The Top Apps From 2013 To Better Manage Your Finances

Follow @ryderskull88

Many of us use apps on our smartphones and tablets to play games and browse the Internet, but they can also be used for practical purposes, for example to learn the best way to manage your money. From instructional apps that cover investing to those that manage purchases, these programs can be a boon to your long-term financial success. For anyone wishing to better manage money, these apps are some of the best and most user-friendly options to protect your wallet and ensure a stable financial future.

How to Prevent Yourself from Becoming A Victim of Identity Theft

Twelve million Americans become a victim of identity theft each year. Fortunately, you do not have to be one of them. You should never use a public Wi-Fi network to make a financial transaction. A hacker could very easily access your username, password and account number if you use a public Wi-Fi network.

You also want to make sure that you avoid posting a picture of your debit or credit card online. That might seem like a given, but it is something that many people do anyway. If you post a picture of your credit or debit card, then you are asking for someone to steal the number off of it.

When you are setting passwords, you should make them long. You should also make sure that you use several different characters and avoid using a password that people could very easily figure out, such as 1234567. Additionally, you should make sure that you change your password often.

Source: The Stupidest Things You're Doing to Put Your Identity at Risk

Source: The Stupidest Things You're Doing to Put Your Identity at Risk

Mobile Phone Theft: Unit Security and Identity Theft Combined

Follow @ryderskull88

Mobile phone theft is on the rise world wide. New handsets are a costly investment, and thieves can make a quick profit with a new model. However, your phone may contain a wealth of information that makes identity theft easy for anyone who may steal or find it. You may use your smartphone are  to access bank accounts, electronic mail, calendar and other sensitive accounts. Additionally, your personal contacts, addresses and photographs are stored within a phone's memory. If your device falls into the hands of another person, he or she can quickly learn private details that can be used to turn a simple phone theft into a far more lucrative looting.

HANOVER, GERMANY - MARCH 06: A visitor examines a Samsung smartphone with a Microsoft operating system on the first day of the CeBIT 2012 technology trade fair on March 6, 2012 in Hanover, Germany. CeBIT 2012, the world's largest information technology trade fair, will run from March 6-10, and advances in cloud computing and security are major features this year. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

To protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft if your phone becomes lost or stolen, it is important to properly protect your device. The foremost and easiest way to keep prying eyes out of your mobile's memory is to utilize password protection. You can lock the screen saver and keep your phone from making calls and texts or from opening applications without the proper numeric personal identification number (PIN). Some devices, including the iPhone, include the option to automatically wipe all data from the phone when the PIN is incorrectly entered multiple times. It is recommended that you have separate PINs for unlocking the screen and accessing the secure applications within it, as this provides an extra layer of security.

Also regarding applications, it is important to ensure that all programs on your smartphone are downloaded from an app store with a good reputation. While several programs are available for quick download via QR, or quick response, code, your best bet is to search for the program through your mobile device. Android Play Store applications are less stringently regulated than those in the iPhone App Store, and malware is rapidly increasing with some downloads for the platform. Be wary of programs that ask to verify your location, as these can potentially pinpoint your phone with a global positioning system.

Always keep your mobile phone and applications current. Security patches and operating system fixes are routinely included in updates, so it is in your best interest to have the most up-to-date version of all software on your handset. Usually, mobile updates are small, taking only a few minutes to complete. The slight inconvenience of restarting your phone is easily justified by the peace of mind that comes from knowing that its programs are free of security loopholes.

Be mindful of exactly what information you have stored on your mobile phone. Ensure that you have a back-up of your mobile data. It is easy to sync your device, and doing so can save you the hassle of recollecting contact numbers, photographs and passwords should your phone be stolen, memory wiped or otherwise compromised. Your application store saves information about your past downloads, making them available for installation without having to pay a second time, but personal data can be permanently deleted if a back-up has not been created.

by Jaye Ryan, a freelance writer who loves to write about mobile phones, smartphones and mobile technology for MobilePhones.org.uk.

Related articles

• Online Identity Theft
• Fighting Identity Theft, with Portable Data Protection Software
• Traveling Safely To Avoid Identity Theft
• 4 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

Is Cyber Shopping Taking over Your Life?

Follow @ryderskull88

What is online shopping addiction and how can you minimize it?

While research into compulsive shopping is still ongoing and it is often treated as something of a joke or not accepted as a “real” addiction in the way that say, alcohol, is, there is plenty of evidence of people getting into real trouble because of a need to spend.

The most recent research into shopping addiction has uncovered the role that online shopping plays in the compulsion. Cyber shopping has many attractive qualities for addicts; it is quickly accessible so can satisfy a craving quickly; shoppers often don’t even need to enter any details if they’ve used a site before so it won’t even feel like spending money; it is anonymous and avoids social interactions; addicts can compare products and easily be given recommendations and suggestions for other purchases.

So it is easy to see how cyber shopping can become a compulsion in itself, even to people not addicted to retail shopping. It is easy to overspend, particularly as sites encourage you to make just one more little purchase by recommending products and emailing you with suggestions.

If you feel that cyber shopping is taking over your life it can be difficult to know how to cut down. The internet is such a big part of our lives, and product ads follow us around the internet, tempting us at every click of the mouse.

Steps to minimize your online shopping addiction:

First step is to delete accounts to online stores like Amazon, in particular the ones that save your bank details or credit card details. You can even block sites; if you use Internet Explorer go into Tools, Internet Options and then the Privacy tab. Select sites and you can enter addresses that you want to block. Other browsers vary but if you Google “block sites” and your browser name you will find instructions.

Stick a note on your computer saying “Don’t shop”. Set up a spreadsheet, and every time you want to buy something put how much it costs onto the spreadsheet. Keep a running total and this will show you how much you’re not spending, and remind you how much you would have wasted.

If there are some things that you have to buy online, set up a card or system with a strict spending limit, so you won’t be able to overspend.

If you feel that your addiction is unmanageable, you should seek professional help. Online support groups are a good place to start, as is your doctor.

Biography

Ukash lets you use your cash to pay online by exchanging your notes and coins for a voucher for safe, anonymous and controlled online shopping. Visit http://www.ukash.com/uk/en/home.aspx for more information on how to obtain the vouchers and where to spend Ukash vouchers.

McAfee: Their Solution for PCI Certification Services

PCI Certification can be intimidating, especially for smaller merchants, although larger ones as well can experience the growing pains it causes. It is a fact that in this growing, global, online, consumer driven economy that it is a necessary evil. It feels that way at least because of the rigmarole required to be PCI DSS certified. But the PCI Data Security Standard is out there for a reason. It allows vendors, consumers, banks, you name it to trade with reasonable assurance that credit card information is processed, transmitted and or stored in a totally secure environment. That is a reality of the digital age in which we live, and a requirement that can be met and maintained in a number of ways. One of them being the updates McAfee now offers.

McAfee has taken the necessary steps to help business and individuals become PCI Certified, they even offer a free trial period of 90 days to give it a go before buying.  Their offer is attractive and many are looking to what is the best way to become certified and maintain that certification. PCI Certification is for many out there a new thing, one that is becoming closely monitored, because of the sensitive nature of credit card information. Consumers guard their information jealously and a sure way to fail is to prove to consumers you are not taking every single available as well as necessary step to guard their information as jealously as they do themselves. Or else consumers may turn to the competitors that do.

                                                       Image via CrunchBase

The PCI Data Security Standard is maintained by a council that was created as an independent entity by the main credit cards. That is right, this came down from the credit card companies, but the vendors are the ones, especially individuals, or small to medium sized companies that are faced with sorting out how best to become compliant and not pay an arm and a leg with an IT security firm to do so. McAfee is a familiar face, one whose brand many use for business or personal security already. They have made seeking a solution just a little, or if not tech savvy, a lot easier. To be honest, some of us out there are better at those sorts of things than others, but McAfee offers a service, not just a software package, although the package is a good start, when more help is needed this might be the choice to which one would turn. McAfee includes scanning, remediation assistance, technical support, self-assessment (with a SAQ Wizard to ease the way), and validation of merchant compliance status for Level 2, 3 and 4 merchants.  

Heinrich Meyer is an avid writer and promotes a website to help people find UK customer support numbers including the McAfee phone support number.