Giving out Details

[bless.books]

Hello Everyone! I would like to ask your views about giving out details online. How much do you trust the people behind the PC, someone you haven't met/seen in person. We can all hide under pseudonyms but when it comes to online transactions, you have to divulge details somewhere somehow. This is primarily to someone you contacted only onllne/forum/social sites,etc. or if you have any experience, please share it here ... Thank you very much

How far can you go? What details can you give and still safe? Is it safe givng out Bank details, addresses, landlines ... Anyone heard about stealing identity? How do you avoid this. How do you protect yourself from this?

[triple5]

I have no problem with online transactions as long as it's on a secure server. If I was a woman I'd be careful about giving address details/phone number.

There's plenty of info online about how to avoid being a victim of identity theft.

[bless.books]

I have no problem with online transactions as long as it's on a secure server. If I was a woman I'd be careful about giving address details/phone number. There's plenty of info online about how to avoid being a victim of identity theft.

Hello triple5! Thank you very much for this.

[Fitzy]

There are such things as keylogger viruses which record sensitive information like usernames/passwords.

Just be very aware that's all, and remember, the banks etc will NEVER ask you for such details on line, or over the phone.

Always remember to scrutinise your bank/credit card statements for any anomalies!!

Another worth while thing to do once in a while it to get your Experian, and Equifax credit reports, to make sure your identity hasn't been compromised in any way.


Just remember, there's nothing wrong with being too careful

[JimOttley]

Hello Everyone! I would like to ask your views about giving out details online. How much do you trust the people behind the PC, someone you haven't in person. We can all hide under pseudonyms but when it comes to online transactions, you have to divulge details somewhere somehow. This is primarily to someone you contacted only onllne/forum/social sites,etc. or if you have any experience, please share it here ... Thank you very much

How far can you go? What details can you give and still safe? Is it safe givng out Bank details, addresses, landlines ... Anyone heard about stealing identity? How do you avoid this. How do you protect yourself from this?

Never give out Bank details to anyone other than close family or very good long standing friends if they are going to pay you.

Much better get a paypal account and demand payment through that.

For ebay etc. I would never allow a buyer to pick up from my home address except maybe if I were selling someting huge

Also would never give someone my landline number particularly online businesses.

If you are the buyer then you have to give out your address for delivery but you have to be very sure that it is a reputable seller that you are dealing with!

Jim

[GaryFifer]

If you are interested there are some articles here on the a2 squared site (they make a scanner, software firewall)
Do some research and arm yourself with the meaning of keylogger, software firewall, hardware firewall, spyware, adware, spybots, viruses, trojans

It is always changing with new ways of getting into your system
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/kb/articles/

Also register your card here,

http://www.mastercard.com/uk/gateway.html

This helps too. When in the process of a transaction it will ask you a random character from a password you created, before it lets you make the final purchase

[bless.books]

I have no problem with online transactions as long as it's on a secure server. If I was a woman I'd be careful about giving address details/phone number. There's plenty of info online about how to avoid being a victim of identity theft.

Hello again and thanks triple5! You said, 'If I was a woman I'd be careful about giving address details/phone number' ... may I ask why?
What about if you are a man?

[bless.books]

There are such things as keylogger viruses which record sensitive information like usernames/passwords. Just be very aware that's all, and remember, the banks etc will NEVER ask you for such details on line, or over the phone. Always remember to scrutinise your bank/credit card statements for any anomalies!!

Another worth while thing to do once in a while it to get your Experian, and Equifax credit reports, to make sure your identity hasn't been compromised in any way. Just remember, there's nothing wrong with being too careful

Hello Fitzy! Thank you for dropping a line, very good reminder. It alarmed me bec of some phone calls asking 'if I feel comfortable talking, and they would claim they are from a bank so and so. I wonder where did they get the number from. Yes, absolutely nothing wrong being too careful.

[bless.books]

Never give out Bank details to anyone other than close family or very good long standing friends if they are going to pay you.
Much better get a paypal account and demand payment through that.
For ebay etc. I would never allow a buyer to pick up from my home address except maybe if I were selling someting huge Also would never give someone my landline number particularly online businesses.If you are the buyer then you have to give out your address for delivery but you have to be very sure that it is a reputable seller that you are dealing with!
Jim

Hello Jim! Thank for your advice. The more replies I get here, the more I am convinced that I am doing the right thing. I am very much interested to know/learn from others who had similar experiences. This will give me a different perpective in giving out details more so on online transactions. My very first time dealing with paypal was a nightmare bec of the inconsistency of details when I signed up. To make the story short - I have not collected the payment (yet). It is just there in the account.

[bless.books]

If you are interested there are some articles here on the a2 squared site (they make a scanner, software firewall)
Do some research and arm yourself with the meaning of keylogger, software firewall, hardware firewall, spyware, adware, spybots, viruses, trojans
It is always changing with new ways of getting into your system
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/kb/articles/ Also register your card here,
http://www.mastercard.com/uk/gateway.html
This helps too. When in the process of a transaction it will ask you a random character from a password you created, before it lets you make the final purchase

Hello gary2jessica! Thank you very much for these infos. I will have a look. Gosh, so many things I need to know!

[bornatbirth]

your selling a book online arnt you?

why are you asking about giving your details online,when you must know how its done,the process in which people wanna buy your book

[James Hubbard]

your selling a book online arnt you?

why are you asking about giving your details online,when you must know how its done,the process in which people wanna buy your book

LoL, it seems typical of our esteemed author ...

[bless.books]

your selling a book online arnt you? why are you asking about giving your details online,when you must know how its done,the process in which people wanna buy your book

Hello bornabirth! Thank you for dropping a line. I am expecting a very good advice from you. Thanks anyway.

Yes, I am selling my book online and in person as well if only to answer your first question. But I did not post a thread bec of that reason. I am referring to the security/protection so on and so forth in giving out details online. This is not just about merely selling/buying. This is also to do with enquiries of a lot of things online which one is requred to give out details such as phone numbers, address, etc to someone who is just behind the PC.

[GaryFifer]

LoL, it seems typical of our esteemed author ...

You can always buy that book. Internet security the idiots guide

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Idi.../dp/0028643216

Don't you sell that one?

[James Hubbard]

You can always buy that book. Internet security the idiots guide

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Idi.../dp/0028643216

Don't you sell that one?

Where can I get the complete idiot's guide to not being a complete idiot anymore?

I want to upgrade to being a dummy

[bornatbirth]

Hello bornabirth! Thank you for dropping a line. I am expecting a very good advice from you. Thanks anyway.

im not sure you will get any from me

i cant sat ever since i have been using the internet i have had any problems yet,as long as you use secure websites you shouldnt have any probs.

is there anything you are worried about.

[GaryFifer]

Hi bless books

If you wish to read about internet security run some tests on your computer and find out how vulnerable you are right now. You can run tests here:

http://www.pcflank.com/pp.htm

Here is some advice from me:

Backup your important files onto disc everyday.

Keep your system up to date with Microsoft Windows Update everyday at regular time. Something sensible like 16:00 or 17:00 when you go make lunch. Check this at your Control Panel on Windows Security Center

Ensure you have a good up-to-date anti virus program.
People always will have criticisms of some paid anti virus because they steal alot of computer resources by adding many background programs. This slows the PC down.
Real-time anti-virus protect means it scans EVERYTHING all the time. This can be a balancing act between a PC that is functional and protection depending on what you are doing. If you are playing a game, and it slows your system down because it constantly scans, that's annoying. This is why people like AVG antivirus free package, as the scanner can be turned off. Here are a list of Antivirus products you can choose from.

http://www.filehippo.com/software/antivirus/
Choose from freeware, or paid anti virus package it is up to you. There is no reason you cannot have a test to see if you like them.

Ensure you have a great firewall which protects the ports your computer uses

Ports range from 0-65535.Many of ways hackers can get in. Zonealarm is a good free firewall, but there are more contender out there now and this one won awards from magazines. Look for things like that if you wish to buy a full product. But this is free and it won an award so it must be doing something right.

Comodo Internet Security

Spyware
Also there are Spyware products, which download without your knowledge when you visit a website. They do not replicate like a virus, and sit on your PC creating problems. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not cover yet. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware.

Download this great antispyware freeware package called Spybot Search&Destroy Website

Anti-Trojan horse, Backdoors, Keyloggers

Like the Greek legend these are programs that install themselves on your system and call another computer about your activities, including your screen, your typing, everything on your PC. Here is a2 squared. You need a verified email address to activate the free software:

a2 squared free download

Admin privileges

Also do not use a one account on your PC that has administrator privileges. Why? It gives hackers access to read/write access to ALL folders on your hard drive.
Only use admin account for installing programs, checking errors running maintenance, but NOT for internet browsing.

How to find that out?
go to START> control panel- User Accounts. Create 2 accounts. One called Maintenance, and the other called INTERNET. Password protect them both.

Password policy: password like this T23cw2"%&ZdG longer and more complex the better. Harder to get into your files. Ensure you keep your passwords for websites different for EVERY site.

When you are login your admin account use the command START>RUN> and type control userpasswords2 for further info on all the accounts on your computer.

make your folders PRIVATE. Here is how to do it:
C:\Documents and settings\

Right click the folder with the same name as your user account. In your case you might call it Bless books. You will see a tab called SHARING. click the box that says MAKE THIS FOLDER private. this means any other person using your PC will not see inside this folder.

And another thing keep your harddrive check for errors regular every week, and defrag your drive every week.

How? your administrator account Go START>RUN>type cmd
type chkdsk /F This will check your hard drive for any errors upon restart.
same START>RUN> type defrag C: this will defrag your drive but with no fancy graphic interface.

If you want an alternative Defrag which a bit quicker than windows you can install one in your Admin account:

Defraggler

Try not to add toolbars and other junk to your internet browser too. Keep it clean and the addons that you are prompted to add, don't add them if you don't trust the source. Did you ask for it? Flash player might be required to view Youtube for example, but can lead to exploits behind your back. Switch it off, if you don't need it, after all it is used for videos and advertising.

JAVA is an addon that is used as language on most advanced pages, make sure that it is uptodate at the Java website. http://www.java.com

Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, are Google Chrome, or Opera are your choices of web browser, so do not feel the need to stick to Internet Explorer always.

[bless.books]

Hello gary2jessica! Thank you very much, really very good of you, to have gone to the trouble of pasting/typing in here. I am not a techie myself and so this will be very useful. Thanks ever so much!

[jaishann]

Hello Everyone! I would like to ask your views about giving out details online. How much do you trust the people behind the PC, someone you haven't met/seen in person. We can all hide under pseudonyms but when it comes to online transactions, you have to divulge details somewhere somehow. This is primarily to someone you contacted only onllne/forum/social sites,etc. or if you have any experience, please share it here ... Thank you very much

How far can you go? What details can you give and still safe? Is it safe givng out Bank details, addresses, landlines ... Anyone heard about stealing identity? How do you avoid this. How do you protect yourself from this?

Hi Bless,

I think this is the reason why you have not responded to my email. For those who want to know Bless has published a book ( Life in the UK) and I want to buy 3 copies to give out to my friends , Nepalese and Fil and Thai. I am basically teaching them one day a week on my day off as I want them to pass the test.My friend Sak, from Chiang Rai passed the test I was using the 2007 edition and with the aid of online test question. Sak now is ILR holder.
I thought Bless your book will be easier as a guide so I tried to contact you and you wanted a cheque (or a postal cheque )but I dont have one I only have debit card online account and with me being busy, Sophie knows and can vouch I work Tue - Fri ( 8 to 5:30 PM ) college on Mondays and I . I pay all our bills online and one good suggestion Bless because you want business try to sort something out on how you will get paid. I ordered the Life in the UK book online it cost £14.00. Time is essential to me Bless sorry that I asked about your bank details as I just wanted to do bank transfer, I have now my paypal account I can pay you through paypal but for me to nip to post office ( i think there is also a fee to get postal cheque?) is impossible as I dont have free time unless. You should have been honest with me as I waited for your reply. Thanks to this forum at least I know now the reason why I've not heard from you.

[jaishann]

your selling a book online arnt you?

why are you asking about giving your details online,when you must know how its done,the process in which people wanna buy your book

yes she is and I wanted to buy one I felt like an idiot asking her bank details now that i read this thread as I thought that was the easiest way for me to pay I didnt realise that she became doubtful at one point in time for the person who wanted to buy a copy of her book. She asked me a cheque i dont have one, she said postal cheque is ok but i dont have time so with sincerity I asked if ok to do a bank transfer online as I do pay all my bills online,,utilities, council tax, inland revenue, mortgage.

[bless.books]

Hello jaishann! So, so sorry if you feel that. It wasnt the case. First of all, I posted this thread not bec of you but bec of what we encountered as of late. Too personal to share it here. But to just mention a bit about it - we've been receiving calls from people we met only online.


Let me just clarify things here ... for not contacting you -
Though you probably noticed I go online here on this forum (often), it doesn't necessarily mean that I go and check the email add I gave you. I have lots of email adds. bec of my/our other transactions. I am not just into buying/selling my book. I do all sorts and I communicate online. I need to have different ones to separate and not to confuse one to the other. It was only later when I read yours, which for some reason got deleted. I couldn't reply back. Having it, I could have replied back soon to make any arrangement.


Now, I am sure you are aware of what has happened to the PROUD TO BE BRTISH. Walesrobs mentioned that he received complaints from loads people with re: to my book. I wish to contact you again, having lost your email. But I am adamant bec of what walesrob has said. If you go through the PROUD TO BE BRTISH thread, you will see what I mean.

I do not wish to have an enemy nor upset anyone. I am only here to learn and maybe meet friends. I thought maybe sharing my book, will boost my confidence and lots will be pleased to know and will also be happy for me as well. But what do I get if I am to base it from walesrob msg. - it seems like I am against all odds. So, I decided not to contact you. But whether I posted this or not, I won't be able to contact you anyhow, bec I accidentally deleted the email.

Again, I am so sorry if that is what you feel. Cannot blame you for the coincidence. I posted it first, before I realised the thread was closed. And reading walesrob, I abandon the idea of contacting you again.

[bless.books]

yes she is and I wanted to buy one I felt like an idiot asking her bank details now that i read this thread as I thought that was the easiest way for me to pay I didnt realise that she became doubtful at one point in time for the person who wanted to buy a copy of her book. She asked me a cheque i dont have one, she said postal cheque is ok but i dont have time so with sincerity I asked if ok to do a bank transfer online as I do pay all my bills online,,utilities, council tax, inland revenue, mortgage.

Hello again jaishann! I've already said my piece to your other post. And here I am again, replying. I am so grateful that you showed interest in my book, in fact so excited that I responded to you straight away. I made those arrangement for convenience. I've given my address/mobile/landline whereas I got only your address and I deleted your email accidentally, how else can I contact you without that? I didn't realised you emailed me. I posted a thread sincerely to ask bec of otehr stuff.

I found as well that walesrob close the thread, which he pointed out - complaints against me. If you are in my position, what will you do? I cannot contact you here bec the thread's title is in itself something to do with the book. Many times I argue to contact you through here, and maybe it is just okay, but I abandon theidea bec as I said, it seems like I am against all odds. If you go through my other threads, you will see and maybe feel for me. .

I do not wish to cause any chaos ... niether make anyone feel like an idiot ... if that caused you to feel that, I am so sorry.

That is not my rule in life ...

[James Hubbard]

This seems like it's the Bless Books customer service department here?

[jaishann]

This seems like it's the Bless Books customer service department here?

it is in one way James it is also the same way when we give out advise what to do and what not to do.

is this too personal and not allowed here James? I just want people to be aware what happens if you order book from Bless and you dont have a cheque.

[jaishann]

Hello jaishann! So, so sorry if you feel that. It wasnt the case. First of all, I posted this thread not bec of you but bec of what we encountered as of late. Too personal to share it here. But to just mention a bit about it - we've been receiving calls from people we met only online.


Let me just clarify things here ... for not contacting you -
Though you probably noticed I go online here on this forum (often), it doesn't necessarily mean that I go and check the email add I gave you. I have lots of email adds. bec of my/our other transactions. I am not just into buying/selling my book. I do all sorts and I communicate online. I need to have different ones to separate and not to confuse one to the other. It was only later when I read yours, which for some reason got deleted. I couldn't reply back. Having it, I could have replied back soon to make any arrangement.


Now, I am sure you are aware of what has happened to the PROUD TO BE BRTISH. Walesrobs mentioned that he received complaints from loads people with re: to my book. I wish to contact you again, having lost your email. But I am adamant bec of what walesrob has said. If you go through the PROUD TO BE BRTISH thread, you will see what I mean.

I do not wish to have an enemy nor upset anyone. I am only here to learn and maybe meet friends. I thought maybe sharing my book, will boost my confidence and lots will be pleased to know and will also be happy for me as well. But what do I get if I am to base it from walesrob msg. - it seems like I am against all odds. So, I decided not to contact you. But whether I posted this or not, I won't be able to contact you anyhow, bec I accidentally deleted the email.

Again, I am so sorry if that is what you feel. Cannot blame you for the coincidence. I posted it first, before I realised the thread was closed. And reading walesrob, I abandon the idea of contacting you again.

Maybe you are in wrong place to advertise your book.I dont need to read the thread if Walesrob closed the thread i dont think it is because of your book it is maybe (im not sure ) because they dont promote friction here.

I have sent you about 4 or 5 email so have you all deleted them by mistake? To be honest Bless I didnt think in my wildest dream that youd feel bad giving out your bank details to me as you were doing business. It is shallow idea not to contact your customer because of Walesrob, at the end of the day it is your book and not Walesrob's - you can help fili or other nationalities if you think your book is easier to use. The thing is you gave me your phone/mobile number and I didnt phone you as it is not my intention to get in touch with you to be friend or anything I just wanted your book to help me out doing my tutoring to Nepalese and Thai. It is strictly business nothing else.

Thanks

[James Hubbard]

It is shallow idea not to contact your customer because of Walesrob, at the end of the day it is your book and not Walesrob's

Thanks

I agree with jaishann on this one ... but, trying to speak logic to blessbooks (as I pointed out many times already) the fundamental philosophical flaw of many of her mental meanderings - is that she's logically Fallacious. It's like beating your head against a brick wall!

Look, I think that your review of BB's customer service will do a service to potential future customers of hers ... they will know what to expect ... and more importantly, they will know what not to expect - that being courteous service or reasoned discussion!

[bless.books]

This seems like it's the Bless Books customer service department here?

To you JH! May I please ask you to refrain from being personal. I am not talking to you and this thread is all about 'Giving Out Details'

Jashann has misunderstood me and so i am replying back to her notes here. What is really our point of being here. Isnt' it to help and be helped? If it is not part of your creed to be nice to people, then I do n;t see the reason of one like you being here. Okay, you said something on one thread, I said something back, thread was closed. You made your point, I made mine ... what would you want to come out here? Grow up will you!

[bless.books]

it is in one way James it is also the same way when we give out advise what to do and what not to do. is this too personal and not allowed here James? I just want people to be aware what happens if you order book from Bless and you dont have a cheque.

Hello jaishann! I've explained my side. It seems not acceptable to you. Well, there is nothing I can do about it. Let me just tell you that, you do not know the whole story and so, I wish that you give the one the benefit of the doubt. I offered my book here direct bec online it is more costly. And so this is what happened.

1) I put a thread
2) You showed interest
3) I gave my email add
4) You emailed, gave your address
5) I replied and gave my name,address,landline.mobile
6) You ask how to pay
7) I ask for cheque or money order (through postal) l
8) You said no cheque/or maybe you can just get my bank details

All these were all in one email with 'reply button'. I didnt add your email address. So what do I have without you on my list, having deleted it accidentally.

I was expecting you could have a better judgement on this and not take things personally just bec I posted a thread.

[bless.books]

Maybe you are in wrong place to advertise your book.I dont need to read the thread if Walesrob closed the thread i dont think it is because of your book it is maybe (im not sure ) because they dont promote friction here. I have sent you about 4 or 5 email so have you all deleted them by mistake? To be honest Bless I didnt think in my wildest dream that youd feel bad giving out your bank details to me as you were doing business. It is shallow idea not to contact your customer because of Walesrob, at the end of the day it is your book and not Walesrob's - you can help fili or other nationalities if you think your book is easier to use. The thing is you gave me your phone/mobile number and I didnt phone you as it is not my intention to get in touch with you to be friend or anything I just wanted your book to help me out doing my tutoring to Nepalese and Thai. It is strictly business nothing else. Thanks

Hello again jaishann! I didn't not say that the reason for it closed is my book. The thread has come to its demise bec of certain misunderstanding. As I mentioned in my other reply, I used the reply button to email you, and the first time I got your email, I thought I deleted, it was only at the end bit. At googlemail, you only have one email listed if you keep using the reply to button to the email sent you. I don't think I should explain all this. The fact is I deleted it by mistake. What shall I do? Now I was restricted to promote my book, what shall I do?

Yes, it was my primary reason to help people through my book, that is why I am sharing it. bec I know, this is the right forum, the right people and the right community. But I am not allowed to advertise, you said it yourself. Online is okay, but it is more expensive as you found out yourself.- that is the reason I am offering it direct from me.

I gave my landline/mobile/address to build trust as you gave your address noting that you are giving it in confidence. Phoning me as a seller and you as a customer doesn’t mean asking/obliging for friendship. If friendship happens, that would be great, if not, no worries.

I was expecting a bit of a leeway and not taking thing personally. We are all grown ups. It is not about who is beside us. I ask for cheque. or postal money order (if that is the word), you don’t have one, and you offer to ask for bank details. How can I reply when I do not know how, aside from this forum. It seems that there is no way I can explain my side without being misunderstood.

As I said, it was not my rule to make one feel like you felt.

[Dedworth]

About time this nonsense thread was closed - way off topic