5 Safe Online Shopping Tips You Need to Know

Online Shopping Safety and Security Tips

First Published Date: February 16, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

Convenience has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages? There’s no need to elaborate when it comes to online shopping. Disadvantages? One of the many is that con artists or scammers get hold of your credit card or other valuable information and make you suffer endlessly. I will go over some simple things you can do to make your online shopping a safe one.

1. Protect Your Computer – Use a full version Internet security software like MacAfee or ZoneAlarm. Prices have come down a lot for the paid version of such software these days and you can get a full version protection for less than $100 annually. This is the first thing to do to protect yourself.

2. Secure Your Browser – Keep your browser up to date. I recommend Google Chrome for all your online activities. Whenever you are shopping or banking online, make sure your browser is properly encrypted by checking its URL. URL should start with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://.

3. Use Well-Reputable Websites – Internet shopping is a lot easier when you know the merchants. We all know Amazon, eBay, Future Shop and won’t be hesitant to buy something online due to their reputation. Be extra careful when you buy from a merchant you don’t know. Research online first to check if this is a fake online store that has had issues in the past dealing with customers.

4. Do Not Use Debit Cards – If you use debit cards (Interac in Canada) online, your bank account may be exposed to thieves. Canadian credit cards now offer zero liability policies for fraudulent or unauthorized transactions under some conditions. Also, you can use PayPal instead of credit cards and I find it even safer than credit cards.

5. Other Precautions – Do not use public computers or public Wi-Fi to shop online, access your bank accounts, or access your email. Use a strong password and change it from time to time.

Did You Get Your Free Canadian Phone Number For Android, Apple Smartphone or Tablet?

Dell Launches Dell Voice – A Free Phone For Canadians

First Published Date: March 8, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

(Dell Voice is now Fongo at Fongo)

Dell recently rolled out their free VOIP phone service Dell Voice for Android, Apple, and Windows devices exclusively for Canadians. A Blackberry version will soon be launched as well. Dell Voice is powered by Fongo, a VOIP tech company located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

How Does Dell Voice Work?

Dell Voice is an app that you need to install on your smartphone or tablet. You will be asked to choose your free Canadian phone number from the available cities across Canada during registration. I was not able to get a Toronto area code number 416 or 649. However, I was able to get area code 289 number – which is a local number for Toronto as well. If you would like to port your existing number, a $25 charge applies.

Is Dell Voice Is Really Free?

Dell Voice uses Internet to place and receive calls. You can receive unlimited calls on your device and place calls to most of the Canadian cities for free regardless of your location, as long as you have Internet connection (3G, 4G, WiFi). Dell Voice also comes with voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding up to 3 separate numbers, 911 emergency service, and much more – all for free.

A Few Things You Need to Be Aware Of

Dell Voice uses your Internet or phone’s data connection to make calls. It uses 1 MB per minute of your data when you are on a call. If you do not have an unlimited data plan on your phone, keep an eye on your data uses as you may exceed your allocated data plan. You can easily keep an eye on your data uses by installing a data monitor application on your phone. If you are using Dell Voice to make and receive calls using your home’s Internet connection via WiFi, keep an eye on your broadband uses if your plan is not unlimited.

Also, to keep your free Canadian phone number forever, don’t forget to use Dell Voice at least once every 90 days. You can easily avoid the deletion of your free number by buying a VoIP unlock key, if you are planning to use it every 90 days.

The World Is Your Local Area Code

The possibilities are endless with Dell Voice. The whole world is your local call as long as you have a smartphone or tablet and an Internet connection. This is a must-have app for global travellers as it breaks the barriers and boundaries of placing and receiving local calls anywhere on earth. For example, on my upcoming trip to the Philippines, I will have my Asus Transformer Tablet with me. With the Dell

Voice app, I will be able to make local calls to Canada from the Philippines and my friends and family will be able to call me local from Canada as well, although I am 7000 miles away.

Last Word

Currently, Skype does not offer a paid or a free Canadian phone number to receive calls and it charges $2.99 per month to make calls within the USA and Canada. Google Voice keeps promising a big time roll out in Canada, but it does not look like it will happen anytime soon in the near future. Dell Canada’s launching Dell Voice is the right move in the right direction to secure its place in the competitive VoIP sector, as VoIP is the future of telecommunications.

Beware of The FBI Nigerian Letter Scam

FBI Nigerian Letter Fraud

First Published Date: September 22, 2011 ADawnJournal.com

Scammers, or con artists, are in relentless pursuit of innovative products to lure their prey. A few days ago, I received a so-called “FBI Warning Letter” asking me to obtain a “Clearance Certificate” within 24 hours. Otherwise, I was told, the international court of justice will issue a warrant and charge me with terrorism, drug trafficking, or money laundering. To avoid this, I need to contact a Rev. Frank Tim Kelly at this email address: revkelly1@blumail.org. The cost to obtain the clearance certificate is $350. The letter was made to look like it was coming jointly from the FBI and EFCC (The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission).

I have attached this letter on the top left for your review. A lot of us can easily tell that this is a scam. However, I am sure a small percentage of the population will fall for this and will lose money. As we get to know the common techniques scammers use, they become more innovative and come up with new scams. You need to be vigilant and use your common sense. Also, keep yourself updated with the latest news and publications on fraud and scams. I am going to list some resources for you. Save this article and visit these resources mentioned below at your convenience.

If you ever believe you have been a victim of identity theft, here is what you can do:

– Call your local RCMP detachment or your Police Department

– Report your situation online through Reporting Economic Crime Online

– Visit PhoneBusters, send an email to info@phonebusters.com, or call 1-888-495-8501

– Visit FBI’s Be Crime Smart Section. Lots of useful info.

Online Grocery Shopping During COVID-19 Coronavirus | Tips & Tricks

Longo's Grocery Gateway vs. Metro Online Compare | Which Online Grocery Is Better

When it comes to online grocery shopping, it works mainly two ways. You can grocery shop online directly from the grocery supermarket itself or you can go through a 3rd party provider who will let you pick items from multiple groceries and will deliver them to your doorstep for a fee.

These fees can be hefty depending on how many items you buy or how many different grocery stores or supermarkets you use to pick your items. Some of these providers are Cornershop, Easy Peasy Grocery Delivery, Inabuggy, Instacart, and many others.

I tried to buy from 2 grocery supermarkets, Longo’s and Metro, who provide online grocery services and deliver their own groceries through their own online stores Grocery Gateway and Metro Online.

Both of these online grocery stores have a $50 minimum purchase requirement and delivery fees are $10 (Grocery Gateway) and $12 (Metro).

I was able to pick my items, but there were no time slots available for delivery as far as their system allowed. Due to the COVID-19 situation, people bought and booked these slots some time ago.

Metro showed one time slot available, but when I tried to grab it, it seemed like their system was not functioning properly and I was unable to book it. You will see more in the video.

Metro’s cart didn’t show the total when I was purchasing items. It only showed the number of items instead. To see if I met the minimum, I had to click on the cart each time after adding an item, which didn’t make sense.

Grocery Gateway showed my total from any page, without clicking on the cart.

Overall, I found Longo’s Grocery gateway offered a better user-friendly layout and an overall pleasant online grocery shopping experience. Things were much more organized than Metro and everything was easier to find.

How To Protect Your Personal Privacy

Protecting Your Personal Privacy

First Published Date : September 30, 2010 ADawnJournal.com

In today’s world, it can be very difficult to protect your privacy. Companies and scam artists are all trying to get your personal information for their own purposes. With companies, it is to market to you and sell you things you may or may not need. With scam artists, it is to gain your money without you even realizing you are losing it. For this reason, you want to ensure that you protect your personal privacy both in the online and offline world. I am not just talking about identity theft here, but your personal details that can be bought, sold and given away without you even knowing about it.

In Canada, two federal privacy laws are in place to protect you and your personal information. These laws give you the right to find out who is using your personal information, how it is being collected, how it is being used and where the information is being stored. In addition, you can know who is handling your personal information.

If you want to protect your personal information in the offline world, do the following:

·   When you get a sales agreement, it is very important that you read the fine print. Sales agreement often feature fine print that states you agree to add your name to a marketing list. If you see this, make sure you either check the box that says “NO”, or that you write a note on the document saying you do not agree to this clause. In addition, you can just refuse to sign the contract until that point is removed.

·   When you buy something at a store, the store staff may ask for your name, address, phone number, and email for their records. Ask what is happening to your personal information and if you do not get a satisfactory answer, do not give your personal information.

·   Charities will often share donor lists between each other, so ask that you do not want your personal information shared.

·   Do not sign up for free draws, raffles, or contests if you do not want your personal information being used by someone else. The personal information you put on entry forms is often used to then send you sales offers, or given away to other companies.

·   Remove y our name from any mailing lists that it may be on. If you are in Canada, you can do this by writing a letter to Canadian Marketing Association, 1 Concorde Gate, Suite 607, Don Mills, ON, M3C 3N6.

·   When you call a company, dial *67 before you dial the number because this will protect your phone number from being used by the company or filed into your account as a way to contact you.

·   When you are subscribing to magazines, see if the magazine mentions that they will be using your information and giving it to other companies so they can use your information for some reason you may not know about. You typically will have the option to opt out of this and you just need to contact the magazine to do so.

Now, offline it is usually pretty easy to protect your personal information but online it can be very difficult and you have to think about where your information may be used or taken with every website you visit.

·   This means do not allow your contact information and personal information to be left at websites after you visit them. You should go into your browser’s menu and setup under your privacy options a fake name and do not enter in your e-mail address.

·   Tracking cookies are a good way for a company or scam artist to know where you are going and information about you. Cookies can contain your User IDs and passwords. Cookies can also be used to mine your data by tracking your motions through a website, the time you spend in the website and more. Make sure you turn off cookies in your browser.

·   Have an e-mail address that you never enter to websites and only give to people you know. When you are posting to newsgroups, websites, mailing lists and more, use an e-mail address that will serve as a buffer between the spam and your clean e-mail.

·   Before you add someone on Facebook, make sure you block your personal information. Don’t just give personal details about yourself and your family to strangers and people you just met online. It may seem safe but the person you are talking to on the other end of the net may not be who you think they are. Even companies will hire people to interact with future customers to get their personal information, so be very aggressive in not allowing anyone to get your information.

·   Your internet use and e-mail may be monitored at your work and that information may be used by the company to actually market to you, even though you are already working for the company. In addition, you may also lose your job if the things you surf or your personal information does not fit well with the company policies.

·   If you get spam, do not reply to it and say that you know it is spam. When you reply to spam, it just shows spammers that the e-mail they sent their spam to is a real e-mail. If you reply to them, you will just get much more spam in the coming days.

·   Some websites will offer prizes and rewards in exchange for your personal information or other personal details. Do not give your personal information on these sites because often if the prize seems too good to be true, then it most likely is.

·   Always enable encryption on your browser so that you can ensure you do not have anyone trying to access your information. Usually you just have to click the box for encryption in your browser to make sure your surfing is encrypted.