This is a guest post by Jacelyn Thomas. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.
With such a significant portion of our lives now taking place online, there are more and more instances and opportunities for fraud and misuse of personal information. We purchase things online using our credit cards, we conduct business online, we put our personal information on social networks, and we email some of our most private and important information all the time. While the worry over identity theft has quieted some over the years, preventing identity theft remains a real concern. While much of the threat for identity theft and credit fraud is online, actual physical identity theft threats remain possible as well. One of the best ways to ward off dangerous and costly fraud is to understand how thieves access your personal information. These are some of the ways that identity fraud happens and why identity theft protection should be important to you. Understand the mind of the criminal to prevent identity theft from happening to you.

Dumpster Diving

While this technique may sound outdated and, well, silly, dumpster diving is actually one of the more common ways that thieves access your personal information. While many people are becoming more aware of preventative actions for online theft, many are becoming less diligent with physical papers and documents that can make them vulnerable to fraud. Absolutely, it is important that you keep careful track of the documents you discard in your own home. However, one of the biggest problems is offices and companies discarding of papers containing your personal information in a way that is unsafe. For this reason, many companies use a paper shredder to securely and safely dispose of documents with any sensitive information on them. Thieves will rummage through the trash looking for bills or other papers with personal information on them. If these documents are shredded and spread across numerous trash receptacles, the likelihood of anything being stolen is greatly reduced.

Phishing

Phishing has been a prominent problem online for some time. People will pretend to be a company or financial institution online and try to convince you to give them your personal information. It was with this technique that many people suffered identity theft when the internet was still young. These false companies will send pop-up messages or spam to you to try to get information from you. Today, most internet users recognize what sites, messages, etc. are phishing and what is not. However, it remains a threat online to your personal information’s safety. Of course, before entering any information into a website or even clicking on a button that pops up, you should carefully evaluate what that website or pop-up is and whether it is legitimate or not.

Pretexting

With this technique, thieves get your personal information by using false pretenses and then use that information with your financial institution to obtain access to your finances. For example, someone might call you asking for personal information, such as your address, birth date, or social security number (a huge indicator of fraud), claiming to be someone who might legitimately need that information. Once they have obtained your information,

they may call your bank, pretending to be you and is able to access your accounts. While this method is not necessarily one of the most commonly successful, it is a threat to your personal information and identity. Pretexting is against the law. No person is legally allowed to use false statements or documents to get your information from a bank or other institution.

Doing your best to understand the mind of a thief is a great way to prevent identity theft from happening to you. If you are cognizant of the practices of dumpster diving, phishing, and pretexting, you should be way ahead of others who are uninformed in the ways of stealing your precious identity.

This is a guest article by Jacelyn Thomas. Jacelyn writes about identity theft protection for IdentityTheft.net.

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This is a guest post by Irene Simpson. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.
Home security is an important subject, often overlooked when building or buying a house. To make a house into your home, you need a feeling of security and safety for you and your family. With the help of modern technology and home security systems there are many ways to do this. There are also many common sense things that you can do to increase your home security. These difficult economic times have seen a rise in the number of burglaries and it is no surprise that home security system sales are on the increase as a result.

Security Systems for Home Use

Security systems for home use can be split into two broad areas: deterrents that put a burglar off trying to break

in and monitoring systems that alert you to an intrusion and, in some cases, capture evidence for future prosecution. Deterrents can be as simple as a sign stating that you have a home alarm system or ensuring that your house looks occupied all the time. It is widely known that most burglars are opportunistic and don’t want to risk running into anyone. Surveillance systems include a wide range of alarms and sensors, some linked to central 24-hour centers and some that simply make a loud noise to scare intruders away. A combination of both is the best way to protect your home and make you feel secure.

Deterrence is the Best Home Security System

Deterring an intruder from ever attempting entry to your home is obviously ideal. The first step is to look at your property from the point of view of a burglar: try to spot any easy entry points or anything that will assist an intruder, such as a ladder or bushes that provide cover. Police forces will have experts in crime prevention who will be happy to advise you. Signs stating that you have an alarm or a visible alarm system are useful deterrents and you can also use anti-climb paints, spiky bushes or rolling tops to walls and fences to make access harder. It is

important to be aware that you may be liable for damage done to passers-by, for example anti-climb paints will ruin clothes if they get on them. Display signs that indicate any security methods that you are using and check with your local police force that they are suitable.

Making sure your house look occupied at all times is a simple way to deter burglars. Always bring in deliveries and take bins in and out on the correct day. If you go on holiday, a trusted neighbor or family member should visit regularly to switch lights on and off, take in post and open and close curtains to make it look like the house is occupied. You can also get timer switches to turn lights, radios and televisions on and off.

The Options for Home Security Systems are numerous

If a burglar does break into your house, it is vital that the police are alerted as soon as possible. There are many alarm systems available and any company involved in home security system sales will be able to help and advise you. Some alarm systems will make a loud noise in an attempt to scare an intruder off and alert neighbors, who will then call the police. The problem with these is that they can go off in error and neighbors may be reluctant to call the police in case it is a false alarm. Other types of alarms are monitored, so any intrusion is immediately registered by a control center, who will usually contact the home owner before calling the police.

Alarm systems are made up of a range of components, including sensors that detect broken glass or a break in magnetic or infrared beams, pressure sensors and panic buttons. The most recent designs allow you to monitor your home remotely via the internet, giving you peace of mind if you are away. You also might want to consider an alarm that allows you to monitor just the perimeter of your home while you sleep.

Choosing the best home security system for you can be a little daunting. Think carefully about what will suit you and your family and consult your local police and home security systems sales experts to help you decide. Once you have your house secured, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your home and family are safe.

This guest article was written by Irene Simpson who has an association with many Home Security communities as a freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to home security systems, home security system sales, and home security equipment.

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The Ugly Roof! (May 29,2009)

This blog is geared toward practical solutions, and I certainly have one for you with this post. We had a new roof done on our house approximately ten years ago and, for a long time, it looked great. As the years went by, it started developing streaks and black mold on the roof shingles on the shady side of the house.  Understandably, I was concerned that we’d have to have our roof replaced. Up to this point, I hadn’t really heard of roof cleaning services. The most unnerving thing was that we were told that it should last at least 20 years.  So, I made it a point to start looking at other houses in my town and I saw roof mold, roof stains, and roof algae on many homes.  I remember distinctly, as we backed out of our driveway one day, my eldest daughter exclaimed, “Our roof looks horrible!”  And I agreed, wholeheartedly.

How to Remove Mold

So, I made it my mission to start doing my research on how to get rid of black mold on my roof.  I discovered that the build-up of dirt, mildew, black mold, fungus, and moss is prevalent especially on the roof on the shady side of a house.  I also discovered that there is a product for roof cleaning called Shingle Shield Roof and Deck Cleaner that, when applied with a pump sprayer, and hosed off, will remove these streaks from your roof.

Now the big problem was, to remove these streaks, you had to apply the diluted solution of the roof cleaner, directly to the roof!  And it basically required you to get onto your roof.  My wife had no desire to become a widow, so I ended up calling my chimney professional that cleans my chimney once a year.  He really didn’t know about the product and I thought that this could be another source of revenue for him.  He was interested in doing the job, so I purchased the product online and set up an appointment for him to apply the product to my roof.

He had the proper ladders to get up to the roof and had a special roof ladder that hooked over the ridge of the roof.  Prior to heading onto the roof we made it a point to cover all the bushes with plastic, even though the product is advertised as being non-toxic to plants.  I just thought it would make sense to cover them, just in case.

He then applied the product with a pump sprayer directly onto the streaks first.  Then he applied the solution to the whole roof by moving his roof ladder along the face of the roof.

After applying the solution to the whole roof, I handed him the lawn hose and he went up to the ridge of the house and sprayed off the solution with the garden hose.  He simply moved from one side of the roof to the other and thoroughly hosed down the roof.  You could see the stains disappear almost immediately.

After doing the initial application, you may have to go over individual streaks with a soft brush to get the really dark streaks totally removed. Cleaning roof mold takes some work and elbow grease if you want it entirely off of your roof.

How to Get Rid of Mold Forever

One final step, if you do not want these streaks to return, is to have your roofing specialist apply zinc strips under the shingles at the ridgeline of your roof.  This should prevent the black mold and fungus from returning over time.  You can find these zinc strips on the website mentioned earlier in the post.  As you can see from the before and after photos below, this stuff works! (Please check the updated photo of how it looks two years later.)

Before using ShingleShield.

After using ShingleShield. (June 4,2009)

Instead of paying big bucks for a new roof, consider roof cleaning products and give your roof a makeover.  For a few hundred dollars you’ll be able to look at your house with pride again.

(Updated on August 21st, 2011)

As of August 21, 2011

(Disclosure: I have no affiliation with the product mentioned in this post.  I am just a very happy customer.)

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