Month: September 2020

Protecting Yourself From Cyber Crime

One of the most powerful mediums of communication is the Internet and today we see almost everyone using it. Many transactions take place on the net which has resulted in the eruption of cyber crime. Though internet is the main platform used to commit cyber crimes, other communication devices such as computer networks and cell phones are also mediums of this type of crime.

Cyber crime may include activities such as computer hacking, child pornography, stalking, spam marketing, credit card fraud and identity theft. Releasing malware, spyware and viruses to steal information is also a part of cyber crime.

Here are a few tips which when followed can protect your sensitive financial or personal information.

If you are a member of online forums and communities, ensure you are very careful sharing your personal information. Predators on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace can steal and use this information to stalk or harass you.

Ensure all your online transaction passwords are really difficult to guess and strong. It is a good idea changing your password on a frequent basis to avoid any problems.

Equip your computer with reliable antivirus software for maximum protection. If you are posting photographs on profiles, choose your picture with care. Ensure you do not post pictures that could harm your reputation.

Never leave your personal information details such as address, telephone numbers, passwords, account numbers and social security number lying around. Also ensure they are not placed on cell phones, mp3 players and multimedia devices.

The moment you receive your credit card bills and bank statements, check for any discrepancies. If you are keen on shopping online, choose a reliable and secure website. Ensure you get a free credit report yearly from the credit bureaus. This makes it easy for you to find out if someone is using your social security number unauthorized. If you do come across any cyber crimes, be sure to report to the authorities immediately.…

Benefits Of An Online Background Check

Background investigations are used to look up information about an individual and include things like criminal records, financial records, and commercial records. One of the fastest and easiest ways to conduct this type of investigation is through an online background check.

These types of checks are often required by employers for certain jobs, especially for a job that requires a high level or security. This type of employment includes the government, a hospital, a school, airport, or financial institution.

Investigations can be administered by government agencies or private companies for a fee, but the fastest, easiest, and usually cheapest way is over the Internet. The results gained from investigations usually include past employment, all criminal and driving history, financial history including credit score, past bankruptcies, and tax leans, and educational information.

By doing these types of checks online it is easier for people to do them on their own rather than going through a professional agency and it can be much cheaper this way as well.

Private citizens can even do these types of checks for personal reasons. People often do checks on their spouse or potential partners, neighbors, teachers at their children’s schools, and the parents of their children’s friends. It simply gives them additional information and security regarding the people in their lives that they do not know very well.

There are many people that would like to do an investigation for whatever reason but think they cannot afford it. While it can be expensive through certain agencies, it can be done very cheap on the Internet and some online sites even offer a limited check for free. The great thing about using checks through the Internet is that they are usually instant or only take seconds or minutes to run, while using a company or private investigator can takes days or even weeks to get results.…

Crime-Line – Adventures in the Pseudosciences – August 2010

OPUS – Criminal Behavior Anti-Thinking

OPUS – “Obsessive-Compulsive Postulation in Unconfirmed Subjectivism”, is anti-thinking for your personal subjective validation of issue for which you have strong feelings. Whatever your self-willed purposes, you make your own choices. Not unlike the criminal who gets caught in the miscalculations of their communal ruses, all of us decide between the personal gain and potential loss for the sake of self-gratification. Feelings are allowed to trump logic.

OPUS is based on the fundamental focus of your efforts to ensure that your conjecture is proved correct no matter what the evidence says. Regardless of the issue, whether abortion or immigration, your position is always the affirmative one. This is particularly persuasive if you, for religious reasons, decide to declare war on the U.S. and assume the mask of a “freedom fighter” against the evils of the great satanic empire. No doubt you will find sympathizers.

A particularly severe form of this personal proclivity is found in elected office and academia. Plus, you can’t leave out the vast infotainment network we often call the “news media”. And, another example might be demonstrations where you want to be affirmed so badly you’re willing to say or do anything including starting a riot or destroying public property to assert your pontifications. This is called Magnum OPUS. This is a really extreme case of OPUS, whereby you incite others, by their free will of course, to use your point of view as an excuse to exercise anti-social behaviors.

Take for another example, in the world of the private domain of the academician, especially the non-practitioner, how theory can be quickly exhibited as reality, even though proof is absent. Or, scientific validation is non-existent. Clever, huh? All too often this tendency not to be seen as incorrect in our world view translates into gross fallacies of inference. From there, the speculation gets even more exaggerated. Sometimes, we call these fallacies of inference, “urban legends”. To which we can invite such claims perpetrated by the proselytizers of astrology, purveyors of psychic detective work, UFO’s and a maze of government conspiracies to list a few of the many deceptions that abound in a modern society.

Applying “common sense” to interpersonal actions within a given communal context might be a stretch of the imagination. Because if “common sense” were so common, then everyone should have some, right? Well, there’s no guarantee of that, since so much non-sense passes as fact. On the contrary, maybe we should apply “uncommon sense” in a society that thrives on myth, magic and metaphor. When we are willing to accept things at face value, without question, particularly in the field of criminology, then anything is possible.

To distinguish between pseudoscience and hard science, one must expend personal energies in the pursuit of credible evidence by way of investigative methodology that safeguards valid deductive reasoning. However, to the contrary, so that you conserve your mental energies, many people take dangerous shortcuts. In other words, they guess a lot. And, once outside their special domain of knowledge, they become very inventive. Even those in high and mighty positions of elective office, there’s no safety in thinking they won’t say something stupid or mind your business instead of their own. Make no mistake; people will believe what they want to believe.

How often have your heard the phrase in a detective drama where somebody said the suspect had “motive, means and opportunity”? It’s kind of an OPUS thing. Some fiction writer put together a storytelling concept. But, for a fictional rendition, they don’t have to be technically accurate or tactically effective. In the movies they don’t have to prove their case in a real court of law, or present verifiable evidentiary criteria. Need we ask why? Because television, movies and stage plays are for entertainment, not education, or even for that matter “edutainment”. All they have to do is read the script and try to act with some capability. However, with OPUS in force, seeing is actually believing even if the visual realm is a false one based on facetious assumptions.

In the real world of criminology, or as some of us would point out, the world of the practitioner, intention is critical along with forensic evidence. Who, with malice aforethought and premeditation had the intent to commit the incident in question? Yet, the stopping point is not there. That’s only the beginning toward which the entirety criminality evolves around the criminal act, the criminal mind and the consequent criminality. Motive, means and opportunity invite circular questions around the mystical conceptions of “why”.

Why a person did a certain anti-social act does not assist in proving the case to a lawful degree of certainty. For the “criminal mind”, which is the human mind …

Identity Theft – Five Legal Concerns If Your Identity Is Stolen

Identity theft refers to a form of crime where one person assumes the identity of another person with an intention to access their resources and profit from using the benefits that are due to them. As a result of these activities the victims can stand to be persecuted and suffer the consequences of being held responsible for the perpetrator’s actions. This form of crime is one of the highest rising and is steadily growing and affecting a large number of people every year. Identity theft can easily occur when a person comes into possession of your name and address which they can use to obtain a driver’s license. Such a simple act can lead to the same person opening a bank account in your name and also applying for an ATM card. A more serious scenario can occur if such a person gains access to your social security number. With such information they will be able to cause even more damage, and the impact of this may not be easily reversible.

In the United States it is estimated that there were more than 11.1 million victims of identity theft in 2009 with losses incurred amounting to more than $54 billion. There are legal concerns that can arise from someone stealing your identity. They can resort to using your identity in several ways which results in them committing various crimes. The five most common cases are:

Loan Fraud

This is whereby the culprit usually obtains loans under your name. Needless to say the perpetrator of this crime is not responsible for the loan repayment. The bank therefore holds the victim accountable and usually charges them with repaying the loan. In some cases, the identity thief may use fake papers to collect down payments on alleged loans whereupon they disappear after obtaining the cash. These criminals may therefore pose as individuals and even institutions.

Credit Card Fraud

In this case the identity criminals may use your credit cards or related means of payment for purchases that they have made. They can also obtain funds from your account without your knowledge. Some of the criminals even intercept your mail just to ensure that you do not receive notification from the banks.

Bank Fraud

This refers to a situation where identity criminals use false means to access your money, assets or any form of property that may be held by individuals or even financial institutions. Bank fraud can involve various forms which occur whenever someone comes into possession of your details and uses them to access your money. Identity criminals can therefore write checks using your account which you will ultimately be responsible for.

Employment Fraud

Identity criminals can use your personal information to obtain a job in your name. If you happen to have a clean credit and civil record most employers will be glad to give you an opportunity to work. These criminals usually take advantage of this clean slate to look for employment using your identity. Most of these criminals also use this information to offer other people jobs especially immigrants or steal funds from them in the hope of finding them employment.

Insurance Fraud

This involves the identity thieves targeting the insurers. They can use your medical records to claim your insurance and medical benefits. They can also use this information to obtain your automobile insurance or even property insurance. Once this crime is detected it goes without saying you will be ultimately held responsible for the amounts that were stolen.

The biggest problem with identity theft is that as a victim you may not immediately realize that it has occurred to you. In fact most people realize this when it is too late and they have been denied insurance or even when they are arrested. That being said, the best way to deal with identity theft may lie in adequately protecting yourself. You should therefore ensure that you properly guard your personal information especially when using it in public places, especially computers. It is also advisable to regularly monitor your credit report. This way you will be able to detect any suspicious activity going on in your account. Identity theft is a major crime affecting a lot of people and causing the economy to face massive losses. You should therefore be very vigilant to ensure that you do not fall victim to identity theft.…