Top 10 Phishing Scams

(Source: Howstuffworks)

Listed below are top ten common Phish subject lines.

If you receive a similar message in your inbox you should delete it and not follow the links in the message. If you want to check your account, you should type the bank or company website directly into your web browser, or add a bookmark, rather than following links in an email. If you are unsure if an email you receive is legitimate, visit the companies website directly, phone the company, or contact their Customer Services or fraud department (usually fraud@companyname.com) to confirm that they sent the mail.

1. Services PayPal Notification : Your account is suspended
2. Notification from Billing Department
3. Fifth Third Bank: service message.
4. 0fficial information for Fifth Third Bank client.
5. important security notice!
6. customer notice: details confirmation!
7. attention: all Fifth Third Bank clients.
8. Fifth Third Bank: confirm your online banking records.
9. Fifth Third Bank: alert!
10. Fifth Third Bank reminder: please update your details.

(Source: McAfee)

Top 10 Digital Video Tips

Here is the top ten digital video tips by Derrick Story, author of the Digital Video Pocket Guide

Tip 1: Limit Your Light Sources

Your eyes and brain can quickly adapt to mixed lighting situations -- such as tungsten, daylight, and fluorescent -- but your camcorder has a much more difficult time. fluorescent lights often cause a greenish cast, while tungsten makes things orangish; even good ol' daylight can color your scene blue if you're in the shade or next to an open window.

How the heck do you deal with all of that?

The best solution is to try to limit your light sources, and then use your camcorder's white balance setting adjust for the dominate light source. So if you're indoors with lots of light streaming in the windows and bright fluorescents overhead, then either turn off the fluorescents and balance for the daylight, or pull down the window shades and adjust for the overhead lighting.

Once you start thinking about mixed lighting sources, you can take steps to avoid those situations. When you can't, try to limit the different types of illumination and adjust your white balance accordingly.

Tip 2: Shade Your Lens

Nothing will deteriorate image quality faster than sunlight shining directly on to the front of your lens. To give you a comparable example, you know how it feels when you walk out of a darkened movie theater into direct sunlight? Everything looks sort of washed out and icky. That can happen to your camcorder too, if you don't take steps to protect its "eyes."

The best bet for preventing lens flare is a custom lens hood designed by your camera manufacturer. If your camcorder doesn't accept a lens hood, then you can use your hand to block the harmful rays of the sun. But that can be awkward if you're taping without a tripod.

If your camcorder doesn't accept a custom lens hood, consider using a flare buster, as displayed here mounted on an UltraPod. In use, the flexible arm attaches to your camcorder's accessory shoe.

Another solution is to use what is known as a flare buster, which is an adjustable lens shade attached to a flexible arm that's mounted in your digicam's accessory shoe. Not only will it help you reduce flare, it can be used to attach filters, reflectors, and hold small objects for close-up taping.

Tip 3: Battle Backlighting

One of the most common mistakes in amateur videomaking is capturing footage of a backlit subject. Often this happens while panning, when a brightly lit background enters the frame. Everything in the foreground suddenly turns dark as the camcorder's metering system measures the bright sky or light streaming in through an open window.

There are three basic ways to combat backlighting:

• Use a reflector or video lights to add illumination to the subject.

• Lock your exposure on your subjects so they don't silhouette when the camera pans to a backlit scene.

• Avoid this type of lighting all together.

Reflectors and video lights are helpful in backlit situations when you want to add light to the subject to help offset the strong background illumination.

Watch out for backlighting! In the top figure, the camcorder set its exposure according to the light coming in the window, which underexposed the subject being interviewed. In the bottom figure, exposure was locked in on the background, but light was added to the underexposed subject to balance the overexposure.

If you don't need to preserve the background information and only want your subject properly exposed, locate your camcorder's exposure compensation control and set it to "+1" or "+1.5". Another trick is to meter directly off of the subject then use exposure lock to preserve that setting, regardless of changes in background lighting.

Above all, learn how to identify backlit situations. Avoid them if you can, and if you can't, use the solution that works best for the situation.

Tip 4: Black Your Tape

Timecode is the language of video. It's the system your camera uses to assign a unique number to every frame you shoot, enabling you to accurately log your scenes and find them later without burning out your camcorder's drive mechanism shuttling back and forth in search of that elusive magic moment. Clean timecode is also required by many video-editing applications for batch processing. Even if the application you're using now doesn't need clean code, as is the case with Apple's iMovie, another (such as Adobe Premiere) might.

The best way to maintain timecode is to make sure you never start recording when your LCD monitor is displaying a blue screen (some camcorders show black instead). If you were to start taping with a blue screen, then your timecode would start from zero, even though you're somewhere in the middle of the tape. That's what we call "broken timecode." What you want instead is continuous footage without any blue screen breaks. That way, a timecode number will be assigned to every frame.

Because unbroken timecode is of vital importance, sometimes pro videographers will black the tape before they go out on location. They simply load a brand-new blank tape into the camcorder, put the lens cap on, mute the sound, press the record button, and let the tape roll for its duration. Now timecode has been established for every second on that cassette. No more blue screens! Then they simply rewind the tape, label it, and they're ready for assignment. No matter what happens during the excitement of shooting, the timecode will remain unbroken.

Tip 5: Limit Your Dependency on the Built-in Mic

Whenever possible, use an external microphone, either wireless or with a cord, to capture the audio during taping. Resist the urge to go the easy route and use your onboard mic. Not only is it of less quality than a good external microphone, it will also pick up noise from the camcorder's drive mechanism.

Yes, sometimes you have to use the built-in mic on your camcorder. But when you can, use an external wireless or handheld model such as the one shown here.

If a wireless or handheld mic is impractical for a given situation, put a microphone in the camera's accessory shoe to record sound. Most camcorder manufacturers provide accessory mics for this purpose. The sound might not be as good as a lapel mic for an interview or an external mic on a boom for dialogue, but the audio will be superior to the sound recorded by the on-camera mic that is picking up the grind of the camcorder motors.

Tip 6: Use a Monopod

When you think about shooting video, most likely you're thinking about recording motion -- capturing someone or something moving. Of course! You're not going to make a movie of a flower arrangement sitting in a vase. So, if recording motion is the essence of video, why do so many home movies make viewers queasy?

The problem is that many DV enthusiasts don't understand how to "hold the shot." In other words, it's the subjects who are supposed to be moving, not the camera.

This error is particularly common in "action" videography, where the cameraman is handholding the camcorder and trying to follow the play at an event such as a soccer game. Obviously you have to move the camera some, or you'll never record any of the play on the field. But it's how you move the camcorder that's important.

Most professionals mount their camera on a tripod for this type of assignment. There is no better way to steady a camcorder than to secure it to a rock-solid tripod with a fluid head. But that probably won't be practical for much of the shooting you do. In the real world, people are already schlepping way too much stuff, and a bulky tripod could be the straw that breaks daddy's back.

The common sense answer is a simple, compact, and very effective accessory called a monopod. Essentially, it's a one-legged tripod. Even though they are extremely compact and easy to transport, monopods are an excellent tool to help you properly hold your shots. Your footage will improve immediately.

And when you're finished shooting, you have a stylish one-legged walking stick to accompany you as you stroll off into the sunset ... instead of lugging a three-legged albatross over your shoulder.

Tip 7: Take Advantage of Low-cost Illumination

Powerful video lights on light stands are great for indoor training tapes when you're close to an electrical outlet, but they're not much good for interviews in the great outdoors. And those horrid little video lights are sometimes necessary in a pinch, but they can drain your battery faster than forgotten car headlights at winter twilight.

So when Mother Nature is kind enough to provide the juice, why not take advantage of her hospitality and use reflectors to illuminate your subject? You can purchase collapsible lite discs at just about any camera store, and they can be handheld or mounted on a stand.

Portable folding reflectors, often called lite discs, help you quickly redirect light both inside and out. In the top photo, the subject is displaying the lite disc, but no light is being redirected. In the bottom image, you can see a noticeable difference in the model's clothing and skin tones, due to the reflected light.

If your movie project is already running way over budget, go to the office supply store instead and by a couple sheets of sturdy white cardboard or foam core. They don't fold up nice and neat like the collapsible discs, but they reflect light just as well.

Tip 8: Soften Those Backgrounds by Fooling Your Camcorder

Have you ever wondered how to "soften" a busy background so it won't distract viewers from your primary subject? In still photography, you simply switch to "aperture priority" mode and change the f-stop. The problem in videography is that you can't mess with the corresponding shutter speed like you can when using a digital still camera.

So what's the answer? Fool your camcorder into opening up its aperture (without messing with the shutter speed) by adding a neutral density filter. These filters are available in a range of densities, usually one to four f-stops. The darker the filter, the wider the aperture and the softer the background.

If you don't want to trudge down to the local camera store to buy yet another accessory that I've said you just can't live without, then a polarizing filter will work too. Polarizers usually have a density of two stops.

Tip 9: Get to Know Your Hardware Store

Pro-caliber lighting units, light stands, backdrop supports, and utility clamps can end up costing you more than your high-tech DV camcorder. Before you max out your credit card at the Video Boutique, catch a ride to your local hardware store and make friends with the customer service staff.

You can load up your cart with shop lights, PVC pipe, and wood clamps for about half the price of what they would cost you from a video specialist.

Tip 10: Go to the Movies and Watch Television

The cheapest pro filmmaking course you can take is to park yourself in front of the television and observe how the big guys shoot a scene. Once you start to analyze the work of others, you'll see that good movie making is often quite fundamental -- strong lighting, clear audio, and simple cuts between scenes.

Take notice of how long scenes last, where the camera (or cameras) are positioned, the types of transitions used (if any), and how the director has composed the shot. Have a pad and pen handy while you watch so you can make notes on how steal techniques from the best in the business.

Top 10 Ways to Protect Privacy Online

Here is the top 10 ways to protect privacy online

1. Look for privacy policies on Web Sites:

Web sites can collect a lot of information about your visit -- what computer you use, what type of hardware and software you have, what Web sites you have visited. Web sites that ask you to provide even a small amount of personal information can tie the data you provide to your browsing habits.

When you go to a Web site that has no privacy policy, write and tell the company that you are a user of their site, your privacy is important to you and you would like to see them post a policy. CDT has developed the Privacy Watchdog site to help you.

An increasing number of Web sites has begun to provide privacy policies that detail the sites' information practices. Look for these policies and read them carefully. While privacy statements are not the only answer to online privacy risks, the effort should be encouraged and commended.

CDT's Web Site Privacy Policies page.

2. Get a separate account for your personal e-mail:

Often, online users do not realize that e-mail sent from their work accounts is likely to be an open book to their employers. Even if you send an e-mail from your home, a copy is often stored on your employer's main computer server. Your boss has a legal right to read any and all correspondence in this account or on your work computer at any time.

Getting a separate account for home allows you to check your personal messages without using your workplace e-mail server. Some private accounts can be configured to enable you to check your personal mail from work without downloading it onto your company computer.

3. Teach your kids that giving out personal information online means giving it to strangers:

Teach your children that they need your permission before they can give out their name, address or other information about themselves or the family.

Several years ago, a number of Web sites encouraged children to give information about themselves or their family; some enticed kids with games and free gifts. In 1998, a law was passed requiring companies to gain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 years old. If you are concerned about a Web site collecting information from children without consent, you should communicate your concern to the Federal Trade Commission at kidsprivacy@ftc.gov.

4. Clear your memory cache after browsing:

After you browse the Web, copies of all accessed pages and images are saved on your computer's memory. While these copies make subsequent visits to the same sites faster, the browsing record has grave implications for personal privacy, particularly if you share a computer or browse at work. You can delete most of your online trail by simply going to the "Preferences" folder in your browser and clicking on the "Empty Cache" button. Sometimes this option is in the "Advanced" menu of the browser preferences. In Internet Explorer, go to "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu and click on "Clear History".

5. Make sure that online forms are secure:

Online forms may be digitally transported in ways that leave them vulnerable to undesired access. Alternatively, online forms may be encrypted so that only the intended recipients can readily translate the information.

Ensuring that your information is stored and transferred in secure ways is one of the keys to protecting your privacy. Fortunately, browser companies have realized the importance of data security; newer browsers are designed to indicate whether the accessed page allows encrypted transfers. The commonly used graphics are a key, which is broken if the page is insecure, and a lock -- locked is secure and unlocked is not secure. The graphic appears in the corner of the browser screen; clicking on the lock or the key will inform you of additional security information about the page. You should not input sensitive personal information about yourself (such as financial or medical data) on Web pages that are not secure.

6. Reject unnecessary cookies:

Cookies enable Web sites to store information about your visit on your own hard drive. Cookies inform site operators if you have visited the site and, if you have obtained a username and password, cookies remember that information for you. Many of the "personalized" search engines use cookies to deliver news topics that users select; sites often use these same preferences to target advertisement. Furthermore, cookies can be used to track you online and enable a creation of a profile without you realizing it. You can search your hard drive for a file with the word "cookie" in it (i.e., cookies.txt or MagicCookie) to view the cookies that have been attached to your computer. Newer browsers allow you to recognize sites that send you cookies and reject them outright by accessing the "Advanced" screen of the "Preferences" menu. In Internet Explorer, delete cookies by clicking on the "Delete Files" button in the "General" icon of "Tools"' "Internet Options" menu.

7. Use anonymous remailers:

Anonymity is essential to privacy and free speech. It protects whistle blowers and writers of controversial material; most simply, it may enable one to publish without a forwarding address. The e-mail technology creates problems for the right to anonymous communication since the sender of a message can be traced back through digital paths.

Created to address privacy risks and concerns, "anonymous remailers" presently allow you to send anonymous e-mail messages. One very good remailer was created as a joint project of the George Mason Society and the Global Internet Liberty Campaign and is available on the Web at http://www.gilc.org/speech/anonymous/remailer.html

8. Keep your e-mail private, use encryption!:

E-mail is not as secure a medium as many believe.

E-mail can be easily rerouted and read by unintended third parties; messages are often saved for indefinite periods of time. Presently, there exist technologies that allow you to encrypt your messages in order to protect their privacy. Some e-mail programs (i.e., Internet Explorer Outlook and Netscape Messenger) have encryption. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), a popular encryption software, is free for non-commercial use.

Read more on PGP and download the encryption software at http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html

9. Use anonymizers while browsing:

From the moment you type in a Web address, a log is kept with information about your visit.

Every day, most of us walk down the street without being recognized or tracked. While anonymity is often taken for granted in the physical world, such luxury is not available online. Tools that strip out user information, thus preserving anonymity, have been created; a few are readily available on the net. Visit http://www.freedom.net and http://www.anonymizer.com.

10. Opt-out of third party information sharing:

Many online companies provide you with the option to get off (or "opt-out") the lists that share your information. Some companies enable users to easily opt out -- users are often able to do so online. A number of companies go a step further and ask your permission (opt-in) before sharing personal information that they have collected. Often, however, companies make opting out difficult or virtually impossible: addresses are buried, one cannot opt-out online, etc. CDT has created Operation Opt-Out to help you control how your personal data is collected and distributed.

Extra Tip: use common sense

Reading our Top Ten list, as well as encountering multiple news stories that portray Web companies as charlatans or worse, can instill paranoia even in the most fearless Web user. You must realize, however, that people in cyberspace are the same people you encounter every day in the physical reality: your neighbors, your colleagues. Using many of the same behavior patterns that you use in the offline environment will take you a long way. Ask yourself a set of familiar questions when you are online: Would you give your credit card number to a street vendor? Would you transact with a well-established, trusted firm? How much information does the newspaper realistically need to process a subscription? Will you be subjected to a ton of unsolicited mail if you disclose your physical or e-mail address?

Use common sense, ask questions and seek out resources. The Internet is a new medium, as was the telephone more than a century ago. If used wisely, it can connect you to a world of people, ideas and information.

1. Look for privacy policies on the Web

2. Get a separate email account for personal email

3. Teach your kids that giving out personal information online means giving it to strangers

4. Clear your memory cache after browsing

5. Make sure that online forms are secure

6. Reject unnecessary cookies

7. Use anonymous remailers

8. Encrypt your email

9. Use anonymizers while browsing

10. Opt-out of third party information sharing

(Source: cdt.org)

Top 10 Influential Females in the IT World

Check out the top 10 influential females in the IT corporate world:

1. Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro


2. Kristin Lovejoy, CTO of Consul


3. Joanne Maguire , EVP of Lockheed Martin


4. Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay


5. Patricia Russo, CEO of Lucent Technologies


6. Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Motorola


7. Catherine Brune, CTO of Allstate


8. Rosaleen Citron, CEO of Whitehat Inc.


9. Ginni Rometty, SVP at IBM


10. Ursula Burns, President of Business Group Operations at Xerox (note that the CEO of Xerox is also a woman)

Here is a list of top 10 influential females in Open Source

1. Dru Lavigne


2. Mitchell Baker


3. Danese Cooper


4. Allison Randal


5. Elizabeth Zwicky


6. Æleen Frisch


7. Lynne Jolitz


8. Machtelt Garrels


9. Erinn Clark


10. Máirín Duffy

(Source: ITtoolbox Blogs)

Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2006

You saw the stories that dominated the headlines in 2006: the war in Iraq, North Korea’s nuclear tests, and the U.S. midterm elections. But what about the news that remained under the radar? Here are the top 10 stories you missed in 2006.

Hackable Passports

In October, the U.S. State Department began issuing biometric “ePassports” that contain a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag under the back cover. The tiny chip holds the usual passport data, including a digital photo. The motive behind adding the chips is ostensibly good: to combat counterfeiting and illegal immigration.

But a German hacker quickly found a vulnerability. With a laptop and a chip reader he bought for $200, he was able to steal data from an encrypted RFID tag, potentially allowing him to clone an ePassport. And it’s not just Americans who are at risk. Twenty-seven countries (mostly in Europe) that participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program are required by U.S. law to issue the new electronic passports to their citizens. The Dutch and British media have already reported major security flaws in the new IDs.

So, what’s a security conscious citizen to do? Again, the answer may come out of Germany. A group of hackers there recommends that people microwave the new passports to destroy the chips. The State Department may want to go back to relying on a paper trail.

What’s Worse Than Bird Flu? The Cure.

In 2006, bird flu didn’t become the killer pandemic everyone feared. In fact, there were no confirmed deaths in developed countries from bird flu. But the alarm, stoked by Western media reports, led to an unexpected—and unfortunate—outcome: A rash of abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and even deaths attributed to Tamiflu, the medicine marketed as a key drug capable of fighting the disease. In November, the Canadian health ministry issued a warning on Tamiflu after 10 Canadians taking the drug had died suspiciously. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received more than 100 reports of injury and delirium among Tamiflu takers for a 10-month period in 2005 and 2006. That’s nearly as many cases as were logged over the drug’s five-year trial period. For now, the cure seems worse than the disease.

Petro Powers Drop the Dollar

If you thought record oil prices this year were a pain in your wallet, there’s more bad news on the horizon. The latest Bank for International Settlements quarterly report, which tracks the investment trends of oil-producing countries, indicates that Russia and OPEC countries are moving their holdings out of dollars and into euros and yen. OPEC cut its holdings in the dollar by more than $5 billion during the first and second quarter of 2006. And Russia now keeps most of its new deposits in euros instead of dollars.

That decrease is swift and significant—and helps to explain why the dollar recently fell to a 20-month low against the euro and a 14-year low against the British pound. Holding dollars while other currencies gain strength means less profit for oil producers. But if they rapidly divest themselves of dollars, it may weaken the currency and push up inflation in the United States. “This new trend may be bigger trouble for the United States than high oil prices and surging Chinese exports,” says Nouriel Roubini, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. If this year’s move away from the dollar is a sign of future thinking by oil producers, the pain felt at the pump may soon be the least of our worries.

The Gender Gap Gets Smaller

It was a good year for women in politics. Female heads of state took office in Chile and Liberia, and Hillary Clinton and Ségolène Royal set tongues wagging in Washington and Paris over their own presidential prospects. But it was also a great year for future female leaders, especially those in poor countries.

A report released in February by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau found that the gender gap in secondary education is closing or has closed in most developing countries. Particularly in Latin America and Asia, girls are attending school at the same rate—or higher—than boys. In 1990 in China, for example, 75 girls attended secondary school for every 100 boys. Today, that figure is 97. In India, girls’ enrollment shot up from 60 percent to 81 percent. Though sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind the rest of the world, it too saw more girls in the classroom.

The shift isn’t due to an unexpected worldwide surge in favor of gender equality. The more likely explanation is that urbanization and economic development has boosted girls’ likelihood of attending school, as has a number of innovative government and private-sector programs. In India, for example, UNICEF credits basic sanitation and hygiene education programs in Alwar with increasing girls’ enrollment by 78 percent over a five-year period. Given the clear link between girls’ education and a society’s economic success, it’s good news everyone can celebrate.

Iran and Israel Hold Secret Talks

While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent the better part of 2006 denying the Holocaust and threatening to destroy Israel, his country was sitting down with Israeli representatives to settle old debts. The clandestine talks, first reported by Israeli daily Haaretz this month, concern hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly owed to Iran for oil it supplied to Israel before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Iran severed the two countries’ economic ties dating back to the 1950s. According to the report, negotiations over the debt have been on-again and off-again for nearly two decades, and the two sides met recently in Geneva in an attempt to reach an agreement.

It’s unclear why Israeli and Swiss officials are now willing to confirm that the talks are taking place. However, there is one leading theory: The leak was timed to embarrass Iran by publicizing its cooperation with a country it refuses to recognize. And the strategy may have worked. Iran swiftly and vehemently denied it’s secretly talking to the Jewish state. It just goes to show, money talks.

United States Funds the Taliban

The Taliban’s resurgence brought the ongoing war in Afghanistan back onto the front pages in 2006. From record opium production to suicide bombings, the outlook has only grown dimmer in the past 12 months. What you probably didn’t hear is that some of the money the United States is spending to combat the resurgence of the Taliban is winding up in the hands of . . . the Taliban.

As recently as November, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting revealed that villagers in Afghanistan’s war-torn south were handing over U.S. cash meant for reconstruction projects to Taliban fighters, who then use the money to purchase weapons, cell phones, and explosives. As part of an effort to stimulate economic development in the country, the United States had committed $43.5 million for reconstruction as of September. One Canadian officer charged with helping to distribute cash said that “millions” has already gone missing in the five years since coalition troops arrived. Why? According to the report, local mullahs have urged residents to fight the foreign occupation and hand over the money in the hopes of gaining back the security they’ve lost. Others say it’s simple extortion from Taliban thugs. Either way, the United States may inadvertently be aiding the enemy in a fight that will almost certainly become more costly in the year ahead.

Russia Fuels Latin American Arms Race

When Costa Rican President Oscar Arias spoke at a September conference sponsored by the Miami Herald, one sentence stood out: “Latin America has begun a new arms race.” He was referring to the sudden uptick in major arms deals in the region, largely between Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, and their newest patron, Russia. The deals have left the region flush with shiny new tanks, fighter jets, and custom-built presidential helicopters.

The Latin arms trade is as much about politics as it is weapons. Not long after Brazil announced a deal to purchase roughly $300 million in Russian military equipment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would back Brazil’s bid for a seat in the U.N. Security Council. It’s not just Brazil’s military that has a hard time saying nyet to Russian firms. Venezuela inked a more than $1 billion deal in July for Russian jets and helicopters. There’s even talk of Moscow relocating Kalashnikov gun and ammo factories to Venezuela, next door to Colombia’s ammunition-strapped FARC rebels. With Venezuela’s populist anti-American president Hugo Chávez seeking to dominate Latin American politics, U.S. officials are concerned, especially given the United States’ sliding popularity in the region. More dangerous, though, is Latin America’s militarization. More guns and less butter is the last thing the troubled region needs.

Bush’s Post-Katrina Power Grab

When U.S. President George W. Bush signed the $532 billion federal defense spending bill in October, there were the usual budgetary turf battles on Capitol Hill. But largely overlooked was a revision of a nearly 200-year-old law to restrict the president’s power during major crises. In December, Congressional Quarterly examined the changes, saying that the new law “takes the cuffs off” federal restraint during emergencies. Rather than limiting the circumstances under which a president may deploy troops to “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy,” the 2006 revision expands them to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident.” In other words, it’s now easier for the federal government to send in troops without a governor’s invitation.

Ostensibly, the move aims to streamline bureaucratic inefficiencies that left thousands of New Orleanians stranded last summer. Yet the Insurrection Act that existed when Katrina struck didn’t actually hinder the president’s ability to send federal troops. He simply chose not to.

Critics have called the changes an opening for martial law. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, one of the few to raise the issue in congress, says that “Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy.” Is martial law more likely than before? Perhaps not. But the fact that the revisions were slipped into a defense bill without a national debate gives ammunition to those who argue the administration is still trampling on civil liberties five years after 9/11.

China Runs up African Debt

The debt-relief deal struck at last year’s Group of Eight (G8) summit, where rich countries promised to forgive about $40 billion in debts owed by poor countries, was supposed to be a turning point in Africa’s development, a chance to wipe its economic slate clean. Then came China. The rapidly industrializing country has emerged as a top lender to poor African countries, and that has many international development organizations worried that years of campaigning for debt relief will be set back by a new wave of bad loans.

The World Bank estimates that Chinese loans for African infrastructure already total more than $12.5 billion. In November, Chinese President Hu Jintao promised to provide another $5 billion in loans to Africa by 2009. Many of these deals are believed to be similar to commercial loans rather than the low-interest, long-term credits extended by multilateral development banks. It’s hard to know the full extent of the risk because China usually refuses to divulge the terms of the deals. Development experts now fear that aggressive lending by Chinese banks will land Africa back where it started—in the red.

India Helps Iran Build the Bomb, While the White House Looks the Other Way

The U.S. government usually takes a hard line against countries that assist Iran with its nuclear program. In 2006 alone, Washington sanctioned firms in Cuba, North Korea, and Russia for making it a little easier for Iran to develop weapons of mass destruction. But, when the proliferator is a close American ally, the United States seems to take a different approach.

Just after the U.S. House of Representatives voted in July to support a plan to provide India with nuclear technology, the Bush administration quietly imposed sanctions on two Indian firms for supplying Tehran with missile parts. Nor was the White House forthcoming with congress about other blots on India’s proliferation record: In the past two years, two other Indian companies have been penalized for allegedly passing chemical weapons information to Iran, and two Indian scientists who ran the state-run nuclear utility were barred from doing business with the U.S. government after they allegedly passed heavy-water nuclear technology to Tehran. Far from scuttling India’s nuclear deal, the United States seems to have rewarded the country by overturning 30 years of nonproliferation policy in its favor.

(Source: Foreign Policy)

Top 10 Scams 2006 !!

Here are the ConsumerAffairs.com Top Ten Scams of 2006.

1. Fake Lottery Scam

Topping our list for 2006, the fake lottery or sweepstakes scam only seems to get bigger and more dangerous. Promising victims they have won thousands of dollars in a Canadian or European lottery, they target the elderly, who seem to be particular susceptible to these schemes. ConsumerAffairs.com reported on one case in which an elderly Kansas man lost over $300,000.

More than 400 New Yorkers fell victim to sweepstakes and lottery scams in the first seven months of 2006, with losses ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $35,000, according to an analysis by the New York State Consumer Protection Board.

While elderly people lost the most money, lottery scams also tricked younger people into believing they had won a large cash prize from a foreign lottery or sweepstakes. In each case, the victims sent money, usually to Canada, thinking they had to pay insurance or taxes before they could collect these bogus prizes.

"No legitimate contest makes you pay a fee to collect a prize," said CPB Chairperson and Executive Director Teresa A. Santiago. "For many of the elderly victims, the scam artists made multiple demands for cash, falsely claiming that more money was needed in order to pay for 'taxes' or insurance."

Sons and daughters have filed complaints after failing to convince their elderly parent that there was no prize.

"You can't win a contest that you didn't enter. But it's hard to convince someone that they are the victim of a scam, especially when the con artists have made numerous phone calls and formed a bond with the victim," Santiago said.

2. Phishing-Vishing Scams

This scam, in which identity thieves "phish" for a consumer's personal information, are getting more prevalent, due in large part to technological advances. The use of email now makes to increasingly easy for criminals to trick people into revealing account numbers, passwords and social security numbers.

Cleverly designed emails appear to be from a bank, credit union, or online payment service like PayPal, requesting account verification. If the consumer clicks on a link in the email, they are taken to a site designed to look like the bank's actual site, where they are instructed to enter the sensitive information, which is captured and used for identity theft purposes.

In 2006, "vishing" arrived on the scene. Instead of asking the spam recipient to click on a link, they are instructed to call a toll-free customer service number, which seems more the way a financial institution might do business. When they call, an automated system instructs the caller to enter account numbers or passwords, which are then recorded by the scammer.

Secure Computing, which specializes in secure connections over networks, sent up the red flag over this new method in 2005, though the first recorded incident didn't take place until May 2006, involving a Santa Barbara, California, bank. Secure Computing engineers have been tracking news group sites and open disclosure discussion groups discussing vishing.

"This is just a natural evolution of phishing itself," said Paul Henry, vice president of strategic accounts for Secure Computing.

"Simply put, people are becoming more aware of the fact that an e-mail containing a URL could be malicious in nature. So hackers are moving away from the URL and using something victims are more familiar with like calling a number."

This "advancement" has forced some financial institutions to consider additional changes to the way in which they communicate with customers.

3. Phony Job Scam

Scammers are increasingly responding to job seekers posting their resumes at online employment sites, such as Careerbuilder.com. The job offer usually has nothing to do with the job seeker's experience or qualification. Even so, they are offered a job on the spot, serving as a "courier."

They are instructed to receive large checks and deposit them in their personal accounts. They are then instructed to wire the money to an account out of the country. The checks, of course, are counterfeit, but they aren't exposed until after they have been deposited and after the victim has wired the money -- their own money, it turns out -- to the scammer.

"Any employment offered online without a formal interview, no matter where it originates, should be treated with skepticism," said Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe, who investigated one of these scams in 2006. "Terms that seem too good to be true will prove to be just that and may cost you in stolen personal information or money lost."

4. Negative Option Scams

Unlike most scams, which are perpetrated by out-and-out criminals, negative option schemes are run by otherwise legitimate businesses. Using pop-up ads on the Internet and extremely fine print on the back of sales tickets, consumers completing a transaction with their credit card are offered some free gift or enticement, not realizing their acceptance enrolls them in a travel discount club or affinity group of some kind, or commits them to a year's subscription of a magazine they most likely don't want.

The consumer may think there is no harm in accepting the "free offer," because they don't realize there strings are attached. While laws generally require consumers to make an "informed consent" to purchase, negative option turns the transaction around. It assumes the consumer has made the purchase, unless the consumer "opts out" or takes the "negative option." The volume of complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com on this subject suggests consumers are completely unaware of the transaction.

5. Nigerian 419 Scams

These scams continue to make our list, year after year, because they continue to ensnare thousands of victims. This is the scam in which the victim receives an email, allegedly from a wealthy, dying person in another country who is desperately trying to get their fortune out of the country. They promise the victim a sizable percentage if they will help.

The victim either has to send money to cover fees or provide their bank account information, or both. The scams are mostly run from Nigeria and get their name because they are covered in section 419 in the Nigerian penal code.

Most people find these emails a big joke, but seemingly sophisticated people have fallen hard for them, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the crime mostly goes unpunished, ConsumerAffairs.com reported on British prankster Michael Berry's humorous war on these scams, which actually show as much promise as any countervailing measure. Called "scambaiting," Berry actively engages these scammers, pretending to be a gullible victim, wasting their time and forcing them to perform all types of ridiculous and time consuming tasks.

6. Pump & Dump Scam

As the stock market finally rebounded in 2006 after years of near dormancy, scammers stepped up their stock-touting schemes. Sending out millions of spam emails, they would offer a "hot tip" about an obscure company whose stock was selling for a few cents a share. Before sending the email they would buy up millions of shares.

For example, Texhoma Energy was touted in an October spam email, resulting in a significant increase in the stock's value. According to the Chicago Tribune, 53,000 shares of Texhoma stock were traded on October 16. The next day the volume jumped to more than one million. Two days later it jumped to more than five million, as the spam emails began to hit inboxes and prompt victims to place orders.

The scammers, of course, sell at the stock's high point and other investors soon join them as the price begins to fall. Pretty soon the stock is back to selling at a nickel a share and those who jumped on the bandwagon have lost significant amounts of money.

At year's end the National Association of Securities Dealers issued an alert to investors to avoid taking any unsolicited investment advice. A survey of the huge increase in spam email revealed most of it to be touting these near-worthless stocks.

7. Bogus Fuel Saving Devices

When gasoline prices surged this year, scammers were quick to try and cash in. One company claimed its "special pellets," dropped into the fuel tank, would improve efficiency. The Federal Trade Commission went after one company that claimed its "magnetic device" would increase gas mileage.

"Consumers are looking for ways to increase fuel efficiency and save money at the pump," said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "There are some practical ways to do that, like following the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual, combining errands, and avoiding jack-rabbit starts. The fact is that many products that claim to save fuel don't work, and worse yet, may damage your car and end up costing you more."

8. Grandparents Scam

This is a particularly vile scam aimed at senior citizens, perhaps the most vulnerable scam victims. An elderly person is targeted by the scammer who calls and says something like, "It's me, grandpa." The elderly person will respond, thinking it's one of their grandchildren.

The scammer then tells a tale of woe, saying they are in trouble and need some money, "and please don't tell mom." The grandparent obligingly sends a few hundred dollars, thinking they're helping a grandchild. Investigators say it works more than you might think.

9. Oprah Ticket Scam

This scam makes our list this year because of its potential to become much more widespread and to victimize vulnerable people. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently warned consumers about this scam, alerting them to emails or letters that told them they had won tickets to a taping of the talk diva's show in Chicago, or had been offered a tour package that included a taping of the show. The communication asked for sensitive personal information, which, if provided, could allow their identities to be stolen.

In this case, e-mail recipients are asked to submit personal information and told they will receive tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show after verification of certain financial information and/or the wiring of money to an unknown third party. However, according to Harpo Productions, Inc., The Oprah Winfrey Show does not sell tickets or ticket travel packages to fans.

10. craigslist Scam

Though not terribly widespread at the end of 2006, the craigslist scam makes our top ten list because of its potential to wreak harm in the years ahead. Starting this year scammers began taking advantage of the growing popularity of craigslist to victimize people trying to rent their homes or apartments.

The scheme is basically the fake check scam, with a twist. Darryl, of San Diego, told ConsumerAffairs.com that he received almost identical replies when he listed a room for rent on both craigslist and Roommate.com. The replies claimed to be from "Marie," who called herself "a young humanitarian officer."

"Marie" said her employer would be sending Darryl her expense check, which would be for several thousand dollars. Darryl was to deposit it in his account, deduct the rent and deposit, and send the balance back to her.

Fortunately, Darryl saw through the scam. If he had cashed the phony check, it would not have been discovered for a few days. By then he would have sent the scammer a very real check for a $3,000 or more.

"Most people who use craigslist have great stories to tell about their experiences with buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and such, but we also receive occasional reports of scams and fraud," craigslist warned on its Web site. "We've found that one of the best ways to avoid this problem is to keep all transactions local -- whenever possible, don't do business with anyone who is not in your local area."

(Source: ConsumerAffairs.com)