Been busy lately! I wiill be writing about some product reviews and showing off some cool projects soon. Stay tuned…

Because fraud is so rampant on ebay, many ebay sellers are requiring their buyers to confirm their address so that they will be covered by ebay and Paypal’s Seller Protection Policy. But what does this mean? This is ebay and Paypal’s way of verifying your identity. The system they have built covers the seller in the event of fraud and they buyer gets some other benefits too.

So how as an ebay buyer do you do this? Generally, you add your bank account to Paypal, Paypal sends you two small deposits, and you then report back the deposits. It is not full proof but it must have good enough success for ebay to support it.

As an ebay Seller, I have had Paypal tell me that someone fraudulently stole one of my buyer’s account to buy something from me. When this happens, I am liable and Paypal will always reverse the transaction taking the money out of my account but since I shipped it to the address given in Paypal and they had a confirmed address, they covered it and did not take the funds from me.

Had I not followed ebay and Paypal’s rules and the buyer’s address was not confirmed, they would have taken the money from me end of story. Im pretty sure if you add your bank account to Paypal as a buyer, you get coverage in the even that the seller is fraudulent.

As a buyer or seller, you will run across someone who will try to rip you off. If you are going to sell or buy on ebay, please read ebay’s policies before buying or selling anything. Many people jump right in and get ripped off right away. Others who are more cautious, get through without ever getting ripped off because of ebay’s policy.

It is not your fault and it is easy to do, but getting you identity stolen via a fake email is a serious issue. Unfortunately, we live in a world where their people are evil and prey upon the good and unsuspecting. Most people may know by now but if you have not heard, you can get fake or spoofed emails from a spammer that leads to a fake financial institution or some other scheme in an attempt to steal your personal information or gain access to your bank account. To help prevent yourself from getting your identity stolen, I have compiled a simple list of rules to follow.

• Assume all from anyone you don’t know is bogus and fake
• Assume all email from any financial institution is fake
• Do not click any links in email

On another note, you should turn off the html preview in email so you don’t get a virus but that is a story for another day.

If you receive an email from you bank or financial institution, it could be real but there is a good chance it is fake. Usually, they will say your account is about to be canceled and to click a link to fix or update your information. The email will look just like it was from you bank and the link will take you to a site that looks just like you bank but it is not. when you log in, they phishing is done. You just gave your username and password to your bank and now they are free to drain your account. Some really bad and obvious links will ask you to update your information while asking for your name, address, drivers license number, birthday, and social. Sadly, do not trust anything of this nature from your email. If there is a problem with your bank, go directly to their web site by typing the web address in your browser. Obviously, if there is a problem, your financial institution will tell you.

If you think you are a victim of identity theft, here are some steps as they are found on the ftc.gov website.

• Try to document and make a record of as much as you can regarding the theft.
• Place a fraud alert on your credit report. Get the info below.
• Notify the companies who own the accounts that have been compromised. If your American Express info was stolen, call American Express immediately
• Close the accounts that have been compromised
• File a complain with the Federal Trade Commission. Use the online complaint form or call 877-ID-THEFT
• File a report with your local police department (in the place that the theft took place)

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Again the steps and more details are from the ftc.gov web site found here

Yes that is right, that thing your kids buy music on is now 5 years old. Introduced today back in 2003, iTunes and iPods have developed and shaped people, Apple as a company, and much more. iTunes has taken the world by storm so much, you will often see references to iTunes in TV shows or animated comedys. With sales rising to the top as the number 1 online music seller, I must say well done Apple. Happy birthday iTunes.

If you need at a minimum, weekly dose of tech news and commentary, please tune in to KFI am 640 talk radio on the weekends from 11 am to 2 pm for Leo Laporte The Tech Guy. If you cant tune in your radio, you get the stream from KFI at KFI640.com, or twit.tv/live which will soon be twitlive.tv.

Leo is amazing at helping people learn and solve everyday technical problems an average user might have. The show may sometimes get geeky, but is made for an audience that may or may not know anything about tech. Leo has been a source of inspiration for me and I hope for you too.

Leo also creates too many to count, podcasts that release just about every day. Check out twit.tv for getting any of his shows delivered to you via RSS or iTunes.

I love clothes made for geeks because they have tons of pockets to put all my geek gadgets in but I don’t like to look like a nerd. I cant resist ScottEvest clothes but some of their clothes might hint to my geeky nature. Not too long ago, I came across a web site that sells a few nice peaces of clothes with some pockets a geek would appreciate. Originally designed for law enforcement, www.511tactical.com has button up shirts for weapons that geeks might find useful for stashing their gadgets. If you have a minute, check out their Covert Casual shirt. If anyone has purchased this shirt, please let me know because I am thinking about it.

Ever been to a hotel where the television is sub-par? Ever wanted to watch the TV schedule you are used to or watch your recorded TV from your DVR? With a little device called SlingBox from Sling Media, you can watch your TV, cable connection, or DVR. I cant tell you how many times I have been in hotels with crappy TV and wanted to watch the cable that was at my house! All is required, is a pretty good Internet connection at your house and where you are and you are set. The device is very easy to setup and there are no monthly or annual fees for SlingBox. The only cost is the cost for the device. Check it out here.

Everyone gets bills and just about everyone I know keeps a copy of them in a file cabinet. As a resolution for 2008, I decided to keep a digital copy of all my bills by using a scanner. What I did not think about as I was buying my scanner is that just about every company puts my bills available online for download in an attempt to save money by asking people to opt in for online only billing. Call me old fashion, but I still like getting a paper statement but I have found that it is quicker to go and download my bills than scan them. I cant think of one bill I have that is not offered online but I have my scanner just in case.

Even though saving files in a computer is just about exactly like filing documents in a file cabinet, I have found that I am horrible at the cabinet and rather organized in my computer. In fact, I can never find what I need in my cabinet but know exactly where it is in my computer. As soon as I get a bill, I go to that specific companies web site and download it. I know many bills are stored online but I like to keep a copy somewhere for reference if needed and usually companies only offer a few months to a year of bills. If I could get in the habit of scanning important receipts, I would be set. Try out downloading a digital copy of your bill instead of keeping a copy in a cabinet, just dont forget to backup, backup, backup!

For any Windows Home Server enthusiasts, there is a great site for you to go to for information and Home Server add-ins. Check out the web site http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/windows-home-server-add-ins/

Don’t know what a Windows Home Server is? Check out my review of the HP MediaSmart Server. http://bigpcgeek.com/blog/2008/01/22/hp-windows-home-server-review/