There’s balls and then there’s balls. And then there’s brass balls. And then there’s bomb-proof platinum balls filled with truffles and caviar. They’re the balls that are hanging between the legs of Blu-ray player makers Lexicon.

They recently launched a snazzy $3500 Blu-ray player called the BD-30 – and for that amount of money, you’d expect oodles of snazz inside it. So the good folks at Audioholics opened it up in a hunt for the aforementioned snazz. Guess what – no snazz.

Their review explains….

“When we received the player the first thing we did was open it up to get a look at the inside. Imagine my surprise when I found that not only did the Lexicon share the same boards and transport as the Oppo – it was in fact AN OPPO BDP-83 PLAYER, CHASSIS AND ALL, SHOVED INSIDE AN ALUMINUM LEXICON WRAPPER. As far as we could determine, Lexicon didn’t change a single thing in terms of the hardware. Heck, they didn’t even lift the boards out of the chassis, opting instead to cut out the bottom of their own chassis to accommodate the venting locations, and putting a darker blue filter over the Oppo’s VFD display to give it a slightly deeper hue.”

Just so you know, the Oppo BDP-83 retails for around $500. Look at the balls on Lexicon!

[Gizmodo]

So ID theft in the UK is increasing by nearly 500% a year and unfortunately we’re all so  well-versed in it that we probably know many of the ways to remain vigilant in a country full of thieving gits. But here’s a refresher list of points to follow – it can’t hurt to brush up!

1. Thieves don’t need your card numbers to steal your identity.
It’s common for people to take all manner of measures to conceal their card number and protect their cards – and this is good. But thieves can use less sensitive pieces of information – a birth-date or NI number – to build up an identity solid enough to steal and run amok. It’s a good idea to keep any such information, including birth certificates, passports, bank statements even phone bills, either securely or (if possible) shredded.

2. Information you reveal online is sometimes enough to commit ID theft.
If you want a good excuse not to exhibit your birth-year on Facebook, this is it. Revealing an exact DOB, phone number or home address on any website is usable by thieves. Refrain from doing so, even on more ‘official’ websites such as job-search engines.

3. Don’t use dodgy cashpoints!
We all know what cash-points look and feel like. We’ve used hundreds of them and they’re all about the same. If any seem a little strange – extra plastic around the card slot for instance – this is probably a card skimmer designed to harvest your card details. If you notice after using your card in the machine, report the fact to your bank so they can monitor the account for fraudulent activity.

4. Be wary with shopkeepers…
If the cashier (or indeed anybody) has your card and is turned away for any period of time, make sure they’re not solemnly scanning your card into a handheld skimming device of some sort, copying its details. Such a device is not even necessary – most relevant information can be captured simply by taking a photo of the front and back of the card. Also make sure what’s handed back is actually your card and not simply something that looks like it.

5. Pay attention to your snail mail.
If you start missing bank statements or other regular financial documents, this could be a sign that someone has intercepted and changed your address for that account.

6. Review your statements!
Carefully – don’t skimp. If there are strange transactions – even small ones – with unfamiliar organisations this could be a sign for the worse. Thieves sometimes ‘trial’ blocks of account details they’ve been given by withdrawing (or even crediting) tiny pence amounts from random accounts to make sure the accounts are indeed active. Most fraud detection algorithms aren’t triggered by such small amounts – so you’ll need to detect them yourself, before they rinse the accounts properly.

7. Paperless is the way forward.
We touched on this in a post not long ago about carrying too much stuff in your bags – heed this advice! Many people find that they’re carrying around personal documents they don’t need to including passports, bank statements, bills and the like. Take these out of your bag before leaving he house! Also reducing the amount of paper documentation you receive to your household overall can help. If possible put a cease to any snail mail; for instance your bank may let you review statements online as opposed to on paper. As for any paper information that you do receive – if it’s to be thrown away, do so using a shredder.

And there you have it – seven ways in which you can secure yourself against the menace of ID theft. But of course there are many other ways to counteract this growing crime – do our dear readers have any other sound advice to throw out there? Or perhaps some cautionary tales of ID hardship?

People in the UK spend more money on eBay than they do going to the movies (Screen International).  And with 203 million registered users worldwide and 1.3 million people who rely on the auction website as a primary or secondary source of income, eBay considers their statistic of only one auction in 40,000 ending up as a reported case of confirmed fraud a small figure.

But for 5 million+ items currently for sale at any given time, that still translates to 250 cases. It may not be as pressing as the 15,520 days until the end of oil, but according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, nearly half (48%) of all online fraud cases are of auction fraud, amounting to some 500 cases per week. So here are 5 scams that sellers and buyers should know about that may directly or indirectly affect you:

1. Negative Feedback from Fraudulent Buyers. In May 2008, changes in eBay’s feedback policy took place, in response to eBay’s data shows that sellers are eight times more likely to retaliate against negative feedback which can hurt honest and accurate buyers. The new policy preventing sellers from receiving negative feedback. This has led to an increase in negative feedback from fraudulent buyers. One eBay music store reported that a suspected scammer left over 50 negative feedback ratings for other sellers.

2. Chargebacks/Partial Refunds. In 2002, online credit card fraud jumped by 15 percent to £110.1 million.  Sellers do not just lose the price of dispatched goods, but also have to pay administrative charges to the bank if they are not careful. And in view of point 1 with negative feedback changes, sellers who want to make their customer happy will refund part of their money. A better approach is to request the buyer to return the item for a full refund.  Other buyers will falsely claim that the item was never received but request a full refund.  This can be avoided if sellers ship via tracked services under Paypal Seller Protection.

3. Lack of negative seller ratings. Beware of the lack of negative ratings for sellers. Read the neutral reviews, because on e-Bay bad reviews are not normally given prior to 2008, due to the phenomenon of retaliation ratings. You might want to consider the neutral review as negative to be on the safe side.

4. Account hijacking and one day sales. In this scam the perpetrator either steals an existing seller’s account or quickly signs up to do a one-day auction.  One-day auctions can be legit, but be careful and make sure you read a seller’s last few reviews to make sure they are consistent.

5. Strange circumstances. Many a fraudulent ad claims unusual circumstances, such as “The strangest thing happened. I just bought a car at a government auction for a dollar and I need to sell it quick…” Don’t rise to the bait.

Bottom line is, sometimes it’s good to go with a gut feeling, and if you think there’s something shady about a buyer or a seller, the safest thing is not to engage in a purchase with them.

[Image courtesy of Geekstir.com]

When people are desperate enough for money, they will sometimes turn to insurance fraud as a way to get money because to them, insurance fraud seems victimless. After all, what’s a £5,000 claim for a giant insurance company, right? Nope. It affects everyone who buys insurance due to increased premiums.

How much has insurance fraud gone up?
In 2008, 4% of all insurance claims were found to be fraudulent, up from 3% in 2007 . The number is expected to rise in 2009 as the recession deepens.

How much does insurance fraud cost the industry, and, more importantly, me?
In 2007, fraudulent insurance claims totaled £730 million a year . Other sources estimate that the figure is more like £1.6 billion a year. Insurance fraud adds around £40 to everyone’s premium.

How does organized insurance fraud work?
Organised insurance fraudsters will sometimes deliberately cause car accidents where an innocent driver is forced to crash into the back of the fraud criminal’s car. The organized fraud group makes claims against the innocent driver, often for made-up injuries on people who weren’t even at the scene of the crash. Some of these insurance fraud rings have claims with many insurers at the same time.

What kind of individual fraud cases show up more during recessions?
Sometimes people will torch their car and claim it was stolen in order to collect insurance money. Others will “lose” expensive jewellery that is covered in a homeowners policy, or claim that an injury suffered during recreation (playing rugby for instance) was caused by a hole in the pavement. Insurance fraud having to do with automobiles is the most costly, accounting for £360 million a year.

Why should I report suspected insurance fraud?
Well, for one thing, insurance fraud is a felony. For another, it costs you, me, and everyone else in terms of higher premiums. You can report suspected insurance fraud anonymously to the Insurance Fraud Cheatline of the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

Recently retired TV presenter Des O’Connor of Channel 4’s Countdown was the victim of credit card fraud resulting in £1,000 worth of unapproved charges.

O’Connor was one of many victims of Olanrewaju Apalara, a former John Lewis sales associate perpetrating a huge credit card scam.

Apalara, 26, stole dozens of customers’ credit card information by recording it in his cell phone while working at the company’s Oxford Street store in London in 2005. He later used the stolen information to order electronics and other merchandise online and then resold them.  According to Prosecutor Ben Douglas-Jones:

“He used his position of trust to obtain the details of bankcards and pin numbers from customers who he served cards obtained from other sources were also used.  Apalara used two internet shopping sites where he knew the ‘integrity of the card verification system was flawed.”

Apalara was able to run his scam for nine months, but his operation came crashing to a halt when John Lewis brought in police. He was sentenced over the weekend to 18 months in jail after admitting to obtaining property by deception as well as converting the proceeds of criminal property.

[thisismoney]