Beware of Fake Mystery Shopper Opportunity

I recently partially fell for a scam involving a mystery shopping opportunity which seemed like a dream come true in this economy; I was offered $400.00 US a week plus additional cheques to cover transportation expenses etc from a company that frequently passes itself off as Ocean View Company Limited or Ocean View Consults, a fake international mystery shopping company.

As I have done this type of work before and I have worked as a journalist for years for various community and business newspapers in addition to other projects it seemed like an ideal opportunity for much needed additional income.

The last person I spoke with assured I would have a package containing complete instructions and the cheques in the mail within four business days –but when they seemed reluctant to give me background information on the company and then gave me the name of Canadian Paid Surveys which has nothing to do with them or mystery shopping I started checking through the Internet and thankfully came across the Anti Fraud International web site which warned me about this scam.

If you look at their web site by typing in "Ocean View Consults" you'll see how at least one person made the mistake of cashing their cheques and had to pay the money back. Many more persons have discovered that it is all a scam.

They could be trying to steal personal information or infect your computer with a virus when you click on these e-mails so BEWARE.


 

 
Another danger here is that these people might be trying to steal personal information and or infect your computer with a virus as well. So beware.


 

Whom Can You Trust?

Everywhere you look you see reports of fake medicines, foods like baby milk contaminated by toxic materials, baby toys and other items with toxic paint, fake research done by supposedly ethical medical research but who slant their findings to paint pharmaceutical companies in the best light. This list could go on and on; this is just the top of that old iceberg.

For instance how many persons have bought insurance policies that were supposed to protect only to find out that when an emergency did arise the policy contained loopholes that enabled the insurance company to deprive them of expected coverage?

How many times have consumers bought health food supplements or organic foods on the basis of what was promised on the labels only to find out later that the label was lying?

How many times have you gone back to your family physician or psychiatrist because the medication he or she prescribed was causing adverse reactions – only to be told something to the affect that, "You are a troublesome patient who does not want to get well! You have to take more of the pills you are taking – and finish them all! If you don't listen to me I am going to drop you."

While most of the people you deal with are going to be honest and ethical not all of them are. All of these situations arise because you or somebody else initially trusted the word of the person they were dealing with. Unfortunately, in today's world such blind trust can lead to traffic problems: Like the case of investors being defrauded of their life savings; like a mother watching her son die in a hospital because of fake medicine or contaminated food; or like patients who die because their doctor forced them to continue taking medication that they were allergic to.

All of this could easily make you very paranoid, but fortunately there is a relatively simple to thwart the efforts of the occasional unethical person you deal with by learning to ask questions. Remember the reporter's "Five W's" – who, what, why, where, when" Don't forget the "how" either !.

For instance when you are talking to your doctor about some health problem ask questions about what he or she is telling you concerning test results and suggested treatment with questions such as: "How accurate is that test? What have been the results with other patients? Who designed the test? If I take this medication you suggestion and I find that it does not work with me what are you going to do – are you going to be willing for me to try something else –even some type of complementary treatment?"

This type of interview with the person you are dealing with -- whether it is a doctor or insurance agent, or any other person you are dealing with -- can avoid a lot of problems later. If they object to you asking questions you should drop them right away.

 

Remember that such effective questions (that the person can not just answer with a "yes" or "no" valuable tools not just for reporters or legal investigators but –everyone s—to protect yourself from fraudsters. And remember too to be diplomatic and friendly. You do not want to sour potentially beneficial relationships by being aggressive or antagonistic to start with.

 

 

 

The Complete Picture is Critical

Here is another example of the need to take in the complete picture when you meet somebody and remembering to do this could be critical to you regardless of who you are to protect yourself from unsuspecting attack or to detect a criminal despite clever disguises.


 
In this particular example a security officer was stationed in a lane behind a burned building to protect it from thieves or unauthorized entry by homeless persons or people with some criminal intent.


 
He soon met two different men from different races who were in reality the same man, sometimes wearing readily available facial prosthetics that enabled him to create a completely different racial appearance very quickly.


 
Fortunately this guard was trained to take in the complete picture when he met people – meaning not just their physical appearance at any given time but also any voice or physical mannerisms that made them unique from other persons. This enabled him to quickly detect this ruse, take pictures of both individuals which he turned over to the police and be prepared for action.


 
What gave this individual away was the similarity in physical stature shared by the two men: their height, approximate weight, physical shape, shape other their head and eyes and other features – as well as their similar gait when walking and the way the held their cigarette in their left hand.


 
This individual who disguised himself never tried to use his disguise to try and catch the security officer off guard or anything else, but if he had tried the security officer was prepared to take whatever action he had to protect himself and the property he was guarding. And that is the important thing. Whenever he saw either individual he was doubly alert and ready to act.

This need to take in the complete picture like this is critical not just to security people but all of us when we meet new people in this age when it is so easy to somebody to change their appearance so radically and quickly.


 

 

 

Protect Your Best Friend From A Shock Collar

 

Protect your best friend – dogs – from the torture of a shock collar!. I never knew this one but apparently putting such shock collars on dogs by some trainers and individuals is fairly common.

 

You can help put an end to this barbaric practice by signing a petition found through this e-mail address: info@banschockcollars.ca

 

 

Fight Chronic Pain Without Medication

 
Younger Canadians are now facing a life of pain which severely limits their activities and quality of life according to according to reporter Rebecca Lindell of Postmedia Services on December 15, 2010.

In her article "1 in 10 Younger Canadians Experience Chronic Pain".she describes how a sudden injury to a young lady forced her to make drastic changes in her daily activities in order to cope with a life of chronic pain – which she has faced for 26 years. This has forced her to abandon a career in urban planning and survive on a disability pension.

And she is not alone. According to a recent report from Statistic Canada some 10 percent of young Canadian between the years of 12 and 44 years do face lives of chronic pain as a result of back and of her injuries. According to Lindell the Statistics Canada report also showed that some 63 percent of people as a whole are prevented from performing everyday tasks at home, school, and work" as a result of pain.

In the article Dr. May Lunch of the Canadian Pain Society said: "Not only is it causing suffering in people, but its costing Canada big bucks. People living with pain cannot function as well as people who don't have pain. Even when people do manage to drag themselves to work they are not as productive or as focussed or as efficient as they would be if their pain were under better control."

The problem for many of these people is that the medications they take can cause other productions through side effects and the addiction to the medication if they take it over a long term.

There, is though, another way to help your body cope with chronic pain like fibromyalgia and that is through reflexology treatments. The practitioners of this complementary therapy massage pressure points in your feet, hands and other areas to help your body to relax and recover from injuries as well as other health problems without the extensive use of pharmaceutical medications.

Of course you want to talk to your family physician before embarking on any type of complementary care like this I can tell you that reflexology has helped millions of persons throughout the word to recover from or cope with a wide variety of health problems and protect their enjoyment of life

For more information about this story contact Rebecca Lindell at Post Media Services. For more information on Reflexology contact the Canadian Reflexology Society or one of the other associations you can find on-line.


 

Prevent The Death or Injury of Your Baby

 
Although the Canadian federal government is set to enforce guidelines and standards for manufacturers of portable baby beds and other child care products and toys this still leaves parents as the front line of protection when they are buying any of these items.



In a recent article in the Vancouver Sun Post Media reporter Sarah Schmidt quotes the federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq who said: Canada' requirements for cribs and cradles are already among the toughest in the world. These changes will make them even tougher."



She was referring to standards that manufacturers will have to meet to eliminate the danger of young babies and toddlers being killed or injured by shearing or pinching parts and other hazards. This follows the death of a two-month old baby boy in Winnipeg Manitoba in February 2009.



Alukkaq assures parents that, "If manufacturers do not voluntarily meet these standards the government could enforce regulations," but that in itself is not a guaranty that some manufacturers or retailers will not try to sell dangerous products to unsuspecting parents – so parents need to be extra vigilant when buying any of these baby products – to ask a lot of questions and check for possible hazards to their babies before buying anything.

[For more information on this topic see the Vancouver Sun December 12, 2010 and thee article "Ottawa Unveils Safety Rules for Bassinet Makers" by Sarah Schmid].


 
Other  dangers to toddlers and young children are  highlighted in the same edition of the Vancouver Sun  in the article "Holiday Hazard from Deadly Toys" from Reuters.



These deadly toys continue to appear  on retailers shelves according to the Public Interest Researach Group or PIRG in its annual "Trouble in Toyland " report. Among the dangers are a Dora the Explorer backpack that contains the toxic chemical bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and a Bib Bang rocket that could cause hearing damage.



In addition to these two  other toys continue to be produced with choking, cutting, blinding and strangulation hazards. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United Sates, "toy-related injuries sent 250,100 children to U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2009 and resulted in 12 deaths, including two from choking." And this carnage in Canada and other countries where such toys are sold is not doubt very high as well.



As Jacinda Adams, vice president with Prevent Blindness America said in the article…."at the end of the day, it's up to parents and consumers to be aware …[of the danger]to avoid winding up in the emergency room for Christmas."

[For more information see the Vancouver Sun Dec 1, 2010 and the article, "Holiday Hazard from Deadly toys"].


 

Kid's Poor Sleep Habits Dangerous to Health

If you let your children build poor sleep habits you could be killing them.


According to recent study by a cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada children who don't get enough sleep could suffer from heart disease later and more and more teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation

This in turn, according to Dr;. Brian McCrindle, in a recent report to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Montreal can lead to childhood obesity, which he says, "can lead to premature heart disease.

While not claiming yet that poor sleep habits cause heart disease he stresses that poor sleep habits and a lack of proper rest during the night has been associated with more and more teenagers suffering from being overweight and obese he said. This in turn leads to blood pressure and blood cholesterol problems. And new studies have discovered premature artery hardening in obese children.

In addition to this other health problems encountered by obese children and adults (and many obese children become obese adults) include diabetes as well as bone and joint problems.

One of the best ways of course to fight obesity is be more physically active and that is where part of the problems lies according to George Honos, spokesman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He said, "lack of sleep alone may not be an independent risk factor for heart disease…but it's a red flag. If [children are] zombies the next day, they're not going to do a lot of sports."

 

[For more information on this topic see the Montreal Gazette Nov. 26, 2010 and the article "Sleepless Kids Prone to Heart Disease" by Charles Fidelman