How to Protect Yourself from Banking Fraud

Banking fraud has been spreading across the globe, spurred by internet banking and the rise in sophisticated hacking syndicates. If you have ever lost money to fraudsters, you will be very aware how the experience can be painful. Across the globe, thousands of people lose their savings every day. 

The internet has proven to a boon for technology, but it comes with it's challenges. An integrated world makes it easy for criminals to steal money and move it from one jurisdiction to the other. And virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, make it easy to launder the proceeds of crime. 

Fortunately, there are a number of steps that you can take to protect yourself in this challenging world. The following is how to keep yourself safe from bank fraud; 

Don't fall prey to phishing

Most people become victims of bank fraud after falling prey to phishing. Phishing is when someone reaches out to you via email claiming that your long lost Aunt in the happy kingdom of Bhutan has passed away, leaving you millions. 

Never mind that you don't even know where Bhutan is. You are told that to inherit this amount, you need to first provide them with your banking details. 

Should you come across such emails, you should immediately flee for dear life. Never hand out your banking details over the internet. If anything appears too good to be true, it's probably simply too good to be true. Nobody is going to hand over money to you for free; not in this day and age. 

Change your password every now and again

This is another way through which you can protect yourself from banking fraud. If you have signed up for online banking, you should ensure that you change the password every so often. Doing so ensures that people who may have gotten hold of the password are not able to hijack your account. 

Sign up for SMS alerts

Almost all banks around the world now offer the SMS alerts feature. How it works is that the moment a particular transaction is carried out on your account, you get notified via SMS. Most banks also have the option to send out notifications via email and on their apps. 

If you are in South Africa, check out the post on how to get SMS notifications from Capitec. Wherever you may be, this feature is absolutely essential. If you get notified that money has been withdrawn from your account, and if it's not you who has carried out the transaction, then you will need to quickly notify your bank to get your account frozen. 

Have daily spending limits on your account

This is another option for those looking for protection while banking on and offline. Having a spending limit means it will be impossible for anybody who hijacks your account to use up all your money. Let's say you have USD 50000 in your account, yet your spending limit is USD 500. 

It means you will only potentially lose the 500 that's withdrawn on the first day. Should you have signed up for SMS notifications, you will then be able to move to block your card and account. So, this is another layer of protection that you can add when banking. 

Do online banking from secure computers

Most people around the world now engage in online banking. That brings the convenience of being able to make transfer, make payments and much more without having to visit an actual store or bank. 

The challenge with online banking is that it can be a point of vulnerability. That's particularly the case if you are doing from unsecured computers. 

What you need to do to assure your safety is to make sure that all your computers are protected from viruses. There are many antivirus programs out there. We use the native Windows Security. Also make sure that your computer is up to date. Updates are often released to plug off security vulnerabilities. 

What's the Technology Scene Like in South Africa?

COVID 19 has made us all skeptical about things ever going back to normal. But things will get back to normal at some point in time. Hopefully. When that happens, you may want to visit South Africa on holiday. Taking a break from it all could be just what the doctor ordered. So, what can you expect in terms of technology when you get there? What's the South African technology scene like? 

South Africa is Africa's Largest Economy

South Africa is probably Africa's most developed country. We know, there will be debate about this from the likes of Nigeria and Egypt, but really all these other countries are playing catchup. 

We have previously come across tourists who expressed disappointment that South African cities looked no different from European or American cities, save for the demographics. 

That's not really surprising, considering that the country used to be a colony of the British. So, don't expect any novelties in Johannesburg, as an example, other than the rather elevated levels of crime. 

If you really want to see the beauty of South Africa, you need to visit the popular tourist spots. From Table Mountain to Kruger National park, there is no end to the wonders that you will see in the country. 

What's to be expected in terms of technology?

This is a country that's replete in wildlife, natural wonders and much more. So, in terms of technology, what's to be expected? Most tourists worry that they are going to drop off the radar when they visit South Africa. 

That is not the case. This is a country with well developed communication technologies. Just to clarify, the country's biggest mobile network Vodacom is worth an estimated USD14 billion. So, we are not talking a small company here. 

Wherever you go, you can expect to stay connected to the internet and to a phone network, save for the most remote of remote places. Popular tourist hotspots are naturally very well developed in terms of communication infrastructure. 

When one looks at the internet, speeds are good. All the major networks in the country; Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom mobile have introduced 5G. Maybe you won't find this everywhere but you shouldn't have any trouble staying in touch via the LTE (4G)  masts that are everywhere. 

If you wish to learn more about the internet in South Africa, check out popular website SA Broadband. Otherwise, have a very good day. 

What's in Stock for 2021 on the Tech Scene?

 

2021 is fast approaching and if you are like me, you have probably been asking yourself what the technology world will hold for the coming year. 2020 was an eventful year, but not in the right ways. The Covid 19 pandemic pretty much unraveled all the plans that people had. 

The work from home wave

To some extend, technology came saved the day. Working from home became the new buzzword. Such platforms as Zoom and Skype benefited form the new dispensation. Yet even the wonders of technology could not take away the fact that many had been rendered jobless around the world. 

2021 holds some ray of hope. Vaccines are about to be approved and when they do, the whole world will wake up from its enforced slumber, right? Well, not so fast! Vaccines will probably not reach some parts of the world before the mid 2021 at the very least. That's particularly the case for poorer pars of the globe. 

What's in store for Windows 10 in 2020? 

Windows no longer changes that much; or it does but the changes are hidden somewhere in its core. That's likely to continue in 2021. There won't be a Windows 11 as an example. Windows 10 is what we have and it's what we will continue to have well into the future. To be fair, if Microsoft had continued with it's naming convention, we would probably now be on Windows 15. 

One challenge that's likely to persist involves making updates to the latest version of Windows 10. If you encounter the feature update to Windows 10 version stuck issue, then you should know you are not alone. There are solutions, including the ones outlined in the article in the provided link. 

How to approach 2021

My approach to 2021 is this; I am going to try to be as creative as is possible. Enough of working for other people. And it's definitely possible to achieve this dream of independence. Across the globe, there are loads of people who are generating passive income. So, that's the way to go in the coming year. Technology makes this feasible, so there is nothing holding anybody back.

Best Topics to Blog about in 2020

 

A writer's block is something that can happen even to the best of us. One day you are cruising along and the next, you feel as if you have hit a brick wall. What do you do should that happen to you? Well, obviously you need to find some inspiration. This is something that I am very well experienced with. One moment I have nothing to write about and the next, I can't seem to be able to get rid of all the topics that are floating around in my head. Anyway, the goal for this article is to give you some direction as far as finding new topics for your blog is concerned; 

Modify existing topics for various countries

This is something that I recently began to do on one of my blogs. I have an article there talking about the best internet company, say in South Africa. This article gets decent traffic. It then occurred to me that I should modify this article for all the countries in the world. So, in the end, I had a potential 195 articles to talk about. So, you see the drift. That worked very well because my site is international and not restricted to a particular country. As an example, I could write about how to change WiFi password Globe (Philippines) and how to change WiFi password PTCL (Pakistan). Related topics, but different.

Write on areas you are curious about

This is another trick that you can use to unlock the creative genius in you. Technology topics are great because everyone is doing technology these days. What I like to do is to write about things that I am curious about. As an example, I could be curious about how to check RAM Windows 10. I will then research that topic and write a short article about it for my own blog. So, I benefit from gaining knowledge and blogging. 

Go niche

I have previously written about niche websites on this site. This is something that you can do as a means of finding some inspiration. Niche sites are something like a site covering the best headphones for kids 2020. That's a bit too niche for some, but you can generalize to include all headphones. Anyway, being niche is great in that such content is easy to monetize.

How to create a Niche Website 2020

The year 2020 has brought a number of challenges. Some say it shouldn't even be counted as a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Across the world, people have spend a good part of the year in lock down. Even those that are not on lock-down have been brought to their knees by the economic challenges that the globe has been facing. So, what do you do to survive in these troubled times? Well, one way of surviving is by creating niche websites. You know what they are always saying about making money online? As it turns out, that's not just a statement by people who are looking to milk you out of your hard earned cash.

You can actually make a living online and niche websites are one way of doing it.

What is a niche websites?

Most websites that are out there are general in nature. They talk about a wide range of topics and monetization is via a wide range of ways. Niche websites, on the other hand, focus on a particular topic. Focus is on that narrow area and there is not much deviation.

A few examples

Let us give a few examples of niche websites here. The first example is that of a website called Headphones Jack. This website's main focus is on headphones. You may think that that's a rather narrow field to focus on but there is actually no end to the number of topics that can be created on these blogs. As an example, this site has an article focusing on the Best Cheap Wireless Headphones for Running. The owners of this site obviously first carried out research and determined that this particular long tail keyword is one that has not been covered by other bloggers. So, it's an area that's fertile for the picking. A site that covers headphones can conceivably go on to talk about other audio equipment, so there is really no worry about running out of topics to talk about.

Another example of a niche website is Best E Ink Reader. This site focuses solely on e readers. One example of a topic that's on there is the best e ink reader article. Again, the owners probably carried out keyword research and determined that this particular keyword was not flooded. The keyword that you end up focusing on for your niche website does not have to have that many searches. If you focus on a keyword that gets 500 visitors per month, that translates to 30 visitors per day. If you site is really focused, you can make lots of money from these visitors. And that's just for one keyword.

How do these sites monetize?

So, how do you monetize the 2 sites in our example. As it turns out, these sites actually monetize using Amazon Associates. If you don't know what that is, Amazon Associates is an affiliate marketing program run by Amazon. Once you have signed up, you can market any of the products that are on Amazon. The niche websites in our example are specifically geared to market specific products. This could be headphones of e readers. So, each time someone lands on these pages, chances are high that they wish to buy something. So, chances are also very high that the owner of the site will earn something.

It's all about passive income

So, the goal here is to create passive income. You want to set up something that allows you to earn money passively. Times are hard, and everyone is looking to supplement their income. 

Other useful tips

Do you know how to find WiFi password Windows 10 manually and using CMD? If not, check out the article in the provided link to find out how.

How to create a new theme on a Kindle Paperwhite

If you own a Kindle Paperwhite, then you will probably, at one point or the other, have experimented with the layout of content on your device. The Kindle Paperwhite is, without doubt, a marvel. I own one and it has revolutionized the way I read my books. The really great thing about the device is that I can customize it to my heart's content. Anyway, here is how to create a new theme on a Kindle Paperwhite;

Creating a new theme on a Paperwhite

To create a new theme on a Paperwhite, you need to head over to the book that you are reading. There, click at the top edge of your screen. Next, click on Page Display. You then need to click on Font and Page Settings. Next, click on Themes. You will see there that you have the option to "save your current settings to a new theme."Click on the "Save," button.

Next, you need to give your new theme a name. When done, click on "Save." The new theme that you have just created will now become part of the available options in Page Display.

A comfortable reading experience 

Let me repeat that the Paperwhite is definitely a marvel when it comes to reading books. There are many e-ink readers out there, and, it is true, the technology generally makes them a vast improvement over reading ebooks on a computer or tablet. However, the Paperwhite is one of the best e ink readers that you will be able to find out there during the course of the current year. What's more, the Paperwhite 2019 edition is probably the best e ink reader under $100 at the moment.

Annoyed by those book recommendations on your Kindle? If you have just bought a Kindle, this is probably something that you will want to get rid of. Here is how turn off recommended books on a Kindle Paperwhite.

Importance of Rank Tracking

Why Rank Tracking is Important

When I started out blogging, I admit that I didn't have much of any idea what I wanted to achieve. I mean, perhaps I just wanted to annoy the world with my rumblings. Take this blog as an example. It has been laying comatose for quite some years, and here I am reviving it.

In any case, I want to, today, talk about something that every blogger should be aware of. Rank tracking, otherwise known as rank checking, keyword tracking, seo keyword checking and a few more names, is one of those important tasks that every blogger should carry out if they hope to succeed.

Keywords

In order to understand Rank Checking, it is important for us to first talk about keywords. Keyword Research is an important part of Search Engine Optimization. Keywords are the search terms that people who are looking for something type into their favorite Search Engines.

As a blogger, you need to be able to identify the most important search terms that are used by your target audience. Whether you are going to go for low hanging fruits or something else, its important for you to understand the keywords that you are angling for.

Keep Sight of Your Performance

Having identified your keywords and having used them in your articles, the next thing that you need to do is keep track of how well you are performing in terms of those terms. In other words, what is your rank on Google and other Search Engines?

Great Rank Tracking Tools

The good news is that there are a number of high quality rank tracking tools out there that can aid your rank tracking efforts. Examples are RankTrackr, SEMRush, Ezee Rank Tracker and many more. You can read this great review of the best rank tracking tools that are out there on this page that I published on my other blog.

Keep Track

In any case, you should, as a beginner blogger, choose one of the tools that are mentioned above and strive to keep sight of your performance. That is the only way through which you can keep track of your blogging goals. 

Useful tips

That's enough about rank checking and how you can get the most out of it. Do you know how to split screen in Windows 10? That's a great way of multitasking and working on a many items at the same time. Anyway, check out the provided article to find out how.

Mota Yamukoma

Veruzhinji musateerere zvirikutaurwa neshamwari yangu Farai, nekuti sekuziva kwenyu, Farai anotaura zvinetuzukuru. Kuti nyaya yacho ipere, regai ndikuudzei zvakaitika chaizvo.

Zvakaitika chaizvo ndezvekuti nemusi weChitatu ndakakwereta mota yamukoma wangu. Musazoudza mukoma kuti ndakaita izvi sezvo kukweretana uku kwakaitika iye asingazivi.

Iniwo semunhu ajaira kugara paKadoma muKombi, ndakanyatsoifuridza mota ndakananga kubasa. Iko kuzodya hwindoo sezvinonzi mota yacho yaive yangu...

Zvisinei, ndakasvika kubasa pasina kana chipingaidzo. Kana mapurisa anonzi naFarai akandipa tikiti munzira haana kumboita zvakadaro. Manyepo chete. Ndepi kwamakambonzwa kuti kukumbira mota yamukoma muchivande imhosva?

Zvisinei, ndakasvikopaka mota iya panopakwa mota dzevashandi vehurumende ndokubudamo ndichizvitwasanura senjonda.

Ndokuchifamba ndichipinda mubasa kamwoyo kachitekwaira. Izvi zvirikunzi naFarai vakomana vepagedhi vakamhanyidzana vachida kuona kwandaive ndawana mota manyepo.

Ndaitodawo kuonekwa asi hapana akandiona...

Regai ndipedzise vehama ndichiti zvizhinji zvirikutaurwa naFarai ndezvekunyepa. Chokwadi chete pane zvaari kureva ndezvekuti pakupera kwezuva, semunhu akajaira kufamba nemakombi, ndakabuda mubasa ndakananga kuCharge Office.

Ndaive ndatokanganwa kuti ndauya nemota.

Ichokwadi zvakare kuti ndakatozopatika ndava kutsvaka Five Rand yekombi, ndakatogara mukombi macho. Ndipo pandakanzwa kurira makii emota.

Hana yakarova ndokuchiyeuka kuti gara zviya nhasi ndakwereta mota yamukoma.

Ndokuchimhanya kudzaka mukombi muya, kwakutanga zvekare rwendo rwemaminetsi 30 ndakananga kwandaive ndasiya mota.

Zvese izvi zvirikutaurwa naFarai zvakaitika. Chandirikuramba chete kuti ndakanyepera Hwindi kuti ndaive ndisina mari kuti ndiburuke mukombi iya. Ndaigodaro sei iyo kombi yacho yainge isati yazara?

Saka, vehama, musateererezvirikutaurwa naFarai. Manyepo ega ega. Uye musazoudze mukoma kuti ndakakwereta mota yavo vasingazive.

Nhasi Vanhu Varwa

 "Nhasi kwarwiwa," vanodaro sekuru vachipinda muchivanze.

"Kupi Sekuru," chizukuru chinobvunza, chichiedza kudzinga rima riri kunze nekukanda dzimwe huni mumoto.

"Nhasi vanhu vamenyana," vanodaro sekuru vachibudisa nhokwe yavo.

"Kupiko nhai Sekuru?"

... "Nhasi vanhu varwa!"

"Kupiko nhai sekuru?" Parizvino chizukuru chava kutosvetuka svetuka neshungu dzekuda kuziva.

"Uko," Vanodaro sekuru vachishandisa mudhuri kuzvitsigira, vakanongedza kunzvimbo isingakwanisi kuonekwa nemuzukuru nekuda kwemhindo iriko. Mushure mezvo, vanopinda mumba mavo vachidzadzarika setsanga iri mumvura.See More

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The African writer and the ebook

Having recently embarked on an ebooks publishing journey, I believe I am now in a position to share a number of observations with my fellow African writers. The first is that the African writer who is thinking about writing an ebook starts out with the odds staked against him. The first hurdle stems from the fact that Africa is still technologically challenged, when compared to other countries.

While internet penetration has significantly increased over the past few years, the amount of technological sophistication that one finds on the content still leaves a lot to be desired. If one looks at Zimbabwe, the country's banking sector is only just joining the internet revolution. The majority of people in Zimbabwe do not have Visa and MasterCard enabled debit cards. Credit cards are also something that many in the country have never heard about. Zimbabweans can also not make online payments using PayPal because, believe it or not, the sanctions that were imposed on the country are not that "targeted," after all.

The issue of availability of payment methods is of particular importance to the African writer who sets out to write an ebook. The ebook writer in the UK or in the United States is assured, even before he or she starts writing, of an audience that is composed of his immediate friends, family and acquaintances. The initial sales and reviews that these people bring are crucial to the success or failure of an ebook. That is because sites, such as amazon, afford more visibility to those books that have the largest number of sales and reviews.

Let me now use myself as an example. I recently published my ebook, "She froze her balls and other stories," which is available on amazon. While most of the people I know are interested in sampling my book, which is selling at US$2.99 in the US and $4.99 elsewhere, they do not have the means to make the crucial initial purchase, possessing as they do no Visa or MasterCard linked banking accounts.

Even those who do have these cards are, I have discovered, held back by fear that putting their banking details on the internet will expose them to fraud. So, whether my book is a masterpiece or not, the only satisfaction it can afford me is that of fulfilling my authorial vanity. (Every writer craves the sight of his name on a publication.)

That is all for today, vatsigiri vangu. Till next thoughts.