedly received. Spammers use a wide range of techniques that try to slip past automatic filters to get to you. At Google, we work hard to protect users from these schemes by using a combination of automated and manual tools that remove them from our search index and ad network. However, scams target many companies and appear in various places around the web, so we all need to work cooperatively. Google collaborates with various government and non-governmental consumer protection agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, that are investigating these types of schemes further.
How to identify scams and other schemes
In general, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some pointers on what to look out for:
DON’T BECOME THE NEXT VICTIM…
I purchased an already pre-configured web site
From Fortune 500 USA for a mere $60.
A few weeks later I paid them $1,4oo
For an internet traffic package
Which offered 25,000 100% Guaranteed Visits
To my Website.
They gave me own domain of my choosing
and
I even had a back office,
Where I could see the number of visitors
That “suposidly” came to my site.
I say “supsoidly” because…
I never once saw any type of profit from these
100% guaranteed visits… EVER!!!
Next thing you know, after some research,
Turned out to be nothing but a BIG SCAM!
It really disheartens me to know that there are such evil people out there willing to take someone’s last dollar without so much as a second thought.
Fortune 500 USA
4400 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, Arizona
United States of America
Phone: 877-258-7070
fortune500usa.com
Update ~ I have contacted and filed a report with the BBB in this case. Apparently no one else has filed against them with the Better Business Bureau.
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Before you fill out a form or give someone a credit card, do a web search to see what other people are saying about the company and its practices.
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Be wary of companies that ask for upfront charges for services that Google actually offers for free. Check out our business solutions page before writing a check.
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Always read the fine print. Watch out for get-rich-quick schemes that charge a very low initial fee before sneaking in large reoccurring charges on your credit card or bank account.
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Google never guarantees top placement in search results or AdWords — beware of companies that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a special relationship with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Sitemaps program — you can do these tasks yourself at no cost whatsoever.
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Be wary of anything resembling a pyramid scheme, where you make commissions by recruiting more participants.
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Some sales pitches use the word “Google” or other trademarks right in their name with targeted phrases like “cash,” “pay day,” “money,” “secrets,” “home business,” etc. If you can’t find it on our list of Google products or on the business solutions page, don’t trust it.
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Look for third party verification. Scammers can easily cut-and-paste images to plaster a site with “as seen on TV,” “five-star reviews” and the logos of well-known news channels. Products that have really been recommended by experts and fellow users typically contain links from legitimate news sites and multiple user review sites.
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Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about making money with Google AdWords as you do for “burn fat at night” diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators. In general, be wary of offers from firms that email you out of the blue. Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:
“I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories…”
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Google is not running a lottery, and we have not picked your email address to win millions of dollars. Don’t give out your bank account details via email in anticipation of a big jackpot.
What you can do
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If you’ve been ripped off, or suspect others are, report the site and file a complaint with the appropriate agency.
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If you come across many sites with duplicate content or common templates intended to direct users to the same product or scheme, please let us know with a spam report.
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If you’ve been contacted to place suspicious links on your site for money, let us know with the paid link report form. If you have your own website or are in charge of advertising on a site, think carefully before accepting ads or entering into affiliate programs that will lead your users to schemes like those mentioned above.
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If your site’s forums or comment sections have been spammed with fake offers of fabulous financial gain, you may need to take steps to fight comment spam. Spammers will take advantage of any user-generated content sections of your site, and will even generate thousands of fake user profiles to try to slip under the radar.
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If you receive suspicious messages that claim to be from Google, these may be phishing attempts. Please report them to phishing@google.com.
Posted by Jason Morrison, Search Quality Team
Are you Depressed? Find out here…
Depression symptoms can vary greatly because different people experience depression in different ways. A 25-year-old man with depression may not have the same symptoms as a 70-year-old man, for instance.
For some people, depression symptoms are so severe that it’s obvious something isn’t right. Others may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
Find Out if You Have Symptoms of Depression:
Take the Depression Self-Assessment Test
Symptoms of depression include:
?Loss of interest in normal daily activities
?Feeling sad or down
?Feeling hopeless
?Crying spells for no apparent reason
?Problems sleeping
?Trouble focusing or concentrating
?Difficulty making decisions
?Unintentional weight gain or loss
?Irritability
?Restlessness
?Being easily annoyed
?Feeling fatigued or weak
?Feeling worthless
?Loss of interest in sex
?Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
?Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
The Mayo Clinic defines Depression as one of the most common health conditions in the world.
Depression isn’t a weakness, nor is it something that you can simply “snap out of.”
Depression, formally called major depression, major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a medical illness that involves the mind and body. It affects how you think and behave and can cause a variety of emotional and physical problems.
You may not be able to go about your usual daily activities, and depression may make you feel as if life just isn’t worth living anymore.
If you feel that way… there is help!
Social support: Tap this tool to reduce stress
See the Mayo Clinic’s Depression Blog with Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D. including:
- Depression and Massage –> May 19, 2009
- Using Medication for Depression –> May 13, 2009
- Alternative Medicine Treatment –> April 25, 2009
- Repeat Episodes of Depression –> February 13, 2009
- and much more…
? National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
? Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room
? Call your physician, health provider or clergy
? National Alliance on Mental Illness
Sources: www.mayoclinic.com/ –> Retrieved May 26, 2009
Every Second American Is Mentally Ill… Are You?
Women’s Mental HealthWhat It Means to You
Take Action Now… Keep your Mental Health in Good Condition
Everyone around you affects your mental health and you, in turn, affect theirs.
This can be good or bad depending… Do your friends and Family help you keep
Balance and Control in your life or do they help promote the opposite?
Take the time to relax and think about the things festering around in your head.
Talking about the problems you are having also helps a great deal. Finding someone to confide in is very important.
Clearing your brain each evening of all the days’ worries is one way to keep your brain from being clogged with unnecessary bullshit.
Remember…
Your mental health is important.
You will not have a healthy body if
You don’t also take care of your mind.
You have to take care of yourself
To take care of the people who
Depend on you, your strength,
Promote your own mental health
By keeping up with people and
Activities you enjoy.
Remember that by caring for your
Mental health and getting help
When you need it, you can
Enjoy life at any age.
Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help…
Everyone needs help at some point.
…for Women’s Mental Health
For free info about mental health, including publications and references Contact the SAMHAS’s National Mental Health Information Center at 1-800-789-2647 International at 240-221-4021, or
Check out an organization that I am a member of,
The National Alliance on Mental Illness visit: http://www.nami.org
For information on substance abuse treatment call 1-800-662-4357 (toll free) Spanish-speaking operators avail. Or visit http://csat.samhsa.gov/
25 Random Things About TwizzTed TIFFI:
1. For the record ~ I am not Latino (no offense), so no I don’t ¿Comprende Espanól?
2. I Love to Sing in the church choir & sing karaoke in my living room
3. Mariah Carey has Always been my idol & her first album has always been my favorite
4. I have four daughters (Bryanna 12, Kayla 6.5, Sierra 5, & Savannah 22mo.)
5. As a child, I would watch Nightmare on Elm Street by myself in the dark at night, when it was time for bed I would creep up to my room with my back against the wall and when I got to the top of the stairs, I practically ran to my room afraid of Freddy…Lol
6. I have a definite phobia of spiders, most flying buzzing objects, any bug with more than four legs & even some with only four
7. I am working on writing a book based on current events happening in my life within the past year
8. When I was a young child, I wanted to be a song writer/singer
9. I smoke Newport cigarettes & I’ve had to smoke Marlboro menthol for over 3 months…yuck
10. I think parody songs written by Weird Al are cool… U gotta hear the eBay song… LOL
11. Ever since I can remember I’ve gone Christmas caroling at Mercy Suburban Hospital every to sing to the patients who have to spend their holidays sick & in the hospital
12. I played the flute until I was in 8th grade
13. I dropped 40 Lbs after I gave birth to my fourth child and now I look better than EVER
14. I always wanted bigger boobs (may still get them?)
15. I met my new man on an internet gaming site hosted in the UK
16. I love playing board games like monopoly, sorry, trivial pursuit, checkers, dominos, etc.
17. My mom used to buy me real bunny rabbits for Easter
18. I believed in Santa Claus until I was 9 years old
19. There is a 13 year difference between my baby sister Kelly and I
20. I am way too honest & extremely spontaneous (yes me… wow)
21. I was a supervisor in a medical billing company that I worked for almost 10 years
22. I hate being late for ANYTHING, but lately I’m late with EVERYTHING… so annoying
23. My hunger pains remind me of the Giant Plant on Little Shop of Horrors ~ “FEED ME
SEYMOR…”
24. I have been in at least 18 theater productions in my lifetime
25. Memory… What is Memory ???
Lost in Europe ~ Part II
Well …
… This Blog is a semi-sweet interlude into my current situation
Read Lost in Europe ~ Part I First
I ended up in The Netherlands, Europe for 3 Months, Officially Broke, and no way to get home (which is close to 6,000km away, across the Atlantic Ocean).
I came here to Maastricht, Netherlands in the beginning of February this year. I decided to come here for the first time last December and stayed for three weeks at that time (at that time, it was only supposed to be one week… Pfffffff).
To make a long story short, (I’ll Blog at a later date) I was scheduled to take a flight home one week after my arrival here in the Netherlands and due to a loss of passport situation (OMG) and two missed flights I finally made it home after three weeks missing Christmas.
Once I arrived home to the U.S. on December 28th, I was only able to see my kids 2x’s/week for a total of 8 hours. This due to a situation back in October of last year. Where my soon-to-be-ex-husband FALSELY filed a PFA (Protection From Abuse) order against me stating that “I will stab this nigger in the back.” Funny, that sounds like it came out of a movie trailer or something.
I mean DAMN! After all the names I’ve been called over the years, it was only rightfully so that he was called a “pussy faggot” multiple times in return just because it pissed him off… lol! But “stab someone” I would not do. Everyone who actually knows me knows that I’m a lover not a hater. Besides… with the proof I have (i.e. police reports with photos) of him abusing me, why would I ever?
(More blogs based on my marriage/divorce coming soon!)
In addition to the divorce drama and needing to get away, the reason I came here is because I have a friend, Thomas, whom I met online back in August ‘08 on a multi player gaming website. We both had soooooo much in common that we could not wait to physically meet!
Needless to say I went out and bought a $20 web cam 24 hours after we began to IM.
Tiffi ~ Lost in Europe ~ Part I ~ May 05, 2009
I am a US Citizen and I have been in Europe (NL) for 11 weeks. Since I only traveled here with a US Passport, I am only legally allowed to stay in Europe for 3 months, which turns out to be next week. I’m Screwed!
Now, I, have the HONOUR of saying that I have had the GREATEST OPPORTUNITY during the last 3 months.
I can now say that I’ve done what most school girls dream about. I LIVED IN EUROPE FOR 3 WHOLE MONTHS!! Hmmmm. Not many people can say that huh?
See Lost in Europe ~ Part II
So that means, as of Today, May 5, 2009, I have Literally 5 days to Physically Leave The Netherlands.
You know, I have to say this has to be the cleanest air I have EVER taken in (I should know b/c I come from a long line of family members who Lovingly passed down an Uncanny amount of Allergies).
We’re talking about me, TIFFI… HOMETOWN: Norristown, PA, USA.
I’ve been on Multiple Long Distance Vacations and can honestly say that I’ve NEVER BEEN OFF THE EAST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA! That is including when I went to Canada & Bermuda !!! Hee hee…
I feel like I could tell my whole life story right now, but I would have noplace to start and a million paths to follow. Starting a new sentence could potentially be “WWIII” in my head.
I have to Leave this Wonderful Country before ~ worst case scenario ~ I get “DEPORTED.”
{:-0
~ What a “Nightmare for the Brain.” I mean DAMN!!!
FIVE TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
There are Five major types of Anxiety Disorders:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. More about Anxiety Disorders »
From the National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Similar Brain Response~Parkinson’s & Addiction
SIMILAR BRAIN RESPONSE
PARKINSON’S AND ADDICTION
By Rick Nauert, Ph.D.
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 1, 2009
Scientists have identified a protein that appears not only to be central to the process that causes Parkinson’s disease but could also play a role in muting the high from methamphetamine and other addictive drugs.
The action of the protein, known as organic cation transporter 3 or oct3, fills a longstanding gap in scientists’ understanding of the brain damage that causes symptoms like tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement and postural instability.
While these are found mainly in patients with Parkinson’s disease, there are more than three dozen other known causes of this array of symptoms, known as “parkinsonism.”
Read more at PsychCentral.com
Divorce ~ A Dirty Way To Win The Battle
In my opinion, divorce battles these days can turn into one of the most horribly vindictive ways to get back at your spouse. It mostly turns into an outrageous fight for who will get the most material assets and most importantly, MONEY.
In the past, I would say it was “usual” when husband and wife separate, kids usually stay with mom, when the custody and divorce hearings come around the outcome could become somewhat predictable. In most cases, Mom gets the kids, Dad gets to pay child support and only see the kids on the weekends. Well, boy have times changed!
Think about how much money Dad would have to pay for say… 3 little girls. Especially when Dad initiates the Divorce. Hmmm. I guess Dad needs to find a “better way”or should I say “more financially economic way” to get through this Divorce and WIN CUSTODY OF HIS KIDS. Not to mention — NO CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS!! Think about how lovely that must sound to an underminded person who is paranoid that they will have to pay out of their ass for just about the rest of their lives…
Well, I found a document, while searching on Google called HOW TO SEEK A DIVORCE AND WIN IN ONE EASY STEP. This document actually encourages the reader to file false domestic abuse charges against their spouse to use as leverage in the divorce proceedings. These FALSE allegations are actually a solid blockade for the accused party in a pending divorce/custody battle.
Statistics show that, in most cases, it is a woman who is being abused. If she reports the abuse, her abuser would be arrested for domestic violence, and she is then given the decision on whether she would like to file a PROTECTION FROM ABUSE (PFA) order.
If a PFA is filed, the accused abuser automatically:
- Loses possession of or is evicted from the marital home
- Temporarily loses custody of the children for up to twelve months. Custody may be permanently lost for two or more years
- Ordered to pay temporary child support and/or Alimony to the plaintiff
- Is prohibited from entering or coming within 25 feet (most cases) of the plaintiffs’ residence, school, family, business, etc.
- Ordered to have no further contact with the plaintiff or her family
- Ordered to pay ALL of the expenses of the plaintiff, such as loss of earnings, attorney’s fees, medical bills and/or moving expenses
- Lastly, the accused abuser is restrained from any further abuse
If you think you may need PROTECTION FROM ABUSE please CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or for more information contact A WOMANS PLACERead entire document~HOW TO SEEK A DIVORCE AND WIN IN ONE EASY STEP
Read more about the PROTECTION FROM ABUSE ACT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Read more about TIFFI
