Walletpop Canada http://www.walletpop.ca/blog Walletpop Canada http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/media/feedlogo.gif Walletpop Canada http://www.walletpop.ca/blog en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Does the Bell Toll for Smartphones? Not Really, But They Have Some Catching Up to Dohttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/does-the-bell-toll-for-smartphones-not-really-but-they-have-so/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/does-the-bell-toll-for-smartphones-not-really-but-they-have-so/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/does-the-bell-toll-for-smartphones-not-really-but-they-have-so/#commentsFiled under: , ,

smartphones are slowing downIt's not as if smartphones were bidding good-bye, but their popularity has been sinking lately.

Thus a report by British international marketing research company, Intersperience.

Why? Simply because the technology hasn't been keeping up with the Joneses, such as tablets, laptops, PCs, and other such paraphernalia.

What's going on? Simple: smartphones' access speed to the Internet hasn't slowed down, but all the other equipment has found ways to speed up. And since we live in the era of institutionalized impatience, the dip in smartphone popularity has been inevitable.

Continue reading Does the Bell Toll for Smartphones? Not Really, But They Have Some Catching Up to Do

Does the Bell Toll for Smartphones? Not Really, But They Have Some Catching Up to Do originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerTue, 15 May 2012 13:32:00 ESTHigh-Tech Devices Do Not Travel Wellhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/high-tech-devices-do-not-travel-well/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/high-tech-devices-do-not-travel-well/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/high-tech-devices-do-not-travel-well/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

don't trust technology when traveling Life's tough. And dangerous. Even when you go on vacation. Why? Forgot to shut the windows? Or turn the bathtub faucet off?

No. It's the high-technology you own that's causing you wrinkles.

It doesn't have to.

High-tech devices and their use anywhere, even in the midst of a five-star resort, can bring untold troubles upon you. Especially if you resort to using your credit cards and communicating with others, using WiFi services you're not familiar with.

Here are some basic instructions to keep your mind at ease (and your devices safe).

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High-Tech Devices Do Not Travel Well originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerTue, 15 May 2012 12:30:00 ESTBizPaL Helps Small Business Cut Through Government Red Tapehttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/bizpal-helps-small-business-cut-through-government-red-tape/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/bizpal-helps-small-business-cut-through-government-red-tape/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/15/bizpal-helps-small-business-cut-through-government-red-tape/#commentsFiled under: , ,

small business owners can get help from a BizPaL site Small businesses must have had it up to here with all the paperwork they've got to go through to be able to open their doors - and keep them open afterwards, so long as there is enough custom.

All that at a time when the prevailing thought is we should have gone paperless long ago.

Enter BizPaL. That's an online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.

While general readers might question the need for licences and permits in the first place, they exist. And so long as we do not raise a revolution against them, might as well make the process as efficient as possible.

Continue reading BizPaL Helps Small Business Cut Through Government Red Tape

BizPaL Helps Small Business Cut Through Government Red Tape originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Tue, 15 May 2012 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerTue, 15 May 2012 11:10:00 ESTBeware Fraudsters' New Tricks, Financial Consumer Agency Warnshttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/beware-fraudsters-new-tricks-financial-consumer-agency-warns/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/beware-fraudsters-new-tricks-financial-consumer-agency-warns/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/beware-fraudsters-new-tricks-financial-consumer-agency-warns/#commentsFiled under: , ,

fraudThe phone rings, and a polite voice on the other end of the line enquires after your health and whatnot. The voice says it's your financial institution's representative calling, and while they're at it, they find out from YOU which financial institution they represent, actually.

And then they proceed to ask questions that are none of their business. If your answer is anything else than asking them for THEIR number, checking it, and reporting it to the police AND to your financial institution forthwith, blame yourself. You've just been had.

Continue reading Beware Fraudsters' New Tricks, Financial Consumer Agency Warns

Beware Fraudsters' New Tricks, Financial Consumer Agency Warns originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Fri, 11 May 2012 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>fraudidentity theftIdentityTheftphishingPeter AdlerFri, 11 May 2012 14:52:00 ESTYour Smartphone is Being Targeted. How to Reduce Your Riskhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/your-smartphone-is-being-targeted-how-to-reduce-your-risk/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/your-smartphone-is-being-targeted-how-to-reduce-your-risk/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/11/your-smartphone-is-being-targeted-how-to-reduce-your-risk/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

smartphone theft is on the riseThe world is a dangerous place. No matter how safe you think you are, there's always someone, or something, lurking, waiting to strike at any given moment. Hollywood has been feeding such fears for a long time, but with smartphones the hope is that help would be on its proverbial way within minutes of a frenzied SOS text message.

But what if that very device you hope will save your butt actually poses just as much risk to your well-being? Then what?

Continue reading Your Smartphone is Being Targeted. How to Reduce Your Risk

Your Smartphone is Being Targeted. How to Reduce Your Risk originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>smartphone safetySMARTPHONE THEFTSmartphoneSafetySmartphoneTheftPeter AdlerFri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 ESTTrouble Remembering Passwords? New Technology Can Helphttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/04/trouble-remembering-passwords-new-technology-can-help/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/04/trouble-remembering-passwords-new-technology-can-help/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/05/04/trouble-remembering-passwords-new-technology-can-help/#commentsFiled under:

Don't make your passwords too obvious so any with the barest of imaginations can break them.

That's the mantra.

Some sites that require passwords even tell you whether your chosen password is weak, regular or strong enough. And there are several specialized sites that will help you if you want to confirm the strength of your password.

If you don't like Microsoft's monopolistic approach, there is, for example, How Secure Is My Password. In this case, after you've typed your password in, the site will tell you within seconds how long it would take an average hacker, equipped with a PC, to break your password. How they arrived at the number remains a sweet mystery.

Continue reading Trouble Remembering Passwords? New Technology Can Help

Trouble Remembering Passwords? New Technology Can Help originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>passwordremembering passwordsRememberingPasswordsPeter AdlerFri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 ESTPhone Still Beats Social Media as Marketing Tool: Researchhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/20/phone-still-beats-social-media-as-marketing-tool-research/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/20/phone-still-beats-social-media-as-marketing-tool-research/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/20/phone-still-beats-social-media-as-marketing-tool-research/#commentsFiled under: ,

phoneGuess what? So Facebook isn't the be-all and end-all communications tool, after all. The good old telephone, even if some of its mobile incarnations, is still winning the battle for consumers' hearts and souls.

As the internationally known British marketing research company, Intersperience, found, we have come to view young consumers as "self-contained Facebook addicts who only communicate by text." If this were true, it should be very easy for companies to reach them with a few clever viral campaigns and self-service customer help desks - so why isn't it?

Continue reading Phone Still Beats Social Media as Marketing Tool: Research

Phone Still Beats Social Media as Marketing Tool: Research originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>social mediaPeter AdlerFri, 20 Apr 2012 15:09:00 ESTTax Department Challenges Online Filing Mythologyhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/19/tax-department-challenges-online-filing-mythology/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/19/tax-department-challenges-online-filing-mythology/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/19/tax-department-challenges-online-filing-mythology/#commentsFiled under: , ,

taxesQuite a few people don't feel right when they handle their business transactions online. It's so impersonal, they say, you don't know whom you're dealing with, and who else can see what you're doing, and whatnot.

Those same people are perfectly willing to pay using their credit cards in store, seeing with their own eyes that the transaction proceeds through a wireless contraption all the way to their credit card company and back.

Continue reading Tax Department Challenges Online Filing Mythology

Tax Department Challenges Online Filing Mythology originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>taxPeter AdlerThu, 19 Apr 2012 15:15:00 ESTReport Scareware Attacks to Law Enforcement Agencies Forthwithhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/18/report-scareware-attacks-to-law-enforcement-agencies-forthwith/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/18/report-scareware-attacks-to-law-enforcement-agencies-forthwith/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/18/report-scareware-attacks-to-law-enforcement-agencies-forthwith/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

ScarewareYour computer is being frozen because you're a child pornography suspect. Signed: Your friendly neighbourhood Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

This message pops up on your screen and you gasp. What? Me? A child pornographer?

Within seconds the first part becomes reality: your computer is frozen. The second part of the message was a perfect lie, of course. The RCMP had nothing to do with it. And neither had the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (a.k.a. CSIS). Or any other law enforcement agency, for that matter.

Continue reading Report Scareware Attacks to Law Enforcement Agencies Forthwith

Report Scareware Attacks to Law Enforcement Agencies Forthwith originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>scarewarePeter AdlerWed, 18 Apr 2012 15:27:00 ESTSocial Media's Quasi-Social Activities Endanger Usershttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/16/social-medias-quasi-social-activities-endanger-users/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/16/social-medias-quasi-social-activities-endanger-users/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/16/social-medias-quasi-social-activities-endanger-users/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

social mediaDo you still trust social media? Are you still using them?

If you have no problem with others knowing intimate details of your life, and not only those facts that you have chosen to put on your pages, fine. But what if you are of the opinion that your credit card number, plus details of access to your bank accounts should be exclusively yours and nobody else's? Real-life stories confirm what many have suspected all along: social media networks are sieves. Some more than others, but all of them are.

Here's a real-life story that should scare the heck out of all Facebook users.

Continue reading Social Media's Quasi-Social Activities Endanger Users

Social Media's Quasi-Social Activities Endanger Users originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>social mediaPeter AdlerMon, 16 Apr 2012 07:00:00 ESTTimeshare a Burden? Here's How to Get Out of Ithttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/15/timeshare-a-burden-heres-how-to-get-out-of-it/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/15/timeshare-a-burden-heres-how-to-get-out-of-it/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/15/timeshare-a-burden-heres-how-to-get-out-of-it/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

timeshareSay you decided a bit of rest and recreation would work wonders for your mind and body. So, you book a vacation somewhere far away, as close to the Equator as possible.

You land filled with expectations. Your stay is all-inclusive. You can't stop thinking about the peaceful future that lies ahead of you.

But did you pay for the all-inclusive to include a sharp salesperson who grabs you by your lapels right there in the airport, to tell you if you buy what they're selling, you'll be getting a chance of a lifetime? Why, you'll be able to come down to that place every year, so long as you shall live, no, it's not a timeshare, it's an investment, and it's a chance of a lifetime and you would regret till death do us part if you don't sign on the dotted line?

Relaxed (the sun's so beautiful out there), filled with cheap booze (the timeshare people won't be buying you expensive cognac), impressed by the wonderful photographs (your senses have been dulled before the timeshare people opened their albums), you DO end up signing.

Then you get back home and in realize, in horror, what you did. And the first thing that comes to your mind: I want to get out of it, but people tell me it's impossible.

People don't know whereof they speak.

Continue reading Timeshare a Burden? Here's How to Get Out of It

Timeshare a Burden? Here's How to Get Out of It originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>timesharePeter AdlerSun, 15 Apr 2012 07:00:00 ESTHow to Save on Taxeshttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/12/how-to-save-on-taxes/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/12/how-to-save-on-taxes/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/12/how-to-save-on-taxes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

taxesDavid Letterman has an incredibly popular segment on his show called Top 10.

While not always shocking, it's always at least a perfectly surprising piece of comedy. Usually beautifully outrageous, too.

The Canada Revenue Agency, not to be outdone, has come out with its own Top 10 list. It's not as funny as anything David Letterman might produce. But what it lacks in humour, it more than makes up for in its usefulness.

So, without much further ado, and with a special drum roll, here are the Top 10 (LEGAL) ways to keep more money in your pocket while sending less money to the government coffers.

Continue reading How to Save on Taxes

How to Save on Taxes originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>savingtaxesPeter AdlerThu, 12 Apr 2012 09:00:00 ESTNew and Improved? Read the Fine Print!http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/10/new-and-improved-read-the-fine-print/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/10/new-and-improved-read-the-fine-print/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/10/new-and-improved-read-the-fine-print/#commentsFiled under: ,

Fine PrintMany companies keep changing packaging on their products with alarming regularity, making it difficult for consumers to find them in the aisles, and making it also quite difficult for the consumers to figure out whether this is a new and improved product or just new packaging.

Is there any bright marketing wisdom behind such activities? If so, what kind of wisdom?

Grocery stores like changing their internal architecture (or structure) from time to time, claiming it's all in their consumers' interest, something most shoppers would question with vigour.

Continue reading New and Improved? Read the Fine Print!

New and Improved? Read the Fine Print! originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>fine printPeter AdlerTue, 10 Apr 2012 15:38:00 ESTIt's Consumers 1, Retailers 0, When It Comes to Comparison Shopping with Smartphoneshttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/09/comparison-shopping-with-smartphones-outsmarts-retailers/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/09/comparison-shopping-with-smartphones-outsmarts-retailers/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/09/comparison-shopping-with-smartphones-outsmarts-retailers/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

using smartphones, consumerscheck prices and negotiate better deals on the flyThis is called bargain hunting at its finest: price-conscious consumers enter a store, look at the wares it offers, take out their smartphone and proceed to check out prices for the same goods elsewhere, looking for better deals. And if they find better deals, they proceed to buy them online, without even leaving the store where they had been checking them out in the first place.

Retailers are shocked: how could they throw such shameless people (in their view) out without hurting their own reputation? And how could they check on what better prices the would-be shoppers see online so they could adjust?

Retailers fear that the only footfall they may see in future will be from people checking out products in person before buying online from rivals.

Continue reading It's Consumers 1, Retailers 0, When It Comes to Comparison Shopping with Smartphones

It's Consumers 1, Retailers 0, When It Comes to Comparison Shopping with Smartphones originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerMon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:00 ESTFight Back to Stop the Annoying Callshttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/fight-back-to-stop-the-annoying-calls/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/fight-back-to-stop-the-annoying-calls/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/fight-back-to-stop-the-annoying-calls/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Imagine, if you will: you're sitting at home, minding your own business, whatever it is. The phone rings. You answer.

And you hear that you've taken part in a phone survey some time ago (a long time ago, conveniently, such as six months, so you could have forgotten all about it). The company's been so ecstatic about your answers that it wants to reward you with a gift.

HUH?

Yes, you're about to receive a, say, shower head, so, when can we deliver it? And, by the way, your spouse's got to be present for the presentation, too.

Continue reading Fight Back to Stop the Annoying Calls

Fight Back to Stop the Annoying Calls originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>unwanted callsPeter AdlerSun, 08 Apr 2012 15:43:00 ESTCanada Set to Defend Herself Against Immigration Fraudhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/canada-set-to-defend-herself-against-immigration-fraud/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/canada-set-to-defend-herself-against-immigration-fraud/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/04/08/canada-set-to-defend-herself-against-immigration-fraud/#commentsFiled under: ,

Immigration candidates are asked to be careful when using immigration consultants services to come to CanadaCanada has been a dream country for many around the world. Some have been suffering in their homelands, others just think of Canada as a soft touch where anything goes. Once you crossed her borders and said you're poor, downtrodden and in danger if forced urn whence you came, you were in a country of milk and honey.

Canada's kindness (or shortsightedness, according to some) has led to the birth of a new industry, a.k.a. immigration consultants. Something must have gone terribly wrong because the government is now not only campaigning against the less-than-scrupulous members of this industry, it is working on a new law that will tighten up the rules.

And in the meantime, the Windsor detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) laid charges against an immigration lawyer and her assistant for allegedly counselling individuals to misrepresent themselves to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).

Continue reading Canada Set to Defend Herself Against Immigration Fraud

Canada Set to Defend Herself Against Immigration Fraud originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerSun, 08 Apr 2012 14:00:00 ESTTax Time's Upon Us, and So Are Tax-Fraud Schemeshttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/27/tax-times-upon-us-and-so-are-tax-fraud-schemes/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/27/tax-times-upon-us-and-so-are-tax-fraud-schemes/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/27/tax-times-upon-us-and-so-are-tax-fraud-schemes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Here are some of the tell-tale signs someone's going to trick you out of your mind.

When in doubt, check it out. If someone calls you and says they're from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), or if you get a letter that looks like it came from the tax office but you have suspicions, call their toll-free number (1-800-959-8281) immediately.

Here's some information, courtesy the agency:
  • No one, including family members and spouses, can have access to your information on CRA records without your written authorization. In addition, the CRA never sells your personal information to third parties.
  • The CRA will not request information of any kind from you through e-mail or by texting your cell phone.
  • The CRA will not leave a message containing any of your confidential personal or tax information on your voice mail.
  • Benefit payments are always issued on specific dates, and the CRA will not send you information about your benefits or payments by e-mail. More details about benefits can be found at www.cra.gc.ca/benefits.
  • Sign up for direct deposit and be assured that your payments will reach you no matter what. Get information at www.cra.gc.ca/directdeposit.
  • Sign up for the agency's other secure electronic services, where you can access your tax file and much more. Besides, here's the list of services CRA offers online.
  • If you think you've been a victim of fraud or any type of tax or benefit scam, call the agency, toll-free, at 1-800-959-8281. Also, notify your bank and the local police forthwith.

For more information, go to www.cra.gc.ca/fraudpreventionor call the agency at 1-800-959-8281.

Also:Tax time's upon us, and so are tax-fraud schemes

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Continue reading Tax Time's Upon Us, and So Are Tax-Fraud Schemes

Tax Time's Upon Us, and So Are Tax-Fraud Schemes originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>taxesPeter AdlerTue, 27 Mar 2012 07:00:00 ESTAnother Phishing Scam Hits the Webhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/26/another-phishing-scam-hits-the-web/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/26/another-phishing-scam-hits-the-web/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/26/another-phishing-scam-hits-the-web/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

fraudWhy is it that scammers use the same kind of hoaxes again and again and again? Perhaps it's because so many people keep falling for them again and again and again.

Here's the newest one: people all over the world have been getting e-mail messages recently that said they were coming from a United Kingdom-based internet and telecommunications company TalkTalk. The messages claimed that the recipient's TalkTalk service will be cancelled unless account details are verified.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, right?

No. It seems way too many people did as they were told, bringing the issue to the attention of the Hoax Slayer investigators.

Here's what they found:

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Continue reading Another Phishing Scam Hits the Web

Another Phishing Scam Hits the Web originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerMon, 26 Mar 2012 07:00:00 ESTCostco a Victim of Facebook-Based Survey Scamhttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/25/costco-a-victim-of-facebook-based-survey-scam/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/25/costco-a-victim-of-facebook-based-survey-scam/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/25/costco-a-victim-of-facebook-based-survey-scam/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Costco Would you believe it? If you tell Costco what you think of it, the warehouse giant will give you a gift card worth anywhere between $100 and $1,000.

At least, that's what a would-be Costco posting on Facebook says, and if it's on Facebook, it's got to be right. Right? RIGHT?

Wrong.

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Continue reading Costco a Victim of Facebook-Based Survey Scam

Costco a Victim of Facebook-Based Survey Scam originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerSun, 25 Mar 2012 09:00:00 ESTFraud Sharks Infest Social Networks' Watershttp://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/24/fraud-sharks-infest-social-networks-waters/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/24/fraud-sharks-infest-social-networks-waters/http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2012/03/24/fraud-sharks-infest-social-networks-waters/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

fraud sharksDid you know that Facebook's 840 million members' data is freely available to all and sundry, so long as they pay for the information? Just check your Facebook profile, yes, the thing that you've filled out yourself: if THAT, in and of itself, isn't a valuable set of data, and if you don't recognize it as such, you have a problem.

Did you know that Google has introduced a new privacy policy that, as of March 1, 2012, allows the corporation, originally just a better search engine, to share everything that it knows about you, with all and sundry who pay for the information? Again, in return for access to all kinds of services Google offers, you have created your own profile. Besides, being a search engine, Google can track every activity you perform while online, from browsing habits to shopping habits, and much more.

Now, Facebook and Google aren't the only culprits here. But theyre the best-known culprits, and that should count for something. If their extracurricular meant only that you would be getting offers and coupons and whatnot aimed at you, based on your shopping habits and personal circumstances, that would be one thing. Becoming targets to online fraudsters is quite another. And that's what these (and similar) brazenly open breaches of privacy lead to.

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Continue reading Fraud Sharks Infest Social Networks' Waters

Fraud Sharks Infest Social Networks' Waters originally appeared on Walletpop Canada on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Peter AdlerSat, 24 Mar 2012 19:44:00 EST