This type of criminal would have a starring role in an old gangster movie, the ones so overplayed they would be in a stark non-color and grainy version. As with their movie persona, these bad guys committed some atrocities. The film portrayals simply scared the viewers, but real street crooks are the ones to be held accountable for almost of the fright and damage to people. These bad people are the ones who make the cities unsafe at night, and are bait for most news reports adding to the hysteria.

These men and women were the most evil of the bad in their era. They were the outcasts of society, the ones that, when friends and families saw them in court, would avert their gaze, as if their gaze had some strange and hypnotic power. These were the reasons that the United States treads lightly with its prison system. It is a strange thing that such an accepting society conjures: you have these boundless rights and freedoms, yet it is just assumed that you will not abuse them. Unfortunately, while most of us take care of these rights, guys like these don’t and it tears at the very foundation of our country.

The criminals of the olden days, the kind that would stop you in a desolate corridor with their weapons and then steal all of your goods, although were at one time the worst of the worst, are child’s play to our bad guys of recent. The criminals of today have a huge advantage: they have assimilated today’s technology into their misdeeds. One might at first consider that this technology is with the boys in blue, making it simpler and more efficient to get these scum, but in fact it helps the crooks to hide themselves. The criminals have become one with the high-tech technology and have become very skilled in its use.

Think of any average crime scene.  A sly criminal who wanted to steal some money would see a rich-looking person, and decide their odds of winning. Weapons brandished and in a brazen attack they would confront their target, wave the gun around, and rob their victim. Once they get all of the money out of the wallet, they would tell the the poor slob not to call the police. They would then sprint all of the way to their hideout and lay low for a little while, until the police were off of them.

It didn’t matter though: with a well staffed and skilled police force, the thief was usually apprehended in a timely manner. There was not any tools of the trade they could use to hide themselves or clean up the scene of the crime. Once they were caught, there was no DNA markings to put them at the crime scene then, there was just a simple line-up and the victim, who tentatively singled out the criminal.

Technology is our hero then, right? Unfortunately, this is often not the case. While our rapid success in producing DNA tracking, fingerprints and other technological advances, these tools can also help in the suspect’s runaway from justice. A running car is the most high-tech equipment a criminal today needs to disappear; it doesn’t matter is they know exactly who did the act. If they can’t go out and get them, all of their information on them is quite useless.

A crime where there is no scene; the perfect crime. These online perpetration’s are quite difficult for law enforcement, as there is no real site of the deed, and a criminal can conceal while online. Another harrowing fact is that these identity thieves and hackers, as was stated before, are not usually caught and carried to justice. So not many reliable ways through to effectively thwart them, we can only hope to preemptively hide ourselves from their attacks. Always be very wary online, and protect yourself with a variety of online safety tools. Steer clear of darkened alleyways!

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People’s lives around the globe|world] today, especially those of the United States citizens, are of a highly mobile type. We use our cars to go anywhere, work a whole bunch of separate shifts to augment our bank accounts, and have more entertainment in our house than does a whole circus. Consider going out to the movies in the present day; in the prehistoric days, before the VCR player, you would have to buy a ticket for the theater playing at your time. Now you can simply download movies temporarily whenever you choose by taking your pick from an on-demand service. Our homes these days are like the best place to relax and have fun; it almost defeats the point of going out. This self-containment is a must today though because we have more going on in our lives than ever before.

Regardless of lackluster sleeping patterns, we beat back the sleepy with huge glasses of coffee and energy shots. As much as we might try and believe otherwise, we can’t change or avoid the obvious fact that there is only so much time in a single day; you can only plan so much in the time you are allotted. This leads to idea of making the shopping errand much faster. For many people though, and not just the ones who stereotypically enjoy spending, shopping is a fun reward for working hard. People like browsing for clothes, trying on every last article for optimum stylishness. So why would we take this pleasure away from them? A single word, in summation: time. It is time consuming to drag out to a store and lug your shopping bags around all day, and most would like to avoid it.

Online shopping is a relatively new phenomenon and began in a variety of sites. Most people first reach for massive marketing sites like Ebay when this type of shopping comes up, but they are just some of many. Through these sites, you could actually become quite the Internet entrepreneur, pedaling your old junk online. Some people make themselves rich selling their old knick-knacks to collectors! Whether or not you choose to participate in these transactions is up to every person on the site, but it was the public that took this process to the next stage. The Internet suddenly became the place for selling and buying, and all of a sudden we are bombarded with ads all over our explorer box. Unfortunately, the number one rule of the Internet rang true with this new online shopping market; any sort of economic prosperity, and bad people will catch on.

These new scam artists were witty people though, it was a shame they wasted their intellect on crime. They would make a credible name to use on Ebay and other sites. They would then post some sort of item for a great price that everyone would want. Once the customer bought, their credit card would be charged, and the scammer would send them an empty crate or maybe nothing at all. As is the nature of the Internet, the criminal packed up shop and was never heard from again. You may have known people to whom this happened, or been a victim yourself. Don’t get disillusioned; Internet shopping is a great tool; just watch who you are buying from. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Try and read their profiles on these sites too, and scan the buyer feedback. If it is bad, turn tail and run! Even if it is good, it still could be a hoax. Use your intuition and don’t let your money go to waste; or rather, to some low life who blatantly stole it.

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What is an anonymous proxy, you may be asking? First of all, there are two types of anonymous proxies. The one that most people use is the web-based. This is because it is simple to find. All that is required is a search on the Google site for “anonymous proxy” and a vast amount of results will be shown. Choose one of the results and go to the site. An empty URL box will be shown and you need only type the web address of the place you want to visit. The anonymous proxy will then take you to this address without showing your IP address. When you leave the website there will not be a record of your having been there. The anonymous proxy acts as a combination protection and retrieval tool. It gets the website for you and keeps anyone from accessing your IP address. Your IP address can tell a thief where you are located. How many people do you want to know your name?

The second type of anonymous proxy is a software proxy. This is somewhat like the web-based one however, software proxies work by downloading a program to your computer. Many of the software programs are set up so that when the traffic from your browser goes through the IP servers to be changed, they are put through encryption.  This encryption protects the data stream so that a hacker cannot read what you are sending over the Internet.  Without encryption your data stream is wide open for anyone using a packet sniffer.  Unprotected Internet communications is one way that people lose their identity or their money.

Setting this up is a very simple process. All you have to do is download the software for the anonymous proxy server. The software you are using will have an icon on your desktop. Open the program from here and put in your user name and your password. The next thing will be to choose the anonymous proxy from the ones available that you wish to connect to and hit enter. Your computer will be connected to the server you chose. The browser you use can be opened and your IP address is changed to one from the software program. Eliminating your IP address from showing on whatever site you choose to visit is a terrific move. The electronic trail that is left by your computer every time you go online no longer leads back to your computer. It goes to the server company that has the program you are using. This type of anonymous proxy has more servers to handle the traffic they are getting so it is faster than the ones you can choose free from the Internet. In addition, you are not inundated with the advertisements often put on free proxy servers.

The whole process makes for a safe and secure way of doing anything online. Instead of them being able to have full access to all your pertinent information, the IP address is routed through anonymous proxy servers. This eliminates the chance of a hacker gaining control of your information while you are online. Using a wireless router or a laptop on a hotspot allows everything you are doing to be seen by those who are just waiting for an unsuspecting surfer to come along. Did you know that your ISP even has a log of everything you do on the Internet? The law says they have to keep a record of the sites you visit. Do you think this is anyone’s business besides yours? The best way to make sure no one knows what you are doing while you are online is to make use of the anonymous proxy software that encrypts your communication and keeps them private.

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Anonymous Proxy to avoid identity theft

Although we did not know it the abstract concept of a grassroots link between users would be manifested to the tangible, yet paradoxically intangible, Internet. This system allowed people to set up their own sites via the WWW service, and brought about many great things. Unfortunately, it is through the Internet that we find ourselves the victims of some of the most creative criminals.

The creation of MySpace, FaceBook, and other social networking sites where people can communicate to one another through personalized profiles and comment, blog, and rate each others own pictures brought about a social revolution. People became addicted to these sites, and soon enough criminals began to notice and try and exploit the general public’s naivete regarding Internet safety. Through the wonderful power of deceit the Internet provides, these ingenious crooks posed as friends of some people, and lured them into the real world to steal, abduct, etc. The more sophisticated criminals even earned themselves a special title of reverence: a hacker. These hackers manipulated computer infrastructure and security systems to go right into people’s documents or bank accounts and take whatever they want.

Some criminals have learned the enigmatic arts of intercepting online conversations, and using the possibly embarrassing information as a blackmail tool, to get the person to pay up or their sensitive secret is spilled to everyone. The zenith of criminal achievement through the hacker is by far identity theft. These hackers, by accumulating certain identifying and personal pieces of information from a person, can actually exploit the power of the Internet to, online, become that person. Very useful if they wish to buy a variety of expensive items online but do not have the money to do so themselves.

What the public doesn’t know and the hackers wish to keep a secret is the anonymous proxy server. This private proxy will enable you to surf the Internet incognito, and have high bit encryption services cover all of your tracks,, so that some hacker cannot get into anything of yours. Surf anonymously online through an anonymous proxy and circumvent even the most creative criminal!

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Online shopping is a novel concept. Instead of actually carrying all of your groceries, clothes, or other miscellanea around with you, you simply add them to your shopping cart. The prices are still low, but you can shop from the convenience of your home and without the open and close hours that sporadic malls have. Also, you don’t have to carry all of your bags when you are shopping and worry about keeping track of receipts and all of that small stuff.

While online shopping seems like the way to go, and it does hold many distinct advantages, it holds some Internet based dangers as well. While you would know your wallet is gone, it is tough to figure out that your identity has been stolen until it is too late. Anonymity on the Internet is very important and there are many programs on the computer designed to preserve it. One of these such programs is called encryption software. This actually takes all of your data and scrambles it to make it appear like mush to a hacker or interloper; but only on certain sites. You can spot these sites by the distinct lock icon in the bottom of your screen, but be wary, it isn’t every where it should be. Many sites, like MySpace, FaceBook, and a couple of other social networking sites do not support this technology, and this means your password, log-in name, and vicariously, your account information is pretty much open for an experienced hacker to steal and exploit.

While you can be sure that online banking sites have this encryption technology, as mentioned above, many you think should do not. Your social networking sites, and your online shopping sites containing your credit card numbers are often not secure. Invest in some online privacy and safety programs, and some, such as anonymous proxies, can make every page encrypted, so you can rest safely on your online shopping sites.

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One of the issues raised in the video is the use of debit cards.  Again, for years we’ve been telling people not to use debit cards.  They do not offer the same protections that credit cards do.

However, the main item to take away from this, is that protecting your identity, and your privacy, is up to you.  You need to be proactive.  Think through the issues and put safeguards in place so that you do not wind up as a victim.

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By storing information on the Internet, it made their consumer’s data vulnerable.  The problem is, these monolithic computers were safe and secure, while the Internet wasn’t nearly as secure. The Internet can be easily hacked into, while these massive computers and their networks had so many privacy and safety safeguards that the N.S.A. would have had trouble trying to break in. The fact is though, the consumer’s lost this battle. While it helped out the big shot companies by removing their burden of network management, it hurt the consumers by having their security decreased by a large amount, and put their information at risk. “Cloud Computing” is the term put to this in discrepant practice of putting all information on the web rather than the large personal databases.

This creates a big privacy issue for the customers though. Since these people on the Internet have no affiliation with the company who has asked them to store the data, who is to say they are going to take their job seriously and provide these users with adequate protection? Also, it isn’t like they are being paid a large sum of money to do so either, online data storage prices are dirt cheap and will remain that way, as space is virtually unlimited.

There isn’t much that can be done about these data infringements and the risk that these companies represent to you, but there are things you can do as an individual and an Internet user. Try and restrict the amount of sensitive information you give these companies. If they are going to treat it well, don’t give it to the at all! Also, try using an anonymous proxy that will encrypt and encode all of your data. While these companies will let your Internet safety go by the wayside, you can ensure anonymous browsing through a private proxy server.

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The next big problem is that this information is pretty much accessible to anybody. It may not be in a convenient button that says “information here” but it certainly doesn’t take an N.S.A. agent to install a deep packet inspector and steal some of your data. People travel around the Internet blissfully unaware and overall, quite unprotected. The security systems they do have were the ones installed (probably improperly) on their system when they bought it, if they even bothered to do so at all.

Hackers love to see computers running these rudimentary and basic systems. They are all quite similar, so knowing how to break through one’s defenses can let them get through plenty of them. Unfortunately these people don’t realize this and just travel through Internet protected by the pseudo protection of the “Internet Safety Wizard 9000”. Although the name is fancy, the protection is far less than wizard-like.

Consider also how difficult it is to catch a criminal on the Internet. In real life, if a criminal was mugging you for your cash and jewels in a dark alley as you were walking home, as he ran away, you could call 911 and give a thorough description. The next day, his face would be all over the news, and then his face would probably be sitting in a jail cell. An Internet criminal, if tracked, can pack up shop and move somewhere else, without much difficulty. Also, there is little way to know you have been stolen from. If a person took your wallet, you can feel that it is gone, but if they took your bank account numbers, you won’t know until you get that large bill in the mail.

An anonymous proxy is the solution to your identity theft woes and other privacy issues. These programs will keep you safe and secure by changing your IP address which makes you untraceable, both in real-life and on the computer, and will conceal your true location. The good private proxy also comes with encryption services. This will encode all of your data that flows from your computer, so if anyone were to intercept it, all they would see is hieroglyphics and other mush. By using an anonymous proxy, you can be sure hackers and identity thieves will steer clear of you on their Internet runs.

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Initially, Cynthia Lambert’s case was dismissed and she had no recourse.  Her identity was just stolen and that’s all there was to it.  But last week she found out she could reinstate her claim.  The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, Greg Hartmann, was in violation of Ohio’s Privacy Act when he posted the sensitive information online.

Ms. Lambert received the ticket in September of 2003.  The ticket contained her name, driver’s license number, birth date, social security number, address and her signature.  That is an Identity thief’s dream come true.  All that information could easily be used to take out loans, apply for credit card or open other accounts which can then be used freely without repercussions, as long as they aren’t caught.  They usually aren’t.  All the defaults become the burden of the person whose identity has been stolen.

Over the past year, two large purchases were made in Ms. Lambert’s name. $12,000 worth of purchases from a Home Depot card in her name, and $8000 of goods from Sam’s club.  A driver’s license was shown . . . her license.  But there was an error.  The officer who issued the ticket was one number off when he wrote down the number of her license, and the license shown at the store was also off one number.  Proof it was based on information copied from the county website.  A woman who was arrested for identity theft confessed to being involved in an Identity Theft ring that used county websites to get information.

The court found that the clerk didn’t break any laws or act out of malice by posting the speeding ticket, but the act was illegal because the Social Security number was included in the image and put online.

Common sense should dictate here.  Ms. Lambert showed evidence that her identity was directly compromised because of the county clerk’s failure to remove personal information before posting the ticket.  Florida and California have both made it mandatory to remove or redact data and illegal to post personal information to websites.  While there is some benefit in posting information for business purposes, it’s not necessary to include signatures and Social Security numbers in public forums.  That’s asking for nothing but trouble.

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How wrong I was.  Two days later I received an email from my credit card company informing me my credit card was maxed out.  This was followed by another card being used to its limit.  Then I received another email thanking me for my business.  Supposedly, I had borrowed five hundred dollars.

I was shocked and dismayed, wondering how someone had gotten my credit card information.  I had been anonymously surfing.  I was supposed to be protected.

Well, I wasn’t.

I knew what proxy service I had used when I was anonymously surfing, and contacted them with a complaint, letting them know my personal information had been stolen while using their free service.  They wrote me back informing me that since I used their free service for anonymously surfing rather than their fee-based one, they were not responsible for my losses.  I was furious, but legally there was nothing I could do.  And they had the nerve to offer me a package at a reduced rate.

So I had to cut up my credit cards and dispute the charges.  My credit rating dropped like a stone.  I’m still trying to get the charges off my credit report.  I can’t get a single credit card issued to me at this point.  I also found out that access to some of my personal accounts had been changed as well, and spam posted under my name.  When I tried to open a new account, I was blocked.  Banned from most of the sites for spamming.

It was a nightmare.  But I had to find out what happened, so I did my research.  I only wish I had done it before this happened.  It seems that anonymously surfing using free online proxies is not as secure as it seems.  Your IP address is hidden, but the data that is sent to websites is not encrypted.  Anyone who has access to the server can see all the information sent, collect it, record it and use it.

If only I had used a software-based proxy when anonymously surfing.  Of course, I couldn’t have installed it on the company computer, but I also surf anonymously at home.  I had been lucky up to this point.”

The point of this article is this: Be smart and invest in reliable proxy software when you want to go anonymously surfing on the Internet.  I’ve done the homework for you and experienced the hardship that not doing your homework can cause.  I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone.  I’ve learned the hard way that anonymously surfing on the Internet using free online proxies has a very high price.  A very high price indeed.”

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