It seems pretty ideal does it not? Working remotely has a lot of benefits that are very appealing. No more having to commute for starters, more time to spend with family, and lower stress levels when you don’t constantly have a boss standing over your shoulder while you do your work (ummmm… yes please!).

All that said getting a gig that allows you to work from home isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. The fact of the matter is there are scammers who prey on work-from-home job seekers. They waste your precious time, they will often attempt to take your money as well as your personal information. At a time where we need to be spending less and focusing on bringing dollars in the door, we certainly don’t need fall victim to a scam.

Okay so what exactly are work-from-home scams?

First we have to identify what the goal of the game for these scammers is: Your Data! Your data is more valuable to a scammer than some one time small transaction you could make. Falling victim to these types of scams could cost you money (either in cash or time you could have spent doing legitimate paid work), but perhaps even more sinister is the risk to your email address, Social Security number and other personal information. Once a scammer has this, they can use it to steal your identity or sell it to the highest bidder.

The Scams

Here is a list of business types that are at high risk for work-from-home job seekers:

• Multilevel Marketing :

  Multilevel Marketing or MLM is a method of promoting products through independent contractors who push them locally. It requires you to recruit more of YOU, under you. This is also commonly referred to as a pyramid scheme as it requires an investment on your part with no guarantees.

• Internet Business Coaching :

  Listen we all have something to learn, and why not get it from the best? The problem is, often times, the best in the business are focused on their businesses or their retirement. They are often not out there looking to take on clients to teach them the ways of their success.

• Internet surveys and searches :

  A HUGE waste of time. These schemes often promise you cash and/or prizes for participating in surveys. That’s right, just sit right there and we’ll ask you all sorts of questions and pay you for it. The devil is often in the details however. 90% of the time you’ll do a ton of surveys and follow the steps but still not qualify for the pay or the prize. Avoid these at all costs!

• Mystery shopping :

  Some of these opportunities are very real. They will pay you to shop or dine at specific locations and report back. However if they require you to make an investment, run. A legitimate job will never ask you to pay for it.

• Medical billing :

  This scam promises big bucks for processing medical bills electronically—but first, you have to pay for the software and a list of doctors. Once you’ve handed over an initial investment, you’ll likely find that the client list is fake or the software is outdated (or both).

• Paid job listings :

  There are plenty of legitimate job sites out there, many of which you can peruse for free. However, there are scammers who will promise you a list of job opportunities (for a fee) and a refund if you don’t find employment—but that list or refund may never materialize.

• Purchasing and personal assistant work :

  There are legitimate virtual assistant opportunities out there, but if your main task is purchasing products or gifts for your prospective employer, it may be a scam. With this scheme, you pay out of pocket for and mail items you’re asked to buy but never get reimbursed.

They key is to be able to spot the red flags when seeking out work-from-home opportunities. If you have to make an investment or pay to play, you should just walk away. It’s not worth the time or the hassle.

Conclusion

We’ve all been around long enough on the internet to have heard of the legitimate job listings sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, FlexJobs, GlassDoor, Remote.io. It’s a good idea to use trusted vendors in any circumstance but especially when trying to find a job. It’s also a good idea to cross check the job posts you find on these sites with the employers website. They will often have posts there as well that match up, so you know you are giving your information to a trusted sourc.

Try to avoid using terms like “work from home” or “work at home” when you do searches for jobs. You can instead use terms like “virtual” or “remote” or “telecommute” that will give you better results overall.

If you do fall vitim to these scams make sure to report it to all your financial institutions (especially if you have given over any payment information) and file a complaint with the FTC as well. It most likely won’t undo the damage caused, however it can help protect you and others from this specific scam in the future.

The post Work-From-Home Scams: What To Look Out For appeared first on CheckPeople Blog.

The magic number we will focus on in this article is 9,400. It’s not some random amount of jelly beans in a jar, nor the height of a colossal mountain. No… it is the number of data breaches the United States has seen in the past 13 years… which is nearly 2 a day. So there is a very, VERY, high probability that your information is right now being scurried around the dark web, where it is being bought and sold on seedy dive sites (we imagine they are seedy… they would seem seedy…).

Would it actually help you to know whether or not you currently reside in a state known for its frequent identity theft cases? Maybe, maybe not. But hey data is fun, and if we are in for a penny we’re in for a buck. So let’s do this!

Besides its always a good idea to stay vigilant. If there is one constant theme of the articles you will read here on CheckPeople it’s “stay vigilant!”. Ok so let’s get to the data already.

Top 5 Identity Theft Complaints

Has anyone ever opened a new line of credit in your name or maybe some other kind of financial account? It can really be a pain in the butt and very difficult to get fixed. Here you’ll find the top 5 states where complaints are most common, per capita.

1. District of Columbia (D.C.)
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. California
5. Maryland

Highest Loss Resulting from Identity Theft

Nobody is ever REALLY made entirely whole when dealing with identity theft and financials. The truth is, someone ends up footing the bill and in the end that bill trickles down to the rest of us. We all pay for it. Either way you look at it, identify theft equals money lost. Here’s a list of the top 5 states with the highest recorded loses via Identity Theft.

1. Ohio
2. North Dakota
3. West Virginia
4. Nebraska
5. New Jersey

Another mantra you’ll see frequent our articles, is “Change your passwords often!”. And please take 2 minutes to check your bank and card statements. I know it’s hard to open an envelope. But please make an effort. It’s sometimes easy to spot suspicious behavior if you just take the extra time.

Most Fraud Complaints per Capita

Alright so fraud is not as much of a pain in the butt as identity theft, it can still get under your skin. And if you aren’t protected it could still mean you are losing money. Here are the most fraud complaints per capita.

1. District of Columbia
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Nevada
5. Delaware

The steps to prevent identity theft are really no different than that of those to protect yourself from most fraud. Keeping your eyes on your statements and paying attention, even if it’s just for a few minutes a week, could make all the different. You don’t want your information floating around the dark web at all, but if it gets there you want to catch it as soon as possible to prevent further damages.

Top 10 States with the Most Overall Identity Theft & Fraud

The following are the 10 states with the highest identity theft and fraud. There are several factors WalletHub considered when coming up with these rankings, including instances of both identity theft and fraud.

1. Nevada
2. Florida
3. New Jersey
4. Delaware
5. California
6. District of Columbia
7. New York
8. West Virginia
9. Michigan
10. North Dakota

Run a public records search on yourself if you want to determine if anyone has ever tried to steal your identity. CheckPeople will do a deep dive into the dark web to ensure your data is still secure and will alert you if any issues do occur. It’s always good to have the data. The sooner you can rectify the situation the less it will end up costing you in the end, and with the rate of data breaches it’s really only a matter of time.

The post Where In The United States Has The Most Identity Theft Cases? appeared first on CheckPeople Blog.

You don’t have to know how to access the dark web, however you should take a strong interest in it. After all just because you don’t know how to access it, doesn’t mean that your information isn’t already out there and in play. Almost as frequent as gun shootings in America, we see corporate data hacks hit the news. You may be one of the very few lucky ones who haven’t personally been effected by any of the data breaches, that does not mean that in the future you will be so lucky. For the rest of us however our data may be being traded or sold all over the dark web as we speak for just a couple bucks.

There are many reasons someone might want to learn how to access the dark web that has nothing to do with trying to get your data. Maybe you’re looking to cruise the internet anonymously, or maybe you’re looking to educate yourself so you know how to protect yourself from identity theft. Whatever the case may be. Here is the low down.

Dark Web 101

Alright so, in order to explain what the dark web is you first have to know that it is just a subset of a larger “deep web”. The deep web in a nutshell is online content that is hidden (i.e. you can’t find it on search engines). Sites on the dark web sometimes require specific software to access them (we’ll get to that).

Your next question might be: “But isn’t the ‘dark web’ illegal and full of criminals?” … well… kinda…

The dark web is designed to allow users to keep their anonymity online which can then be used for both legal and illegal purposes. Now with the cloak of anonymity it brings with it a clear and unavoidable criminal presence. This includes drug sales, illegal pornography and even human trafficking.

Would it surprise you to know that the whole concept of the dark web was developed by the United States Navy? It seems back in the mid 90s, US intelligence sought to protect its online information and communications. It was then known as, The Onion Routing project. It now goes by the name Tor.

They then released it into public domain with the concept that the more its used the more it conceals the military communications. The comms get “lost in the sauce” as it were.

Accessing The Dark Web

The easiest and thus the most widely used method to access the dark web is the software known as Tor (previously mentioned). The Tor network is a free software that anyone with an internet connection can download (see? easy!). Here’s the kicker… once you are using the Tor browser (or any of the many other options) you will find access the web is much like it used to be back in the days of dial-up. Everything takes a while to load as it bounces around the globe to different servers meant to keep you anonymous.

How Can I Tell If My Information Is On the Dark Web?

While a lot of the goings on, on the dark web are completely legal and used by people who are completely paranoid about their privacy. The anonymity will always attract the worst scum you can think of.
CheckPeople has made it simple and lightning fast to do an in-depth Background Check on yourself! Which will include a Dark Web Scan. This Dark Web Scan will alert you of any information that is currently being compromised (if any). It will also alert you moving forward if your information becomes available on the dark web! Information such as your credit card number, your bank account information and even your social security number. Staying vigilant in an ever growing digital world is what is required of us these days.

Check your records and make sure you are safe!

The post Accessing The Dark Web appeared first on CheckPeople Blog.

But search is just the beginning of it. People everywhere use google for almost everything. Photos, videos, event reminders, memos, file storage you name it, and google probably has a service for it. But what if any of that data could be incriminating? What if it was used against you at a later date?

A lot of the data is stored on what appears to be randomly generated URL addresses.

Okay but what does that mean for you? Well… it means that with the right link, just about anyone can access anything. That can be a scary thought.

Does Google Store Information On Me?

The short answer is “of course”. But what that information actually entails is different for each of us. You can assume Google likely has the obvious data points on us. I.e. Name, Gender, Birthday, Phone and Email.

However, you’d probably be pretty shocked to find out what other information Google is storing and tracking:

Your Location

Oh yes. If you think Google isn’t very aware of where you are when you do your searches you’d be very mistaken. It is something that is almost always running in the background of our phones. The pin on Google Maps that denotes where you are on the map, is all available in your location history.

You can turn this feature off on your phone, and disable history.

Search

Of course google tracks and stores your search history. In fact every time you use Google Assistant and use your voice to do a search, not only is that search recorded and tracked, but so is your voice audio. That’s right! Google saves that too! So don’t even think about denying those embarrassing searches.

Internet Shopping

Oh yeah, didn’t we tell you? Most (if not all) worthwhile websites use Google Analytics. Google is very much a part of most websites in the background. So whenever you make a purchase, no matter how personal the purchase is, google is tracking and recording it.

Think about that the next time you’re ordering something naughty. Google won’t forget about it!

YouTube

Did you know Google owns YouTube? That’s right! So everything you watch and subscribe to is only adding to the millions of data points google is collecting about you to build your user profile.

I can think of at least a half a dozen times where I’ve got lost in a YouTube black hole for hours and god knows what I watched! I certainly don’t want that information going public and I am sure you don’t as well.

Photos

Would you be comfortable with just anyone accessing your photos without your knowledge? Even if you didn’t have anything embarrassing or naughty in your photos, some people do, and until now we have all assumed our photos were protected and safe. As it turns out, anyone who has the right link can access just about any stored files on Google.

So basically the only thing that stands between you and your privacy is a very complicated, auto generated URL that any computer with a connection can access if they guess it right.

Gmail

Don’t be silly… of course Google stores your emails. But maybe you didn’t know that it sometimes allows Third-Party-Developers to gain access to your emails if you grant them permission when installing certain apps.

You should start reviewing your apps to see which ones you have given access to your email account to.

How to Monitor Your Online Information

As it turns out there is plenty one can do to keep those in the shadows out of your private information. While Google hasn’t given us much to be concerned about, other companies have not been so lucky, and the truth is Google isn’t immune (no company or provider is).

We hear about data breaches in security all the time when watching the news. We hear terms like “hackers” and “dark web” and “compromised accounts”. Once your information hits the dark web it is pretty much there forever.

Consider a Dark Web Scan from CheckPeople. We will monitor the dark web for signs of your information. If it’s found, you are alerted, so you can begin to take the steps to protect your identity and financial accounts.

The post Google Knows You Very Well appeared first on CheckPeople Blog.

The public web

To better understand the dark web, it is essential to review some of the other layers of the internet starting with the public web, then the deep web, and finally, the dark web. The public web refers to any information that you can access or get using conventional search engines like Google or Yahoo. There are no restrictions as far as who can view this data, and it’s “publicly” available.

This layer of the internet is where most internet users spend much of their time. Also, this is the part of the internet where most websites are found, from school websites to company websites, and beyond. Another thing that is characteristic of the public web is that every activity made by users is logged on to a domain that shows the user IP address as well as the physical location.

The public web might be the most common layer of the internet, but it doesn’t make a significant portion of the internet as a whole. It only makes a very miniscule part.

The deep web

The deep web, on the other hand, makes up a massive chunk of the internet—almost 90 percent. The name “deep web” might sound scary or even something from a fictional movie, but it is a very moderate place to visit if you know what you are doing. In fact, you might be using the deep web right now, and not realize it!

Most of the sites that are in the deep web will probably turn up when you search something using conventional search engines like Google. It isn’t a super-secret layer of the internet or even one that is necessarily criminal or contains anything malicious.

The deep web includes websites that other people can’t access publicly, meaning they are behind some form of login. For instance, when you log in to use a school’s research library, this vast information bank is not publicly available. Any website that requires a login to access is a part of the deep web—and that’s a lot of sites. Many websites live both in the public web and deep web with portions viewable to everyone, and parts visible only to registered users.

The dark web

Now let’s take a look at the dark web, our primary concern. The dark web is the deepest layer of the internet and is entirely different from the other two layers. It is a hub for diverse criminal activities from modern-day slavery to the drug trade. Law enforcement agencies have identified the dark web as a hotspot for most of the illegal activities in the country as well as internationally.

It is a network of very intricate websites which are hidden—these are not sites that you’ll be able to find via a simple search on a regular browser. Unlike the public web, the dark web allows the user to hide their location as well as their identity. Users can protect their status by using fake usernames or pseudonyms as their screen tags. This option of hiding internet activity is, of course, desirable to the myriad of criminals in the world.

The question, therefore, arises: what is the difference between the dark web and other websites you can find on the public internet? The answer to this question is simpler than you might think. When you search something using the public web using Google or another search engine, the internet tracks all your activities.

This tracking means that somewhere your IP address, domain, and activity is logged for reference—even if you have cookies disabled and are in incognito mode. The Federal government can track your physical location anytime you use the public web. There is no secrecy as servers regularly share your information—or metadata as you will—for reasons of accountability.

However, on the dark web, when a user accesses the layer, no user metadata is recorded or shared by the servers, meaning when a user uses the dark web, he/she does so in an anonymous state. Another question, thus arises: how does the user hide their identity on the dark web? Or rather, how is it possible to use the dark web anonymously?

To answer this question, you must be acquainted with some of the terms used in the IT world. When you access the dark web, there are multiple connections which are encrypted. These intricate encrypted connections block servers from tracking your activity or location using your IP address. The authorities can’t locate your activity on the internet quickly if you use the dark web.

Law enforcement has, in the past, been successful in tracing people over the dark web. However, it is not an easy thing to do and often is impossible. This is the primary reason criminals use the dark web so frequently.

The intricacy of the dark web offers an excellent platform for illegal activities. Terrorists even use it to acquire some of their raw materials such as C-4 explosives for their bombs. Middle Eastern criminals, as well as Eastern European syndicates, have in the past, used the dark web to conduct slavery and prostitution, and likely still do.

How to access the dark web

It’s a misconception that accessing the dark web is difficult. It is actually pretty straightforward. There are many ways to do so, most of which involve a dark web browser. All a person needs to do is obtain one. These web browsers are easily downloadable over the internet and are free. The most commonly used option is called the Tor browser.

This dark web browser functions like any other browser. All you do is download it and install it on your device. After installation, open the browser, type in what you’re looking for as you would with any other search engine, and then search.

However, don’t be mistaken into thinking that finding stuff on the dark web is as easy as finding things on the public web. Many of the websites on the dark web are very repetitive and will, in most cases, give you the irrelevant information.

This difficulty in the dark web is a result of the inorganization found there. Unlike the public web, there isn’t any ranked index organization which makes searches very randomized and untargeted.

However, to overcome this problem, one might use the dark web search engines which give better and optimized results. A search engine like Uncensored Hidden Wiki will guide you into the content you are looking for, but there might be some illegal websites found in the results.

How to search the dark web

Not every activity in the dark web is malicious or with criminal intent. Some people use the dark web for recreational activities such as online chess clubs/communities or social media. For instance, BlackBook is a social media site in the dark web, and many users have compared it to Facebook.

How, then, do you search the dark web? There are many ways and methodologies as far as exploring the dark web. The intricacy and complexity of dark web require that you must have a different browser, such as the before-mentioned Tor browser. There is also special software to ensure that your information is not stolen or your computer hacked by criminals, but that’s an entirely different and complex topic that we won’t be covering today.

There are specialized search engines used by users in the dark web, but these engines are regularly being changed and advanced to optimize security. The world of cybersecurity is tricky and requires constant monitoring and upgrading because technology is continuously being challenged.

However, one thing that is constant about all dark web engines is that they all resemble the web searches of the late 20th century. The results of a dark web search also bring repetitive results, most of which are very irrelevant to a user’s needs. One of the best search engines used by users in the dark web is called Grams.

There is also another way of searching the dark web using link lists. The Hidden Wiki is the most common link list, but like the search engines, it is also unfulfilling. Timed out connections, as well as errors accessing the sites, are common. There is also a severe repetition of indices, meaning that most of the websites might turn up may not be relevant to your needs.

Once you find them, though, dark web sites are similar to public web sites beyond a few significant differences. One of the vital dissimilarities between the dark web and public web domains/sites is that they end with “.onion” instead of the conventional “.com” or “.co.”

The websites end with the suffix owing to the deep security algorithms protecting user data and information on the dark web. Therefore, a standard browser can’t access such a domain. This is why a unique browser, such as Tor, is necessary to access dark web sites.

Dark web sites are also made of both numerical and alphabetical characters making their memorization tough. The websites have different characters scrambled together to create a URL. In the dark web, it is common to find a URL that looks like this “gd5585w8w5w852wdwq6.onion”.

Many of dark web sites are also short-lived because criminals use them. To avoid facing the aftermath of their activities, scammers will often abandon their domains and create new ones to conduct new scams. However, the police and other law enforcement agencies are getting better in tracing these scammers over the dark web.

For instance, in 2017, Alpha Bay was successfully shut down by law enforcement agencies. This dark web site was the largest platform for the supply of contraband as well as other illegal activities on the internet at the time. However, the owners of the site were never found, and it is highly likely that they shifted to a new domain.

How to scan for your info on the dark web

A dark web scan involves monitoring the dark web to ascertain whether your information appears for sale there. This data might include things like stolen passwords, credit card numbers, personal information, and more.

A dark web scan can help you avoid cases of identity theft as well as being associated with criminal activities over the dark web. It can also help in preventing credit card fraud and other debts you may be held accountable for.

There are many ways to scan for your info on the dark web. CheckPeople offers unlimited scans for a low monthly fee. You can search for your data as often as you like, and even vet those who may be around you, such as prospective love interests, new employees, or babysitters. Click here to protect yourself with a dark web scan now.

There are also free services that you can use to scan the dark web. For instance, Troy Hunt invented an online platform called “Have I Been Pwned” where you can freely check to see whether your personal information is available on the dark web.

The website/scanning engine checks to see whether your passwords of email addresses appear in any of the upwards of 322 data dumps found in dark web sites. The service also can be set to notify you any time your email address appears in any of the information dumps in real time.

Unlike the usual dark web scanning software that promise to scan your social security numbers over the dark web, Hunt’s service only uses your email. The service a solid first step in checking whether your credentials have been leaked on the dark web.

Even using this service, though, it is always good to be careful. You should use unique passwords on every online platform you use. The use of unique passwords and credentials is essential, especially if criminals get a hold of your credentials in one platform. If the criminals hack you and you don’t have unique passwords, they will probably try a bunch of combinations to guess other passwords.

Many people claim that using different passwords might be dangerous, especially when you can’t remember your combination to a particular website. However, there are many secure password managers available, both free and paid. Some programs an even save you time by offering browser extensions that auto-enter your saved logins, passwords, and personal information, such as your address or phone number. A password manager will help you in storing and remembering all your passwords without the risk of losing the information to criminals.

By now, most people will think that a dark web scan is useful because after all, it checks whether your info is being used for criminal activity, right? But this is not always the case. Even if your data doesn’t come back in any of these scans, you should always assume you are at risk, especially by hackers.

The truth is, in our current society, cybersecurity is at its worst.

What to do when browsing the dark web and maintain your cybersecurity

It is no lie that the dark web is a hub for criminals who want to exploit your personal information. You need to be careful while using the dark web. While browsing, take steps to protect your data as well as your identity.

You also don’t want to poke around every website that you come across. The dark web, unlike the deep web, doesn’t have a lot of useful info because it is mostly used by criminal syndicates to conduct their activities without too much interference.

Because dark web browsers keep users, as well as the publishers, apart from by maintaining their anonymity, it is challenging to control some of the content in this internet layer. There is a myriad of activities going on, and therefore, it is impossible to keep track of some of the financial operations.

The dark web is an excellent place to maintain one’s anonymity and also an excellent place to retrieve valuable information. It can be a great place to create interaction groups based on your hobbies, such as playing chess, while protecting your privacy. In the same measure, the dark web is also a dangerous place for one to be roaming around carelessly because criminal syndicates use it. Browse with care.

The post What is the Dark Web? appeared first on CheckPeople Blog.