internet fraud

Fraud has always been a problem, but now that the Internet is more popular, fraud seems to have found a new home. People use to have to worry about phone calls from scammers, and perhaps the unethical contractor, but today’s big worries come from the things that can show up online in a person’s email inbox. Those phone scammers are still around, but most of these types have turned to the Internet to find victims. Apparently, there are a lot of people out there that are easily taken by Internet fraud, and you don’t want to be one of them.

One of the biggest types of Internet fraud going is the lottery scam. This is when someone is notified by email that they have won some lottery they have never heard of and never entered. In order to get their winnings, they must pay a fee. Once they have sent out the money they never hear from the lottery again. This is because there was no lottery. The only person who won anything was the scammer. These generally say they are the UK lottery, but that is never the case. If you never entered anything, you can’t win. Remember that when you get these emails.

Another case of Internet fraud is the emails that come saying that someone has died and they need help getting money out of an account. Of course, you, a stranger on the other side of the world, are the only person that can help. There are also some that will urge someone to help them. They may need help getting a plane ticket or something similar. They might also say they need someone to process payments. You should never get involved in any of these things. They are all internet fraud, and can land you in quite a bit of trouble in the end. You won’t get any money, but you will get a lot of heartache.

There are other types of Internet fraud out there, and new things will probably pop up as long as the Internet is around. People will think of new ways to play with the emotions of others in order to get money they did not earn and they do not deserve. They know there are a lot of soft hearted people in the world, and they think of new ways to take advantage of them all of the time. Just remember that if something comes to you via email, it is not something you should mess with in any way. Delete it and move on. If you feel the need to help someone, donate your time or money to a local charity that you know you can trust. That way you know you aren’t being taken, and your money is going where it will be used for good.

Five Steps to a Comfy Retirement

You’ve probably heard about the Nebraska meatpackers who won the largest lottery jackpot in the United States last week. One winner replied “I’ve been retired for about four days now” when asked what he would do with his winnings. His response did not surprise me; I’m sure my reaction would be similar!

What does surprise me is that many Americans believe that they cannot retire comfortably unless they win the lottery. A survey by the Consumer Federation of America shows that 27% of Americans believe that their best chance to gain $500,000 in their lifetime is to win a sweepstakes or lottery.

Fortunately, building a comfortable retirement nest egg is easier than you think. Here are five steps to help you build a comfortable retirement:

1. Start early! If you started saving $100 a month beginning at age 18, you would have over $500,000 by age 65. The power of compounding is great, and the earlier you start saving, the greater the benefit.

2. Have a plan. The best way to ensure that you will have a comfortable retirement is to plan how much you will need to retire. You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you’re going.

3. Participate in company sponsored retirement plans. Many companies offer matching contributions to your 401K or other retirement plan contributions. This is free money – take it!

4. Invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds, that fits your goals and risk tolerance. Studies show that your investment return is determined primarily by the allocation of your assets, not the individual investment selections you make.

5. Keep your costs down. Invest in no-load, low cost mutual funds (or other investments). Lowering the expenses in your portfolio by just 1% can equate to 20% more money in your portfolio after 20 years.

Although winning a large lottery certainly can’t hurt, following the steps above should send you well on your way to a comfortable retirement.

Five Steps To A Richer Retirement

You’ve probably heard about the Nebraska meatpackers who won the largest lottery jackpot in the United States last week. One winner replied “I’ve been retired for about four days now” when asked what he would do with his winnings. His response did not surprise me; I’m sure my reaction would be similar!

What does surprise me is that many Americans believe that they cannot retire comfortably unless they win the lottery. A survey by the Consumer Federation of America shows that 27% of Americans believe that their best chance to gain $500,000 in their lifetime is to win a sweepstakes or lottery.

Fortunately, building a comfortable retirement nest egg is easier than you think. Here are five steps to help you build a comfortable retirement:

1. Start early! If you started saving $100 a month beginning at age 18, you would have over $500,000 by age 65. The power of compounding is great, and the earlier you start saving, the greater the benefit.

2. Have a plan. The best way to ensure that you will have a comfortable retirement is to plan how much you will need to retire. You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you’re going.

3. Participate in company sponsored retirement plans. Many companies offer matching contributions to your 401K or other retirement plan contributions. This is free money – take it!

4. Invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds, that fits your goals and risk tolerance. Studies show that your investment return is determined primarily by the allocation of your assets, not the individual investment selections you make.

5. Keep your costs down. Invest in no-load, low cost mutual funds (or other investments). Lowering the expenses in your portfolio by just 1% can equate to 20% more money in your portfolio after 20 years.

Although winning a large lottery certainly can’t hurt, following the steps above should send you well on your way to a comfortable retirement.

Abundance is a feeling

This question and answer interview was done by Kathy Smith, one of Michael’s loyal Virtual Assistants. Visit her website.

Q: Michael, many times during your teleclasses and seminars, you say “abundance is a feeling.” Can you elaborate on that statement – what do you mean it’s a feeling?

First one of the important things that we’ve come to learn with the Law of Attraction is that we can duplicate feelings. In other words, just through the words I use I can stimulate somebody or discourage them. In short, we can create feelings within ourselves and within others by what we say and what we think.

Abundance is a feeling. Do you ever notice how excited you feel when you know you have a check coming or when you know you’re getting an income tax refund? The excitement you’re experiencing is the feeling of abundance. We feel abundant knowing that it’s coming, even before we put it in the bank. So a question to ask is, “Do I feel abundant knowing that I’m receiving some money or do I feel abundant only when I put it in my bank account?” For most people, they feel abundant knowing that it’s coming. It has nothing to do with whether that have it or not.

So because abundance is a feeling, and the Law of Attraction responds to feelings (vibrations), what if we were able to duplicate the vibration of abundance deliberately? (This is what’s called Deliberate Attraction). We’ve come to understand that this powerful force called the Law of Attraction is constantly checking to find a vibration that we’re sending and duplicates it by giving us more of the same. So what if when the Law of Attraction is checking at every moment, that in that moment, we are offering the vibration of abundance? Given the formula, the Law of Attraction would duplicate that vibration and bring us more of the same. That’s why it’s called the Law.

Q: How do you teach people to attract more abundance?

The Law of Attraction does not care why you are offering a vibration. In other words, it does not care whether you are remembering, pretending, complaining, creating, day-dreaming or observing your reality. It obediently duplicates that vibration. So ideally, we would find something that makes us feel abundant and include it more often in our daily vibration. There are a number of tools that people can use to duplicate the vibration of abundance. I’ll give you one of them today.

Q: How do you record abundance in your own life?

On my fridge, I have 15 – 2 dollar winning lottery tickets. So I can clearly and truthfully say I won the lottery 15 times last month. I’m a winner. Look how many times I’ve won! It’s worth 30 dollars to me in the bank and it’s worth much more to me vibrationally.

You know when people buy those lottery scratch tickets? Most would celebrate the win for 21 seconds. So for 21 seconds, you are offering the vibration of abundance by saying things like, “Hey I just won 2 dollars! I love it when I win scractch tickets!” And after the short offering of abundance vibration, most people cash the ticket in again and again until they lose. And now they catch themselves saying, “I just wasted money on this lottery again. I only ever win 2 dollars. Easy come, easy go.” Now they’re in a place of offering a negative vibration.

So here’s how to take advantage of the 2 dollar winning lottery ticket. Don’t cash it. Keep it in your wallet. Put it on your fridge. And as you look at it each time, it will be a brief reminder that you won 2 dollars. Now you can tell yourself, I won the lottery! I won money this week! And now, for more than 21 seconds, you are offering the vibration of abundance over and over and over again. Your 2 dollar winning lottery ticket is worth more to you vibrationally than the 2 dollars.

Google AdWords

A “dollar and a dream,” is all you need said the television commercial. The lure of the Lottery is a seductive one: plunk down a dollar and you might become a millionaire for life. The promise of “pennies from heaven” makes the Lottery a daily habit for millions. People flock to convenience stores every morning to buy a newspaper, a cup of coffee, and a lottery ticket.
I see that same kind of passion and unrealistic dreaming among Google AdWords advertisers. Why? Because they heard they can “strike it rich” with Google Adwords. It doesn’t help matters any that Google makes it ridiculously easy to get started with their pay-per-click program. All you need is “five dollars and a dream!”
Google doesn’t advertise that message of course. However, for most advertisers, it’s still a huge gamble nonetheless. Do advertisers make money with Google AdWords? Some do, yes. However, the vast majority of advertisers might as well blow their money on lottery tickets.
Is Google AdWords to blame for so many advertisers losing their money? That depends on your point of view. Are lotteries responsible for people gambling and losing their money?
In my opinion, the answer to both questions is yes and no. Lotteries would never admit this, but their whole purpose for being is to entice people to gamble. I mean, c’mon. That’s why they exist. If people didn’t gamble, there would be no lotteries.
Yes, lotteries hide behind legislation and the pretense that the money they generate goes toward education and other laudable endeavors, and for the most part that’s true.
However, it’s also true that there are people barely living above poverty level, spending money they can’t afford on lottery tickets. They get sucked in, because like the television commercial said, it’s only a dollar. However, those dollars tend to add up pretty quickly, when you’re spending ten or twenty dollars a pop on lottery tickets.
It’s the same with Google AdWords. People who wouldn’t ordinarily advertise get sucked in, because it’s only five dollars to get started. But when Google charges $500 to their credit cards every couple of weeks, and they haven’t made any money, the harsh reality of the situation sets in. It’s not nearly as easy as they thought or heard it would be.
Of course, it’s easy to blame Google AdWords. However, most of the blame has to fall on the shoulders of the advertisers. The majority of Google AdWords advertisers, simply don’t have a clue about what they’re doing. They read some e-book about how to make money with Google AdWords, and instantly think they’re ready to conquer the world.
It’s just not that easy, people. You still have to have some fundamental knowledge of advertising, in order to succeed with Google AdWords or any type of advertising for that matter. You have to educate yourself first.
And the best way to educate yourself is by reading “real” advertising books like “Scientific Advertising,” by Claude Hopkins and “How To Write A Good Advertisement,” by Victor Schwab and “Advertising Secrets Of The Written Word,” by Joseph Sugarman.
Educate yourself first, and then lay down your money. That’s how it works. To do otherwise, you’d be better off playing the lottery!

If American Adopted the Premium Bonds Program

The British have found a unique way to invest their money. By buying premium bonds the citizens of Britain can enter their bond numbers into a lottery each month and have a chance to win over a million pounds. There are millions of other cash prizes that awarded to the bond numbers drawn and this cash prize is seen to be better than interest generated from traditional savings program. The system is so popular more than a third of the country invests this way. The investor can pull out their money at any time and there is not penalty or cost to do so. The money invested is used by the government to fund projects and at the same time give their citizens a chance to be millionaires.

What would happen if this system was used in the United States? Premium bonds would be a welcome financial opportunity for American citizens. The current lottery system is taking in millions of dollars across the country but there are few winners. Once you buy a lottery ticket you don’t get your money back and you lose that dollar. This is gambling and not investing. The odds of winning an American lottery are astronomical. One person in Florida in 1999 bought ten thousand lottery tickets. After the numbers were pulled, the person only won eight hundred and sixty three dollars. The investor lost over nine thousand dollars in taking a huge chance of winning the twenty three million dollar prize.

This would not happen with premium bonds. Thought the prize money is not as huge as the American lottery, the British investor would have twelve chances to win a million pounds over the course of a year. The chances of winning less amounts are even greater. The British citizen is allowed to invest up to thirty thousand pounds into the system and if they don’t win they can take their money out anytime they want. They lose nothing for their investment. This way the premium bond market is not considered gambling and the investor can be assured that their nest egg will remain in place.

The problem with premium bonds coming to America is that the government will have to restructure their thinking of how to save and distribute the funds. They are making millions now without having to do anything but have the weekly lottery and pay off the winners. They pocket out the cash without having the responsibility of letting people have the opportunity to save. Church groups and other anti-gambling groups will win a victory as they will look at the investment opportunity as a savings plan and not a gambling operation.

Unlike the British system where the investors purchase their bonds from the post office the postal service in the United States would probably be overwhelmed if they had to take responsibility for the program. The United States would probably benefit by selling premium bonds online and have an agency that deposits and awards the prizes. This would take a lot of planning but the American population would definitely embrace it.

Getting started with Keno

Keno is one of those games that you either love or hate. There are also two versions of it-live and video. The live version tends to be very relaxing, but it’s not offered at many casinos. Generally, you’ll find a live Keno lounge tucked away in some corner of casinos that have it.

Whether you’re playing live or video Keno, the game works the same way. It’s actually very simple to play. It works just like the lotto, but with better odds and lower payouts. Be forewarned, the house advantage in Keno is very large. But, it’s one of those games where you could turn $1 into thousands of dollars quickly.

The game consists of 80 numbers-numbered 1-80. If you’re playing live Keno, the game will use ping-pong type balls, just like lotto. Video Keno uses a RNG (random number generator) to randomly pick numbers.

In each game of Keno, 20 numbers are randomly selected. The numbers are displayed on a Keno board. That board is split into two parts-the top half and bottom half. The top half holds the numbers 1-40 and the bottom half holds the numbers 41-80.

To play a game of Keno, you must “mark” a ticket. You can select 1-20 numbers to play. The more numbers you mark, the higher the payouts, but the lower the probability of you winning. Let’s look at an example. Let’s say that you mark three numbers. This would be a called a 3-spot.

When the game is running, you “catch” a number if the number picked is one you marked. If you catch all of your numbers, you win the maximum payout for that ticket. For instance, let’s say you chose the numbers 1,2 and 3 on your ticket and they all came up, you’d win the maximum payout for a 3-spot.

Each casino is different in their payout and this is an important point to remember. If you are playing online, shop around for the best Keno payouts. Also, you should think about how many numbers you will play most. Some casinos may pay great for 6-spots, but terrible for 3-spots. If you love playing 3-spots, that’s not a great place for you. One casino might pay $1,000 for a 6-spot, while another will pay $1500. It really does pay to shop around.

Now, in Keno, you can get paid for hitting some of your numbers. For instance, if you play a 6-spot, the casino will most likely pay a refund if you hit three of your numbers. If you hit four, they’ll pay out a little bit, and so on. The exception is almost always a 2-spot. With those, you either hit both numbers or you lose.

If you play live Keno, you can usually put a ticket in for multiple games and go do something else. A lot of people take advantage of this. They’ll put a ticket in for multiple games and go play other games while they wait for the outcome.

So You Want To Win the Lottery

If we all got everything we wanted, most of us would have won the lottery by now. So what happens when we notice that we aren’t getting what we want, even when we’ve been using Law of Attraction to manifest a particular desire for an extended period of time?

Wanting to win the lottery is a clear desire, therefore, you need to use Law of Attraction deliberately. If you’re not getting evidence that your desire to win the lottery is manifesting, then you need to review the Law of Attraction formula and check to see if all three conditions for Deliberate Attraction are being met. All desires you may have, for example, attracting an ideal mate, an ideal client base, ideal health or an ideal abundance of money require these same three conditions.

Step 1: Clearly identify your desire
Step 2: Raise your vibration (Give Your Desire Attention)
Step 3: Allow it

So let’s examine these three conditions with respect to manifesting a winning lottery ticket.

Step 1: Clearly identify your desire (You bought a ticket and you WANT to win.) Step 1 is done.

Step 2: Raise your vibration (You talk about and daydream about all the things you’ll do with the money you win.) Step 2 is done.

If the only thing we needed to do is Step 1 and Step 2, most people would have everything they’ve ever become excited about. So as you observe that you’ve NOT attracted what you’ve been desiring (in this case, a winning lottery ticket), you’ll need to check the three step process to find out what step needs your attention more often. In most cases it’s Step 3 – Allowing.

Allowing is the absence of doubt. Doubt is a negative vibration that cancels out the positive vibration of your desire, so removing doubt will allow your desire to come to you. Removing doubt will speed up the manifestation of your desire.

One of the best tools for removing doubt is to start keeping a log or journal of all the ways in which you are attracting more abundance into your life, thus, you are finding proof! Abundance is simply energy and the more often you discover that you are aligned with the energy of abundance, the more often you will be removing doubt that you are Allowing your desire to win the lottery. For example, if you find money or someone buys you lunch or you find a great sale on an item you want to buy-this is all evidence that you are in alignment with abundance. Logging this evidence or tracking it in a journal will help you prove to yourself that you are aligning yourself more and more with abundance.

In short, how soon you’ll win the lottery is determined by how much doubt you have about winning, and winning is all about removing that doubt thereby aligning yourself with the energy of abundance.

How To Play Lottery

Just about every country in the world has its own version of the lottery and in the USA alone there are dozens of different rules depending on whether you play a state lottery or the national lottery. This article will list the common rules that exist for most versions of the lottery. Most states impose a minimum age limit on players, ranging from 16 to 21.

The game begins when the player receives a lottery ticket or slip. In some instances, a board may be used. We’ll imagine that the player is using a ticket in these instructions. The ticket will have rows or columns of boxes containing numbers from 1 through 49.

The player needs to choose six numbers between 1 and 49 and mark their choices on the ticket, usually by putting a cross through the number. In some versions of the game, multiple sets of numbers can be used at once. A common alternative to this routine is to have the numbers chosen at random by the computer. This saves the player time and is useful for those who suffer from indecision!

Players should make sure that all the other information on the ticket is filled in, including name and address and the type of game, or ‘draw’, being played. In some instances, players may be able to choose to play the same numbers for multiple weeks. The choices really do vary from game to game so players need to carefully read through all of the given information when making their decision.

Once the ticket has been completed, players need to hand it in to their retailer or put it through a terminal device themselves. A printout will be handed back containing the player’s selections; the most important thing for the player now is remembering to check his or her numbers when the draw comes up. Every year millions of dollars go unclaimed in lottery games, so remember first and foremost to keep your ticket safe and claim any prize within six months or a year, depending on the regulations!

If three or more numbers in the draw match those on your ticket, you’ve won a prize. Three, four or five number matches offer small to substantial winnings; five numbers plus the bonus offer a reward much greater, whilst matching six numbers means you’ve won the jackpot. If more than one person matches the six numbers then the prize will be shared equally between the winners.

Company Offers Help To Those Seeking To Become Legal U.S. Citizens

The U.S. Program Of Green Card, also known as USAFIS, is helping people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. According to the website, the program makes 55,000 immigrant visas available through a lottery.

One Green Card winner from Tajikistan writes, “Following the advice of friends, we have registered for the American “green card lottery”. We had thought this would be very complicated, but it has not turned out to be that way. Happily, it seems we have won the card and our dream has come true to be able to live and work in America legally. Thanks to all. PS. Thank you so much for your help, empathy, and understanding.”

The State Department (DOS) holds the lottery every year, and randomly selects approximately 110,000 applicants from all qualified entries. The DOS selects the approximately 110,000 applications since many will not complete the visa process. However once 55,000 are issued or the fiscal year ends, the Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV) program is closed. If anyone receives a visa through the program they are authorized to live and work permanently in the United States. They are also allowed to bring their spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to the United States, the site reports.

The annual DV lottery program provides an opportunity for potential immigrants to obtain the status as a permanent legal resident of the USA. This program runs each year and provides 50,000 “Green Cards” to applicants randomly selected in a lottery process – known as Green Card Lottery. A Green Card is a permanent residence visa and gives a person the legal right to live, work and study permanently in the United States and to enter and leave the country freely. Immigrants may work in any government, public and private job that is available. A permanent residence visa is generally good for life.

Green Card holders also receive health, education, retirement, taxation, social security and other benefits. The Green Card doesn’t affect the immigrant’s present citizenship. A Green Card holder may later apply for United States Citizenship, if desired.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery has been established in the 1990 Immigration Act in order to give immigration opportunity to natives from countries other than the main source of immigration to the U.S.A. This official U.S. government program aims to diversify the American population by creating an immigration opportunity to under-represented ethnic groups. Application to this program is open for all individuals worldwide that fulfill the two basic entry requirements.

For more information, click the link following this article.