Be careful is someone is using a cell phone in a checkout line.

There are a lot of thieves out there and they’re coming up with new ways to steal your cash.  (Kudos to Howie Chizek at WNIR for reporting this on his radio show. )

The first theft method is called “Skimming.”  Skimming occurs when the thief places a card reading device OVER the existing ATM or gas pump card reader.  When you swipe your ATM/Debit card, it goes through the skimmer THEN into the legitimate pump/ATM card reader.  You’re still able to purchase gas or withdraw cash, but the skimmer reads your card and collects all the information.  The thief returns at a later time, collects the skimmer device, and now has card information from everyone who used that specific pump/ATM.

Be careful!  if you see a device loosely placed on a gas pump or ATM device, it could be a skimmer.  And it’s being advised that individuals patronize the same gas pumps/gas stations and ATMs.  Since you already know the  surroundings, you’ll more easily spot a skimmer device.  (More info on Skimmers here as reported by SFGate.com)

The second method being used to steal your identity or money involves cell phones.  Cell phones are now  equipped with extremely high resolution cameras.  The thief will stand behind you in a checkout line pretending to be talking on their cell phone. What’s really happening is, the thief is taking a sequence of pictures of you swiping your ATM/debit card.  The thief then uploads the pictures to their PC and, using any photo editing software application, is able to enlarge the image of your ATM/Debit/credit card.  They can clearly see your account number, name, and other card information.

Be careful!  Before you pull out your ATM/Debit card in a checkout line, look around!  If someone is behind you in a checkout line and using a cell phone, it might be a good idea to simply use cash.   If you don’t have cash, by all means make sure to cover your card!  Anymore, I hold my wallet close to my vest and cover my card numbers with my thumb.  And, of course, the last resort is to politely tell the person to put the phone away.

Windows' vulnerabilities potentially allows hackers to get control of your PC!

Just last week, Microsoft issued its biggest every security fix.  You can read about it here.

Microsoft had to specifically address vulnerabilities in it Windows operating system which could allow hackers to take control of your PC.

This isn’t good news.

From the article linked above, “Microsoft released 16 security patches to address 49 problems in its products,…” If you’re running Windows, you certainly should take a moment to consider your own risks.

While you consider whether or not to continue to run Windows, please, at least, give Linux a look.  I know that Windows has probably become a way of life with you. But you should know that Linux is as easy to use as Windows, has tons of free software, and is immune to viruses, Trojans, and malware that have plagued Microsoft’s products for so many years.

You don’t have to go cold turkey.  Grab a spare system you might have in the house, clean off the hard drive, and install Linux to it!   Then,l et the comparison begin!  Run both systems side by side fora while.  Get out of your Winodws comfort zone and sit in front of the Linux system for several days.  Learn a little about Linux, visit the various discussion forums and simpy get familiar with it.

My guess is, if you realy give Linux a fair chance, you’ll end up becoming a Linux user.

If a thief gives you part of something back, is he still a theif?

This story details how a Swedish professor’s laptop was stolen, but the thief  later returned his data.

The prof. stated that, “ “This story makes me feel hope for humanity.”

What?  hello!  Your laptop was stolen!  Sure, I understand that your data probably accounted for  months, maybe even years, of research.  But don’t ya think the laptop shouldn’t have been stolen in the first place?!  the guy commited a crime! he took something that did not belong to him!  Just because he returns part of his loot, he somehow gets a pass?!

It’s a lot like someone stealing your wallet containing $2000.00, but the criminal later returns all your credit cards.  I wonder if this had happened to the professor he would still have “hope for humanity.”   I doubt it.

The big question though is, how can this professor be so sure the data wasn’t also copied and kept by the thief?  It’ll be interesting to know if professor PC will be a victim of identify theft or not.

Timber! Tree knocks Mark and georgetoon.com offline!

On Saturday, a tree fell (or was being cut down, I’m not really clear on the details) and took out the power lines.  This knocked out my power.  When power was restored at about 5:30 P.M., I was still offline.

I wasn’t able to get service restored unitl this morning.  My ISP, Fairpoint Communications, worked all weekend on the problem.  They finally sent out a technician this morning because they determined the problem was on site.

Steve quickly determined the problem, swapped out modems, re-synced things  for me and I’m now back up.  I’ve finally been able to get up to the blog to update things.  I’ll be updating content  for the coming week later this evening..

But it makes me realize that, like my cartoon deadline, I should schedule blog posts a bit farther ahead.

In the meantime, enjoy playing the Double Take cartoon.  And, you guessed it, it’s a tree cutting themed cartoon.

The Double Take Halloween T-shirt for 2010!

Need something to wear on Halloween night when passing out candy to all the little ghouls and goblins? But, you don’t want to wear a costume? Then grab the Double Take Halloween T-shirt!  It features a terrific Halloween cartoon and it’s also a game!

Trick-or-Treaters will see your Halloween spirit and maybe even try to find all the differences in the game panel!

Get your Double Take Halloween T-Shirt from the Georgetoon.com store or simply click here!