How To Avoid Vacation Rental Scams

Holiday Rental Scams

First Published Date: July 23, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

As vacation rental bookings via the Internet take off, so are scammers’ and con artists’ innovative fake listings to steal money. The vacation rental scam is one of the easiest scams to make money and there are various techniques scammers use. For example, they will use pictures copied off the Internet or sometimes real pictures from real listings to create fake listings. Today, I will go through some tips you can use to avoid vacation rental scams.

1. Use Vacation Rental Sites – Avoid free ad sites like Kijiji or CraigsList and use specialized vacation rental sites such as VacationHomeRentals.com. Although it may not be guaranteed, you will have lesser chances of being scammed with a legitimate rental site. The above site guarantees up to $10,000 in case of misrepresentation.

2. Obtain Contact Information – Gather as much information as you can about the advertiser. Talk to the owner and ask for the property management office phone number, copy of a utility bill, references, etc. to verify. Ask questions about the vicinity and what’s available nearby such as restaurants, malls, tourist attractions, and so on.

3. Search Engine and Email – Do not communicate via email. Use search engines to search for the email address, properly listing, and name of the owner to check for fraudulent activities. Use an online map to see if the property really exists. 

4. Do Not Wire Money – Do not send money using anonymous wire transfers such as Western Union, bank wire transfer, etc. Do not pay using cheques, as this way scammers will have your banking information to scam you even further later on. Use only credit cards and PayPal, which have some sort of protection against fraudulent activities.

5. Use Common Sense and Vigilance – Your best defence is your own common sense and vigilance. Look for suspicious behaviour and other elements from the property owner such as a foreign phone number, bad grammar or heavy foreign accent, unable to describe anything nearby, unable to provide any verification, and so on.

Learn how Internet and investment scams work by reading some articles here: Internet & Investment Scams. If you ever believe you have been a victim of fraud and scams, contact your local law enforcement authority and any other agencies that deal with online scams in your respective country.

How Productive Are Canadians?

Canada’s Productivity

First Published Date: July 31, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

A recent report “The Future of Productivity” published by professional services firm Deloitte looked at productivity in Canada compared some other parts of the world. Today, I will go over some highlights from that report.

How does Canada compare to other parts of the world? We are productive and growing fast, but not as fast as some other nations. For example, from 2001 to 2009 Canada’s productivity growth was far below Australia’s and even from small countries like Austria and Israel. An average American worker generates $13 more per hour than a Canadian worker, a Norwegian worker generates $29 more, and an Australian worker generates $2 more. Countries like Korea and Russia sit on top of productivity growth, while countries like Switzerland and Denmark sit at the bottom.

When it comes to launching new start-ups, Canada has one of the highest levels of launching fast-growing companies by entrepreneurs. However, in terms of holding onto those start-ups, Canada is lagging behind. Canadian firms are not investing enough in R&D (Research and Development), which is essential to sustain growth and expansion. The top five OECD countries to invest in R&D are Israel, Korea, Finland, Japan, and Korea. The bottom five countries are Turkey, Slovak Republic, Poland, Mexico, and Chile. Canada sits somewhere in the middle and ranks below OECD average.

One interesting fact is that one in three Canadian companies do not know or understand that they are underinvesting in research and development, and in machinery and equipment that are vital for sustainability and growth. The full report The Future of Productivity – A wake-up call for Canadian companies can be accessed on Deloitte Canada website.

$3.30 Per Month Home Phone Plan?

VOIP Home Phone Offers Incredible Savings

Published Date : August 14, 2013

Is it possible to have a home phone service from $3.30 to $4.95 per month in Canada? If you think of a home phone literally connected by wire to the phone companies such Bell or Rogers, it is impossible to have a phone service that cheap. Actually, a basic home phone service from Bell or Rogers with almost no features will cost you around $30 to $40 per month. However, if you consider VOIP home phone just like a regular home phone, then yes, it is possible to have a home phone service with lots of features at the price I mentioned above.

VOIP home phone uses your existing Internet connection to offer you cheap home phone with the same voice quality and much more features than a traditional home phone at a fraction of the cost. There are many VOIP home phone service providers in Canada these days. However, these three providers are worth considering in terms of value, quality, and abundant features.

Nettalk – Basic plan costs only $3.30 per month with many features and 3000 minutes per month. First year is free with purchase of the VOIP device, also known as the adaptor.

Ooma – Basic plan costs only $3.98 per month and comes with 21 features and 5000 minutes. Want 44 features that you never thought even existed? It will cost you $9.99 per month.

Fongo – Unlimited minutes and 11 premium features cost $4.95 per month.

For any VOIP home phone services, initially you need to purchase an adaptor that would cost somewhere between $50 to $150 depending on the provider. And also, you need to have Internet service at home. Nowadays, I have seen many homes without a home phone, but I haven’t any homes without Internet. It is time to get more out of your Internet by having a VOIP home phone and stop paying unnecessarily for a traditional home phone.

Amazing Cave Churches Carved Out of Solid Rock | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 0 (Part 4)

Middle East’s Largest Church - Saint Simon Church (also called the Cave Church), Cairo, Egypt

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

I arrived in the early morning at the Oasis Hotel, so I had the afternoon and full evening free on my first day (Day 0) in Cairo. The tour guide suggested a few tours, and I picked visiting the Winter and Summer Churches located on the outskirts of Cairo.

The Monastery of Saint Simon is located in the Mokattam Mountain. To visit this historic area, you have to go through Garbage City, home of the famous Zabbaleen. The residents here are Coptic Christians who collect, sort, and recycle garbage of Cairo, all done by hand—no machines. The way this community does all the work manually is an incredible story in itself.

There are seven churches and chapels hidden inside the Monastery of St. Simon the Tame, all within a series of caves. The Virgin Mary and St. Simon Cathedral is the largest church in the Middle East with a seating capacity of 20,000 in the amphitheater.

The Cave Church of St. Simon is literally carved out of the solid rock of the stone mountain. The cave church is really a natural grotto, also known as the summer church. There is another underground 'winter' church as well.

Inside the church, you will find beautiful engravings covering the walls, representing stories from the Bible. The whole area has lots of engravings and artworks on the walls, on the mountains, statues, paintings, and carvings and all over.

Some other cave churches carved out of the rock are St. Bola’s Church, St. Marks Church, and St. Simon the Tanner’s Hall.

In recent days, there was another Church discovered underground. The Church (now known as the Burnt Church) got burnt, possibly from electricity. However, the picture of Jesus Christ did not burn. I saw the signs of smoke and fire on the frame, but miraculously the picture got saved without any significant damage.

The whole area was historic and felt like going back in time, especially the engravings on the walls telling various events from the Bible that occurred in Egypt.

There were lots of visitors, both local and foreigners, in that area. The security presence was noticeable. After seeing so many historic places in one area, I got tired and our team wanted to go for a restaurant or café to relax a little bit.

Toronto Will Be One of The Top Ten Competitive Cities on Earth By

Toronto Scores High On The Future Competitiveness of Cities List

First Published Date: August 22, 2013

Commissioned by Citi, The Economist Intelligence Unit has looked at several factors such as the quality of human capital, business and regulatory environment, environmental governance, cultural aspects, among other factors to determine the competitiveness of 120 global cities in 2025. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a city’s competitiveness means its ability to attract businesses, capital, talent, and visitors – and the factors mentioned above are required to sustain high economic growth and future Competitiveness. Let’s look at the top ten list:

The Top Ten Competitive Cities in 2025

1.    New York

2.    London

3.    Singapore

4.    Hong Kong

5.    Tokyo

6.    Sydney

7.    Paris

8.    Stockholm

9.    Chicago

10.    Toronto