Greg's Corner

Updates from November, 2017 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Geebo 9:59 am on November 30, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist ( 129 ), real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Rentals ( 14 )   

  Rental scam continues to claim victims 

  

  Normally, we only post about online scams when either a new one turns up or there’s a new twist on an old scam. Unfortunately, consumers are still falling for one of the oldest online scams in the virtual book. So we thought we’d take another look at the old standby, the rental scam.

  For those who may not know, the rental scam works like this. The scammer will find a house for sale, usually on the site of a reputable realtor. They’ll then copy that ad then change it from a property being for sale to one that’s for rent. They’ll then follow this up by posting their fake ad on an unmodertaed classifieds site like craigslist. The rent will also be listed at below market values. When a consumer responds to the ad, the scammer will try to collect some kind of upfront fee, usually disguised as a rental application fee or some kind of deposit. Usually, the scammers will make some kind of excuse as to why they can’t show you the home while still asking you for money. These scams are usually designed to prey on those who are desperate to resolve a housing situation crisis in their lives.

  Recently, in Memphis, Tennessee, a scammer was able to con several people out of hundreds of dollars each for a property they did not own. The alleged scammer was said to have used the very same tactics we posted above. This is not an uncommon occurrence as it happens all over the country all the time. For example, here’s a similar report out of the Tampa, Florida area.

  In order to avoid these scams we first recommend not using unmoderated classifieds site as they’re not reviewing ads for possible fraud. Secondly, if the rent seems too good to be true it probably is. Don’t ever give money to someone without being able to walk through the property. If the seller claims to be out of the area, pass on the property. Always check with the county appraiser’s website or office to see if the property is actually available for rent. Lastly, you may not be looking for a rental property, but if someone you know is, please share this post and this blog with them in order to help educate them about this prevalent scam.

   

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  Geebo 10:12 am on November 29, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Comcast ( 2 ), ISPs ( 4 ), net neutrality ( 32 )   

  Is Comcast trying to sneak internet fast lanes past us? 

  

  With the imminent demise of net neutrality upon us, at least one internet provider may already be planning on how to cash in on net neutrality’s repeal. Comcast, the nation’s largest internet provider, has recently changed the verbage on its website when it comes to internet fast lanes. In theory, fast lanes would be prioritized internet traffic for customers or companies that pay higher fees to Comcast. Do you want to watch streaming video from Netflix, Hulu, or even YouTube? Do you wants to use BitTorrent to download large files? Too bad, unless you pay Comcast extra.

  On its website Comcast previously promised to keep a free an open internet. However, it recently, but subtly, reworded its previous promise to not instill fast lanes. According to Ars Technica…

  Comcast now vaguely says that it won’t “discriminate against lawful content” or impose “anti-competitive paid prioritization.”

  As the included video succinctly puts it, who decides what is lawful or anti-competitive? Comcast of course. And it’s not like there’s a whole lot of competition in the internet service market. In most locations in the country, you have a choice between two internet providers at the most. So ISPs aren’t the best sources to preach to consumers about anti-competitive practices.

  That’s not even taking into consideration that in order to speed up some tiers of traffic you have to slow others down. Will we soon be seeing reminders of the dial-up days? It sure looks that way.

   
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  Geebo 10:12 am on November 28, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: counterfeit goods ( 12 ), Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), National Trading Standards, UK ( 10 )   

  Counterfeits flooding Facebook Marketplace 

  

  Reports are coming out of the UK’s National Trading Standards, the UK equivalent of the Consumer Protection Agency, that high-end counterfeit goods are flooding Facebook Marketplace. This includes such brands as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton among others. The reason that counterfeit goods like this are a problem is because they’re often funding organized crime or illegal sweatshops with child labor.

  To compound the problem, the NTS has said that Facebook lacks any channels to report counterfeit goods. It also doesn’t help that fake Facebook profiles can be created with little to no information given. Also, like too many large online marketplaces, Facebook doesn’t seem to monitor or review the Marketplace ads for illegal content. While this may be currently making news in the UK, counterfeits have been sold on Facebook in the US for years predating Facebook Marketplace.

  This story shows two problems inherent in the marketplace industry today. The first is that any online marketplace worth its salt should be checking their own ads that may be harmful to their users. The second is that this is another example of Facebook having unchecked power in our everyday lives. Many people may assume that counterfeit items for sale on Facebook Marketplace are legitimate since Facebook is supposed to be about real people. Instead, it’s as fake as the bags they’re listing for sale.

   
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  Geebo 10:00 am on November 27, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: chatbot, Human trafficking ( 97 ), Seattle ( 8 )   

  Using chatbots to fight human trafficking 

  

  Chatbots are computer programs that are designed to converse like humans through messaging apps. They are mostly used by companies as a customer service alternative. However, a Seattle-based advocacy group is using this technology to try to discourage people from soliciting from underage victims of human trafficking.

  Seattle Against Slavery places ads on certain classifieds sites that appear to be for prostitution. When someone responds to the ad, the chatbot engages with them in conversation. The chatbot then tells the responder that it’s a 15-year-old girl. If the response the chatbot receives about being underage is positive, it responds with “buying sex is a crime that harms women the world over.” According to SAS, the chat bot is designed to make someone think twice before engaging in such harmful behavior. While it’s currently not being used for prosecution purposes, SAS says that is a possibility in the future.

  SAS also says that when they post one of their fake ads they get over 250 responses within the first hour. They’ve also said that the chatbot was able to relay the message in at least 1500 instances in the testing phase alone. This, among many other number of data points, shows just how widespread the problem of human trafficking has become. The greatest hurdle with trying to curtail trafficking is the fact that it’s assisted by a few large classifieds sites that do nothing to dissuade this modern-day slavery from persisting.

   
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  Geebo 10:01 am on November 22, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Black Friday ( 7 ), Christmas ( 15 ), retail ( 49 )   

  Why you should stay home on Black Friday 

  

  With Thanksgiving now upon us, consumer eyes will quickly turn to the holiday season which kicks off with Black Friday. Many of us will trudge down to our local big box stores, with some even camping out, in order to get a good deal on gifts for the holidays. However, is the effort put into Black Friday shopping really worth it? Most consumer groups say no.

  Retailers aren’t in the business to lose money and many Black Friday deals are too good to be true. Many retailers will raise the price of an item, just to offer what appears to be a deep discount on Black Friday. Also items that are listed as being in limited stock on Black Friday often reappear into stores in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Not to mention it goes without saying that most of what’s offered on Black Friday in stores can be found for the same price or even cheaper online.

  That’s not even taking into account the cost of your time and effort into going from store to store looking for the best deal. In the long run that time could be better spent either with your family and friends or enjoying some much-needed leisure time. Let’s also not lose our outlook on life just because of holiday pressure. While it may be disappointing to not get the greatest deal, it’s not the be all and end all of the holidays if you don’t get the latest shiniest gadget or fad item for the holidays.

  So please, stay safe take care this Thanksgiving weekend.

   
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  Geebo 9:59 am on November 21, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 178 ), politics ( 15 ), Russia ( 9 ), Sandy Parakilas   

  Former Facebook Exec: Facebook can’t be trusted 

  

  In the wake of governmental calls for potential regulation against Facebook, one former Facebook employee has come out to say that Facebook must be regulated since they won’t regulate themselves. Former operations manager Sandy Parakilas wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times where he calls for the government to regulate Facebook since Facebook cares more about putting a stop to bad PR than they do about privacy.

  In his piece, Parakilas relates a story from before Facebook’s IPO where a game developer was using Facebook’s user information to automatically generate profiles of children without their consent. When the developer was confronted they claimed that no violation of Facebook policy took place and that there was no way to verify if this was true or not.

  Mr. Parakilas also calls out the fact that Facebook discovered Russian tampering on their platform after payments for ads were received in foreign currency. He says that much like his own investigation into the game developer, this should have been an easy thing to stop and he calls on the government to regulate Facebook as democracy itself is at stake with the amount of power Facebook yields.

  Facebook has almost become a world power in itself with the amount of information it possess and its infiltration into our lives. Without regulation it will just become a political tool for hire, being used by any entity who has the money to buy whatever influence they want.

   
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  Geebo 10:31 am on November 20, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Ajit Pai ( 20 ), FCC ( 29 ), net neutrality ( 32 )   

  Is the FCC trying to silence American voices? 

  

  FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

  On this blog, we’ve discussed the FCC’s plan to dismantle the net neutrality policies put in place by the Obama administration to try to keep a free and open internet. Long story short, the Trump administration’s FCC, helmed by Chairman Ajit Pai, will be voting next month to determine the fate of net neutrality in the US, and the vote is expected to scrap the protections that were put in place by the previous administration. This was inevitable considering Pai’s stance on net neutrality since he was made chairman. However, there have been two other recent FCC rulings when you put them all together paint a pretty bleak picture.

  Last week, the FCC loosened a decades long restriction on one company owning more than one TV station in the same market. Locally it could lead to one company’s dominance of the media in that market essentially only providing one voice in news. That effect could happen nationally as well as any one company could own multiple outlets in each market.

  The other ruling from last week was that the FCC voted to roll back Lifeline subsidies that helped provide low-cost internet and phone to low-income families. In that same ruling, the FCC put a cap on service providers offering Lifeline plans. With the internet being an essential tool today for trying to accomplish any kind of basic function, this will make it extremely difficult for low-income families to look for employment or find financial assistance if needed.

  When you look at the three of these rulings together, one can almost see it as small parts of a larger plan to stifle the voices of the average American consumer. Ajit Pai’s plans almost seem like that of a totalitarian regime except offered under the banner of false promises of competition and innovation among broadcasters and internet providers.

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  Geebo 10:04 am on November 17, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 108 ), Amazon Key ( 4 )   

  Amazon Key already hacked 

  

  Previously, we’ve discussed Amazon’s Key program which in theory would allow deliveries to be dropped off inside your home while you were away. A number of consumers and Amazon Prime members said they would not subscribe to the service due to security concerns such as having strangers in your home even though Amazon Key comes with a security camera.

  Those security fears may have been validated as Wired is reporting that a security research firm has successfully hacked the Key system. In a move that appears almost out of a movie, researchers were able to disable the Key camera in such away that in the camera’s view the door is closed while a rogue delivery person could be searching through your home.

  Amazon says that they will be issuing a software update to prevent these kinds of hacks from happening but that’s not to say that another exploit could be found in the future. With the Key already being exploited and the amount of trust you have to put into strangers being in your home, is the Amazon Key really worth it? We would have to say not at this point in time.

  With the prohibitive cost of purchase and installation, and now with security vulnerabilities, the Amazon Key may become Amazon’s New Coke.

   
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  Geebo 10:30 am on November 16, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 108 ), retail ( 49 ), Whole Foods ( 7 )   

  Why Whole Foods’ price cuts aren’t good news 

  

  In the run up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Amazon owned Whole Foods has announced deep price cuts on Thanksgiving staples and other products. Whole Foods has even gone so far as to say that the price cuts are permanent. This announcement has caused concern among other grocery outlets causing a number of their stocks to drop.

  However, things may not be as rosy as Whole Foods would have you believe. according to financial experts at Barclay’s, Whole Foods saw a decline in foot traffic after their initial sale to Amazon. Shoppers were curious at first to see how the new Whole Foods was, but now foot traffic into their stores has leveled off which could have triggered the new price cuts.

  These deep price cuts may be having a human cost as well. Many stores in the chain are said to have been reducing staff in order to compete. The stereotypical Whole Foods shopper seem to be more socially conscious than other shoppers. If they realize that their discounts are coming at the cost of jobs, that could definitely have an impact on Whole Foods bottom line. Would you want to shop in a store that was laying off employees just in time for the holidays?

   
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  Geebo 10:01 am on November 15, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Brexit, Facebook ( 178 ), Russia ( 9 ), UK ( 10 )   

  Did Russian Facebook meddling influence another election? 

  

  According to recent reports, there may have been Russian involvement in another historical election besides the 2016 US Presidential election. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is said to be getting ready to announce that there was severe Russian interference when it came to the 2016 Brexit referendum. As with the US election, Russian groups were said to have allegedly placed Facebook ads in the UK stirring the flames of nationalism and anti-immigration movements.

  Buzzfeed has reported that Facebook has admitted there may have been Russian bought ads in the UK about the Brexit vote. Interfering in the Brexit vote doesn’t just affect England but affects the whole of the European Union if not all of Europe. When the UK leaves the EU this will have a negative economic impact on the rest of Europe which Russia may be trying to exploit, all through a social network used mainly for cat pictures.

  Facebook has more users than most countries have citizens. It wields massive influential power but that power has grown wildly out of their control and Facebook doesn’t seem to be doing much to rein that power in. Instead, they’re letting burn out of control while trying to tell everyone that everything is fine. Even while they’re allegedly being manipulated by world superpower with a history of meddling in the political affairs of other nations.