Desktop Search Engine (A Must)

From Bill Rogers, Editor . . . "I have been using X1 Search for over 5 years now and I can't live without it.  The biggest benefit is "time." I save literally hours each day in searching for files. A search takes about 2 second. It runs circles around Google, Yahoo land others. Got mountains of e-mail? X1 can find it.

Don't take my word for it, here's what a professional organization had to say about X1."
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Recently, Network World published that X1 Search, v6.7 has won the prestigious Network World Clear Choice Test for Desktop Search Tools!
X1 was rated the top product of six tested in Network World's head-to-head comparative review and was lauded for its intuitive user interface and excellent search speed, among many other features.

"We tested six desktop search products – Copernic Desktop Search, dtSearch Desktop, Exalead Desktop, Google Desktop, ISYS Search, and X1 Professional Client," wrote Mike Heck, reviewer for Network World. "We also looked at the latest Microsoft Search, so we could evaluate the differences between third-party tools and what comes standard with Windows."

"Our Clear Choice Test winner is X1 Professional Client," continued Heck. "In every test scenario it proved superior – from the most documents types indexed and previewed, to type-ahead showing of results. It was also the only product to play well with Microsoft Office 2010."

Computer bloopers and blunders from the technically clueless

Is your PC dirty?

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

 

I have plenty of room for more.

Three shortcuts to My Computer???

VISA - It's just everywhere! Trying to buy something on-line, I suppose. No wonder it didn't work - note the card hasn't even been activated yet.

Here's a variation on the multiple shortcuts idea. I guess this is in case they get confused?

There's a lot more of these at:

http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2346-13625_11-198663.html?tag=nl.e174

 

Slip-and-Fall Cases Are On the Rise

http://www.claimsmag.com/News/2010/8/Pages/SlipandFall-Cases-Are-On-the-Rise.aspx

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) announced that "slip-and-fall” claims targeting businesses are being investigated more carefully for potential fraud after more than 4,600 questionable claims were received in 2008, 2009, and the first half of 2010. An analysis of the questionable claims submitted by NICB member companies showed a 57-percent increase in the number of referrals over the past two and a half years.

“While many people have legitimate accidents in stores and businesses across the country, we’ve seen a growing number of cases that have some indication of potential fraud,” said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer.

So what do these cases of slip-and-fall fraud entail? Wehrle explains that, “A typical slip-and-fall case may involve two people going into a big box store or retailer, and splitting up. The first person goes down an aisle while the other keeps a lookout. When the coast is clear, he or she pulls out a small bottle of liquid, pours it on the floor, and then pretends to fall on the floor. The partner runs to assist and tells everyone that he witnessed the fall.

“They come into an area and hit several retailers, grocers, or other businesses with sophisticated schemes and professional execution. They hope to collect a quick payout and move on before anyone realizes what’s going on.” New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Chicago were the five cities with the most questionable claims for slip-and-falls, and California, Florida, New York, Illinois and Texas were the top five states.

Wehrle said the NICB has increased its focus on commercial fraud, and slip and falls and workers’ compensation fraud are priorities for many of its member companies who write commercial policies. The attention is warranted, considering that the number of slip and fall questionable claims submitted to NICB went from 325 in the first quarter of 2008 to a high of 565 in the fourth quarter of 2009. Just in the first half of 2010, there were 997 slip-and-fall claims referred to NICB for further analysis.

“Fortunately, we’ve worked with insurers to raise the awareness level and urged companies to analyze claims before they pay,” Wehrle continued. “The bad news is, many retailers are self-insured and they look at this as a cost of doing business; they’ll write a check without investigating. Based on what companies have told us, we think that adds up to millions of dollars in unwarranted payouts. We’re reaching out to these companies and urging them to join us in fighting commercial fraud.”

What Another Credit Union Did to Help Cut Expenses

Some more ideas for lowering costs

• Employees now clean our buildings (including myself) – saved $1,200/yr

• Employees converted our high maintenance landscaping to low maintenance – saved $500/yr

• Changed debit card processors – not easy or enjoyable, but save several thousand per year.

• Dumped our leased postage meters and went to using stamps – saved approx $2,600 /y

• Eliminated company cell phones for myself and the Branch Manager (didn’t like the damn thing anyway) – saved $960/yr

• Integrating deposit documents into core processing software – will save approx $4,500/yr

• Dropped employee short term disability ins and shortened the waiting period on our long term disability ins – saves $870 /yr

• Eliminated our Equipment Maintenance policy – saved $14,000 /yr

• Switched to a high deductible HRA for employees - $WOW!!!!!!!! (and we even reimburse part of the deductible)

• Went from a quarterly newsletter to semi-annual - $chump change – but every little bit helps.

• Eliminated NSF/overdraft notices - $(no idea – but based on our fee income, I’ll but the postage alone was worth it)

ATM Manufacturer Issues Strong Security Warning

http://www.cutimes.com/news/2010/8/Pages/ATM-Manufacturer-Issues-Strong-Security-Warning.aspx?utm_source=cutimes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=traffic&cmpid=cutimes

Triton Systems, a leading manufacturer of ATMs, has issued a security warning to ATM deployers, including credit unions, to keep their ATM security systems up to date. 

The manufacturer, which specializes in building stand-alone, primarily cash-dispensing ATMs, issued the warning after a researcher at a security firm found a way to make ATMs manufactured by Triton and another firm disgorge all the case in their vaults.

Barnaby Jack, the director of Security Research at IOActive Labs, demonstrated how he was able to walk up to an ATM and upload software that made the ATM spit out all its cash.

In an Aug. 6 interview with CNN, Jack said he was also able to successfully attack the ATMs remotely and to use the machine to gather card data from users.

Triton and Jack said that IOActive made the manufacturers aware of the weakness prior to making it public, enabling the companies to distribute security fixes to prevent those attacks.

The Triton security warning carried a picture of a revolver along with the question “are you playing Russian Roulette with your ATM?”  In bullet points marked with pictures of bullets, the firm asked questions about security concerns including whether patches have been uploaded and passwords changed.

President Obama Signs into Law Ban on Cell Phones in Federal Prisons

A law signed by President Obama bans cell phone use by federal prisoners. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confiscated more than 2,600 cell phones from minimum security facilities and 600 from secure federal institutions last year. Inmates have been known to direct crimes from behind bars using cell phones, including gang activity, drug distribution and credit card fraud.

Financial Institutions Identify Fraud as Top Debit Concern

About 71% of financial institutions in the electronic payments industry identified fraud as their main concern related to debit cards, according to a recent SWACHA study
.
SWACHA, an electronic payments resource, commissioned a study among its members, which includes credit unions, to identify concerns associated with debit card use (Transactiondirectory.com Aug. 17).
Nearly 43% of those surveyed said they spent up to 40 or more hours in 2009 dealing with fraud--specifically, with fraud from skimmers and data breaches. More than 19.2% of respondents spent up to $50,000 with the cases.

SWACHA said it plans to offer additional educational resources to help its member financial institutions mitigate fraud risks.

http://www.cuna.org/newsnow/10/system081810-1.html?ref=hed

Worst Place to Work

13 Things and Identity Thief Won't Tell You

1. My least-favorite credit card? American Express, because it likes to ask me for your zip code.

2. Your unlocked mailbox is a gold mine. I can steal your account numbers, use the convenience checks that come with your credit card statement, and send in pre-approved credit offers to get a card in your name. Stealing mail is easy. Sometimes, I act like I’m delivering flyers. Other times, I just stand there and riffle through it. If I don’t look suspicious, your neighbors just think I’m a friend picking up your mail.

3. Even with all the new technology, most of us still steal your information the old-fashioned way: by swiping your wallet or purse, going through your mail, or Dumpster diving.

4. I dig through Dumpsters in broad daylight. If anyone asks (and no one does), I just say my girlfriend lost her ring, or that I may have thrown my keys away by mistake.

5. One time I was on the run and needed a new identity so I went through a hospital Dumpster and found a statement with a Puerto Rican Social Security number for a Manuel Rivera. For a good two years after that, I was Manuel Rivera. I had his name on my apartment, on my paychecks and, of course, on my credit cards.

6. Is your Social Security number on your driver’s license or your checks, or is it your account number for your health insurance? Dumb move.

7. When I send out e-mails “phishing” for personal information by posing as a bank or online merchant, I often target AOL customers. They just seem less computer literate—and more likely (I hope) to fall for my schemes.

8. I never use my home computer to buy something with a credit card that’s not mine. That’s why you can often find me at the public library.

9. If you use the same ATM every time, you’re a lot more likely to notice if something changes on the machine, like the skimmer I installed.

10. Sometimes I pose as a salesman and go into a small office. After I make my pitch, I ask the secretary to make me a copy. Since most women leave their purses on the floor by their chairs, as soon as they leave the room, I grab their wallet. I also check the top and bottom right-hand drawers of their desks, where I often find company checks.

11. How much is your information worth? I can buy stolen account information—your name, address, credit card number, and more—for $10 to $50 per account from hackers who advertise on more than a dozen black market web sites.

12. Hey, thanks for writing your PIN number on that little slip of paper in your wallet. I feel like I just won the lottery.

13. Sure, it may be nice not to have to put in your password when you use an unsecured Wi-Fi connection. But know this: We have software that can scoop up all the data your computer transmits, including your passwords and other sensitive information.
 
(Readers Digest http://www.readersdigest.com/identity

ID Insight Touts Patent Win

http://www.cutimes.com/news/2010/8/Pages/ID-Insight-Touts-Patent-Win.aspx?utm_source=cutimes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=traffic&cmpid=cutimes

ID Insight said it has been awarded a patent for its method of identifying differences in addresses that helps credit unions and banks identify potential identity theft.

The Northfield, Minn., company said its process can quickly spot the difference between a legitimate vs. fraudulent address change, thus thwarting a common way identity thieves obtain replacement cards and open fraudulent accounts.

The focus on address manipulation is stronger, the company added, now that the Fair and Accurate Transaction Act (FACT Act) requires financial institutions to monitor address changes for potential identity theft.

ID Insight said it now provides its market research, verification, authentication and other anti-fraud solutions to more than 600 credit unions, banks and other customers.

No Customer Service Payback

To Advertise or Not To Advertise: Marketing is the Answer

Have you ever heard the saying, "I know that I waste half of my advertising budget. The problem is I don't know which half!" It is this very philosophy that is prompting me to strongly inform you... advertising doesn't work!

Let me show you why:

• There is no way to track effectiveness (or ineffectiveness)

• It's impersonal

• The target audience is too large

• It's costly to redo or improve

• There is no call to action

What surprises me is the number of small business owners that save their marketing dollars just to waste them on ineffective advertising. Then, they complain because nothing is working and they don't have any customers.

I know what you're thinking, "Isn't advertising and marketing the same thing?" Well, not really. Let me explain the differences. Advertising includes: commercials, billboards, radio, and newspapers. Marketing includes: emails, letters, postcards, and fax.

So how is follow-up marketing better than advertising?

• You can track response rates

• You can quickly change campaigns that aren't working

• You can specifically target your audience

• It leads prospects to an immediate sell

If you really want to attract more customers, you will learn to market and leave the advertising to those gazillion dollar companies.

Next Wave of ID Thefts Targeting Kids' SSNs

Identity thieves are beginning to steal Social Security numbers of children, long before they're ready for a savings or checking account or a credit score--and that could threaten the nation's credit system, said an Associated Press report.

The thefts could be a problem for credit unions and other financial institutions because they rely on credit scores from FICO, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. But those scores could contain false information, planted by people who use stolen Social Security numbers to piggyback on the credit of someone else, according to Kansas City law enforcement agents.

Kansas City Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Marshall and Julie Jensen, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's office in Kansas City, said that in the fraud, online businesses use computers to locate dormant Social Security numbers, usually of children or long-term prison inmates who don't use them. The companies sell the numbers under another name to people who establish phony credit and run up huge debts without intending to pay.

The sellers skirt the law by referring to the Social Security numbers as "credit privacy numbers" or CPNs. They are also called "credit profile numbers" and "credit protection numbers."

Jensen discovered the scheme and says it is easy to create a false credit score using the CPNs, said the article.

The crooks have years to use the numbers before the child is old enough to apply for credit. That makes the fraud difficult to detect, and authorities can't estimate how prevalent the practice is.

The fraud is emerging because 25.5% of consumers have credit scores of 599 or below, which means they're poor credit risks. Many credit decisions are based on the credit scores provided by FICO and the three major credit reporting bureaus. But Jensen says those credit scores could contain false information.

FICO said it has tools for businesses to protect themselves, but the tools are expensive, the article said.

http://www.cuna.org/newsnow/10/system080310-11.html?ref=hed