Cyber Crime and Charity Fraud

In the week following Hurricane Katrina, over 2500 storm related domains were registered, 500 of those included the word Katrina. Many are legit, and set up to help collect relief money in the aftermath of disaster. Others are not. Cyber crime in every form is on the rise, and this includes phony charities and cyber looting. It is already speculated that cyber looting will do far more financial damage than that in stores in the aftermath of Katrina. Even as the waters churn in the Gulf and the area residents headed for higher ground, sites were popping up to collect “Funds for the Victims of Rita.” For those of us who work and/or play online, cyber crime in its various forms is an everyday reality, that doesn't however mean we should be complacent. Online and off, our best protection is most often our own street smarts. With that I invite your discussion, if you hear of a new scam post it please and share the info. The net is unfortunately a world where what you don't know, can definitely hurt you.

First steps

Sometimes the hard part is taking that initial first step, admitting you need help can be one of the hardest steps taken in life. Whether it's through therapy, a self-help group, or just a task you had been sure you could have accomplished alone, realizing you can't go it alone and walking through that door to ask for help is far from easy. Nevertheless, the universal big surprise is realizing that you are not alone. Sometimes it is a real shocker to realize just how many are sharing those proverbial same shoes. Knowing others have been in the same place as you, and they actually do know how you feel somehow makes the burden lighter. By no means does it remove that burden, but it does make it easier to bear. If you persevere there will come a time when you laugh again. It's all about the sharing though. In this one I invite you to share an instance when in order to survive you did have to reach out. You had to ask for help.