Help!!! Online Transaction Loopholes?

Posted on October 4th, 2009 by admin

Hi Guys!! I found it absolutely surprising to make an online purchase with an invalid billing address and still my order was approved by the merchant – i’ve just purchased a download from a leading anti-virus software provider and mistakenly entered a completely wrong billing address and still my order was approved.

It makes me feel worried about the high risk of fraudulent activity loopholes online digital product providers contributes to ecommerce in general.

Can anyone supply me with any online store that will not allow the kind of transaction i have just experienced (i need a store that will decline transactions when billing address isn’t valid or compatible with banks record); before i put an end to ever transacting online.

I need a prove to be re-assured that all stores ain’t the same. Only provide store links pls.

Hi.

First of all, the post above me is wrong. The store isn’t involved in security at all; your credit card company is.

The problem you’re experiencing is likely caused by the fact that addresses are only checked for reliability by your 5-digit zip code. If your shipping address’ zip code matches the zip code your credit card company has on hand, you’ll be approved.

There are no stores online where you can type in an incorrect shipping address with the correct zip code and be disapproved. (Unless, of course, you’re disapproved for another reason.)

Why do credit card companies close your account after you pay off your balance?

Posted on October 2nd, 2009 by admin

I’m the kind of guy who pays the balance off each month. Over the summer, Amex closed my account after I made a $3,000 payment for no reason. I realize the recession might have still been going on during the summer but you’d think to maximize profit, if they felt I was high risk, why wouldn’t they just leave my account alone and rake in my merchant fees, annual fee, and interest in I ever decided to carry a balance? It’s like a lose, lose for both of us.

It isn’t that you were high risk, you were a non-money making asset. If you don’t carry a balance, they don’t make money off you. Interest, late fees, over limit fees, payment fees, etc. are how they make their living. If you pay off your balance, in full, every month, how are you helping make them a profit?

What do you think about this story?

Posted on September 30th, 2009 by admin

My brother found that he LOVES to write so we wanted to get some others opinions, please let me know what you think. I’m sure he would like to get some of your opinions. If you would like to read more let me know and I will send you some more :D Thanks for your time.

Robert Salvatore woke up to what felt like a normal day in Xenon city. A cold, dark city made completely of steel and computer technology. During a Xenon winter, the temperature could drastically change from fifty degrees below zero, to one hundred and eighty above.

He awoke to the crisp, cold, metallic air beginning to cycle through his estates oxygen filters, but he did not mind the metallic air; he had been exposed to it since he was a very young boy about the age of three. Robert tapped a flat-screened button on a panel in front of him. The bed, a sleeping capsule, slowly ejected from the wall and tilted forward for him to step out.

His home didn’t seem like it normally was. There was no smell of the androids, which every morning cooked him his food and brought it up to his room. It was hard to come by “real” food in Xenon anymore; it was all simulations and meal capsules now. Robert was rich. He had shimmering, wavy black hair with which he combed to the right. He had pale, silky white skin which seemed to glow like the moon in the dark night sky, and deep sky blue eyes, which were cold and seemed full of hate, As if he had been through much pain and suffering, causing his soul to be numb.

Robert Salvatore used to be a police officer in Xenon, a high-ranking police captain. He resigned due to cruel laws being passed that sickened him, and that would sicken anyone to see what the XCPD had done. The police officers were trained to their breaking point. They had no emotions anymore; they would arrest people within 15 feet of the police department prison stairs, they would murder someone whom was “too close” to them, or the chief. The chief, a tall, slender man about the age of 29, whom went by the title “lord” Arcus, was a cruel, harsh man. He was once a friend of Robert’s but a tragic incident happened in the marketplace one day, about two years before Robert’s resignation, where his parents, siblings, and friends were all killed during an invasion including two of Xenon’s biggest gangs. That is why Lord Arcus was such a cold, cruel, hateful man.

Upon Robert’s resignation, he solemnly swore to oppose the Xenon police. He smuggled out 150 cargo crates of high-ranking police equipment to bring to the rebel bases in the lower levels of Xenon. He sold most of the materials. He sold what ever he had in the stock market, supplies he no longer needed, and pieces of furniture and weapons he had crafted and produced himself. He paid for many years of education with the money he had earned. He learned advanced medical procedures, carpentry, programming, gunsmithing, merchanting, mechanics, and many more skills such as advanced math, etc. and quickly became the richest, most intelligent man in Xenon city.

Although he was extremely rich, he wanted more in life; much, much more.
He knew of a mine full of gold, possibly billions of dollars worth just past the police station and down the road next to it. Was he going to risk being caught near the mine and possibly get arrested? Or would he sneak out after the ten o’clock curfew set by police? The most dangerous time of the day; night, in Xenon was full of bandits, assassins, other rebels, and animals even the most powerful of police could not come to capture.
Robert decided to go and attempt to get into the mine during night. Despite the risk of being mugged, or possibly killed during pitch black of night, He knew that during an Xenon winter, nobody would ever want to go out during night anyway. The temperature on a Xenon winter’s night could reach two hundred degrees below zero. Everybody stayed inside with the nuclear heating to keep warm, and if someone did not have a home, they would go into the Xenon subway tunnels and bundle up next to a barrel they would build a fire in. Robert also knew that he could keep warm with his white silk suit with thermal plates build into it would keep him alive in the cold night air and also help him blend into the snow.

Robert just had to figure out how he was going to get into that mine. Two weeks after the first tunnel had been dug, leading to a big underground cavern, the walls covered in ice and the miners had to leave until it heated up. That night however, a rock slide appeared in front of the mine and blocked anyone from getting in. The police would not assist either, because the excuse that they were “protecting” the citizens of Xenon.
Robert knew that this was even more of a bonus. Nobody was able to get into the mine, so nobody else would be at the mine to risk meeting. That meant that there was also generators and heaters in the mine and he could keep himself warm for a long time with them. That is, if they have any fuel in the

Y!A isn’t letting me answer this.
FINALLY!!!

Do you mind if I do some editing?

Robert Salvatore woke up to what felt like a normal day in Xenon city, a cold, dark city made completely of steel and computer technology. During a Xenon winter, the temperature could drastically change from fifty degrees below zero, to one hundred and eighty above.

He woke to the crisp, cold, metallic air beginning to cycle through his estates oxygen filters, but he did not mind the metallic air; he had been exposed to it since he was a very young boy about the age of three. Robert tapped a flat-screened button on a panel in front of him. The bed, a sleeping capsule, slowly ejected from the wall and tilted forward for him to step out.

His home didn’t seem like it normally was. There was no smell of androids, which every morning cooked him his food and brought it up to his room. It was hard to come by “real” food in Xenon anymore; it was all simulations and meal capsules now. Robert was rich. He had shimmering, wavy black hair which he combed to the right. Pale, silky white skin that seemed to glow like the moon in the dark night sky, and deep sky blue eyes, which were cold and seemed full of hate, As if he had been through such pain and suffering, that his soul had become (or gone) numb.

Robert Salvatore used to be a police officer in Xenon, a high-ranking police captain (either a high ranking police officer or just a police captain- you can’t say that he was a high ranking police captain, because captain is only one type of rank, neither high or low). He resigned due to harsh laws being passed that sickened him, and that would sicken anyone that saw what the XCPD had done. The police officers were trained to their breaking point. They had no emotions anymore; they would arrest people within 15 feet of the police department prison stairs, they would murder someone who was “too close” to them, or the chief. The chief, a tall, slender man of about 29, who went by the title “lord” Arcus, was a cruel, harsh man. He was once a friend of Robert’s but a tragic incident happened in the marketplace one day, about two years before Robert’s resignation, where his parents, siblings, and friends were all killed during an invasion perpetrated by two of Xenon’s biggest gangs. That is why Lord Arcus was such a cold, cruel, hateful man.

Upon Robert’s resignation, he solemnly swore to oppose the Xenon police. He smuggled out 150 cargo crates of high-ranking police equipment to bring to the rebel bases in the lower levels of Xenon. He sold most of the materials. He sold whatever he had in the stock market, supplies he no longer needed, and pieces of furniture and weapons he had crafted and produced himself. He paid for many years of education with the money he had earned. He learned advanced medical procedures, carpentry, programming, gunsmithing, merchanting, mechanics, and many more skills such as advanced math, etc. and quickly became the richest, most intelligent man in Xenon city.

Although he was extremely rich, he wanted more in life; much, much more.
He knew of a mine full of gold, possibly billions of dollars worth just past the police station and down the road next to it. Was he going to risk being caught near the mine and possibly get arrested? Or would he sneak out after the ten o’clock curfew set by police? The most dangerous time of the day; night, in Xenon was full of bandits, assassins, other rebels, and animals even the most powerful of police could not come to capture.
Robert decided to go and attempt to get into the mine during night. Despite the risk of being mugged, or possibly killed during pitch black of night, He knew that during a Xenon winter, nobody would ever want to go out during night anyway. The temperature on a Xenon winter’s night could reach two hundred degrees below zero. Everybody stayed inside with the nuclear heating to keep warm, and if someone did not have a home, they would go into the Xenon subway tunnels and bundle up next to a barrel they would build a fire in. Robert also knew that he could keep warm with his white silk suit with thermal plates build into it that would keep him alive in the cold night air and also help him blend into the snow.

Robert just had to figure out how he was going to get into that mine. Two weeks after the first tunnel had been dug, leading to a big underground cavern, the walls covered in ice and the miners had to leave until it heated up. That night however, a rock slide appeared in front of the mine and blocked anyone from getting in. The police would not assist either, because the excuse that they were “protecting” the citizens of Xenon.
Robert knew that this was even more of a bonus. Nobody was able to get into the mine, so nobody else would be at the mine to risk meeting. That meant that there was also generators and heaters in the mine and he could keep himself warm for a long time with them. That is, if they have any fuel in the

The story seems interesting, although the jump from describing Robert to the mine is way too fast. I think some more background should be added, for that jump not to be so noticeable. Also, the suit shouldn’t be silk, it’s one of the coldest fibers known to man, and it’s a natural fiber. If there isn’t any REAL food, there shouldn’t be any REAL natural fiber either. It needs work, and a little more maturity in my opinion. Right now it sounds like a teenage action story, and the characters so far seem to be much too young to be real. All in all it’s not a bad reading experience, and with serious professional editing it could be a lot better. Hope I was helpful.

U.S. History Homework Help (10 pts best)?

Posted on September 28th, 2009 by admin

Okay, I really don’t wanna hear how I should do my own homework, you could have finished it by the time you finished typing this. 1, History is my worst subject so it takes me forever, and 2, I type fast. Basically I have had a really bad week and I haven’t slept in over 2 days now.

I am working on this as well right now. Already got some answers but my brain just really isn’t here today, or for the past week for that matter.

So please please please if you like history or are good at it please help. You deffinately would get 10 pts best answer.

Thank you so much in advance. I really mean it..

Ps… I think I need coffee…. :P

——————————————————————————————————

1. Which of the following was NOT a contributing factor to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914?
A. a policy of militarisom
B. a complex system of alliances
C. a growing sense of nationalism
D. a shift in public opinion toward isolationism

3. How did German’s U-boats violate international law?
A. by disguising themselves with flags of neutral nations
B. by stopping vital supplies from reaching the front lines
C. by attacking merchant ships without letting passengers flee to safety
D. by conduction surprise searches of merchant ships in neutral waters

4. How did President Wilson respond to the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915?
A. by demanding that Germany stop unrestricted submarine warfare
B. by calling on Congress to approve a declaration of war against Germany
C. by sending navy ships to patrol Atlantic waters and sink any U-boats they found
D. by warning American sitizens that they traveled on foreign ships at their own risk

5. In the Zimmermann note, what did Germany promise Mexico in return for its support during World War I?
A. Germany would cede territory in Africa to Mexico.
B. Germany would not attack Mexican merchant ships.
C. Germany would help Mexico regain terriroty in the United States.
D. Germany would loan Mexico money to jumpstart its economy.

6. How did the U.S. government build the large fighting force it would need to enter World War I?
A. It encouraged women to enlist as well as men.
B. It allowed blacks to train and fight alongside whites.
C. It offered high wages to anyone who volunteered to fight.
D. It established a national draft for young men aged 21 to 30.

7. Why was the timing of the arribal of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe crucial to the Allies?
A. The Germans had recently enlisted Italy as an ally in the war.
B. The British had recently lost all their battleships in a large sea battle.
C. The French had just retreated from the battle front after heavy losses.
D. The Russians had just signed a peace treaty with Germany and left the war.

8. Which of these statesments BEST explains the development of trench warfare in World War I?
A. U-boats cut off supplies to the troops.
B. Airplanes made it easier to spot enemy positions.
C. The invention of tanks made ground assault impossible.
D. New long-range weapons turned battlefields into death traps.

9. Why was the Meuse-Argonne Offensive a significant battle of World War I?
A. Nearly 1 million Americans died in this battle.
B. Germans agreed to a truce shortly after this battle.
C. The ccity of Paris was destroyed as a result of this battle.
D. The Allied victory in this battle convinced Russia to leave the war.

12. Which of these was neither a push factor nor a pull factor in the Great Migration?
A. increased job opportunities in the North
B. growing racial tension in cities in the North
C. widespread pooverty among sharecroppers in the South
D. fear of lynching and violence against blacks in the South

13. What power did the Sedition Act give the federal government during World War I?
A. the power to spy on new immigrants
B. the power to draft young men into the military
C. the power to fight dissent that could damage the war effort
D. the power to control what and how much factories produced

15. On what grounds was Charles Schenck’s conviction for promoting draft resistance upheald as consitutional in Schenck v. United States?
A. Free speech does not include all forms of symbolic speech.
B. Free speech does not exist during a time of national emergency.
C. Free speech can be limited to protect the safety of the speaker.
D. Free speech can be denied when a clear and present danger exists.

16. Which of the following was NOT part of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
A. requireing reparations from defeated nations
B. protecting freedom of the seas in both war and peace
C. establishing a League of Nations to ensure world peace
D. encouraging European nations to reduce their armaments

17. What was the fate of Germany’s colonies at the end of World War I?
A. They were given to the Allied nations as part of reparations.
B. They were allowed to exercise their right to self-determineation.
C. They we
Soryr, I just realized 17 – 20 was sorta missing. I’ll try and work on those.
baphometx: Thank you so so so much. That does help alot, you have no idea. Thank you so much!
Okay, 19. According to President Wilson, how would the League of Nations maintain peace?
A. by excluding from its membership any country that started a way
C. by providing collective security to handle any threats as they arose
D. by outlawing war and requiring all nations to help create a world police force

I know it’s not B. And they all make sence.

The definition of it is…
League of Nations: an international organization established by the Allied powers at the close of World War I to promote international peace and security

And the paragraph I have is…
It called for setting up an international organization called the LON to ensure world peace. Member nations would agree to protect one another’s independence and territorial integrity. Under the principle that territory, nations respect on another’s borders and do not try to gain another country’s territory by force. Working together, Leage members would resolve conflicts before those conflicflicts escalated into war

Hi, I think I can help you with a few of these:

3. C
5. C
8. D

I hope I helped you out if at least a little – I took American History last year so I remember clearly some of these things. :-) Good luck.

Jews of Iraq? What about them?

Posted on September 26th, 2009 by admin


No matter if in Iraq or other places. All people need respect.

Remeber Lennon sing: IMAGINE.

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say,
I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day
You’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say,
I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day
You’ll join us
And the world will be as one.

Just a couple of easy questions HELP!!!!!!?

Posted on September 24th, 2009 by admin

This is just a couple of questions from a big test so don’t say i didn’t try

1. What is an entrepreneur? (1 point)

a sole proprietorship
a corporation
one who opens a new business
a bank that loans money

2. Which of the following is the best definition of probable operating costs? (1 point)

Amount of money required to start a business
Amount of money required to market a business
Amount of money required to purchase business equipment
Amount of money required to keep a business running

3. What may be offered to clients when banks find the risk too high? (1 point)

Proprietary money
Private money
Personal money
Partnership money

4. Which of the following is a start-up cost associated with opening a business? (1 point)

Equipment
Legal fees/Licensing
Insurance
All of the above

5. What is a term used widely among real estate investors to refer to non-traditional means of real estate financing, or financing techniques not commonly used? (1 point)

Common financing
Capital financing
Leverage financing
Creative financing

6. What does "OPM" stand for in leveraging OPM? (1 point)

Organizational profit management
Other profit means
Other people’s money
Organizational profit marketing

7. Generally, a loan obtained from a bank will be a loan. (1 point)

Taxed
Term
Variable
Collateral-free

8. Which of the following is not a type of retail bank? (1 point)

Bond bank
Private bank
Offshore bank
Ethical bank

9. What type of banks were traditionally banks which engaged in trade financing? (1 point)

Private
Merchant
Ethical
Offshore

10. Which of the following is an example of an unsecured bank loan? (1 point)

Credit card debt
Bank overdrafts
Corporate bonds
All of the above

1) one who opens a new business 2) keep a Business running 3)private money 4) all of the above 5) creative financing 6) other people’s money 7) variable 8) offshore bank 9)merchant 10) credit card debt

How long does it take to setup a bass? should I do it myself?

Posted on September 22nd, 2009 by admin

I’m about to buy my first bass (very stoked!) and I’ve been researching some things to look out for. Some people say you should ask the merchant if you should have your bass setup immediately or in a week or two. I didn’t even know what setup was till I looked into this after reading it. The same article said "It may be hard to buy a bass and then leave it in the store" which makes me wonder, how long does it take to setup my bass? Is this something where I can go get lunch and come back for it? Or will it be a few days to a week?

Also, alot of the sites are about doing it yourslef. I am a novice and I’m really nervous about adjusting things on my bass. If I get it wrong and break the bass I can not get another one for an ideffinite amount of time. I’m not entirely tool retarded but I’m not a repairman eithier. Is it worth the risk of attempting to use my own tools and a good tutorial to setup my own bass? Or is the risk high and I should let a proffesinal do it?
Yes a bass guitar, I’m sorry. And by set up I mean adjusting the height of the pickup, the bend of the neck, adjusting the bridge etc.

Same question… bass guitar? If you mean bass guitar you could certainly set it up in about 27 seconds. If you mean bass as in a part of a stereo then a) you should probably be asking in the electronics section and b) it depends entirely on what you’re hooking it too and exactly what it is.

People’s Republic of China?

Posted on September 20th, 2009 by admin

CHINA
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Head of state: Hu Jintao
Head of government: Wen Jiabao
Death penalty: retentionist
International Criminal Court: not ratified

An increased number of lawyers and journalists were harassed, detained, and jailed. Thousands of people who pursued their faith outside officially sanctioned churches were subjected to harassment and many to detention and imprisonment. Thousands of people were sentenced to death or executed. Migrants from rural areas were deprived of basic rights. Severe repression of Uighurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region continued, and freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted in Tibet and among Tibetans elsewhere.

International community
Before China’s election to the new UN Human Rights Council, it made a number of human rights-related pledges, including ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and active co-operation with the UN on human rights.
http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/China

Next time you post something like this, with facts and figures, post a link so people can check it out to make sure its legit, based on current events, and not more china bashing.

When you do, then I’ll check it out.

============================

Now you supplied a link, but the great cyber wall here in China won’t let me get there.

China censors China hate sites plus pornography.

Keep this in mind, the Amnisties Internationals organizations depend on donations to survive. I’ve often wondered just how much they embellish the facts on that alone. It behooves one to look very closely at their board of directors, what they are getting paid, what percentage goes to public education, who they interview, are they seeking the other sides arguments without predisposition, — in short, is it tabloid journalism, or is it really true. Plus, how current is it?

====================

Peace

Jim

.

Pls Read: Online Transaction Loophole?

Posted on September 18th, 2009 by admin

Hi Guys!! I found it absolutely surprising to make an online purchase with an invalid billing address and still my order was approved by the merchant – i’ve just purchased a download from a leading anti-virus software provider and mistakenly entered a completely wrong billing address and still my order was approved.

It makes me feel worried about the high risk of fraudulent activity loopholes online digital product providers contributes to ecommerce in general.

Can anyone supply me with any online store that will not allow the kind of transaction i have just experienced (i need a store that will decline transactions when billing address isn’t valid or compatible with banks record); before i put an end to ever transacting online.

I need a prove to be re-assured that all stores ain’t the same. Only provide store links pls.

Slow down and examine the risk.

In the US, federal law protect credit card holders. If your credit card is physically lost and you fail to notify the credit card issuer, you are then liable for only the first $50 of fraudulent purchases. If you card is physically lost and you notify the issuer before any unauthorized charges occur, then you are liable for $0.

If you have not physically lost the card, you have no liability for unauthorized charges at all. If you credit card number is stolen and some merchant accepts it, that is the merchant’s problem, not yours.

That is why some merchants choose to verify your address and some do not. A software provider as an example, has no cost in providing the additional copy of the product. If the charge turns out to be fraudulent and ultimately get charged back, there is very little loss to the merchant. On the other hand, if I am selling you gold bullion, you can bet I will verify your credit card, before I ship the gold!

As a merchant, I accept credit cards all the time. When taking a number over the phone, I verify the address, but if the verification fails, I can still accept the transaction….If I want to accept that risk. The risk, of course, is the risk of a charge back.

I find it really interesting the way that the banking industry has gotten us for worry about identity theft, when the bank industry bears 99% of the risk. The card holder has little or nothing to worry about.

I had some unknown person purchase a big screen TV using my credit card number. Since I still had the physical card and the charge was fraudulent, I simply had the charge removed from my account.

Warning! The above rules apply only to credit cards! Debit cards do not enjoy the same protections. If someone gets your debit card number, they can empty your bank account!

Help!!! Online Transaction Loopholes?

Posted on September 16th, 2009 by admin

Hi Guys!! I found it absolutely surprising to make an online purchase with an invalid billing address and still my order was approved by the merchant – i’ve just purchased a download from a leading anti-virus software provider and mistakenly entered a completely wrong billing address and still my order was approved.

It makes me feel worried about the high risk of fraudulent activity loopholes online digital product providers contributes to ecommerce in general.

Can anyone supply me with any online store that will not allow the kind of transaction i have just experienced (i need a store that will decline transactions when billing address isn’t valid or compatible with banks record); before i put an end to ever transacting online.

I need a prove to be re-assured that all stores ain’t the same. Only provide store links pls.

I can’t give you links because I don’t know what you are shopping for. What I can tell you (I do this for a living) is that the merchant has a large number of options to pick from for credit card verification. Some merchants will just accept card number and date, some will verify the card code (three digits on the back of the card). Vendors can turn AVS (address verification service) on or off, obviously your vendor had it off. They can also reject transactions which exceed an amount they deem reasonable. They can reject if too many transactions with the same card arrive in too short a time. There are things you can’t see: the vendor should encrypt transaction information exchanged with his card processor, for example. He can completely block selected users.

Obviously, your vendor has chosen a very low level of security. This is a problem, and you are right to complain. But the next vendor may make other decisions, and other mistakes.

When I set these up, I’ve always used a simple rule for verification: something you have, something you know. The something you have is the credit card. The something you know is the address. Yes, there are flaws with that logic, but there are limits to what you can do.

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