125 People Arrested in Nationwide Internet Child Pornography Case

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 042012
 

In a case that originated in New Jersey, federal authorities uncovered a website that was selling massive quantities of child pornography to people all across the country. The investigation quickly spread to 22 other states, and to date, 125 people have been arrested. Other arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

The website, which has not been named, alerted all subscribers that its content was illegal and warned them to be discreet about their purchases. The site sold photos and videos of children engaged in sexual acts with adults. U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said that none of the people arrested appear in any of the images obtained from the website, but the investigation is ongoing. He did not say whether or not the site is still in operation, but he described the site’s contents as especially disturbing.

“When I say ‘hard-core’ pornography, I am talking about child pornography that includes images of children as young as six months involved in bondage and sodomy,” Christie said. “This type of depraved conduct is something a civilized society cannot tolerate.”

Among the 125 people arrested nationwide were a Bible camp counselor from Vancouver, Washington; a pharmaceutical researcher in New Jersey; and a Boy Scout leader from Mission, Texas. Officials said that several of the people arrested already have records for molesting or sexually assaulting children. The defendants were charged with either possession or receipt of child pornography.

One of the defendants, a man from San Diego, told officers when he was arrested that he had molested at least eight children over a period of 30 years. He even boasted of his skill at being able to identify particularly vulnerable children to take advantage of. When officers went to arrest another defendant in Sacramento, they found a hand-held video camera containing a videotape of him sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl.

“I’m the father of four young children between the ages of 13 and 3,” Christie said. “This is every parent’s worst nightmare. It is just deeply disturbing to know there are people like this out there in our neighborhoods.”

 Posted by at 12:43 pm  Tagged with:

How to Know if a Website is Safe

 Internet Safety  No Responses »
Dec 012011
 

How to Check if a Website is Safe

Before we get into the ways to check if a website is safe, let us try and understand what is meant by a secure website. When you browse through different sites on the Internet, there is an interchange of data between your computer and the server. The problem here is that this data is transmitted in “plain text” format and it is not difficult for anyone to access and decipher this data. Now, if you are wondering who would access this and how, then you must know that the information passes across several computers before it reaches the server. A secure website is one that encrypts the data using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, thus protecting it from being “read” by third parties who wish to use it for their benefits. Here are some ways to check if a website is safe to buy or order from.

Update Your Browser
The first thing that you can do in order to be able to detect threats from a website is updating your browser. No matter which browser you are using, you find updates appearing at regular intervals, urging you to install them. It is recommended that you install each one of these updates as every browser has its own list of phishing sites and spam websites which are regularly updated for advanced Internet safety. So, an updated browser can alert you against such websites.

Check the URL
Checking the URL of the Web page is simple and perhaps one of the best ways to detect if the site is secure or not. Just have a look at the URL and you’ll find that in case of Web pages that are secure, the URL begins with “https” instead of “http” as found on ordinary Web pages. For example, have a look at the URL of the ‘login’ page of Facebook and you’ll find that it begins with “https”.

Look for the Lock Icon
When you open a Web page that is secure, you’ll find an icon of a lock somewhere on the browser window. While in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you should see the icon on the right of the address bar (or location bar) of a secure web page, if you’re using Mozilla Firefox browser, you’d find it in the bottom right corner of the page i.e., on the right side of the ‘Status Bar’ located at the bottom of the page.

Check the Security Certificate
The presence of a lock icon does indicate a secure site but to be doubly sure, click (or double-click) on the icon of the lock and you’ll find that it is a link and clicking on it opens a new window that describes the security of the site in detail. This is nothing but the ‘security certificate’ we are talking about. The security certificate is the ultimate indicator of a site’s safety and in it you’ll find details such as to whom the certificate is issued, by whom, the validity of the certificate, etc.

Use Online Tools
This is another way to check if a website is safe. There are certain websites on the Net that offer to check sites for security. All you need to do is go to one of these sites and enter the URL of the site you wish to check. Some sites like Web of Trust (WOT) even offer add-ons that you can download for free and install in your browser. The names of few of such sites are given below.

Google Safe Browsing
Web of Trust (WOT)
Norton Safe Web
HpHosts Online
SiteAdvisor
Blacklist Doctor

Look Out for Personal Contact Details
This is especially applicable to little known shopping sites with whom you have never done business before. In such cases, to find out if the business is real, look for a physical address or contact number. And if you chance to find a phone number, call the number to find if it is valid. Also, do some research about the particular company on the Net.

Thus, we see that there are several ways to know if a website is secure or not. So, before every transaction that you make on a website, check if it is indeed safe to do so. Hope you have a pleasant experience shopping online!

 Posted by at 12:04 pm  Tagged with:

PayPal: Strike Us When We Are Down

 Internet Banking  No Responses »
Nov 232011
 

I had added that card to my PayPal account.

So, my bank informs PayPal that the card attached to my account has been lost or stolen. PayPal promptly locks my account, and tells me to either send them my address proof or a utility bill. I do the above, promptly.

Here’s the e-mail I got from them:

Dear Roy Dsilva,

We’re sorry, but your account access limitation cannot be lifted at this time. We need more information about your account before we can restore full access to your account. Please complete the steps below so that we may review your account further:

Add and confirm a credit card.

To further process your appeal, please follow the instructions listed below to finish the Expanded Use Process.

Once you have added a credit card to your PayPal account, view the ‘Credit Card’ page in the ‘Profile’ of your PayPal account. If the status of the card is ‘Expanded Use Number Pending’, you will need to start the Expanded Use Process.

Select the credit card you wish to activate.

Click ‘Get Expanded User Number’.

Read the ‘Get Your Expanded Use Number’ page and click ‘Get Expanded User Number’.

Click ‘Continue’.

PayPal will charge your credit card an Expanded Use Fee. The charge will accompany a unique, randomly generated 4-digit Expanded Use Number, which will appear on your next monthly credit card statement.

If you have online access to your credit card activity, it takes approximately 2-3 business days for the Expanded Use Number to appear, depending on the credit card’s issuing bank.

If you do not have online access, you must wait until you receive your statement in the mail to check your 4-digit Expanded Use Number.

If you have added a debit card, your 4-digit Expanded Use Number will be printed on your bank statement next to the charge.

Once you have received your 4-digit Expanded Use Number, click

Log in to your account

Click the ‘Profile’ subtab.

Click “Credit Cards” link under “Financial Information”.

Complete the Expanded Use Process.

Please Note:

After you successfully enter your Expanded Use Number, the Expanded Use Fee will be credited to your PayPal account as a bonus. You will receive the bonus in the amount and currency of the Expanded Use Fee in your PayPal account within 24 hours of sending a payment from your PayPal account.

If you are faxing information, you must use the cover page provided by PayPal. The cover page contains information specific to you and using it ensures that your documents are routed and handled in a timely manner. To print the cover page, log into your account and click on the fax documents link on the “Limited Account Access Details” page.

Sincerely,
XXXXXX
XXXXXX

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and click the Help link located in the top right corner of any page. If your inquiry is regarding a claim, log in to your PayPal account and go to the Resolution Center.

So, basically, all I got is a sales letter from the mighty PayPal for their expanded use program, which charges me something like two dollars. It is ironic that I had once taken one of their expanded use program, even without looking at what it was all about. It was just a cheap service that was freely and readily available. What it is now, is a service that has been forced unto me.

My questions are:

There are at least two other options I still have, like sending my photo identity, sending my entire address proof (the mighty PayPal doesn’t allow .pdf files as a document proof, more the worry. Ah, but we forget, that’s just a formality. They want to get that one dollar from you). Why did they send me an email only about the expanded use service? Why did they not tell me about the other options I had?

Oh, and I have so firmly and sternly warned NOT to reply to that E-mail, I am still wiping my computer chair seat.

If this isn’t monopoly, what is?

Am not telling you not to use PayPal. I am asking if you know of a good option. The message board is down below.

 Posted by at 12:00 pm  Tagged with:
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