Tips Guides

Are you an eBay user? Whether you are currently using eBay to do your online shopping, or if you use it to generate extra income for yourself, as a seller, there is something that you need to be aware of. As a user, whether you are a seller or a buyer, you need to be on the lookout for phishing scams. Phishing scams are rapidly increasing in popularity and many are using eBay as a front. To protect your identity, as well as you finances, you need to be on the lookout for them.

If you are relatively new to eBay or online shopping in general, you may not know exactly what phishing scams are. Do you? If not, you should know that phishing scams are actually complex online scams. A shady individual or a scammer makes a fake website that is similar to it or at least a fake sign in page. You are then sent an email that appears as if it was from it. The only thing is that it wasn’t. The goal of a phishing scam is to get you to visit the fake page and enter in your sign in information, including your eBay screen name and your password. Once a scammer has your information, they get access to you personal information stored, as well as free use of your account.

One of the reasons why phishing scams are so easy to fall victim to is because they give you the impression that is something is wrong with you account or that you did something wrong yourself. For instance, many phishing scams contain a message asking why you didn’t pay for an item that you ordered or outline the fact that your account has been suspended. The goal is to get you so worried that you will automatically click on the link to get the problem solved; however, as previously mentioned, the link takes you to a site that looks just like eBay, but it isn’t. There is where the trouble comes in.

If you get a phishing scam email, you will want to do a little bit of detective work, before actually clicking on the link. In fact, you shouldn’t even click on the link. The first thing that you will want to do is look at your name, as most phishing emails start with ‘Dear eBay Member,’ or something along those lines. Real eBay messages will refer to you by your screen name or even your real name. You can also roll your mouse over the link provided to you and see where it will actually take you. In most cases, you will find that you are being directed to another site. All messages should appear in your ‘My eBay,’ message box. To see if you were really sent an email, you can log into your account, from a brand new window that you open up, and check your messages, if you even have any at all.

If you do receive a phishing scam email, you are advised to contact eBay or examine the help center. There you will find instructions on how to report the email or send a copy of it to eBay. Although your first thought may be to delete the phishing scam email, you will actually want to follow the reporting instructions. You may know that you are being scammed, but other may not. Reporting a phishing scam to eBay allows them to take care of the problem; thus likely reducing the number of users who fall victim to similar scams.

Now that you know exactly what phishing scams are, you are urged to be on the lookout for them. Keeping an open eye is your best line of defensive against phishing scams or any phishing scams for that matter.

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on eBay visit: eBay Business

eBay is a relatively safe marketplace. Unfortunately, like most online marketplaces, it is vulnerable to scams. eBay tries to keep instances of scams occurring, but with more than 100 million members, and approximately $40 million moving through the site on a daily basis, this can be a little difficult. Sometimes, scams occur.

If you have been scammed, there are certain steps you need to follow to report the incident, and to try to come to a resolution. If you paid for the item through Paypal, the first step is to login to your Paypal account and open up a dispute for the payment. If you did not pay through Paypal, contact your credit card company. In most cases, if you have used one of these two cases, you will recover your money.

The next step is to use eBay’s dispute process to report the seller. This is specifically for items that were not received, or items that were significantly different than what was described in the auction. eBay also has a purchase protection program to further protect buyers. If a settlement cannot be reached with the buyer, the next step is to make an eBay buyer purchase protection claim.

eBay Success - How to Price Your Items

Many new sellers don’t realize how important pricing is when it comes to eBay auctions. Many don’t even realize that ‘pricing’ needs to be done. eBay is an auction site after all! But eBay auctions are not quite the same as the auctions you attend in the offline world. In fact, quite a bit of work goes into determining and setting prices.

Essentially, there are only three prices that can be set for an eBay auction: the ‘buy it now’ price, the reserve price, and the starting bid price. Of these three, the starting bid price is the only one that is required for an eBay auction. The reserve price and the ‘buy it now’ price are optional. The starting bid price is fairly simple - never set it higher than $50 or so - no matter what your item is really worth. This low opening price will get bidders to your auction.

Setting low starting bid prices creates the need for a reserve price. A reserve price is the absolute lowest price that you want to get for your item. You may sell the item below the reserve price, but you will not be required to. In other words, if you set your reserve price at $100, and your highest bid is only $50, you do not have to sell the item to the highest bidder. You can close the auction without any negative feedback or repercussions. Set your reserve price at the absolute lowest price you are willing to sell your item for. Keep what the item is worth, as well as what it cost you in mind.

The ‘buy it now’ option will allow you to set a price, and buyers can buy the item immediately, without bidding, for that set price. This option can be used for any type of item, and it should be set to match your reserve, give or take a few dollars. This option is great if you have multiple identical items to sell.

Shipping has a price, and potential buyers take this into consideration when they are looking at an auction. If you can see your way clear to offer free shipping, you will find that people are placing more bids. Make sure that your potential buyers realize that you are offering free shipping!

Before setting any prices, you need to determine what the item is really worth. The value of the item in different markets might be quite high. However, you are selling on eBay, and it is a different world altogether! Find out the price that similar items sold for on eBay before setting any prices. If it is a collectable, or a high ticket item, have the item evaluated to ensure that you aren’t going to lose money!

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on eBay Selling visit: eBay Selling

Everyone has heard about identity theft because it has been in the news very often. Most people think it can’t happen to them but this is far from the truth. Identity thieves don’t care whether you are rich or poor and they don’t care whether you have good or poor credit. The good news is you can do some things for identity theft protection.

There are a variety of simple things that we don’t think about that can do for identity theft protection. When you think about it, people are very used to certain habits that can make them targets for identity theft. What do you do with your junk mail? Do you throw it away or recycle it? Either way you are leaving it around for someone else to pick up.

Thieves will take from a variety of sources. It is not just credit cards they are after, but social security numbers, debit cards, and even phone calling cards. Recently, a General Accounting Office report said that the estimate at least 750,000 people are victims of identity theft every year.

There are many ways that thieves can take your identity. One of the easiest ways is to send you an email from what appears to be your bank or other institution you know that asks you to verify your information. Before you do, get on the phone and ask the bank if they do this because usually they do not.

Another way thieves have gathered information is to go to a restaurant and make a deal with a waiter. The waiter is guaranteed $50 for every credit card they send through a skimmer, which is supplied by the thief. The skimmer is as small as a credit card and a good waiter can process 100 credit cards a night giving your information to the thief.

Although most people have heard how to avoid identity theft there are still people who may not understand what to do. Here are a few ideas for identity theft protection:

-Destroy your private records, credit or bank statements or anything that comes to your home that includes your name.

-Have a locking mailbox or p.o. box for your mail and don’t mail anything to do with money from your home.

-Mail envelopes with checks in them at the post office not at home. Thieves can grab your information easily and use the checks again.

-Take your receipts with you. If you don’t need a receipt at the gas station or at the ATM, click the no receipt button. If you need a receipt take it with you or it can fall into someone else’s hands.

-Put your name on the National Do Not Call Registry list at 1-888-382-1222. This will not keep everyone from calling you but it will cut down those who do. Those who call can be told you are on the registry and they need to stop calling you.

These are simple things that you can do for identity theft protection that are will frustrate identity thieves and help to keep you safe.

Greg has experience with identity theft and has provided ways for you to have protection against identity theft. Visit Identity Protection Now to learn about different forms of Identity Theft Protection, information, and solutions today.

Annually, approximately ten million people have something very important stolen from them. It is not their car, it is not their child, and it is not their money: it’s their identity. Identity theft is a crime that is on the rise and costing billions of hard earned dollars a year.

While there is no way to ensure 100% identify theft protection, there are several tips to follow that can reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

-Shred all important documents. Whenever you receive a bank statement or a credit card statement, or even a medical bill, do not throw it away. File the papers in a heavy duty filing cabinet with a lock. When it is time to sort through the documents and get rid of what is not needed, run the papers through a shredder. Shredders can vary in price depending upon quality, but for $30.00 you can have a better piece of mind.

-Do not carry your social security card in your wallet. It may seem convenient to have your social security card in your wallet, but it is not necessary. This is a very important identity theft protection tip and if followed can help preserve your identity. -Lock your family’s social security cards up in a fire proof safe. Try to memorize the numbers and not write them down anywhere.

-Be careful who you submit your information to. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who are not very nice. These people may create websites or send out professional looking emails that ask you for very personal information. They may offer you a job or claim to be your bank updating information. Before you submit any information online, call the company and see if they are sending out emails, or check the Better Business Bureau for company information.

-When mailing out documents with personal information on, use security envelops. These envelops make it virtually impossible for anyone to see through them. For even more identity theft protection, only mail important documents in the blue postal mailboxes. If at all possible, try to avoid leaving personal mail overnight in a residential mailbox.

-Photo copy all of the contents of your wallet and file them in a locking safe. By photo copying all of the items in your wallet, you have records of who to call if the wallet is lost or stolen. In the event that you notice your wallet is missing, immediately begin calling and canceling your credit and bank cards. Even if the wallet turns up 2 days later underneath the car seat, you still took the right step toward identity theft protection.

Remember that just because you haven’t given any personal information out or you haven’t lost your wallet, does not mean you are safe. While taking extreme measures for identity theft protection ensures you better piece of mind, it can not guarantee that somebody has not gotten a hold of some information. Always check your credit report at least once or twice a year to make sure no new accounts have been open that you did not authorize. You’ll only have one identity so protect it.

Greg has experience with identity theft and has provided ways for you to have protection against identity theft. Visit Identity Protection Now to learn about different forms of Identity Theft Protection, information, and solutions today.

Identify theft is becoming a very real concern for many of us. Initially little could be done after the fact to restore your name and police officers did nothing, because there were no laws in place to protect consumers. Legislators enacted laws to assist consumers to restore their good names and to expedite the investigations by way of the creditor.

This type of crime continues and is increasing and this means more and more people’s credit is at risk. This complicates every day life in that an individual may have trouble obtaining a job, getting phone service, buying a cell phone, renting, buying a car, renting a car and many other everyday transactions. Identity theft complicated things and hurts a consumer’s credit until the mess is cleared up which often can take two years. This could mean higher rates for mortgages and loans and any other type of credit, especially when the consumer does not have a choice and cannot wait a few months or a couple of years. In effect a person may lose his good credit for up to two years. There are many statutes intended to protect consumers, but often these statutes are not enough.

Despite these statutes designed to assist the consumer to restore his or her good name and to expedite resolution, when a person’s identity is stolen the victim is still confronted with a very serious problem. The statutes specify what the consumer needs to do and if the consumer does not follow the rules to the letter, the creditor can continue its efforts to collect on debts not owed by the consumer. One of the worst things about identity theft is that often the debts are too small such that it is not worthwhile to hire an attorney, but at the same time the debt is too big for the consumer to absorb.

Some creditors quickly investigate and are able to determine whether or not the debts where in fact incurred by the consumer or if someone else used the consumers identifying information to obtain credit. Some creditors go the opposite way and exploit the fact that the consumer cannot afford to hire an attorney and fight a smaller debt. These creditors often file a lawsuit relatively quickly and then seek to settle the claim for a fraction and if the consumer does not accept they seek a judgment. These creditors in effect are essentially victimizing the consumer twice.

There is no magic number as to what attorneys charge, but generally speaking attorneys routinely seek retainers of $2,000-$3,000 and when the claim is for $3,000, it makes little economic sense for the consumer to hire an attorney. California and probably many other states have statutes that are designed to turn the tables on the creditor when the creditor fails to investigate incidents of identity theft. In these cases the consumer is required to follow certain steps and request certain things from the creditor. The creditor then has to investigate and respond within 30 days.

If the creditor does not have a good basis to pursue the claim, the creditor most not make any further efforts to collect on a debt. If the creditor decides to pursue the claim and files a lawsuit the consumer can then prove his identifying information was used without authorization and may be able to obtain not only attorney fees, but also an additional award for money damages.

The intent of these identify theft statutes is good, but consumers must still come up with a lot of money to fight these claims and more often than not the claim will not result in any advantage to the consumer. Collection efforts may stop and the lawsuit dropped, but the consumer will still be out of pocket for attorney fees and court costs.

All these protective statutes have a good intent to protect the consumer, but generally speaking they afford little protection when the consumer does not know precisely what the consumer needs to do. Even though each situation is different the first thing a consumer should do is file a police report where the consumer resides. The consumer should then contact the three major collection bureaus and place restrictions on who can access the consumer’s credit or if at all.

The consumer should then contact the creditors directly in writing, preferably by certified return receipt or some sort of proof of delivery. If the creditors refuse to investigate or fail to investigate, or continue collection efforts, then the consumer should consult with an attorney. There is no one perfect way to go about restoring a consumer’s good name, but delay or doing nothing is the worst way to go about it.

The author represents primarly consumers visit his website for valuable information.
Personal Injury Attorney Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Fallbrook, and Rancho Bernardo.

When you are looking for a way to make money online, you should make sure you have your fraud detectors on full alert when you read through any proposals being presented. In most instances, it should be pretty easy to figure out if someone is trying to rip you off. Just remember the old advice that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. So when those unsolicited offers drop into your email promising exorbitant amounts of income for only a few hours work a week, chances are it is a scam just to separate you from your money.

Some of the red flags to watch for are the type of proposal being made. Offers that say you have nothing to do to start earning big money immediately, will come with a cost. You will have to pay for someone else to set up your business and heck, all you have to do is keep sending in the monthly fees and you can earn money off all income received from your website. They forgot to mention that if you do not advertise your site no one will know about it and you can not make any money if you have no sales.

Look for contact information before clicking on any links that take you from the main page. If the online business offers you a phone number and a name, do not hesitate to call and ask for that person. While it could be single line into someones basement, at least it has a contact information. However, if the call is answered in an unprofessional manner you may be better off apologizing for calling a wrong number and hanging up. Some legitimate businesses do work from their homes, after all that is what you are hoping to do, and if a child answers do not ask for mom or dad, ask for the name on the website.

Look at the testimonials that are bound to be included on any website offering a chance to make a lot of money. They are usually tucked in between the pictures of a mansion and a new car or two, supposedly of the person that sent you the email. Just remember, you can take your digital camera on a road trip to an upper class neighborhood and take pictures of cars and houses. Be skeptical about investing in an online business opportunity and do some research.

Run the business name through a couple of search engines. Chances are, if it is not a legitimate offer, there will be a few pages that show up of complaints from others that lost money investing in a scam. The company may claim the complaints are from disgruntled people who were too lazy to spend even a few hours a week working in the business, but a reasonably intelligent person can read through several complaints and see a pattern develop. By using due diligence in your research of companies offering business opportunities you can limit the opportunities of someone else of getting their hand on your wallet.

Obinna Heche. Los Angeles - California

Delivering the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
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