How Ghost Jobs Can Come to Haunt You

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Alpha Stock Images

They say it's hard to find good help.  While this little ditty has stood the test of time, the opposite can also hold true, especially in the age of the Internet.  While it's currently reported that there are some 9.5 million jobs posted online, not all the postings are legitimate.  What I mean by that is some of the postings are what's referred to as "ghost jobs." No, I'm not talking about applying for a job as a ghost buster.  Ghost jobs are help wanted ads posted by companies who have no intention of filling the position.  Some of these positions have already been filled, while others aren't currently available or don't exist at all.  Apply for a ghost job and you won't hear boo from the employer, no matter how well qualified you happen to be.  Not only does this waste your time, in some cases it can come to haunt you.  Below are ten things you need to do to identify and avoid ghost jobs, as well as what can happen if you don't heed my warning.

Fake Insurance Follies

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pix4free.org

Whenever something sounds too good to be true it usually is.  That little ditty applies doubly when it comes to phony insurance offers.  Advertising being what it is today, you have to be wary of pie-in-the-sky deals that are designed to get you to click or call for more information.  Not only with these too good to be true deals disappear when you respond, if you aren't careful you could wind up divulging personal information to who knows who or you could wind up purchasing a policy that isn't worth the paper it's printed on.  To help you weed out the bogus offers that are all over the TV and Internet, I decided I'd clue you into some of the most flagrant insurance rip offs that are currently being used to dupe the public today.

How Skimming, Shimming and Jugging Can Rob You Blind

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pxhere

I'm old enough to be able to remember a time when everyone had to go to the bank to make a deposit or withdraw money from their account.  Then came the 1980's, which introduced everyone to the Automated Teller Machine that made depositing a check or receiving cash a breeze.  Forty years later, ATMs can be found everywhere from shopping malls to parking lots.  All it takes is a debit card and a PIN to safely access your funds anywhere anytime of the day or night.  What could be more convenient?  The trouble is that this convenience can cost you big if you aren't careful.  The same technology that provides consumers with instant cash can turn an ATM into an opportunity to rob you blind.  If you don't want to find your hard earned money taken from you, you need to learn how thieves can turn any ATM into an instant payday.

Hidden Cameras Can Turn Your Vacation into I-Spy

 By Catherine Powell

Picture frame camera courtesy Amazon

The whole concept of a vacation is to be able to let your hair down to release the pent up frustrations produced by laboring all year long to feed your family.  While that may entail flying to a foreign destination, taking a cruise, staying in a hotel, a B&B, or renting a camper to drive across the country, I'm here to tell you that all of the above can be wired with hidden video cameras designed to spy on you.  That's right, tiny spycams are routinely found in everything from hotel rooms and rental cabins to cruise ships and airline bathrooms.  What's worse is that they're so small that they're nearly impossible to find.  Some are motion-activated and can see in the dark. Spycams can be secreted in clock radios and bedside lamps.  They can be built into smoke alarms. picture frames, and toothbrush holders.  They can be concealed in air conditioning vents and mirrors.  In short, they can be hidden almost anywhere.  Once installed, these hi-tech peeping toms can be set to both record and live stream their payload for fun or profit.  That's right, your most intimate moments can be uploaded to streaming sites for public consumption.  If you don't want to become the latest online sensation, you need to learn how to spot and eliminate these hidden menaces. Below are six ways to find out if you're being spied on and what to do if you spot a spycam while you're on vacation.