TNT:
SoftKitty: BE READY SO YOU DONT HAVE TO GET READY Checklist for being secure and obscure and ready for the bank exchange!
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS FROM 2013 ETC...AND THINGS ARE VERY FLUID AND DYNAMIC, HOWEVER SOME THINGS REMAIN TRUE...WORTH REVISITING SINCE MANY OF US HAVE BEEN ON THIS RIDE A LONG TIME AND SOME FOR THE LAST WEEK EVEN. WORTH THE READ AND PREPARATION. EITHER WAY, WE WAIT FOR THE FINAL PACKAGE! YOURS IN THE RV WAITING sk MEOW!
Bulldog75 "45 Security Tips" from OOM&F Forum Part 1
06/05/2013
45 SECURITY TIPS: ARE YOUR ASSETS & FAMILY SAFE
The last few years have witnessed an all-out assault on your personal and financial privacy. Credit-reporting agencies, schools, Internet marketers, medical clearing-houses, and dozens of other private organizations, Government all now maintain detailed records on us. The worst offender has been the U.S. government.
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS PERSONALLY! THIS IS STRICTLY PROTECTION MEASURES AND BUSINESS FOR ONE TO TAKE CARE OF NOW.
Herein are Great Ways To Protect Your Privacy:
#1. The first law of privacy is: TO STAY QUIET, particularly when one is in public, on the phone, or sending faxes or e-mail. DO NOT TAKE THIS PERSONAL; IT'S ALL ABOUT BUSINESS AND YOUR SECURITY! IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON TO 'UPSET YOUR APPLECART".
In fact, electronic communications are now so vulnerable to interception by government agencies, private investigators, and other snoops, that one shouldn't say anything in these communications you wouldn't want published on the front page of the New York Times or recorded by the IRS.
One can now get hacked into from your printer. Use separate computers and printers. One for on-line and one for off-line, IMHO.
# 2. Don't flaunt one's wealth, particularly if you have a lot of money. If you own a fancy home, make sure it looks as modest as possible from the outside. suggestion to buy cars under $75,000; Keep new homes/apartments/condo under 1 million. There is no need to advertise wealth.
The IRS regularly searches car-purchase and property records. If they suspect tax evasion – real or imagined – they can freeze your assets, and seize your car and home. When traveling overseas, you have to be even more careful.
Driving a fancy car or dressing like a "rich" American – i.e., the way you normally dress – can make you a target for robbers, kidnappers and anti-American terrorists. Also limit your credit card use. Every time you use your credit card, thieves could steal the number and rack up huge charges.
It could take months or even years to get it all sorted out. stick with a car no higher than a LEXUS, to 75k, or one's draws serious attention.
# 3. Shred or burn important documents. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it's 100% legal for snoops to rummage through your curbside trash and keep any papers they find.
So never throw any important papers in the trash without shredding them – including bank and credit-card statements, utility bills, letters from Social Security or other government agencies, information from your stock broker, etc.
Make sure and use a cross-cut shredder ($100-$150) which reduces documents to confetti, rather than a less-expensive shredder that cuts paper into strips which can be pasted back together. For ultra-sensitive documents, nothing beats burning them.
# 4. Isolate sensitive computer files from snoops. As we use our computers more and more to keep sensitive records and correspondence, it becomes more important to protect them from snoops. The #1 threat to your sensitive files is your modem, fax, or DSL Internet connection – anything that electronically connects your computer to the outside world.
Thanks to cookies, e-mail wiretaps, and other techniques, when you're browsing the web or reading your e-mail, snoops at the other end can download files from your computer hard drive.
The only sure way to protect yourself is by keeping all sensitive information on a different computer (or at least a different hard drive with its own, separate operating system) than the computer you use for web browsing.
In other words, you use Computer #1 to browse the web and send e-mail; and you use Computer #2 for word processing, accounting, and storing important information. Computer #1 has no important files or sensitive information.
Computer #2 has no electronic connection to the outside world. To minimize expenses, your two computers can share the same keyboard and monitor, by the addition of a network hub (about $100). Warning; Now as of 11/11 printers can now be hacked into.!!
# 5. Keep your web browsing and e-mail private. Whenever you contact a company or organization on the Internet, the computer at the other end will often insert a "cookie" into your computer – enabling merchants and government agencies to keep track of your web browsing.
The information that can be collected about you in this way is absolutely mind-boggling and includes your name, address, phone number, detailed information on the type of computer you are using, your Social Security number, credit-card numbers, a list of your friends and business contacts, and much more.
To keep your web browsing private, use an anonymous connection service,
For further protection, encrypt your e-mail, using high-level, 1024-bit encryption software, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). http:// www.pgp.comZero Knowledge Systems (ZKS) offers software called "Freedom" which also uses 1024-bit encryption and which: Allows you to use multi-pseudonyms that can't be traced to your real name Prevents the receipt of Internet cookies Provides multi-layers of encryption.
# 6. KEEP YOUR HOME ADDRESS & PHONE# PRIVATE! Thisis the single MOST IMPORTANT step you can take to protect your privacy though all items within this POST are urgent for your welfare. Government snoops can't nose around your home, bug your computer, or listen in on your calls, if they don't know where you live or your phone number..
To keep your home address private, rent or buy your home in the name of an out-of-state corporation (Delaware and Nevada corporations are best). Also put your utilities in the name of the corporation, as well as your phone, and magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
This is precisely what TV personalities, professional athletes, and film stars do to protect their privacy. And it's not expensive. A Delaware corporation can be set up for as little as $150 and maintained for $50 a year!
Take your names off your local country tax rolls and replace your name with "property Owner". this is crucial!!!
# 6 B: Receive all MAIL personally addressed to you at a nearby mail drop, such as Mail Boxes, Etc. (about $15 a month), or an Executive Office Service ($50 to $150 a month), or at the address of a friend who owns a nearby business (free). Then use this address for your driver's license and car registration.
Naturally, your car will also be registered in the name of your corporation. Properly set up, a Delaware or Nevada corporation can also dramatically lower your taxes, if you're an independent contractor. (Please consult your attorney.)
For a private home phone, use a company name when setting up a new phone account, rather than your own, and make sure and get caller ID, complete blocking. To add a further level of phone privacy, purchase a prepaid cell phone – such as those offered by Trac Fone through Blockbuster, WalMart, and Staples.
No name, address, credit check, etc. is required to set up an account, and you can buy phone cards for cash to add more time. As of 11/11 Wal-Mart sells i-phones for less than $100 and Unlimited internet, text and talk for $55 per month. This is a fabulous rate!!!
#7 A.) (TWO PARTS) . Keep your medical records more private. Information in your medical files can be used to deny you insurance, jobs, and legal benefits. It could be even used by a government just slightly more authoritarian than the one we now have, to take away your children or commit one elsewhere.
Unfortunately, each time you see a doctor or check into a hospital or clinic, they will usually demand your Social Security Number, which in turn will be used to file and locate your medical records.
You can protect yourself from unwanted snooping by getting an alternative Medical photo ID from ID Network (IDN). No SSN is required, and medical records are kept in your own handwriting. $9.95. Call 1-888-329-3686 or 314-416-7411, http://www.idnetwork.com.
#7 PART B: In the civilized society, we each have a crucial zone of privacy shielding us from outside snooping and control. Privacy is about keeping more of what you earn – protecting the sensitive information in your computer - avoiding being hassled by the IRS or police – protecting your children – and minimizing your chances of a 2 am visit by a machine-gun-toting SWAT team.
The battle for your privacy is the battle for your freedom. Ultimately it is a battle we will win. AMEN.
**********
#8. EXCHANGE TIME : these are suggestions to consider; you decide what IS BEST UNDER YOUR SITUATION. THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS HERE FOR PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. The wolves inside and outside the bank can be few to many in different clothing. Your Life and Your Life Savings may be at RISK.
# 9. Do not park in the bank lot. Why show your car tags to others that will jot them down and trace u? A camera can take a photo of you and your tags for blocks away. Take a taxi or rental car to the banks.
# 10.. Go with someone to the bank; spouse, best friend who is a fellow Dinarian. Caps and glasses are nice. Make no new friends at the bank or locally who might discover your fortunes.
#11.. Make an appointment , if required, to make the 'exchange'.
#12. Know your rate before you go. Have a predetermined game plan. Shop your rates. Seek investment angles, advice also from maybe Smith Barney, Scottrade Inc, etc, various options.
# 13. Watch your body language, look and play the part of Investor. MANY maybe WATCHING. Use dressy attire but no jeans or T's.
#14.There is NO rush to cash in; supposedly many weeks and option days to have the possible 15% tax advantage with no audits (this is still a rumor; will be confirmed sooner or later next week). Seek competent tax and legal advice.
#15. If your deposit is in an acct "non interest bearing savings acct" this should be Dodd-Frank. check with your banker. NIB accts are usually unlimited in coverage.
#16. SMITH BARNEY or MORGAN STANLEY INC. OR SCOTTRADE INC ET and others can re-insure your accounts somewhere in the $600,000 TO ONE BILLION $$ range per account.
Seek legal advice and the broker / company policies. DO NOT LEAVE SIGNIFICANT LARGE SUMS IN INSTITUtIONS UNLESS ITS RE-INSURED; IE: LLOYDS IN
#17. AFTER MAKING YOUR INITIAL DEPOSIT; TRANSFER IT TO ANOTHER INTEREST FREE CHECKING ACCT WITHIN THE WEEK; SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. THIS PREVENTS WIRE TRANSFER AGENTS AND PAST BANK KNOWING YOUR NEW ACCT #!! (AGAIN, PLEASE FILTER ALL THIS DATA. YOU DECIDE WHICH WORKS FOR U, BUT TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AND WAITING IS NOT HEALTHY FOR THESE ISSUES AND ACTIONS HEREIN "MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE".
# 18. ONLY USE YOUR PASSPORTS FOR IDS: IT DOES NOT HAVE YOUR HOME ADDRESS, SOCIAL SECURITY # TIED IN. Avoid using your Drivers License for anything but the cops and court when or if mandated!
#19. Use UPS postal drop for home address or your attorney's office work address until you get things squared away about physical addresses. Never use one's home address for anything, especially: mail, fed ex, UPS, !!! Have your bank statements go to a Po Box! Never let one's attorney know how much money you have.
#20. IMHO, "Irrevocable Business Trust" or a "Irrevocable Spendthrift Trust" saves your wealth, health and happiness from the tax man. . It's Worth every penny and more. Trusts are much more apt to protect large estates. Revocable Trust hold little or no water with the IRS & States.
#21: IMHO: Legalshield.com or in some states, PREPAID LEGAL INC.: for family, business, Wills, IRS audits, Citations, legal situations. 100's of legal help issues that may give legal piece of Mind and ease the pocketbook too. Attorneys are assigned within your State to handle your cases. Some situations are outsourced to qualified attorneys within your state and they contact you. Fees average $17-49 monthly.
#22: BEWARE/ ALERT: RFID )))) RADIO FREQUENCY ID. RADIO CHIPS MAYBE INSIDE YOUR CREDIT CARD. IT IS ELECTRONIC ‘PICK-POCKETING’ OF ANOTHER’S CREDIT CARD # AND EXPIRATION DATE. LOOK FOR SYMBOL)))) OR POSSIBLE OTHER SYMBOLS. ONE’S CARD # AND EXPIRATION DATE INFO CAN BE COPIED ONTO SOMEONE’S ‘HOTEL ROOM KEY’.
THEFT DEVICE CAN BE BOUGHT FOR $100. KEEP ALL CREDIT CARDS INSIDE ALUMINUM /METAL SLEEVE OR CASE.
HACKERS CAN GET YOUR CARD #S VERY EASILY. SEE THIS VIDEO AND BEWARE. ‘RFID’ CHIPS ARE IN 33% OF CREDIT CARDS MADE TODAY. TAKE CAUTION NOW. THESE CHIPS CAN ALSO BE IN YOUR SOON TO BE BANK “BLACK DEBIT CARDS”. THIS COULD GET COSTLY AND DANGEROUS AT THE SAME TIME. IT’S BEST NOT TO HAVE ‘RFID’ CREDIT CARDS.
CHECK WITH YOUR BANK ON ‘CASH-IN’ / ‘CURRENCY EXCHANGE’ TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT ISSUED ANY TYPE OF “ RADIO FREQUENCY RFID )))) “ CREDIT CARDS ON ANY OF YOUR CURRENT (AND FUTURE) ACCOUNTS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLAFhTjsQHw&sns=em
#23 (#23-36 WERE ADDED 7/16/12): Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft: Traveling (for business or pleasure) can increase your exposure to financial risk. Here are some simple tips to protect yourself and reduce the risk of identity theft as you head out on your summer vacation.
#24: Clean out your wallet:Take only your essential documents, like your driver’s license and just 2 credit cards – one to carry and one to leave in the safe at the hotel in case your wallet is lost or stolen. Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet – ever. Leave your extra credit cards or identifications documents at home. Men – keep your wallet in a buttoned pocket, women – wear a purse with wide straps and locking clasps, and don’t hang it on the door when you use a public restroom.
#25: Leave your checkbook at home: You shouldn’t need it if you have credit cards. Leave your bills and private papers at home, too.
#26: Make a copy of your travel documents:Copy your passport, driver’s license, airline confirmations, etc. Leave it with a trusted friend in case you need help, or keep a copy safely tucked inside a suitcase pocket in case the original gets lost or stolen. Make a list of what you have in your wallet, along with the phone numbers on the back of your cards.
#27: Stop your mail or have a neighbor pick it up:A full mailbox with bank statements and credit card bills is a sure sign for hackers and thieves that you are not at home. Also, stop the newspaper, and don’t broadcast your travel plans on social networking sites.
#28: Alert your credit and debit card issuers:Let them know where you are traveling, how you may be reached, and when you will return. This helps the fraud department stop charges that may not be yours, and reduces the risk that your cards will be “frozen” due to unusual activity when you are away from home and can’t be reached
#29: Keep an eye on your cell phone: Many people are storing user ID’s and passwords and other personal information on their cell phones. Secure your phone with a security code so that it can’t be accessed if it is lost or stolen.
#30: Consider a temporary credit freeze:A freeze will deny access to your credit history, so ID thieves can’t open accounts while you are away. Setting up a freeze through the three credit reporting bureaus – Transunion, Experian and Equifax – takes time and money, so this is the most beneficial if you are planning a period of prolonged travel.
#31: Look for safer ATMs:If you need cash withdrawals, ATMs in bank lobbies are less vulnerable to devices used to capture your information, and are usually better lit and safer in general. They are also more likely to have surveillance cameras.
#32: Be careful with computers in hotels and other public places:Don’t access your financial data on hotel or other public computers or public Wi-Fi networks. Public computers may have spy-ware or malware installed which could record everything you type. Be sure to log out of any sites that you may access before leaving the PC.
#33: Beware of front desk calls:If you receive a call from a “clerk” saying that they need to re-enter your credit card number, hang up and call the front desk yourself. You don’t now who is at the other end of that call.
#34: A few simple steps will go a long way in protecting you and your information and prevent your vacation or business trip from turning into a headache. If you have any concerns about your personal information, notice any suspicious account activity, or experience a customer information security-related event, contact your bank branch immediately so that they can assist you.
#35: ONLY PUT ONE'S PO BOX ADDRESS ON THEIR CHECKS.NEVER PLACE BIRTHDATE OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS OR EVEN PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR CHECKS. MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE WOLVES/THIEVES IF THEY TAKE ONE'S CHECKBOOK.
#36: ACT IMMEDIATELY AND ACCORDINGLY TO PROTECT ONESELF, FAMILY, BUSINESS. ONE OR TWO MINUTES COULD SAVE : TIME, MONEY, GRIEF, UNTOLD PAPERWORK & CHAOS!
#37: Any major ideas or investments, always bounce it off someone you trust like your CPA, Attorney or Investment advisors. Many are ashamed to admit they've been taken advantage of or conned. Do not be over-trusting, nieve or gullible.. When or if someone tries to interest you in a venture involving money /investments, say, "I'll discuss this with my real estate agent, CPA or lawyer and get back to you." Then talk with someone you trust.
#38: further info on personal identity: Scam-proof your communications by taking control of your personal information. Put your phone numbers (home and cell) on the Do Not Call Registry. Opt out from the sale or sharing of your personal information by contacting the three credit bureaus, your state department of motor vehicles, the Direct Marketing Association and companies with which you do business. Thieves cull your information and use it to open bogus accounts that can ruin your credit scores, credit and make your life absolutely miserable.
For more information on how to remove yourself from these databases, see the Federal Trade Commission's Web page on sharing your personal information.
#39: Don’t Trust Your Caller ID:Never do business over the phone, unless you initiate the call. Here's why: No matter what your caller ID might say, you don't really know who's on the other end of the line. If you place the call yourself, divulging personal information isn't as risky. If you receive a call from someone who claims to be with your bank, insurance company or some other place where you do business -- unless you recognize the caller -- say you'll call back. That will give you time to make sure the number is legitimate. Simply call the company's published number and ask to speak to the individual who called you, or to someone in the appropriate department.
#40: Ways to make using a debit card safer include the following:Run your purchases as credit so you don't have to input your PIN. & Always double-check your card when a clerk, cashier or waiter hands it back to you and make certain it's the same card you handed over.
Be suspicious of people who want to stand too close to you when you're using your debit card, particularly when they are using a cellphone. They could be recording your debit card information with their camera
#41: Regard All Links With Suspicion:Social networking can be a great way to keep up with friends and family, but scammers have found the Internet a gold mine of opportunity. Most of us know not to click on links in emails from people we don't know or to acknowledge those silly get-rich-quick schemes from strangers, but you should never underestimate a con artist's creativity.
For instance, a recent scam on Facebook involves a fake game based on the "Twilight" series. Fans are prompted to click on the link, exposing their personal information to scammers.
Best rule of thumb: Be on your guard and never click on links of unknown origin. Check on them by running a search with the relevant keyword (in this case, "Twilight") and "complaint" or "scam."
42# Safeguard Online Activities:Don't join the thousands who fall victim to online identity theft schemes each year. Some are as simple as planting a keystroke logger on your computer to copy your private information, while others involve complicated email exchanges.
Here are some of the best strategies for avoiding online fraud:
Don't ever respond to emails asking for your account information since they are almost always fakes.
Never click on links embedded in emails (even a friend or relative can accidentally pass along a virus). If you must see that funny video, type the URL directly into your browser.
#43: When you decide to purchase from an online merchant, always make certain that you're dealing with a reputable site.Check for complaints and never click on a link; instead, as with email links, type the company's correct URL into your browser.
Make it a habit to double-check that order forms are secure before completing them. Instead of the standard "http," the URL will begin with "https," which indicates a secure transmission.
#44: DOUBLE REMINDER : Don't forget to maintain up-to-date, functioning security software and a firewall WITH latest up to date Online Protection.
#45: Guard your medical insurance information and ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION OF ANY NATURE with the same zeal as you do your financial data. the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association says the fallout from medical fraud can damage your credit rating, open you to litigation and even result in your receiving improper medical care. "Always examine your explanation of benefits for treatments that you didn't have," he says.
THE LESS INFO there is out there about you, the harder you are to target. Make the con artists' jobs difficult by avoiding their scam tactics. They don't deserve to score off your hard work.
* #s 37-45 contributed in part by : Former policewoman Carole Moore,author of "The Last Place You'd Look: True Stories of Missing Persons and the People Who Search for Them."
Read more: 8 ways to avoid getting conned
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/8-ways-to-avoid-becoming-a-successful-mark-1.aspx#ixzz217YsBOtg
ALL CONTRIBUTORS, INFO, IDEAS ARE SINCERELY APPRECIATED TO HELP DINARIANS AROUND THE PLANET. I LOVE YOU ALL. BLESSINGS. LAST UPDATE 11/11/12.