[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”CHEAP CALLING TO INDIA” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Call India for (1.5p-2p/min) Direct from Home/Office BT Landlines
Now Call India direct for 2p/min from BT/Virgin*/TalkTalk* landline – 0844 838 2718 – no pin needed. From Mobile txt ‘phonefriend’ to 80041. You will be charged £3 on your mobile bill and will receive a Pin and Access No. Always the lowest rate and best quality call on these Nos. Please confirm call charges with Virgin and Talktalk before you make a call on 0844 no.
08443202929 – 2.5p/min (plus 5p Connection charge)
Checkout Cheap International Calls with Localphone.com (1.9p/min for India,No Connection charge, Vat Included) for a local UK no for ur international destination.
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Most people stay stuck with BT even when some other providers give you a better landline deal.
(Note: You are free to choose any broadband provider with following landline service providers. For Broadband we recommend SkyTV+Broadband, Virgin & O2 ).
1)PostOffice-Landline – No 12 month contract. Same Line rental as BT (£10.50),Call Free and Unlimited to UK Mobiles and 20 Countries (Inc U.S., Canada and Europe) On Weekends Plus Evening UK landline Free.
2)Talk Talk – 12 month Contract – same line rental as BT (£10.50 + *£2.65 after 12 months), Evening and Weekend Free, Plus Call Anytime to 36 international destinations (including US, Canada, Australia)!
Call your family in India (Or Any Country Like China, Japan, Brazil etc) Unlimited If You Have Broadband Connection (128 kbps+) there for £5.99 Per Month Only.
Vonage
On an average newcomers to UK Spend £30/Month on calling cards for calls to their family in Home Country. Two months of that expenditure is almost equivalent of 12 months of unlimited calls to One fixed internet-enabled house in Home Country using the following method. click here to order vonage http://tinyurl.com/5zpms9
Here is How it works, In Simple words
1) You get a Vonage Box and a UK landline No. (0207, 0208, 0203) assigned to it.
2) You plugin the Vonage Box to any broadband connection/router (in UK or India or anywhere)
3) You connect a normal home touchtone phone to Vonage Box. That phone becomes the Assigned Vonage UK Landline No.
4) Now, whoever calls that Assigned Vonage UK (0207, 0208, 0203) landline No, will reach the Vonage Box and the TouchTone Phone at the receving end.
5) You can use that normal touchtone phone to call any UK Landline No for unlimited time. It doesn’t matter if that touchphone and Vonage Box is not in UK. It can be anywhere. All you need there is a Broadband Connection (256Kbps +). So You can Travel with you Vonage Box and stay in touch with your friends in U.K..
6) Add £2 to ur plan and call U.S. and Canada Unlimited too. If ur Bros/Cuzs/Family is scattered in UK/U.S./Canada then Its best to send a Vonage Box back home. Can save a lot of money in international family calls.
7) Plus Free Vonage to Vonage Calls.
Best UK Mobile Phone Deals on Internet are at DialAPhone Or Mobiles.co.uk, Lebara Pre-Paid Sim or Vodafone Pre-Paid Sim
http://www.asda-phones.co.uk/ – For UK Use only – ASDA Pay-As-YOu-GO is cheapest
It will always cost you to call NON-PC destinations in India unless the Target Mobile Phone is Running SKYPE/FRING/GIZMO on it.
From PC – http://voicecheap.com is probably cheapest.
From Symbian Mobile /Win Mobile PDA – Fring is a very good option to voicechat for free.
3Skypephone – 6 month Contract OR £10 topup every month will get u unlimited Skype-2-Skype calls(valid for 30 days from date of every topup.) Skype is inbuilt into it so it also stores Skype Voicemails in your Mobile’s 3Voicemail Inbox. Uk based Couples/lovebirds can go for 2 skyphones to call each other unlimited. Or if u hv a BF/GF/Fiancee/Interest in India or anywhere where they have internet, this is the best option.
http://www.lebara-mobile.co.uk/ – Best Pre-paid Sim – 5p/min (India landline) / 7p/Min (India Mobile) / 10P Any UK Network
http://www.1899.com/rates.php – UK landline – 0p/min
http://www.1899.com/sms.php – International text – 1p/min
http://www.18185.co.uk/index2.php – another Good provider like 1899.com
http://www.rebtel.com/en/Rates/Rates/ Calls to India = $0.056 and U.S = $0.01 Per min (Good voice quality)
Or make a complete free call to U.S. Thru rebtel – here is how – http://www.rebtel.com/en/How-it-works/How-to-make-a-smart-call/
Or You can get a O2 Pay Monthly Sim (No mobile phone with it- Only 30days contract) – with unlmited landline minutes addon + rebtel account (voice quality) is good. . makes a cheap & best combination to call Phones in India.
If your people backhome can use PC, then going with 3Skypephone is best option.
Editor’s choice:-
3Skypephone for family. They use PC at home.
Rebtel account for any other call to India or elsewhere.
If you need to find the international access code for a country, click here.
To find out STD code of any City In India Click Here
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”TRAVEL TO INDIA – INDIA SIGHTSEEING” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Tourism in India :-
http://www.mustseeindia.com
http://www.entrip.com
http://www.conciergeservicesindia.com/
http://www.myconcierge.co.in/
http://www.optiontown.com – For Kingfisher Seat Upgrades at discount price
Some websites to buy/compare AIR- Ticket prices:-
www. .com – One of the cheapest ones
www.lastminute.com – Usually the cheapest, price fluctuates all day, usuaully best price available at 7-8am in morning
www.ticketstoindia.co.uk – This site shows details of weight limits as well
www.globester.com – Get the best airfare deals
www.indratravel.co.uk
www.opodo.co.uk
www.makemytrip.com
www.virgin-atlantic.com – has Best Flying Club Account In Market, 2 yrs expiry, Get Miles (4169 Miles for One-Way to Delhi) for flying in economy class, Get Virgin American Express card and earn 1 mile for every 1 pound you spend, Rewards Eg:- 20000 Miles = Return Ticket to Dubai, 50000 Miles = Return Ticket to New Delhi/Mumbai. Click Here To Join Virgin Flying Club Now – Free to Join – No Purchase Necessary Plus You can Earn miles for a Virgin (or JET) flight made up to 6 Months in past., You can earn miles for flying through partner airlines. Jet Airways is a Virgin Partner
To check how many miles you need for free ticket to a Virgin Atlantic Destination Click here (50000 miles for Return tkt to Delhi/Mumbai, 25000 for one way)
To check how many miles you need for free ticket to a Jet Airways Destinations Click here (54000 miles for Return tkt to Delhi/Mumbai, 27000 for one way)
www.tripadvisor.co.uk
www.tescotravelstore.com
www.southalltravel.co.uk
www.travelocity.co.uk
Get a worldwide travel insurance from www.moneysupermarket.com. It will cover you for any mobile-phone theft, damaged luggage, lost luggage kinda incidents when you are in India. You must report the claim within 48 hrs and in some cases within 7 days.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”SENDING COURIER/CARGO FROM UK TO INDIA” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]A J Worldwide Services (Hounslow based) :- 020 8570 0888 (Delhi:- 011-26786501)
£14 – First 0.5Kg £4 – Next 0.5 KG After that – £8/kg
Another cheap cargo service – 01895422112
Another – 02074764800 – 6 weeks for stuff to India. £3 Pound /kg .. (insured)
Asia Cargo:-
east london (new ham): 0208 522 0824
west london (wembley): 0208 902 1333
1.5 quid per kilo for clothes and 3quid for electronics items… min. 20 kg’s… 8-9 weeks delivery to the address… DTDC – 02085702030
ZETA LOGISTICS LTD – 07854105103
Sevenseas India(Sevenseas Worlwide Shipping-india):-Send Your’s Excess Baggage Anywhere to India from Uk in just £1* per Kg. Contact:- +44 1303 814777(Mobile), 0800 216 698 (Home)
Website:-
http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com
http://www.sswstudentservices.com
http://www.jumboparcelservices.com/
Data post by royal mail is trackable and guranteed service … its either one day guranteed or then u can go for slightly less expensive service called global priority
For India the international signed-for (Royal Mail) is only tracked till it leaves UK.
Online Bollywood Music, Radio, Movies, File Storage&Share Links:-
Music
================================ www.vrfranks.com
http://www.esnips.com
www.mp3hungama.com
www.123musiq.com
www.papuyaar.com
www.mag4you.com
www.bollyfm.net
www.pz10.com
www.musicmaza.com
http://mp3nation.blogspot.com/
www.mydesihits.com
http://donrulz.folderland.com/26022/
www.cooltoad.com
http://thehindimusic.com/category/music/
www.radioreloaded.com
http://desiramp.com
file sharing option- DC++ Software – Good for searching Old Songs
Best Torrent client is www.utorrent.com
Torrent Search Site www.isohunt.com
You might need to do some port-mapping in your broadband router to your Desktop/Laptop. Check your router’s documentation.
Click here to check whether your port is receiving incoming connections
Broadband Speed Test – results you can share in blogs/forums
Broadband Speed Test – Another good Site
Cineworld chain of Cinemas Offer a fantastic Unlimited Movie Pass £11.99 pcm (not including West End) and £14.99 pcm (Including West End- Piccadilly Area) to watch Unlimited movies per year in whole of UK at any of their Venues. Its a minimum 12 month contract paid by Direct Debit (You must have a UK bank account Or you’ll have to pay for whole year in advance) but you are allowed to break it if because of VISA/JOB over, you have to leave UK. Just call their Cust Service and then mail your E-Ticket to them.
Cineworld Unlimited Movie Pass for £11.99
Cineworld Theatres in London Which show Indian/Bollywood movies are:-
Trocadero-Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly
Cineworld Feltham
Cineworld Ilford
Cineworld Wood Green
Cineworld Wandsworth
Radio
Download FireFox Media Player Plugin Here
RadioTeenTaal – paris *Editor’s Choice
RadioOfIndia FM
Bombay Beats FM
DesiSoundz FM
Apna Radio FM USA
101.6 City FM Dubai
Radio Nimbooda France
Craze FM
Bollywood Hindi World Music
GuyanaNJ FM
MadhurSangeet USA 50s,60s,70s,80s*Editor’s Choice
Radio Mirchi FM India
Desi Music 24/7
Radio Tarana
Sanskar Radio
Aag Radio (more punjabi)
Mera Sangeet *Editor’s Choice
Radio City Lucknow
Religious
Radio Sai
All Indian Online Stations
Listing of All Radio Stations In India
Some More Stations Here
And Some More Stations Here
Some More Here
www.unity101.org Radio (Community-uk) Direct Link:- http://icecast.commedia.org.uk:8000/unity24.mp3
Or http://www.unity101.org/listenlive.html
http://www.sunriseradio.com – 1458AM
http://www.dishant.com/
Hum Fm Dubai
Search for MadhurSangeet in Shoutcast Radio
Delicast Indian Radios List
MarsKarthik radio List
List of Regional Languages FM Channels
BBCWorld News
SkyFM 24hrs Jazz
Online TV MCM TV France
EuroSport TV
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”ONLINE BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD MOVIES & TV” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]http://www.bhejafry.net/ – Beta Site for Movies
http://www.techsatishdesi.com – Good Site for Movies and Live TV www.idesitv.com – claims to show live stream of Sony and Zee
http://orkutmovies.wetpaint.com/ -Online Movies
http://www.lucky88.eigenstart.nl/ -Online Movies
http://www.ssupload.com/ – Online Hollywood Movies
http://www.tv-links.co.uk/index.do/4 – UK TV serials
http://www.videoduniya.com/ – Huge Repository – Google video based theme
http://www.muft.tv – Huge Repository – online movies and recorded TV serials
http://www.muftonline.com – forum based- registration needed
http://trailfire.com/peasea79/marks/67667
http://www.moviesfromindia.com
http://www.filmijoy.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=144
http://www.webmirchee.com/ – full hindi movies
http://www.bharatmovies.com – full hindi movies
http://www.watch-movies.net
http://hindidownloadlinks4u.blogspot.com
http://www.hindifilmfun.com
http://www.start2enjoy.com movie site with high quality screen
Huge Collection Of Hollywood Movies
http://www.nosubscriptionrequired.net/
http://watch-movies-links.net/
iReel.com – HD Quality Movies
Software/Ebooks downloads
http://www.filetransit.com/
www.esnips.com
www.isohunt.com – torrent download
Top 5 FileStorage Options
FileSavr.com makes file hosting easier with Web 2.0 technology and the use of Ajax and Flash. FileSavr has 10 GB upload size limit.
File Dropper – Free File Hosting for MP3, Videos, Documents
FileDropper’s beauty is in its simplicity. It has one click file hosting where you simply click on the upload button and select your file. After the file is uploaded you are taken to the page where the file is hosted. If the file is an image, it shows the image directly on the page for easier sharing. Upload size is an impressive 5 GB.
File Factory – free and simple file hosting service
FileFactory lets you host files up to 300MB for free. You don’t have to register and there is nothing to download. Your files can be downloaded an unlimited number of times! One thing we found very annoying and spammy about FileFactory was the number of ads they have on the page.
FileDen – Free file hosting and online storage
With File Den’s free file hosting and online storage service it’s easy to share files across the internet with friends, family, work associates or anyone else. They allow our users to direct link to their files also giving you the oppurtunity to embed your files into your webpages, myspace or other social networking profiles.
Fileqube – Free Online Storage Fileqube has an eye-pleasing design that shows its intentions well. When you upload a personal file it gives you a download link, a link to remove the file, and embed code to drop your file’s link on a website. The only downside is the 150MB file size, which is rather small with some of the other sites in comparison.
Reading /Book Clubs/ Book Swaps
http://www.librarything.com/ – Book cataloguing and social networking.
http://www.bookcrossing.com – Leave books for others to be found. Let books travel across the world
Other Useful Links for Visitors:-
Tourist information
Visit Britain http://www.visitbritain.com/world
UK immigration
British High Commission http://www.ukinindia.org
British culture
BBC World Service http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
Hindu culture in UK
Hindu Youth UK http://www.hinduyouthuk.org
Sacred-texts:Hinduism (vast repository of resource on Ancient Hinduism)
Hindu Panchang
Life in England
Multikulti (in Gujarati) http://www.multikulti.org.uk/gu
Living in the UK
Indian High Commission http://www.hcilondon.net
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”NRIs Returning to India” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Returning to India? Worried about TAX n All ? read this Click Here
Useful info:-
1) NRIs in UK are allowed to VOTE in all elections except a European parliament election for which they need to be UK Citizen.
2) If you are on any work visa ( Work Permit/ HSMP/ IGS) then your spouse (on spouse visa) can also work in UK without needing a Work Visa.
3) You can apply for Permanent Residence status (Life-term Visa to stay and work in UK) in 5 yrs from your date of entry on a work visa. Student years/Business Visa period don’t count.
4) You can apply for UK Citizenship in 12 months from getting a PR. You will have to attend a ceremony and granted UK Citizenship Certificate. You’ll have to surrender Indian Passport at Indian Embassy and apply for a British passport. You will have to attend an interview at British passport office for Identity Verification. Once you have got British passport you can apply for OCI(Overseas Citizenship of India) which gives you all the rights of a Normal NRI along with a life long Visa to Enter and live in India.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Money Transfer Tips” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]1) Most people use www.money2india.com – ICICI venture or remit2india.com – TOI – UTI venture.
Check out this link. RATE Comparison
2) If you have more than £5000 to transfer then try specialist Forex Service providers like www.currenciesdirect.com Or www.rationalfx.com (Both charge £15-£20 transfer fees if its less than £5000)
3) These days, cross bank transfers in UK take only 2 hrs. And then just 2 days for money to reach Indian account. Indian Account can be your NRE or any person’s normal account.
To place a classified (e.g. matrimonial) advertisement in Indian NewsPapers check http://www.releasemyad.com/
Useful URLS:-
Indian NRIs In UK
Indian Professionals In UK – Use it for Dating, Matrimonial or for Meeting Like Minded Indian Professionals.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Indian Bus Tour Operators” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]www.startours.co.uk [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Virus Protection” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]
Protection : After Your PC – LAPTOP got Infected
1. Disable System Restore and Re -Enable it after step 3. (That is if you know about what is System Restore- If you don’t, don’t worry too much about it. Proceed Anyway)
2. Clean your temporary files. Usually in C:\\Windows\Temp.
3. Schedule a boot time scanning with Avast AntiVirus with Archive(Zip files)Scanning turned on. If Avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! instead.
4. Use SUPERantispyware, MBAM or Spyware Terminator to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, better and safer is send the file to Quarantine than to simple delete than.
5. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications. I suggest avast! antirootkit or Trend Micro RootkitBuster.
6. If still in doubt and worry, Make a HijackThis log to post here or, better, submit the RunScanner log to on-line analysis.
7. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster or Windows Advanced Care.
8. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector.(MUST..MUST…MUST..Do It Right now)
Note Contd From Top: Nothing is 100% safe online or offline. When you use your credit card to pay for petrol on petrol pump (or at a grocery store), usually a CCTV is recording what your PIN is (If you don’t hide it with your hand)… and rest of the details on the magnetic strip of card can be easily copied from 10-100Mts away. Most of the credit cards get CLONED on Grocery Shops or Petrol Pumps and usually the owners are not aware of it. (Only way to prevent this is Always HIDE your PIN With your Hand, doesn’t matter how awkward it looks) And you can (in most cases) NEVER trace where it was CLONED. You will only realise, when you see fraudulent transactions on your Credit card statement. Report it to the Credit Card Provider immediately so that they can cancel the CARD with immediate effect. Usually by LAW(UK) you are protected against such fraudlulent use of your card. so You shoudn’t be made responsible to pay penny for the fraudlulent transactions if you report them in time.
USE a Credit Card always inplace of Debit Card if you can. All Credit Cards come with Fraud Protection (BY LAW) where you don’t have to pay for any fraudulant transactions if Its Not your fault (You fault like writing the PIN on a paper and keeping it in Purse and then loose the Cards in the Purse and Pin all together). The moment you write your PIN Anywhere and if It can be proved in court, you are not Protected for any losses.
Credit cards usually come with many Intrinsic Benefits-Promises (Always Always read the booklet which comes with the CARD) which most ppl don’t USE or are not AWARE OF… like… Purchase Protection, Price Promise, 1yr free Insurance on electrical goods (On top of 1 yr standard warranty), Travel Insurance, UnEmployment Insurance.. etc etc[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Protection from Identity Theft!” google_fonts=”font_family:Yanone%20Kaffeesatz%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Part of IAmNewToLondon/UK Guide
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Disclaimer: Information provided here is collected from internet and is bound to change over a period of time.
Please check relevant Urls and sources for correct and latest information. Authors of this page, won’t be responsible for any claim/loss arising out of use of following information.
Hello There, these 30 minutes of your life can save you from a disaster. Every year around 80000 (and increasing) people in UK suffer from identity theft. You could be the next one. Don’t Take It Casually!
Preface: “There’s no such thing as a foolproof system. That idea fails to take into account the creativity of fools. – Frank Abagnale” A Must read article
“You ask people what they’ve got and they say, ‘I’m protected against ID theft now,'” he says.
“But the company often doesn’t explain that they’re not reimbursing the money you lose – just the money it costs you to fix things.”
Some Good Sites to check before you read further (If you have time):-
One Must Subscribe To http://www.getsafeonline.org/
http://www.electronic-identity.org/how-to-prevent-identity-theft
http://www.cifas.org.uk/ – Govt’s Initiative to protect your data.
Consumer Direct (For Consumer Complaints)
Directory of useful/helpful organisations related to financial matters
Crimestoppers – 0800 555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Financial Services Authority – 0845 606 1234 or www.fsa.gov.uk
National Identity Fraud Prevention Week – www.stop-idfraud.co.uk
Trading Standards (for consumer protection)
Experian’s online credit monitoring and ID theft protection service is called CreditExpert.co.uk. It costs £6.99 a month, though it is offering the chance to sign up for a 30-day free trial. The service allows people to check their credit file online, as often as they want, and there are weekly text or email alerts letting you know if someone takes out a loan or card in your name.
Equifax is offering a similar service called Identity Watch at a reduced rate of £3.99 a month rather than the usual £6. A cheaper alternative may be to register with the “protective registration” service provided by Equifax on behalf of Cifas. For £11.75, a mark is placed against your address, and banks will carry out extra-detailed identity checks on applicants for credit.
There are some basic steps we can all take to help avoid our identities being compromised. Many may seem to be obvious, but it is by dropping our guard that the fraudster ultimately will benefit.
Always take particular care of your handbag or wallet. Don’t give thieves a chance. Be especially careful with your credit and debit cards. Try not to keep them together or have them all with you at the same time and never let them out of your sight. Also, avoid carrying documents such as passports unless necessary and never keep in the same bag as your wallet.
Shred all documents when you dispose of them. These can range from credit card or bank statements to letters from doctors, employers and indeed anything bearing your full name and address or signature. Receipts can also be valuable to a fraudster, so take care to shred these too. A Cross cut shredder is better than strip cut shredder and you can find it for only £10 in WH Smith.
Examine your bank and credit card statements carefully. Keep all your receipts until you have checked each one individually against the statements. This will help you to monitor your account.
Check your credit reference agency file regularly for unfamiliar items and take prompt action if you spot anything strange.
Don’t forget to keep your home secure, and keep your personal documents locked away. Increasingly it is these documents that are being searched for by burglars rather than TVs and computers. Theft or loss of documents such as your driving licence or passport should be notified immediately
Use CIFAS Protective Registration if you have personal documents stolen. Either contact the service on 0870 010 2091 or download details from www.cifas.org.uk/pr. There is a small charge of £14.10.
Don’t give your personal details to callers, charity collectors or “researchers” in the street. Check whether they are truly who they claim to be before giving them any information. Be just as careful when taking telephone calls. Fraudsters may try to dupe you into believing they are from banks or other companies. If you give them your account and security details they could run up huge debts in your name.
When buying online – keep your passwords secure at all times and regularly change your passwords. Make sure that you have up-to-date security software, and only use sites that provide secure payments and be sure you know who you are dealing with.
Avoid online bank or shopping transactions when using public wi-fi zones or shared computers.
Redirect ALL post when moving house or business address.
Now some advice from personal experience:-
1) Don’t throw your credit card receipts etc in high-street bins. Theives have access to them.
1b) Always hide your pin number when entering it, if card holder cannot be removed or has no cover to hide it then you can put hand while entering pin or can ask the shop where you are using it. Remember it is your right and you must use it !!
2) Throwing bank letters and all paper in your local recycling collection is a nice idea. But wait for the collection day. And try to leave it out there just before collection.
3) Atleast every 3 months check your credit file for £2 only. Nothing can prevent you more from fraud. Keep an eye on your credit file always.
4) Make an excel sheet of your credit card details and expiry of special promotions etc. If you loose walet, report all your cards stolen using this information.
5) Don’t write down your PIN or Internet Banking passwords anywhere. More advice on this in a section later in this article.
6) Keep an eye on your statements coming by post. Try to switch to paper-free statements for most accounts except one. (for application forms).
7) Always check your statement regularly. Those 2 mins spent on scanning it can save you loads later on.
8) If you have lost wallet, debit cards etc or have become a victom of ID theft involving your bank account. Just using CIFAS Red-flag service would not give you 100% peace-of-mind. Best solution is close those accounts and open new ones. Because your Sort Code, A/c No can be mis-used in future for loan applications etc. If your personal email accounts are hacked too, don’t worry, hackers are usually not interested in your personal emails. They are only interested in money. So If you have a linked money-theft incident along with Id-theft then you can use the police report to get your yahoo/gmail account back from respective providers. They will need you to fax them the copies of your passport, utility bills etc.
9) If you have lost money from account because you were a victim of fraud, you are entitled to a refund. All credit card providers are also legally bound to protect you from losses which weren’t your fault or happened not because of your negligence. (Negligence includes not informing bank in time, writing down your PINS, sharing that information with a friend or relative, any relative)
10) Fraudster can damage your credit file big time, today, tomorrow or 10 yrs later. So always check your credit file every 3 months.. Thats the only sure shot protection.
About Electronic Fraud:-
Rule No 1) Always have a Good (and latest updated) Anti-Virus and Spybot Protection on your PC. My fav is “Avast Antivirus” and “SpyBot S&D” (works best when you are disconnected from internet,scan your whole system atleast 3 times). Windows Defender is also a free tool from Microsoft. Although its not as good as SpyBOT S&D. The Incident which provoked me into writing this article was a result of carelessness in this department. Victim’s system was infected by a Trojan. These are deadly but totally hidden Programs which silently install themselves when you download those free lesser known sound/video utlities on net or programs which come thru open ports in your broadband routers (without NAT firewall enabled) OR if your wireless network is not WPA Key protected and is open to all then a Music-Junkie teenager with a trojan/virus full of system can join your Local Network and your Router’s NAT firewall won’t protect you infection from that PC because it will be on Local Network, so almost all the ports will be available to the trojan to replicate itself)
One of the primary purposes of Trojan is to wait for a chance to silently download and install a Key-Logger program from hackers’ temp-sites which appear randomly on net on random IP addresses. These programs then record everythng you type in every webform and silently email all of it to hacker’s anonymous untracable emailids. So your email account passwords and internet banking passwords can all be collected at a silent and hidden server somewhere on internet and hacker would usually wait for a month or two to collect details of every important account you have and access thru internet. Then one fine day, hacker will sit on a table with a 10-20 mins action plan to hack every important account, change passwords and transfer money etc. This all will be done in max 30 minutes while you are stylishly sipping wine with your 3-course dinner in a restaurant.Installment one of the shock would usually reach first to you. That the email account which has your childhood memories and various personal secrets is hacked. Installment two will be more shocking. That all the money in your bank accounts is gone in just 30 minutes..
These hackers are one step ahead of security agencies and usually work from the countries with poor laws for cyber crimes.. like Czech Republic, Iran, Russia.
What you can do to protect yourself from this crisis. (never compromise on below mentioned rules)
1) Download all windows updates regularly. If you use a PDA, use protection softwares made for PDAs. Install a Anti-Virus like “Avast AntiVirus”, Spybot scanner like “SpyBot S&D” and some tool to scan the programs running in memory and detect the dangerous ones which are opening communication channels (incoming/outgoing) with internet servers. One of them, one bad day, could be a Key Logger. A good free utility to scan your memory and report about this is “security task manager”.
2) Never have your home network unprotected/unsecured. Always have A WPA key protected nwtwork. Never join a unsecured network anywhere. Cafe, school, college.. anywhere.
3) Always keep atleast two different personal mail accounts. The personal one with secrets and stuff should never be accessed from internet cafes anywhere especially while you are holidaying. for ex in thailand or Prague. To share holiday pics and stuff, use another email account specifically made for this purpose.
4) Try to have Two laptops if you can. Never access internet banking and precious email accounts on one laptop. Only download stuff firstime on this one laptop. And only install after making a RESTORE-POINT. (learn windows help for that – its pretty easy). After installing, wait for a week and see if any weird random popups appearing just by accessing google homepage.
If YES :- Then immediately disconnect that Laptop/system from internet and local network (switch off /disable wireless adapter). Uninstall that dubious program. Restore your whole system to last healthy working status- restore point. Clean your system with SpyBot S&D. Do atleast 3 scans. Connect it back on internet and keep a keen eye on it for another week.
If NO :- Scan your experiment system with latest Anti-Virus and SpyBot S&D. If nothing is spotted then copy the program/utility across to more precious PC/Laptop.
5) Never tick “remember password” when accessing gmail etc from mobile. If your mobile gets stolen, your email account too.
6) Never click on any link in an email which asks you to validate your account information, NO MATTER HOW MUCH GENUINE THE EMAIL LOOKED.
7) Never open attachment from people you don’t know. Infact whenever you download an attachment, utility from website or file coming thru a transfer-file feature of a chat messenger, even if its coming from a friend, always put it in one designated folder for downloaded stuff and scan the file with anti-virus software first before opening it. Any document including a JPG image can have virus/trojan/worm attached to it. Pls pls use a good anti-virus software to scan everything you receive/download. Never accept file from people in chat messenger whom you don’t know, as it makes a direct connection between two parties and by running a small command “netstat -n” one can find your IP address ( Your Computer’s Unique Address on Internet) and then several hacking attacks can be done against your PC connected via that IP.
8) VERY IMPORTANT:- Always check the URL-Address in your brower’s address bar. IT has to be a common-sense approved URL. First part of All the URLS should end in words like HSBC.COM/ Lloydstsb.com/ . There should be a “/” or “\” after .com or .co.uk. For Ex xyz.hsbc.com.netsecure.com/ will be a fraud site. Its actually a Netsecure.com domain name and xyz.hsbc is a subdomain which is pointing to a subfolder on that website where the hacker have put cloned pages of HSBC’s internet banking site. Cloned pages will be 100% copy of a Bank’s online site. YOUR ONLY PROTECTION FROM THIS PHISHING FRAUD IS TO CHECK THE URL IN YOUR BROWSER’s ADDRESS BAR. It might happen that you receive an EMAIL FROM A HSBC ACCOUNT (CustService@HSBC.com – Its just One line code/ 2 mins job to put anything in the from tag of a phishing email) with a link in the email reading like http://bank.hsbc.com/ but the actual URL its taking you to, (yes the Link text and Link URL can be different words) could be http://bank.hsbc.com.netsecure.com/.
9) Most reputed companies/banks etc will use Https: (secured encrypted way of communication) on their login screens and also whenever an online funds transfer/payment is made. A phishing site can’t have a https: as these SSL certificates are only alloted to genuine companies after lots of verifications. So always check for Https: in your browser’s address bar/URL bar whenever you are doing anything with internet banking or online credit card payments.
10) NEVER USE SAME PASSWORD FOR ALL YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS. Always have 2-3 memorable passwords (never use your DOB for any password). An easy way is to use a word-digit pwd combination. Keep the word same and in digits use the registration no of your bikes/cars/last 4-5 digits of your mobile no/any memorable year/Your Fav Bus no route twice etc etc. Always do insert atleast 1-2 special keyboard character like # , ~’ @, *, %,$ in your passwords. Never use same password for all your email accounts. Always remember your security details incase you forget/loose your password so that you can recover it without any problem. Many people change there password but they have no way to recover it back in case they loose it. And always use a separate email/password for useless subscriptions and shopping websites on Internet. Usually your loginids and passwords are available to see in text form to the web developer of these small shopping vendors and he can try that loginid/pwd combination on net on other shopping websites. Never save your card details ONLINE with any shopping website. And only shop from HOME PC. Never from an internet cafe. Not from a friend’s PC unless you know he has latest anti-virus and stuff installed. Better be safe than sorry. Don’t access critical accounts on any non-office PC except your Home-PC. Usually Office PC’s are monitored and maintained by an IT services company and are more secure than your average home-PC.
11. If you leave your PC unattended, always lock it as you never know what your colleague/mate may be doing on your PC (Just in case scenario).
12. Always see what add-ons are active in your browser, you can find that in “Tools” tab in Internet Explorer and “Preferences” tab in Firefox. Many add-ons are dangerous too. Remove them If you doubt them.
13. Always clear your cache, cookies, browsing history BEFORE AND AFTER using a Friend’s PC or Internet Cafe PC for Anything. Never make an exception to this RULE Or a little carelessness here might cost you thousands of pounds.
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