e-Whore – The 21st Century ‘Lady’ of the Night
Posted by Ivan Petrov on Mar 27, 2010 | 0 comments
E-whoring is a term that refers to a new brand of money-making schemes on the web. Most people know now not to listen to mass emails from Nigerian Princes or banks promising them money if they help them, but new and more subtle forms of money scams have emerged.
If you or someone you know has fallen subject to an e-whore you are more familiar with this phenomenon. Perhaps you think you know enough not to get fooled again. Still, educate yourself and read as much as possible, and don’t stop reading this. You never know if you could get fooled in a new and different way.
If you have never, as far as you know, fallen prey to an internet e-whore scam then this information is still more important than you might think. Nobody is airtight and the internet is far from a secure place, with billions of users and very little security.
E-whores will try to get or earn money from someone interested in meeting or talking to someone but will appear so attractive and deceptive that you might just let them walk away with your money.
Still not convinced? It could happen far more easily than you think. If I could be obvious for one second, never let anyone have your credit card number. Everyone knows this, everyone has heard this, and likely you know too. But also don’t give out your credit card number to verify who you are.
What? Don’t be insulted. Scammers will hide behind what looks like credible-looking sites rather than asking outright for your credit card number. These sites may claim or appear not to charge you and may even seem like real companies but once they have your number the small print will kick in. Commonly the small print will read that unless you do something your credit card will be charged $XX in the next 3 days. The tasks that you need to do change, however in some cases these tasks include submitting your credit card to several different sites. These sites will have a similar scheme going on and you will be facing even greater charges.
E-whores love to troll dating sites and pretend to be interested in you. Sure, she looks pretty. Um, he. S/he will tell you she doesn’t like to use this site and to sign up for her favourite social/networking or possibly a xxx site. It requires a credit card to sign up, but offers a free trial that you can cancel before it charges you. If you give your credit card number, you will soon find that they are charging large monthly membership amounts and are impossible to cancel.
Yay.
Okay, so you stop giving out personal information on the internet. What about taking it? Seems idiot proof enough, doesn’t it? Pretty “ladies” on dating sites will often give out cell numbers and say they are never on the computer but would really love to meet you! If you text these numbers you will be automatically signed up for a monthly service and charged a fee every month that you cannot cancel.
This give a whole new meaning to “do not talk to strangers”.
Another expensive lesson learned. The third method you won’t notice is a pay-per-click link. It doesn’t cost you any money to click on the ad, but it does make the pretty lady some money, in the form of an advertiser paying pennies per click on a link the “e-whore” posts on every website, forum, and yes, your dating profile, and so benefits them to pose as an attractive lady that you really would like to get to know better.
I am always telling you to hide your online identity with software, but in this case software will not help. You must always remember that people are out there to con you, there are software packages available for sale which automate much of this process. So the lovely s/he you are falling for could quite possibly not even be human…
Oh and no Ivan has not been caught out!
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Offline or Online We All Need Freedom of Speech
Posted by Ivan Petrov on Sep 15, 2009 | 0 comments
The American founding fathers put forth the principle of freedom of speech to protect the right of all Americans to freely speak their mind.
In past decades, this concept has been challenged on many levels, but the majority of attacks on freedom of speech have been struck down. We live in a society that heralds this right as a major part of being American. And in fact, this fundamental right is why many other nations around the world look to the United States for guidance in such areas.
The US is respected and revered for its principles in this area, and it is the foundation on which a truly democratic society is built.
Although the right of freedom of speech was developed in large part to protect the freedom of the press, with the advent of electronic media and the personal use of computers worldwide, it is now necessary to extend the concept of freedom of speech to these platforms. If a person’s right to gather peacefully, worship independently, and maintain their own opinion applies to all other aspects of life, shouldn’t it be that way online as well?
In reality, the Internet is simply an extension of our social, commercial, and financial medias, and should be awarded the same protections as they enjoy. Although there are those that argue that the Internet allows for an unprecedented level of information dissemination, there is absolutely no reason that this data should be any more scrutinized than what goes on in daily papers, television shows, or on the radio.
This is not to say that there should be no regulation; the Internet simply merits the same level of examination that all other media outlets require.
Having freedom of speech on the Internet is just an extension of having freedom of speech in all other areas of society. Of course, this is not something that should be taken for granted. As with all other forms of media or expression, there are those that abuse this right, and they should always be dealt with accordingly.
On the Internet, the same standards of decency, honesty, and intent should be upheld as is dictated by the law; however, this is where the government’s involvement should end. As is often argued, it should be up to individuals, parents, educators, and scholars to dictate what is or is not appropriate for themselves, not legislators.
There are those that argue that it is unlawful or immoral to allow online visitors to have access to material that some might find offensive. However, just as a consumer can choose whether or not to view a Rated R movie, listen to music with a warning label, or view legal pornography, so too can an individual decide whether or not he will navigate to a certain webpage on the Internet.
In short, freedom of speech is linked to freedom of choice. The majority of Americans would champion both of these rights. Regulating speech on the Internet would be a slippery slope leading to the demise of freedom of speech overall.
Because computers rule so many daily lives, the government’s involvement in legislating its content would undoubtedly open the door to the demise of that very freedom in many other areas of society that the courts have so diligently tried to protect.
Throughout history, the newspaper business, the television and movie industry, and musicians have had to fight for their right to speak their mind. In most cases, they have won. This pattern should be upheld, and freedom of speech on the Internet is the most logical stepping stone in a path to a continued free society.
We are not all lucky enough to live in a country where these freedoms are granted to all, and those of you at risk from persecution would do well to protect your online identity as best possible.
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