Month: April 2019

How to prevent credit card fraud

Published by Will Chatham on 4/30/2019

Credit cards are the best solutions for individuals who want to make quick purchases. However, they do not come without significant risks.

Even though credit companies use the most modern technology to curb this type of fraud, the truth is, fraudsters are always one step ahead to make sure that they benefit from innocent cardholders.

How does this type of fraud take place?

Because criminals are always making further steps to continue with their activities, it is still proper that you know how it happens. Today, they might use one method, and tomorrow, they might use another.

It is also becoming a problem because of lack of consumer education.

Therefore, it is up to you to be alert to avoid becoming a victim. Here are some of the methods that these people use

Stealing your card and using it to make small, unidentifiable purchases
Through ATM skimming, which is one of the most sophisticated ways that they use to acquire information from your cards
By calling the cardholder, threatening them, and asking them to hand their pins to their accounts or less they will end up in jail
Sending emails
Working hand in hand with card issuers

I am not trying to scare you, but these include some of the methods victims find themselves. However, you can avoid the confusion as long as you follow these simple steps that I will highlight today.

1. Always monitor your account

Criminals will continue to use your card without you noticing it. You have to keep watch of your bank statements, and your account.

It will aid you in noticing any weird transactions that would take place without your authorization.

2. Report to the card issuer immediately

The worst mistake you can ever make is keeping silent when you notice any unusual transactions. Card issuers typically have zero liability charges.

However, they go as low as $50, which means that you will have to pay for anything above that. Report to the issuer as soon as you notice so that they can suspend that account and help you open a new one.

3. Get cards from trusted issuers

Today, issuing of these cards has become a business. Many of them offer considerable rates that will provoke clients to apply.

Nonetheless, it is always essential that you only get one from card issuers that you can trust. Note, sometimes criminals work with the issuers and employees.

4. Avoid getting in contact with untrustworthy contacts

Once you become a criminal’s target, they will do everything to get to you. Thus, you have to verify emails and phone call numbers before you provide any personal information.

You will likely receive emails looking to get you to send your personal information to them. If you are not sure about a call you received, call the issuer before you provide any information.

5. Keep your cards safe

Practice carrying cards that you only need. You do not need to stack into your wallet always. If you think that you will not use it, then it is best that you leave it at home, in a safe.

When at the ATM, be sure to check that nothing seems off; additionally, keep your pin as discreet as possible. You could even use your free hand to cover the side that is pressing the buttons to avoid onlookers from seeing your pin.

A bonus tip: Avoid opening your online accounts from public Wi-Fi hotspots, such as cafes, airports, and hotels. Criminals often target those hotspots, which makes it easy to steal your PINs and accounts.

You should also change your PIN numbers frequently to make life difficult for these scammers even if they do obtain your info.

Effective Ways To Use Technology In Business

Published by Will Chatham on 4/14/2019

Technology is benefiting more and more businesses nowadays than ever before. There are plenty of advantages to using technology and companies of all sizes and industries should be looking at technology to help run their businesses more efficiently. Here are some effective ways to use technology in business.

Use Social Media To Reach Customers Globally

Social media is a very powerful tool when it comes to marketing and sales. There are a variety of social media platforms now that businesses are using to grow a following not just nationally but internationally. With users all over the world, people are using social media as a way to connect and find new interests. This is a great opportunity for a business that wants to branch out and possibly take on a global market. It is now more difficult to grow your following, so having the right individuals or team to solely focus on the social media side of the business is crucial

A business looking to use social media should do some research into what platform would work best for them. Twitter is more a newsfeed whereas Instagram is a visually stimulating platform, ideal for those who use images to sell their products or services.

Promote With A Website

Having a website is a must-have for every business as that’s how many potential clients or customers check out a new company that they’ve just come across. A website is also the place where a business fully owns the content that they share. The website should be high-quality, well designed and has an easy to navigate layout. There should also be a contact page and links to social media pages. This gives anyone who’s visiting the site, plenty of ways to contact the business through their preferred line of communication. Having a website boosts a company’s legitimacy as many find it strange if a business doesn’t have an online profile.

Monitor Projects With Digital Analytics

When it comes to monitoring the success rate of a project or campaign, the data received isn’t as accurate or detailed as it is with today’s technology. There’s now online analytic software like Google Analytics which gives a detailed breakdown of your website is performing. It’ll give information on your visitors, how long they engage on a page, their demographics and interests. Social media platforms are also offering the same thing, and this is providing businesses with an opportunity to fine-tune and tailor their product or service so that it hits the target audience even better next time.

There’s also plenty of other systems available that help achieve success much more easily, like Spiro for example. Spiro offers AI-powered reports to help organise contacts, reach more prospective clients and close deals.

Streamline Finances With Software

When providing invoices and tracking expenses, sometimes there can be delays or simply cases of human error where certain finances get forgotten about. However, using one simple piece of software can help streamline all of these avenues of finance so that fewer mistakes are made and it’s all conducted within a professional realm. Most of these interfaces can be controlled via computer and mobile, so it also gives you the opportunity of managing finances on the go.

Productivity Management

Productivity within the workplace can also now be monitored thanks to project management applications. This is great because it means that no one can get away with not pulling their weight. Everyone in a team can see what everyone else is doing, and that’s also great for keeping communication clear, rather than mistakes being made because not everyone was on the same page. A project system is great for those working in teams and will hopefully keep productivity levels constant.

Improve Your Security

As more of us get on board with technology, there also becomes more of an opportunity for scams and cyber attacks. For any business, this can be dangerous, especially if they’re dealing with confidential information. Protecting your wireless networks with passwords, encrypting files and having a solid security system in place for your servers and network is crucial. This is something that should always be monitored and looked at to improve. As technology improves and advances, so do those individuals who seek to cause major damage to companies

Technology has now become very dominant in all aspects of our lives, and without it, the opportunities for success may not be as widely available as they are now. So don’t be afraid of using technology in business, it could end up benefiting you hugely.

Nail Your Next Presentation With These Killer Tips

Published by Will Chatham on 4/10/2019

You never know when you might be required to make a presentation, so it’s always worth having a few great tips and tricks up your sleeves ready for when the next one is sprung on you. Your manager might ask you to prepare a presentation to give during your next team meeting or in the coming pitch to a client. Some employers even get applicants to create a presentation to present in their job interview. It’s also regularly asked of students in high school and college, and a portion of their final grade in a subject might rest heavily on their presentation skills.

So, as you can see, it really is worth brushing up on these skills if your current presentation skills are fairly weak. To get started, you might want to use a few of these useful tips.

Make Your Slides Look Great

First of all, you need to make sure that your slides look amazing. If they look quite plain and dull, then your audience might get bored of them pretty quickly. There will be nothing intriguing about them that will make them want to read all of the content on them. It’s easy to brighten up your slides, though. Reading The 78 Best Free Google Slides Themes will give you an idea of the kinds of themes you can use to make the slides look as entertaining or professional as you need them to be. Make sure you stick to the same color scheme on each slide, as using too many colors and patterns could make them look very messy and there may not be much flow between them.

Follow The 10-20-30 Rule

Have you ever heard of the 10-20-30 rule before? This was devised by Guy Kawasaki, who is something of a presentation expert! It basically means that there should be no more than ten slides in your presentation; it can’t last for more than twenty minutes, and the font that you use shouldn’t be smaller than thirty point. This will help you get to your point quickly, without including any information that isn’t really necessary and might end up boring your audience.

Add Some Humor

One surefire way to keep hold of your audience’s attention is to add some humor to your presentation. Even if it is a professional presentation for work, you should still try to keep it light by adding a few jokes throughout. You might even want to add some to the content of your slides for your audience to read themselves. If you do add enough humor, you should find that the audience end up on your side quickly and will be a lot more open to what you have to say. That will also help you relax as well, as knowing that the audience like what you have to say should help remove some of your original nerves.

Concentrate On Your Main Message

It can be all too easy to end up waffling about matters and topics that aren’t all that related to the main topic of your presentation. Make sure you don’t do that, though, as this could be very distracting for people watching your presentation, and their minds might start to wander elsewhere. So, whenever you are speaking, make sure that it is only ever about the main message that you want to get across in your presentation.

Tell Stories

It will always pay off to try to appeal to your audience’s human side, and the best way you can do this is to tell some stories and anecdotes. People love listening to stories and they will connect with you a lot more than if you simply read out facts and statements. One way to use stories in your presentations is to use some real-life examples. Just make sure that they are related to the topic of your presentation, though, or else they might seem pointless to your audience.

Don’t Force Your Gestures

Using body language throughout your presentation will help you come across as very relaxed and natural. Some people try and force some gestures to try and come off as feeling relaxed when in fact they are actually quite nervous. This will only make you look even more nervous, so it’s best not to force anything and instead just let yourself make your regular natural body language and hand gestures.

Hopefully, all of these tips will help you do a good job of your next presentation. It could help you get a new job, promotion, or sign a new client!

5 Tips to Finding the Ideal Working Space in Long Island

Published by Will Chatham on 4/9/2019

Although, nowadays, most people operate their business from their homes, research shows that customers tend to have more confidence in businesses that have a brick and mortar shop that is outside of the home. This is because it’s easy to get in touch with such businesses when you have a burning need. And as an entrepreneur, having an office puts a statement that you are serious about what you do. Besides that, it guarantees that you will enjoy working in a cool environment that’s free from disturbances and have enough space for keeping your tools of the trade. However, finding an ideal office space for rent can be a huge challenge, especially if it’s your first time. This is because you don’t know what to look for. Here is a list of things to consider when looking to find offices in Long Island.

1. Location

When it comes to setting up an office, location is everything. In fact, the location that you go for will definitely determine how your business will perform. You should actually narrow down to a strategic location. An ideal office location is one that’s within a city so that your clients don’t have to drive for many hours to reach you. You should also make sure that the area where you will have a has a reliable transport system. This is because you can’t be sure that all your clients will use their cars when coming to your office. Besides that, you have to consider the other businesses that are in that area. For best results, it’s advisable you rent an office in an area that’s known in majoring in your niche market. That way, you will have higher chances of being seen by clients that visit other similar businesses in the same office block.

2. Size

The size of an office plays an important role in determining how comfortable you will fee. At the end of the day, you want to pick an office space that’s neither too small nor large. If by any chance you pick a small space probably because you don’t want to have time for doing a thorough search, you will have an office that’s congested, meaning you will not have enough space for all your equipment. On the other hand, a bigger space will make your office look empty. Such a problem can be avoided by approximating the size of the office by measuring every square foot that you might need for keeping all your stuff including furniture and computers.

3. Price

The price of office space is usually determined by location and size. If the space is small, you will definitely be charged much less rent than someone who takes a bigger space and vice versa. Besides that, offices that are located in prime locations normally cost more. But that’s not a problem. Before occupying any working space, you should first ask yourself whether you will be able to afford the listed price without hurting your finances. It actually depends on the profits that your business is currently making. However, don’t make your decision based on projections because you can never be sure whether your venture will thrive in the new location. In addition to that, you should consider asking for a discount because everything including rent is negotiable. If an office space has been vacant for too long the landlord will be desperate to have some tenants. Take advantage of such desperation to ask for a discount.

4. Accessibility

People generally like visiting offices that are accessible. Such offices have infrastructure that make visitors feel at home. Some of the things to look out for include elevators, grilled staircases and parking yard. Assuming that your office will not be on the ground floor, it’s advisable you pick a block that’s served by an elevator round the clock. Keep in mind that some of your clients might be using crutches or a wheelchair. In addition to that, you should rent an office in a place where there is ample parking space for your car and those of your clients.

5. Consult a Tenant Broker

Tenant brokers usually know a given area like the back of their hand. They can therefore help you find an office space for rent within a short period of time. And since they have been around for many years, they definitely know the best offices in town that are tailored to meet your needs. Besides that, they know the landlords that are a pain in the neck and those that are cool. They can therefore spare you from the trouble of renting an office space that’s not close to what you really need. The good thing is that they will not ask you to pay them because they are usually paid by the landlord.

Your ISP May Know You Better Than Your Mother: How?

Published by Will Chatham on 4/4/2019

They say your mother knows you best. After all, she’s been with you right from birth to adulthood. I, however, dare to disagree with this well-known fact by stating that ISPs might know you better than your mother. The question is, how? Before I get into the technical nuances, let’s start with the basics.

What is an ISP?

ISPs, or Internet Service Providers, are corporations or institutions that provide internet services to customers at a fee. They give all kinds of internet access be it DSL, dedicated high-speed interconnection, dial-up, cable modem or any other connection.

How Do ISPs Work?

The working of an ISP is quite simple. When you want to access a site on the internet, the browser of your access device converts the domain name of the said site into an IP address which is sent to the ISP, usually by a router. Your ISP will then convey your access request to the ISP of the site you intend to visit. The ISP of the site sends back a link through which you can access the site. ISPs can also pay other ISPs (upstream ISPs) to offer internet connectivity which usually has a more extensive network than your ISP.

Data and ISPs

Now that we are up to speed with ISPs, we have the hot button issue, that is, your data and ISPs. Are ISPs collecting your data? Are they spying on you? Can they provide your browsing history data to law enforcement/government? Can they sell your data to third-parties? Is there any way you can protect your data? A simple answer to all of the above questions is Yes, but it’s much more technical than you think. Let’s break it down for you.

First things first, your ISP has access to all the data you transmit or receive through the internet. With all this access, they track and monitor said data to observe how the information is being used, to provide security against cyber-attacks and to prevent the abuse or misuse of data. The service providers can, therefore, tell what sites you visit, how often you visit these sites, frequency of visits, and the duration you spend on the site. To be on the safe side choose a VPN service to encrypt your connection and protect your privacy. Check this review of Private Internet Access for a start.

Visits to unencrypted websites are akin to a data gold mine for the ISPs since it is in these instances that the ISPs get the most data from users. Unencrypted sites use Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which is unencrypted as opposed to the much more secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS).

To put it simply, when you visit an unencrypted website, your ISP can view the full content of the site on visits and the complete URL. This is alarming, seeing as research confirms that 8 out of 10 lifestyle websites are unencrypted. The solution to this problem should be fairly straight forward – a transition from unencrypted to the more secure HTTPS. Well, not entirely since all third party associates and partners on the site must support HTTPS. For your reference, addresses of sites prefixed with ‘https’ mean that they are secure. Secure sights prevent the ISP from accessing the full content and or URL of the site in question. ISPs have been known to collect data, and over time create a detailed profile of someone’s internet activity.

In most cases, ISPs can’t be compelled to share the data they have collected over time on an individual, though it is common practice for some to sell data to advertisers and other third parties. In the US for instance, the law allows ISPs to share non-identifying data.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Now that we have covered the nuances of ISP data dealings, a salient query is: do the subscribers of these ISPs have any way to protect their data and internet activity? It is noteworthy that private browsing features like incognito browsing don’t offer much respite as the ISP can still access one’s data. Google provides excellent add-ons, as does the EFF, that automatically convert HTTP to HTTPS in your web browser.

The magnum opus of internet security remains the VPN services. What VPNs do is they encrypt your internet traffic and activity, hence preventing your IP address from being accessed by anyone. With some of these VPNs, the user might incur additional charges, especially subscription-based VPNs. This is, however, a small price to pay for protection from over-ambitious ISPs.

Conclusion

Mothers are an embodiment of love, resilience, and most importantly, safety. ISPs on the other hand, not so much. Sadly, the latter might have in their possession more information about you than the former. Take the necessary step to ensure the ISPs don’t compromise your privacy and security.