Wellness Posts

Big Brother Lives in Your Browser

2010-08-24T10:59:26Z

Wellness.com - Big Brother Lives in Your Browser by JohnSileo

The world is spying on you, and you don't really even know it. A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal concludes that spying on consumers in order to sell their data is one of the fastest-growing internet businesses. Here is a summary of the most striking findings:

"The Study found that the nation's 50 top websites on average installed 64 pieces of tracking technology onto the computers of visitors, usually with no warning... the Journal found new tools that scan in real time what people are doing on a Web page, then instantly assess location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions. These profiles of individuals, constantly refreshed, are bought and sold on stock-market like exchanges."

The tracking software records and analyzes your browsing patterns. It knows if you're surfing porn sites, researching bipolar disorder or watching teen movie trailers. With startling accuracy, it interprets these patterns and sells the information to websites, sometimes within seconds, that want access to your wallet. What's the big deal, you ask? Why not let them market to us in highly targeted ways?

That seems reasonable, within limits. We are all slowly being boiled like frogs. This month, Big Brother knows which movies I "Like," what keywords I typed into Google and what books I checked out at the library. Next month they'll attach our name, address and credit profile to the database so that they can instantly evaluate whether I should be their customer. Because they erode our privacy over time, we don't notice that we're being boiled alive!

According to the Journal, if the tracking software estimates that you are a low income individual, you will likely be shown a higher interest rate credit card when you visit the Capital One website. If you've been researching bipolar disorder on Dictionary.com (which downloads 234 tracking programs onto your computer without alerting you), the next insurance website you visit might no longer have a policy that fits you. In another example listed in the article, banks are beginning to consider looking at the credit worthiness of your social networking friends to determine your credit worthiness.

We can't just blame this on the businesses that want to market to us. They exist to make money and strive to advertise to us in the best way possible. But we don't have to just sit around and give away all of our precious information.

I recommend these steps to keep ourselves out of the hot water, including:

Delete the cache of tracking cookies on your computer that share information without your consent

Customize the privacy settings in your browser to minimize information leakage and to regularly delete tracking software like cookies

Use the "Private Browsing" feature in Safari, Firefox and IE when you don't want your browsing history stored on your computer

Lock down your social networking profiles so that marketing companies can't skim your personal information

Consider using anonymizing software like the Tor Project, Abine or Better Privacy

Understand that when you are on the Internet, you are being tracked, and surf accordingly

www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com

Reading Your Credit Report

2010-08-08T09:16:56Z

Wellness.com - Reading Your Credit Report by JohnSileo

A credit report is a history of how you or your company borrow and then pay off your credit, including delinquency and bankruptcy. There are currently three main credit bureaus in the United States - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If you own a home, have a credit card, lease a car, or apply for or use credit of any sort, this information is reported to one, two or all three of these credit bureaus.

In addition, they collect information on how timely you pay your bills, how often you are tardy, how frequently your credit is checked by companies and any changes of address, employment, or personal information.

By monitoring these reports closely, you will know when someone else is using your credit rating to their benefit. If an identity thief opens a new credit card or takes out a loan using your Social Security number, you will see it on your report. The quicker you spot the problem, the less trouble it will cause. Monitoring your credit report is the single most effective monitoring tool available to keep minor identity theft from turning into full-scale identity fraud.

-Ordering Your Credit Report-

Order your credit report from the first of three agencies (listed below). By law, you are entitled to one free report from each agency once a year. The easiest way to get a report is to visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 1-877-322-8228. Make sure that you request your free annual credit report from one credit agency only, as you will order the other two reports throughout the remainder of the year. By spreading the reports out over time, you will be monitoring your files consistently and frequently.

Be prepared to have your account information handy. Even when applying for your free credit report online, you will reach a screen that instructs you to call in to "Confirm your Identity." The representative will ask you a series of questions that range from your current and past addresses, bank and credit card account numbers, the date the accounts were opened/closed, mother's maiden name, and date of birth. They may also ask you the amounts that you have taken out in loans. Don't get discouraged by the process. This is just another way they are protecting your identity by ensuring they give this information out to the right person. And since you have initiated the call, you are in control of the flow of information.

Skip ahead 4 months from today on your calendar, and mark down the following information:

Request & Review Next Credit Report - Return to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 1-877-322-8228. The second time you request your report, choose a credit agency that you didn't chose the first time (e.g., if you chose Equifax first, choose Experian second, TransUnion third and back to Equifax one year from today).

Skip forward 8 and 12 months on your calendar and mark down which credit bureau you should request a credit report from. On month 12, you will be requesting the report from the same credit bureau that you requested it from the first time. If you use an electronic calendar, schedule this as a recurring event for every four months - that way you will be automatically reminded every time you should review your credit. While ordering your credit report may not be the easiest or most hassle-free process, it is the MOST effective way to monitor identity theft and worth your time.

Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
Toll Free: 1-800-685-1111 1-800-685-1111

TransUnion
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
Toll Free: 1-800-888-4213 1-800-888-4213

Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
Toll Free: 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742

-Reading Credit Reports-

When you receive your first credit report, follow these steps:
1. Completely read through the e

Fun Food Activities

2010-08-02T12:39:02Z

Wellness.com - Fun Food Activities by FreshBaby

Summer is the best time of year to get outside and smell the roses and the apples, and the spinach too. One way to get your kids feeling better about eating fruits and vegetables is to wrap some fun around them.

Here are some activities that will bring you and your family closer to fruits and vegetables.

-Grow a garden: - It does not have to be big or fancy. It can even be a lone tomato plant in a container. It is fun to watch the plants grow, and it's even more fun to harvest and eat them!

-Shop the farmer's markets regularly:- Farmer's markets have grown in popularity and in size. They are great way for local farmers to sell directly to consumers. They're also the perfect place to ask questions, learn what is in season and discover new recipes.

-Attend a food festival: - Whether it's the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City MI, or a local chili cook-off. Festivals are fun and offer an opportunity to try many different types of foods, play games, see a parade and much more.

-Go picking: - Apples, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, walnuts or anything. This is an activity for all ages, and wonderful entertainment for a sunny day. One your way home, you can plan out what type of pies and jams you can make with your newly picked treasures.

-Hold a watermelon seed spitting contest: - Needs no explanation - just plain fun!

-Tour a local farm: - Many farms are open for tours, and this is terrific way to introduce your children to the industry of agriculture. You can contact a town's chamber of commerce or stop by a visitor center to find out about farms that are open to the public.

-Have a picnic: - Pack up the basket with a tasty menu healthy foods and head off to the park or beach. Most children will anything that's inside a picnic basket!

- www.FreshBaby.com

5 Steps to Good Privacy Habits

2010-07-27T20:06:17Z

Wellness.com - 5 Steps to Good Privacy Habits by JohnSileo

People don't change bad habits until they have a compelling reason. Too often that compelling reason is the result of a habit's negative outcome; but the promise of positive rewards resulting from the establishment of good habits can be a strong motivator. In the workplace, aligning responsible information stewardship with personal and professional gain can set the stage for good privacy habits.

Here are 5 steps you can take towards perfecting your own Privacy Habits:

1. Tighten up online passwords. Create strong, alphanumeric passwords. Instead of your password being Sunflower make it $uNf(0w3R. Don't use common password reminders such as your dog's name, street address, or mother's maiden name. All of those would be easily uncovered by an identity thief.

2. Buy a Shredder - and use it. By shredding anything that has your name, address, birthday, social security number, or account numbers on it, you will be less likely to have your identity stolen through the trash. Make sure that the shredder you chose is kept in a convenient location - if you can't get to it fast, you won't use it!

3. Secure your Facebook. Tighten up the privacy settings and make your profile only available to your friends. We do a lot of posts on Facebook Privacy Settings because they have a tendency to change frequently. Watch the site and subscribe to our newsletter to stay current on how to protect yourself and your profile on Facebook.

4. Opt-Out. Take the time to call 1-888-567-8688 1-888-567-8688 or visit www.OptOutPreScreen.com
to stop financial junk mail from ending up at your house and inevitably - your trash. Those mailers give thieves an easy way to set up credit card accounts in your name without your consent. They spend money on the card and default on the balance, leaving you with the mess of proving that you didn't make the purchases.

5. Order your free credit report. By law, you are entitled to one free report from each agency once a year. The easiest way to get a report is to visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 1-877-322-8228. Make sure that you request your free annual credit report from one credit agency only, as you can order the other two reports throughout the remainder of the year. By spreading the reports out over time, you will be monitoring your files consistently and frequently.

www.Sileo.com

6 Ways to Protect Elderly Relatives from Identity Theft

2010-07-19T05:47:46Z

Wellness.com - 6 Ways to Protect Elderly Relatives from Identity Theft by JohnSileo

Senior Citizens are more vulnerable to Identity Theft because they are more trusting and less aware of the increasing variety of scams. Although most of our older relatives have no interests in the complexities of smart phones, computers, the Internet, and online banking; many that give it a try leave themselves defenseless against thieves.

The Elderly can be easily targeted online or through the mail in old fashioned schemes to steal their identity and ultimately their money. They are more likely to tell a stranger stories of their past that include simple password reminders (birth date, city, childhood pet, etc). They are less likely to suspect that an interested individual is a con-artist and not just a new friend. They can also be conned through the phone or in person by thieves impersonating a representative from a charity or a well-known company.

Although it is impossible to be fully protected from Identity Theft here are a few ways that you can keep them protected.

-1. Online Security. Encourage them to continue to bank in person rather than online and have the bank inform you of any purchase over a certain dollar amount. Also, install security software on any computer they use and keep it up to date. If they do click on a link including a virus their computer and information will be more protected.
-
2. Freeze their credit. A credit freeze is the fastest and easiest way to protect yourself from Identity Theft. A credit freeze is simply an agreement you make with the three main credit reporting bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) that they won't allow new accounts (credit card, banking, brokerage, loans, rental agreements, etc.) to be attached to your name/social security number unless you contact the credit bureau, give them a password and allow them to unfreeze or thaw your account for a short period of time. Yes, freezing your credit takes a bit of time (maybe an hour of work), can be a little inconvenient when you want to set up a new account) and it can cost a few dollars (generally about $10 to unfreeze, a small price compared to the recovery costs of identity theft). And it is worth it!

-3. Credit Check and Monitoring Service. If you are not going to do a credit freeze, then frequently check their credit report with them to make sure they understand if any new accounts have been opened. You can even use an Identity Theft Monitoring Service for as little as $10 a month to help you keep an eye out for suspicious activity.
-
4. Opt Out. Have them opt out of junk mail that comes from financial institutions. They can do this by going to www.OptOutPreScreen.com or by calling 1-888-567-8688 1-888-567-8688. This should significantly reduce any pre-approved credit cards or junk mail that may get thrown in the trash and swooped by a dumpster diver.
-
5. Buy them a shredder. By shredding anything that has their name, address, birthday, social security number or account numbers they will be less likely to have their identity stolen through the trash. Teach them what to shred and make it convenient. If it's not as close as the trash can, they won't use it.

-6. Keep them Informed. By staying current on the newest scams and social engineering techniques you can not only protect yourself, but you can protect others. Whenever you hear of a new scam tell them about it. You can stay current and informed by using Google alerts or subscribing to our newsletter.

- www.Sileo.com

The Facebook Movie

2010-07-06T09:01:31Z

Wellness.com - The Facebook Movie by JohnSileo

The new movie on Facebook entitled "The Social Network" released its first teaser trailer. The film, better recognized as "The Facebook Movie," follows the early days of the world's most powerful social networking site. It follows Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, from the creation of the website through the destruction of a friendship with his co-founders. In the process, it exposes the history behind the information sharing site that Facebook users will wish they knew sooner.

Facebook has had overwhelming success and gained huge momentum since they began in a Harvard dorm room in 2005. Their ability to get you and I to share personal information that we normally wouldn't has made privacy a huge concern with the site. Zukerberg has faced scrutiny recently with the privacy changes that make more of your information available to businesses on Facebook that purchase your data in order to sell to you in a more targeted way.

And here's the interesting thing. The movie will undoubtedly make you uncomfortable about how your private information is being used, but you won't probably change what you share. You've been addicted to the drug without knowing you were even taking a dangerous substance. Making sure that you are as safe as possible on Facebook is important to all users - especially the young ones.

With over 500 million users and a site that seems to keep growing by the month, you can't expect everyone to be using Facebook with good intentions. It states in the teaser that "you don't get to over 500 million friends without making a few enemies." Take steps to inoculate yourself and your family against some of the risks of social networking. While quitting may not be an option for you, tightening your Facebook privacy settings definitely is.

- www.Sileo.com

Conflict Schmonflict: My Family Gets Along Just Fine

2010-07-01T11:58:53Z

Wellness.com - Conflict Schmonflict: My Family Gets Along Just Fine by DrE...

How often is that we see people in our extended families and our community that believe that their family gets along just fine and doesn't have any problems, only to find that screaming, yelling, name calling, and physical aggressiveness is almost the norm?

There almost seems to be a denial that there is a deeper issue, and because of this, the conflict continues and people believe that destructive behaviors are acceptable. Whether it is sibling rivalries, parents behaving badly, physically or verbally abusive behaviors, and/or conflicts between extended family members, these patterns of conflicts often endure from generation to generation. What are the factors that start these conflicts and continue them across time?

-The Power Trip-

The underlying issue that drives all conflicts is power in the way we are taught to look at power. It's that simple. In our world we are often taught that there are different levels of power that people have, and we are either supposed to find where we fit in or advance our position by undermining, controlling, or manipulating other people's power. This is no different in our families. After all, this is where we are first taught this. We often grow to feel that our parents to manipulate our feelings of power through threats, punishments, and painful words, and it is from these behaviors that we develop a mistrust of our parents and then the world. The unfortunate result is that we believe that we have to be the ones to protect our own power, often at any cost. These challenges to our power are often played out in the conflicts in our families and extend.

In my years of experience in working with families, I find that most families with problematic conflict either have parents that 1. Are manipulative and try to push the buttons of their children with threats, empty promises, or gifts; 2. Are directly controlling and try to force their kids to do things that breed resentment and conflict; 3. Are inconsistent and send mixed messages to their kids without consistent guidance or support letting their kids try to establish dominance among themselves and against their parents; and/or 4. Have unwittingly or purposely pit their kids against each other, regardless of their motivation.

In almost all these situations, the parents are either blind to the way they're approaching these issues and/or are unable or unwilling to admit that they do these things even when confronted. When your children feel that you as a parent are looking out more for yourself than them, they stop trusting you. Where there is no trust, there is no sense of safety or security. When people do not feel safe, they live with a feeling of fear and often feel that they need to take matters into their own hands. Therefore, they will either challenge you and/or others for power and control or will surrender their wants and needs to others and let themselves be controlled.

-Fear This-

The emotion that underlies our drive for power in our world is fear. If we feel that we are in a position of powerlessness, we fear others have more power than us to harm us or control us. If we feel that we are in a position of power, we fear that the people "below us" either want to take it or we are responsible for them and the risks of failure are increased. Keep in mind that although we may live with his underlying fear, we don't want to show that to others because we are taught to look good and/or strong and/or right that we can win (we hide our feelings or perceptions of feeling bad, wrong and/or weak).

If you look at most family conflicts they often continue because one and/or both people are looking to try to prove that they are better, stronger, more correct in a belief or attitude than the other person. Kids are often competing for love and acceptance from their parents, and parents may indirectly encourage these conflicts while wanting to push their kids to be better.

Identity Theft Scam Stole Millions - Pennies at a Time

2010-07-01T10:43:36Z

Wellness.com - Identity Theft Scam Stole Millions - Pennies at a Time by JohnSileo

The FTC just busted a long-running internet scam where offshore thieves set up virtual companies and stole millions of dollars from US consumers one small charge at a time.

"It was a very patient scam," said Steve Wernikoff, a staff attorney with the FTC who is prosecuting the case. According to him, the scammers found loopholes in the credit card processing system that allowed them to set up fake U.S. companies that then ran more than a million phony credit card transactions through legitimate credit card processing companies.

The fraudsters were able to fly under the radar for so long because they only charged consumers between $ .25 and $9 and set up over 100 fake companies to pull off these transactions. In this specific case they charged over 1.35 million credit cards a total of $9.5 million dollars - those nickles and dimes really add up! Shockingly, 94% of these charges went undetected by the credit card holder because they didn't notice an unusual charge on their credit card statements and fraud detection agencies rarely detect anything under $10.

With more and more credit cards being accepted for smaller purchases (e.g., soda machines and parking meters) thieves have taken this opportunity to cash in on the frequency of these charges. While 6% of the charges were detected and reported, the huge number that didn't even realize they had an unauthorized charge shows how lax we are about checking our statements. Here are some simple steps you can take to catch fraud early:

Set up automatic account alerts to monitor your daily credit card purchases. That way, anytime money is spent on the card, you receive an email or SMS text to your phone alerting you to the charge. If you didn't use your credit card, you immediately know it's a fraud and you can call and shut down your card.

A more basic step is to simply monitor your bank accounts and credit card statements closely. Rather than trusting that all charges are accurate you should make sure you know exactly when the charge was made, for what, and by whom.

If you aren't sure about a charge, call the bank and ask them to confirm it is a legitimate charge.

Sign up for an identity monitoring service that can help with this. Although these victims only lost a few dollars here and there those small charges can add up - to the scammers it added up to $9.5 million!

- www.Sileo.com

Simple Avocado Mango Salad

2010-07-01T09:57:41Z

Wellness.com - Simple Avocado Mango Salad by FreshBaby

Ingredients:-

-Salad:-

1 avocado, cubed

1/2 mango, cubed

1 graham cracker, crushed

-Honey-Lime Dressing:-

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1Tbsp Honey

1/4 cup olive oil

-Directions: -

Prepare dressing: In small bowl, whisk all ingredients together.

Salad: Arrange avocado and mango cubes on a plate or bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve.

- www.FreshBaby.com

Your iPhone 4: Is it Safe?

2010-06-21T10:24:05Z

Wellness.com - Your iPhone 4: Is it Safe? by JohnSileo

While the new features keep the iPhone at the forefront of technology, they also cause some privacy concerns.

One concern that carries over from previous iPhone models is the Always-on iPhone Apps that track your every move through the GPS navigation system. Back in April, Apple began allowing location-tracking applications to run in the background.

So, for example, companies like FourSquare, Yelp, and Facebook can continuously track your location, providing automatic notifications to your friends when you are less than 1/2 mile away from them, if you allow them.

For example, I just had a highly confidential client meeting at the client's corporate headquarters. To the uninitiated, that means that the company I was visiting is probably having data theft issues (and has brought me in to help). If the media finds out that they are having these issues before the company has had a chance to start the damage control process, their stock will drop far faster than if they have prepared for the news to go public.

If Facebook or FourSquare is broadcasting my whereabouts, my followers already know which company is having the problem, their competitors know it (if they are following my GPS broadcasts), and the media sits and waits for me to enter the building. Luckily, I'm not well-known enough for anyone to care, but just in case, I don't broadcast my whereabouts. Other, far more influential people, do so without thinking twice about it. Which goes to show you that there are ways to utilize all of the cool new technology without letting it control you. With the right knowledge, you can take control of how your information is utilized.

Apple does realize the privacy concerns with location tracking and gives users a way to control how much information is shared. When you open an app, the top bar will show a little arrow in the right-hand corner, indicating location awareness (pictured to the right). There will also be a dashboard where you can toggle location-tracking permissions on and off for different apps.

Regardless, this means that more companies will have access you your location than before.

High-definition video is a second tool that will be used by data spies. What could be easier than for an identity thief to pretend they are on the phone as they are actually filming you typing in your ATM PIN in front of them? Why does iPhone 4 change the game? Because Hi-definition means that they can stand further away and still get high quality video with which to read your data. A simple sweep of an office desk, a client file, etc. with high definition video gives me all of the documents I need to learn more about your company. Think of it as a spy camera that provides thousands of pictures a minute and is hidden as the most ubiquitous device on the planet - a cell phone. It's a powerful tool both for good and bad.

There is no silver bullet solution to the new problems posed by GPS and Hi-Def video. As we teach in our Privacy Survival Boot Camps, what is required is an integrated privacy plan that implements some of the following steps:

Social Networking and GPS proper usage guidelines to make users aware of the consequences of their actions using these tools
Classification systems and clean-desk policies (so that a confidential document isn't left out on the desktop to be filmed in the first place)
Access privileges (to keep non-authorized personnel from accessing sensitive areas)
Employee fraud training (to make everyone in the company aware of these issues and give them more detailed tools to protect themselves and the company)

The iPhone 4 is a wonderful business tool that will drastically increase the productivity and connectivity of the workforce. But like any powerful tool, it can be used for dishonest purposes. The first step is to educate yourself and your staff on how these tools can be used, for good or evil