Don’t Be a Loser on eBay

Following just a few simple tips and tricks can make your auction bidding more successful--and more fun.

eBay is a great resource if you're looking to buy things at a discount--with everyone competing to sell their goods and castoffs, you can often find things a lot cheaper at this online marketplace than in a brick-and-mortar store. The downside: The low price that you see on many auction-only items is rarely the price you'll pay at the end of the auction if you win.

Seasoned eBay bidders tend to wait until the very last second to place their bids, leaving in the dust novice bidders who thought they had spotted a once-in-a-lifetime deal. If you're sick of that disappointment, here are some tips that should help you get onto the winning side of more eBay contests.

Bidding Assistance and Strategies

If you're too busy to keep up with auctions, a "sniping" service can submit your bid to eBay in the last few seconds of action. For example, on Auction Sniper you enter your maximum bid for an item, and it will input that bid 5 seconds before the auction closes. It's well worth submitting your absolute maximum bid with Auction Sniper, because eBay will set the price at only a small amount more than the next-highest bidder. For instance, if Auction Sniper bids $100 on an item for you, but the next-highest bidder bid $85, you'll pay only $86 for the item if you win.

Unfortunately, if someone else submits a higher bid than your Auction Sniper maximum before the auction is over, they'll still win.

Bidding manually is always a possibility, too. In the last 2 or 3 hours of an auction, check the bid history to see if it includes any aggressive bidders who might drive the price up. If so, hunker down and think of the maximum price you would bid--say, $50. Then, open two browser windows, both showing the same auction. In one window, enter your max bid and click Place Bid, but don't click Continue. In the second window, watch as the auction closes to the last 10 or 20 seconds. Then move back to the first window, click Continue, and click Confirm Bid on the next page. Chances are, you'll beat your competitors.

Don't let the Gringe steal Christmas.

 With Christmas just around the corner, SCAMwatch is reminding consumers to watch out for scammers taking advantage of the Christmas rush to leave you out of pocket and a present. 

Online shopping can be a great way to purchase presents, but unfortunately scammers also like shopping online too – for victims. Scammers set up fake websites with offers on popular items at prices well below the normal going price. These websites can be easily mistaken for legitimate online retailers with sophisticated designs that look just like the real thing. They may even use a ‘.com.au’ domain name or fake Australian Business Number (ABN).  However, the deal will end up being too good to be true, with the scammer taking your money and leaving you empty handed with a gift that never arrives.

Another common scam at this time of the year is the fake parcel delivery scam, where scammers jump on the Christmas mail rush by emailing Australians pretending to be from a legitimate parcel delivery service such as Australia Post or FedEx. These emails, which may be personalised with your name and address, inform the recipient that they missed a parcel delivery at home, with instructions on how to retrieve the package attached to the email. 

However, it is an executable file (.exe) and once opened, will install ransom-ware on your computer. Ransom-ware is a type of malware that restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom be paid to the creator(s) of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed. Even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee your computer will be unlocked and you’re likely to be up for expensive repairs to your computer and the loss of your data.

Another variation of the scam is where the scammer will offer, for a fee, to redeliver a parcel that doesn’t exist. The ‘courier’ will offer to re-deliver the parcel at a convenient time if you pay a fee of $10 to $30 via wire transfer or credit card. If you transfer money, you’ll never see it again. If you give your personal financial details, you’re accounts have been compromised.

Don’t let online scammers dampen your festive spirit this Christmas. Whether you’re going online to buy a present or to the post office to pick one up, make sure that the business or courier is the real deal.

How these scams work

Fake website scams

• While shopping online for Christmas, you come across a website selling products for great gifts.
• The product will often be a popular item, such as a smartphone, tablet or camera, at a really cheap price.
• The website may appear to be authentic, with a sophisticated design and content. It may even appear to be an Australian based business, with a ‘.com.au’ domain name and an Australian Business Number (ABN), which could have been stolen from a legitimate company.
• When you go to pay for your purchase, the site only offers you to pay via money order or wire transfer, rather than a secure payment method.
• If you go ahead with the ‘purchase’, you will never receive the product, or see your money again.

Fake delivery scams

• You are contacted out of the blue over the phone or via email from someone posing as an employee from a legitimate parcel delivery service.
• If you are contacted via email, it may look like the real deal, complete with a legitimate company’s logos and branding.  The sender may also claim to be from an authentic-sounding section of the company e.g. the ‘FedEx Delivery Department’.
• The scammer will claim that they have been unsuccessful in delivering a parcel to you; however, for a small fee, redelivery can be arranged. The scammer will provide a range of reasons as to why the initial delivery failed, such as the parcel being too large or no one being home at the time of the delivery. The scammer will ask for you to pay the fee by handing over your bank account details, or by sending money via international wire transfer.  If you transfer money, you’ll never see it again.
• Alternatively, consumers are told that they missed a parcel delivery at home and information on how to retrieve the package is attached to the email. However, it is an executable file (.exe) and once opened, will install ransomware on your computer.
• Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to the computer system that it infects, and demands a ransom be paid to the creator(s) of the malware in order for the restriction to be removed. Even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee your computer will be unlocked and you’re likely to be up for expensive repairs to your computer and the loss of your data.

Protect yourself

If you come across a website with an offer that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If a shopping site only offers you to pay by money order or wire transfer, steer clear - it’s rare to recover money sent this way. Only pay via secure payment methods – look for a web address starting with ‘https’ and a closed padlock symbol.

Remember – these days, it’s easy for a scammer to create a professional looking website or email. Double-check the email or website (URL) address, look for grammatical errors (a tell-tale sign of a scammer!), and if you have any doubts, don’t do anything such as respond, click on an attachment, or purchase something – no matter how good the offer is.

If you are suspicious about a ‘missed’ parcel delivery, call the company directly to verify that the correspondence is genuine. Independently source the contact details through an internet search or phone book – do not rely on numbers provided.

Do not click on links or download files in emails you  receive out of the blue; especially if they are executable (.exe) files or zip files. These files are likely to contain malware.

Regularly back-up your computer’s data on a separate hard drive so this can be easily re-installed if your computer is infected by malware or ransomware.

If you think you have been scammed, contact your financial institution immediately. If the scammer has posed as a legitimate company, you should also report the incident to them.

CCEnhancer

Download clean from : http://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/getmirror/ccenhancer,3.html
Operating Systems:Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1

Place Shortcut on desktop and run from there, Click on "Download Latest" then go to "Settings" and tick "Update on Windows Startup"and "Run CCleaner silently on compleation" then "Save and close".

CCEnhancer is a companion program that works with CCleaner to boost that program's thoroughness and effectiveness. You do have to have CCleaner already installed on your machine for this app to function in any way.

Pros
Immediate integration: CCEnhancer integrates immediately with CCleaner upon installation. All you have to do to access its increased functionality is to run CCleaner just as you've always done.
Noticeable difference: In order to measure the effectiveness of this program, we ran CCleaner on its own before installing CCEnhancer, and then again after. This showed clearly how well the addition of the second program boosted the scanning and cleaning power of the first. There were additional items found in all areas during the second scan, but the most dramatic difference appeared in the Registry scan.

Cons
Convoluted installation: Installing this app can be a little confusing, and it's hard to tell initially if you've done it right. It also asks you to update it as soon as you install, which seems like an unnecessary extra step.

Bottom Line
CCEnhancer is a convenient free program to help you keep your computer running at peak efficiency. While it's not a standalone option, it does work well with the free version of CCleaner, so you can get this enhanced cleaning combo completely free.

CCEnhancer uses the WinApp2.ini system built into CCleaner to easily add new rules and definitions for programs. The rules were sourced mainly from the Piriform Support Forum, with several sourced from other places around the internet.

Ransomware, Can you afford it.

Windows users infected with a particular Trojan downloads ransomware that encrypts computer files and demands Bitcoin payment to decode the data. According to Trend Micro, the Windows Trojan called Fareit is an information stealer that downloads other malware, such as Zeus. Recently, it has been determined that Fareit also downloads "Cribit."

One of the Cribit variants uses an English message for ransom, and another variant delivers a multilingual ransom note which includes 10 different languages. In the ransom note, users are directed to a Deep Web website accessible only through Tor. The malware demands $240 worth of Bitcoins. To avoid being infected, avoid clicking on embedded links in emails and keep your software updated on a very regular basis.

LIX 3D Pen

The smallest and smartest 3D printing pen in the world! Enables you to doodle in the air.
 If you've ever wanted to see your notebook doodles and 3-D designs to come to life, you might be in luck.

Meet Lix, "the smallest pen that does not require paper." The 3-D printing pen, created by a London-based company, allows you to doodle mid-air as plastic filament melts and hardens into a freestanding shape.

All you have to do is plug it into a USB port, and the pen takes less than a minute to heat up and be ready for doodling.

Watch the video to see how it works: http://lixpen.com/

http://www.policymic.com/articles/89285/this-3-d-printing-pen-will-change-how-you-write-forever

How to protect yourself in Heartbleed's aftershocks

Summary: The companies know what to do about Heartbleed now. Here's what you, as an individual, need to do now.

Businesses should not only know about Heartbleed, they should have already implemented Heartbleed fixes by now.  If your bank, favorite online merchant, or software provider

hasn't yet, close your accounts and find new ones. That's my first bit of advice on how users should handle Heartbleed.
heartbleed

Heartbleed really is that bad. Your user-ids, your passwords, your credit-card numbers, everything you place online is potentially in play for hackers. You can not fool around with this.

So, as I said earlier, get ready to change all your passwords. Yes, every last damn one of them. Were your favorite sites vulnerable? You can check specific sites with the

Heartbleed test- [ http://filippo.io/Heartbleed ], LastPass Heartbleed checker- [ https://lastpass.com/heartbleed ], or the Qualys SSL Labs test- [ https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/ ]. The first two just check on Heartbleed while the last checks for other possible Secure-Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) and awards sites a grade from A (the best) to F (failure).

ZDNet's sister site, CNet, also has a constantly updating list- [ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/which-sites-have-patched-the-heartbleed-bug ], Heartbleed bug: Check which sites

have been patched, for the 100 most popular Web sites. I'm annoyed to say that some popular sites, as of early Thursday evening, April 10th, may still not be safe. These include sites you might expect to be behind the times — like some porn websites — but also such major household-name sites as CNN, the Huffington Post, and Weather.com.

Once you know your site has the bug fixed then you should change your password right? Wrong.

Ask the company if they really have patched their software AND installed new SSL certificates from their Certificate Authority (CA). Only once they've done both those things

should you change your password. And let me remind you again, for pity's sake change it to a good password.

Next, if your favorite sites or services, such as Google, GitHub, or Microsoft support two-factor authentication, use it. Yes two-factor is usually a lot more trouble to set up than a

simple password. So what? In an increasingly insecure world, you'll need it.

Done yet? Nope.

You should also clear out all your Web browsers' cache, cookies, and history. That's never a bad idea anyway. You don't want old memorized passwords walking into trouble at an

untrustworthy site. To do this with the most popular browsers, follow these steps:

Chrome:

    In the browser bar, enter: chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
    Select the items you want to clear. For example, Clear browsing history, Clear download history, Empty the cache, Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data.

Firefox:

    From the Tools or History menu, select Clear Recent History.
    From the Time range to clear: On the drop-down menu, select the desired range; to clear your entire cache, select Everything.
    Click the down arrow next to "Details" to choose which elements of the history to clear. Click Clear Now.

Internet Explorer 9 and higher:

    Go to Tools (via the Gear Icon) > Safety > Delete browsing history....
    Once there, choose to delete Preserve Favorites website data, temporary Internet files, and cookies.

I know this is a lot of trouble. Take the time to do it.

You're going to see all kinds of e-mails soon about magic solutions to all your Heartbleed problems. Yeah, right. They'll all be spam either bearing malware or pointing you to sites that contain malware. There's no quick fix for Heartbleed.

Finally, start checking your bank and credit-card statements very, very carefully. If you've been compromised, chances are all too good that you'll find out by finding bogus charges on your credit cards.

Good luck. We're all going to need it.

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Networking

Password Safe

Password Safe
The security of Twofish in a password database

Many computer users today have to keep track of dozens of passwords: for network accounts, online services, premium web sites. Some write their passwords on a piece of paper, leaving their accounts vulnerable to thieves or in-house snoops. Others choose the same password for different applications, which makes life easy for intruders of all kinds.

With Password Safe, a free utility designed by Bruce Schneier, users can keep their passwords securely encrypted on their computers. A single Safe Combination--just one thing to remember--unlocks them all.

Password Safe protects passwords with the Twofish encryption algorithm, a fast, free alternative to DES. The program's security has been thoroughly verified by Counterpane Labs under the supervision of Bruce Schneier, author of Applied Cryptography and creator of the Twofish algorithm.

Password Safe features a simple, intuitive interface that lets users set up their password database in minutes. You can copy a password just by double-clicking, and paste it directly into your application. Best of all, Password Safe is completely free: no license requirements, shareware fees, or other strings attached.

http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/

In a new twist, scammers are claiming .............

SCAMwatch is warning consumers to beware of scammers targeting their smartphones and tablet devices with the computer virus scam.

This scam has caught out many Australians in recent years, with victims receiving a call out of the blue from a ‘technical specialist’ claiming that their computer has a virus. The caller convinces the victim to provide them with remote access to their computer, claims that their security has been compromised, and then offers to fix it on the spot – for a fee.

In a new twist, scammers are claiming to be able to fix similar viruses on people’s smartphones or tablets. As with the previous version, the scammer will ask you to grant them remote access to your computer, however they will also ask you to connect your mobile device to the computer so that they can access the device through it.

Don’t let your guard drop by a sense of urgency – these scammers are well-versed at applying high pressure sales tactics to incite fear and anxiety that your device has been compromised and must be fixed immediately. In fact, the only way that you risk your device’s security is by providing access in the first place. If you hand over your money, your device will not receive the promised protection.

Ask yourself: why would a business call and offer to fix your computer unless you contacted them in the first place? If you store personal information on your phone, tablet or computer, keep it out of the hands of scammers – never provide remote access to a stranger.
How the scam works

    You receive a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be a technical support specialist, who informs you that your computer, smartphone or tablet has been compromised by malicious software.
    The caller may claim to represent a reputable business such as Microsoft, Windows, Telstra or Bigpond. They may also sound like an expert as they use technical jargon.
    The ‘technician’ will ask you to provide them with remote access to your computer so that they can run a scan. If they claim the virus is on your smartphone or tablet, they will ask you to connect the device to your computer so that they can access the device through it.
    If you provide them with access, they will claim that the scan has indeed detected a virus, and any information stored on the device has been compromised.
    The ‘technician’ will then claim that they can restore your computer’s security on the spot – for a fee. They will offer to install anti-virus software on to your device for a one-off payment that typically ranges from $100 to $300.
    If you hesitate to agree, the caller will be very persistent and try to evoke a sense of urgency by claiming that anything could happen to your device if you don’t fix it now.
    To pay, they will ask for your credit card or banking details, or to transfer them money.
    If you provide remote access to the caller, only then are your compromising your device and personal information. If you hand over your money, your device will never receive the promised security software.

Protect yourself

    If you receive a phone call from someone claiming there is something wrong with your computer or mobile device’s security, just hang up.
    Never give a stranger remote access to your mobile device or computer.
    Do not give out your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you initiated the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
    Make sure your computer is protected with anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a good firewall - but only purchase the software from a source that you know and trust.
    If you think your mobile device or computer’s security has been compromised, seek out help or advice from a qualified and reputable technician.
    If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report

You can report scams to the ACCC via https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/694011 or by calling 1300 795 995.

Bitcasa Infinite Drive

How would you like a FREE 10GB hard drive, accessible anywhere from the web. FREE.

Pure unadulterated storage is what Bitcasa offers and with syncing clients or Android, OSX, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone, you will be able to sync and

access data from almost anywhere especially since you can also simply use any web browser to access information stored using Bitcasa. Bitcasa also claims

to use AES-256 encryption to encrypt data and that no human is involved in the process on securing your files. Therefore on paper it is the most secure

service but I cannot vouch for this in the least.

Bitcasa offers users a large amount of storage to start with and will definitely make it easy for you to sync your data to the cloud.

On installation, Bitcasa adds icons to your desktop, to Windows explorer windows and to the system tray. Simply drag and drop things onto the Windows

explorer or desktop icons to add files to the cloud.

Bitcasa has Windows and OSX clients as well as mobile apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

For a free account of 10GB, Bitcasa is definitely worth a try.
Bitcasa is also available via the web on any modern internet browser and it has official apps/clients for Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone

Download Size: 23.5MB
Free Storage: 10GB
Supported OS: Windows 8, Windows 7

Download from https://www.bitcasa.com/download