Jim discusses the LuLaRoe documentary LuLa Rich (and Life After MLM podcast) - past distributors say it is a cult, share their stories of dysfunction, and how they got out. Also, Disney employees demonstrate on both coasts, a new way to get wholesale rates on hotels, an even greater crisis growing at the border, a $31 million dollar coupon scam, and is the stock market about to take a dive? Read more →

From Abby Ellin's first date with the Commander, she was caught up in a whirlwind. Within six months he'd proposed, and they'd moved in together. But soon, his exotic stories of international espionage began to unravel. Finally, it all became clear: he was lying about who he was. Read more →

Jim discusses the new radio show format, his frustrations on why people don't at least buy a small amount of Bitcoin, Bill and Hillary Clinton's speaking tour a total flop - tickets going for as little as $20 on Groupon, a new 'one ring' phone scam warning, and the importance of owning your own platform. Read more →

About 18 years ago I learned that my accountant (my own brother) embezzled $2 million dollars from me. I am personally well aware of what can happen when a criminal gains access to your financial accounts. Today's criminals use all manner of technology to steal from their victims (and many times it is a relative or close friend). The focus in recent years has been on online breaches, but low tech means of thievery are still alive and well. One significant vulnerability may be sitting right at the end of your driveway - your mailbox. We had several incidents of... Read more →

Jim shares a timely warning on this video about a new scam using text messages which can give scammers a way to empty your bank account. PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO ON YOUR OWN FACEBOOK ACCOUNT SO WE CAN GET THE WORD OUT! Read more →

Obamacare indeed appears to be the disaster that never ends. According to reporting from the International Business Times, nearly 1.5 million people from 32 states could see their coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) go the way of the wind in 2017. The problem, of course, is that insurance companies continue to bail on the health care exchanges, and are doing so because of…what else…cost. The requirements for insurers, including that enrollees with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, have simply made their continued participation unviable. Although it was expected that enrollment would be substantial among higher-risk groups of... Read more →

Mystery shopping is real. Thankfully, it has been around long enough that most people know it to be a legitimate way to make money, but scams that use mystery shopping “opportunities” as vehicles to separate you from your money are, sadly, out there, as well. I will assume you’re familiar with mystery shopping, even while you may not have any direct experience with it as yet. If not, it can be quickly summarized as work wherein you act as an undercover shopper for the benefit of a given retail establishment, so that the customer experience can be evaluated and improved... Read more →

As more products become connectable to the Internet, the universe of the so-called “Internet of things” continues to grow almost exponentially. The “Internet of things” refers to products and devices of all kinds that are connected to the Internet. Although computing devices like tablets and laptops are technically included as components of the Internet of things (or IoT), the term really refers to those goods that do not have Internet connectivity as a principal function of their overriding purpose, but which nevertheless have both the hardware and software installed that enables them to be connected for collateral purposes. For example,... Read more →

The importance of online privacy continues to become clearer to more and more folks…including those who have been, to some extent, non-believers in its real importance. Case in point: While traveling via American Airlines from Dallas, Texas to Raleigh, North Carolina, journalist Steven Petrow was working on his article about the current dispute between Apple and the FBI; as you surely know by now, the FBI is demanding that Apple create a backdoor that would allow the feds to go into the San Bernardino terrorists’ phones in order to extract more evidentiary information, while Apple has so far refused, citing... Read more →

We talk a lot about digital privacy in this space, and we often assume that real Internet safety and security is a genuine priority for just about all thinking people. That, however, may not be the case. A global private network provider, HMA, in conjunction with Morar Consulting, recently conducted a study that found, in their words, that “while two thirds of respondents say they would like extra layers of online privacy and security, their actions prove otherwise.” The study revealed that although 63 percent of respondents declared they had experienced issues with online security, and 67 percent said that... Read more →

The federal government’s recent crackdown on for-profit “career colleges” has given hope to many students and graduates who believe they were duped by certain of these schools on the basis of untrue graduate career placement records, predatory financial and student recruiting practices, and deceptive marketing. In a stunning move back in June 2015, the U.S. Department of Education fully canceled the federal student loan debt of thousands of students of various of the Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit education company that had numerous “career colleges” in its stable of subsidiary schools, including Everest, Heald, and WyoTech. Another step in the direction... Read more →

In a startling article that appeared at Forbes at the close of 2015, Dan Munro reveals a recent disclosure by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights that data breaches in the health care industry in 2015 totaled over 112 million records. The news for the immediate future is not good, either; according to the article, the International Data Corporation’s Health Insights group is reporting “that 1 in 3 health care recipients will be the victim of a health care data breach in 2016.” 1 in 3! This information is another reminder that whatever convenience we... Read more →

Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is fast becoming the new standard in the maintenance and transfer of personal information. RFID involves the use of microchips that contain sensitive personal data, microchips which are now commonly embedded into such things as credit and debit cards, driver’s licenses, passports, and various identification cards. The idea is that the electronically-stored information can make it easier and faster to complete a variety of standard identification and payment processes commonly engaged throughout society. In a vacuum, it sounds like a great idea, except that when you think through the potential risks associated with such convenience,... Read more →

In the news this week was the revelation of multiple patent applications filed by Bank Of America related to the creation of a new cryptocurrency, could it be the next Bitcoin? Why online college degrees are now the smart way to get an education. How to get prepped in one trip to Wal-Mart, $100,000 Christmas bonuses, two scams to avoid this holiday season, and will gas prices stay this low for very long? Read more →

I am crossing paths more frequently with those who have decided to adopt a bit of an “anti-Internet” posture in their own lives. I know several people, for example, who have begun to turn their backs on social media. For them, the novelty of platforms like Facebook has worn off, and they no longer feel the need to share so much of their private lives with everyone on a real-time basis. Most of these folks still use the Internet, of course, but the point is that when it comes to online safety, we are usually our own worst enemies. I... Read more →