All Telephone Recorders Are Not Alike

By Tom Rasmussen

If you walk into your favorite electronics store and tell them you're interested in telephone recorders, you may be surprised at the variety. Your sales assistant will probably start by asking you a few questions.

The first question you'll need to answer is, "What kind of phone will you be using?" If you'll be using a cordless land line phone, you'll need a different type of recorder than you would use for a traditional land line phone with a handset and base. If you're using a cell phone, you'll need a recorder designed to work with cell phones. This is your first major decision.

Next, you'll be asked whether you want digital or cassette. Cassette phone recorders are usually less expensive, and you may be tempted to skimp here. But if you plan to keep copies of your calls, you may quickly spend a fortune on tapes. With a digital device, you can upload files to your computer. A digital recorder will also hold several hours of conversation, whereas with a tape machine you're limited to two hours per tape, maximum.

Once you describe your phone and make a decision between digital and cassette recorders, you will have a few telephone recording devices to choose from. At this point, you will want to focus on sound quality, recording time, for a digital recorder, battery life, and portability.

It is very tempting to walk into a store or go online and buy the cheapest device you can find. If you are not familiar with how telephone recorders work and the available features, you may not know what you need and what are just bells and whistles to impress people and raise the price.

Talking to someone who knows the products can help you narrow down your selections, and will often save you both money and frustration with your new telephone recorder. You do not necessarily have to go to the local electronics store. Consulting online reviews and informational sites can help you choose the right machine for your needs, and find the best price on the recording device you choose.

Tom Rasmussen has worked in the telecommunications industry for over 15 years, consulting for Fortune 500 companies telephone recorders needs.

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Web Site and Browser Jacking

What is page or Web site jacking?

This happens when a person copies the source code of a legitimate Web page or site. The deceptive person then uploads the page to another server with the intent to defraud others. What usually happens is another page is created with a redirect script sending a person to the hijacked page. The Web page thief then promotes the page with the redirect script, which is just another way of mislabeling links. He may send out a message with the link in it and deceive many people into making a purchase, giving out personal information or something else that is just as devastating.

There are a few ways to avoid situations involving mislabeled links or page jacking:

• Look very carefully at the link before clicking on it. Does what it says on the screen and what it says in the lower left corner of your browser match? If not, there could be some fraud involved.

• Always bookmark the pages where your purchases have been made from legitimate companies. Use only to bookmarks and not the links e-mailed to you to access your accounts.
  
  
  
• Contact the companies by telephone to verify the need for current account information.

What is browser jacking?

If suddenly one day you launch your browser and a sex site opens and fills your screen with ads or pop up windows, your browser home page may have been changed. There are many scripts being used on Web sites that allow this to happen. Sometimes a pop up window appears and by closing it, your home page is changed. You may also think you are clicking something else but click to execute the script that changes your browser settings instead. It can also happen with the installation of new software.

To take back your browser home page:

In Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on the Tool menu then select the General tab. Enter the URL that you want to display as your home page in the Home Page box. You may also point your browser to any page of your choice and then click the Use Current button to set the page you are currently displaying as the home page.

In Netscape, click on Edit and select Preferences. The preferences window pops up and it should be showing the Navigator page. If not, click on Navigator in the left window. Under Home Page, change the URL to your preferred web site address. Click OK.

Understanding Typosquatting

Typosquatting involves the practice of purchasing domain names that closely match typing errors commonly made by people who type a URL into their browsers. Typosquatting is commonly used by pornographers. Typosquatting is based on the liklihood of a large number of Internet users will mistype the name of the Web site address or URL while surfing. Typosquatters usually register numerous possible domains with typos for a specific brand name or a Web site that is known to be popular.

Pedophiles use typosquatting as a technique to mislead children into accessing sites that strongly resemble popular legitimate sites. The site names are often intentionally confusing so that the content can be misrepresented in search engines to attract a large number of visitors. They may have forms on their Web sites that request information from kids. Once the information is given out, the kid is often contacted by the pedophile and given sexually explicit materials.

Typosquatters are unethical persons who profit from the great number of spelling errors. There have been criminal cases filed against some of these persons but for the most part, it is still a civil matter in many jurisdictions.

Understanding IP Addresses

Many people are sending me the IP address of someone they met online and they ask me to trace it to the owner and ask if I can do that in the next 15 minutes. I think these people must be watching way too much TV and don't really understand what an IP address is and what you can learn from tracing it.

An IP or "Internet Protocol" address is the unique number assigned to every computer or device on a network. It is used to route data to and from that device. This is very similar to how your postal address works. The physical address allows the postal carrier to have an exact location to deliver your letters and packages. The IP address, is your unique address on the Net that enables you to receive data sent to your computer.

Although the IP address is similar to a physical location or address, that really isn't exactly what it is.

Each Internet Service Provider-ISP has a block of IP addresses that they assign to each computer that they provide Internet service to. Sometimes they assign a permanent IP address to each computer and sometimes one is chosen from a pool of IP addresses each time you connect to the Internet using their service. 

IP addresses don't work like area codes or zip codes. The IP address you have at home can be completely different from the one you use at work, at the library or one your next door neighbor uses.

The public record information about an IP address will tell you the name, address and phone number for the ISP that provides that IP address but without a subpoena from a court of law, not much more is available. An ISP may be located in Los Angeles, California but that does not necessarily mean that the person using an IP address from that provider resides or works there. He or she may have never even stepped foot in the United States.

Internet Service Providers are the only ones that truly know the exact location of the person using their IP addresses and they are bound by very strict privacy polices and will not divulge that information to anyone without a court order to do so.

When law enforcement has probable cause and enough evidence to believe that a crime has been committed, they take such evidence to a judge. It is then up to the judge to issue a search warrant for the records held by the ISP. Rarely if ever will any information be disclosed without one.

In summary, it is true that an IP address can be used to identity specific users who connect to the Internet and that information can be traced to an actual user but it is also true that not just anyone can have access to that tightly secured information.

Understanding Keyloggers

What is a Keylogger?

A Phisher may send out what looks like an e-card that must be downloaded in an executable file (.exe) or a compressed file (.zip). A keylogger is often a small program that captures all key board activity and sends it's findings to the Phisher with everything you or anyone who used your computer has typed. Sometimes the keylogger is designed to capture only certain information such as user names, account numbers, PIN numbers or other specific information and sometimes they are designed to capture all activity.


It is often difficult to detect keylogging spyware because it usually runs as an invisible application in the background so that thieves can remain undetected as they track your online activity. Many people have no idea that their computer is being used to record personal information including credit card numbers, banking passwords and other personal data.


Many corporations and other businesses are using key loggers to monitor the computer and Internet activity of their employees. Parents may also log the chats their children have and the sites they visit.


When a key logger is used by a hacker, phisher or other scam artist, it can be very dangerous for the victim. Personal and financial information is often stolen and the victim's identity is rapidly stolen.


Keyloggers are often referred to as Spyware.  Many good spyware removal tools detect the keyloggers and remove them. A good program used to detect Spyware is Ad-Aware by Lavasoft and it can be downloaded at http://www.lavasoft.com/

Access Court Records Nationwide

CourtRecords.org is a recognized and trusted online records information provider that lets you utilize a network of multiple data sources to find the exact records you are looking for. Get the data from thousands of sources, public and private, quickly and conveniently right to your screen. All that is required to begin your search is a first and last name and state of residence and you are on your way to knowing the legal history of your friends, family, acquaintances, and business associates.

Court Records Search Results may include:

• Full Criminal Check: Felonies, Misdemeanors & Sex Offenses
• 20 Year Address History with Phone Numbers and Details
• National Arrest & Court Warrants
• National Federal & State Tax Liens
• National Federal & Civil Judgments
• National Federal & Sate Bankruptcies
• Distinguishing Bodily Marks
• List of Relatives with Addresses
• Roommates and Associates
• Age/Date of Birth
• Alias/Maiden Name
• Possible Neighbors
• Property Ownership
• Marriages/Divorces
• Death Index Check
• Work Licenses
  

CourtRecords.org is a company that provides comprehensive online records searches in many categories. We have been dedicated for years to systematically gather more databases, sources and data center links to provide our members with the highest possible level of investigation services. You will be able to lookup information about people in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom - we have the most databases and data centers available for these three countries. Also, we have a fewer number of options for people living elsewhere in the world.



Practically any information except for very sensitive personal information such as financial and credit card data, i.e., passwords and full account numbers, is available on the Internet. Other than that you might be able to uncover a lot of data about mostly anyone. It is a vital security precaution not to allow Social Security numbers to be available public. If you uncover that your information contains some sensitive data you will be able to notify proper institutions to request them to remove the information. We ourselves cannot change the information; we can only display it to our members.



At CourtRecords.org, you will receive precise and fast results. You will have instant access to criminal records, driving offenses, arrest records, civil court records, and bankruptcy records. In addition, you can perform background checks or access CourtRecords.org’s reverse lookup system which allows the user to identify cell phone numbers, email addresses, as well as land addresses and phone numbers.


Membership at CourtRecords.org is will provide you with access to all available searches and records. Memberships are secure one-time-only transactions, and your credit card will never be automatically rebilled at any time. All members will receive:

• Unrestricted access to search results
• Unlimited people searches
• Over 10 billion records at your fingertips
• Instant lookups and accurate reports
• Data directly from the sources
• Fast and discreet investigative privileges.
  

Membership is easy. Just visit the registration page at www.CourtRecords.org.

Tools of the Online Predator

The same technological advancements designed to make our lives easier or help our businesses run more efficiently are often the same tools used by sexual predators to avoid detection.

The average online predator first makes virtual contact with his or her potential victim through chat, instant messages or e-mail. The online child molester then wants to enhance his or her fantasy and increase the level of sexual gratification so he seeks offline contact with his carefully selected victims.

He or she then searches for tools that will enable him or her to reduce or eliminate paper trails that will easily expose his or her illegal activity.

BROADBAND PHONE SERVICE

Broadband phone service is combines local and long distance calling services for one low flat rate fee. All of the standard features that come with regular phone service are usually included in most broadband plans. (Caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, voice mail and more.) Service is usually set up within minutes and calls are placed with any standard touch tone telephone.

A phone adapter converts the analog phone signal to digital so that it can be sent over a broadband connection and the carrier’s network. The phone adapter is about the size of a portable CD player making it convenient for traveling. It can be used anywhere that there is a broadband connection. The service offers online billing so there is no bill sent in the mail and payments are usually made by credit card each month.

PREPAID CELL PHONE SERVICE

Prepaid wireless service works the same way that other cell service plans work except that the airtime is paid in advance. There are many companies on the Internet and in the local communities that offer prepaid wireless service. There is no credit check, no deposit, no contract and no bill arriving in the mail.

In many cases, there is no age restriction and anyone who purchases the phone can use it.

The phone is purchased online or through a local retail store. The service is then activated online or by calling an 800 number and is not interrupted as long as airtime is purchased.

Prepaid wireless plans are attractive to the online criminal because they offer a certain degree of privacy, are not easy for the average person to trace and can be easily disposed of if necessary.

PREPAID PHONE CARDS

Purchasing prepaid-paid phone cards online virtually eliminates the paper trail associated with making calls through the traditional method using a long distance carrier. The customer purchases the calling card and within 15 minutes, he/she receives a toll free access number and a pin number. Sometimes the information just appears on the screen once payment is received and that is the only record of the transaction and sometimes the information is e-mailed to the customer.

Since the payment is received in advance, there is no bill that arrives in the mail and the risk of another household member even having knowledge of the existence of a phone card is minimal.

Prepaid phone cards have many benefits. They can be used from any touch tone phone. They are readily available on the Internet, at nearly any large retail chain store, and through nearly every US Post Office.

These too are difficult to trace unless you have the actual card or have the access number.

There are hundreds of Web sites on the Internet offering toll free phone numbers that can be activated instantly and most of them only have a small charge for airtime. Most of them require credit card billing for airtime that must be paid in advance. 

There is usually an account set up at the time of purchase where the user logs in and can change the ring-to number. This would allow the phone to ring on any phone including a home phone, work phone, cell phone or can be programmed to be sent only to voice mail.

Toll free numbers make tracing the number without a warrant or subpoena very difficult. The user can give out the number and receive calls without revealing his/her location. The person making the call always reveals his/her phone number when calling a toll free number. This is true even if the user blocks caller ID or has a privacy block on the line. The callers number shows up in a call log in the toll free number account.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Review your monthly phone bill and talk to your kids about any phone numbers including toll free numbers that appear on your bill.
   
   
2. If your son or daughter has a cell phone, review the numbers they call and talk to them about any "blocked numbers" that appear under incoming calls.
   
   
3. If your kids suddenly receive a cell phone in the mail, talk to them about who sent it and check out any claims of how they may have "won" it.