GENERAL ELECTION IN NIGERIA

Let all Nigerians rise up and vote for their desired candidate with their whole heart. Let us not allow our vote to be sold and make sure that the election is free, fair, credible and conclusive election. God Bless Nigeria

CONSUMER ALERT: CREDIT CARD DETAILS COULD BE COPIED BY NEARBY SMARTPHONES. ARE YOU THE NEXT VICTIM?

News stations world-wide have issued a consumer alert to anyone holding a credit card with an RFID chip. The tiny embedded chip is supposed to facilitate a more convenient and fast buying experience, but that same chip is now putting almost all of us at the risk of a new kind of crime-wave called ‘Digital Pick pocketing’.

• Criminals are using NFC enable smart phones to steal credit card numbers
• An estimated 70% of cards are already vulnerable to digital pick pocketing
• The software can be easily downloaded via an app
• Within six inches of a regular wallet and in seconds they’ve got you
• They can use your details for fraudulent transactions immediately

“Anyone with a smart phone and a free and easy to download app can sniff someone’s wallet for his credit card information.”

The growing threat of identity theft has been a burning issue over the last eighteen months. The more advanced technology gets, the more vulnerable we become to the clever new age criminals.

So How Exactly Is This Possible? Major credit card companies, in an effort to speed up credit card transactions at the cash register, have adopted a "contactless" payment system, which relies on radio frequency identification or ‘RFID’. RFID enabled credit cards are embedded with a microchip that stores all the account information necessary to complete a transaction – and it is this latest development that brought the new wave of Digital Pickpockets. The criminals don’t have to be master hackers anymore and just about anyone with a smart phone and an easy to download app can sniff someone's wallet or purse for credit card details. If you don't have the right protection against RFID readers they can get their hands on your pin code and other personal information in seconds to immediately steal from your account.

These new-age criminals are lurking in public places hunting for unprotected wallets: Standing next to you on the train, behind you on an escalator, in the checkout line at the local store… basically every public place frequented is a hunting ground for digital pickpockets. In just a matter of seconds, without ever laying a hand on their unsuspecting victims, credit card details are being stolen every single day using this method and the banks and police are powerless to stop it.

“I just have to walk up to you and stand close by and boom, I’ve got you! I have all your credit card details. The device only has to get within 6 inches of the card.” said David Bryan, a security specialist at Trust wave.

Bryan went on to explain how easily an RFID reader can get personal details from credit cards, even ones safely tucked away in a bag or backpack. The digital era is making our lives easier, but that advantage extends to the criminal world. Physically cloning credit cards is a thing of the past. Unless you have an RFID blocking wallet, or you're ready to wrap each of your cards in aluminum foil, they can simply read your credit cards with their smart phones, and make purchases in just about any store and pay directly with that same smart phone.”

“It might be a thing of the past where thieves had to actually clone your credit card to use it, now they can simply read your card with their smart phones, and use the same smart phone to make purchases in any store where you can pay directly with your smart phone.”

In an effort to bring awareness to this issue, Local news channel Komo news modified a Smartphone and installed an App to test just how easy it would be to scan an RFID enabled credit card and use it to pay in convenient stores. Komo news visited eight Seattle stores which were using the contactless payment system, and without creating any suspicion, the reporter was able to use the credit card details that had been scanned into the phone to simulate how digital pick pocketers make purchases, and got no resistance from the sales assistants.

"That's frightening" said Robbie Watson of Zelo Bike Shop after the Komo news reporter showed him how he had used credit card details which didn’t belong to him. “Even if you showed me your ID, I couldn’t verify the account.” said Watson. “There’s something not right about this.”

Tobacconist Naeen Ahmad showed similar concern when Komo news showed him how they used the copied credit card details in his store. “I think it’s extremely dangerous, It’s like anybody’s credit cards are not protected anymore.” This inability to verify the transaction is due to a legal loophole that says credit card users are not required by law to produce ID.

“A simple and effective solution is to get a wallet specifically designed to block RFID signals. In my opinion, all wallets should be made this way. Today's environment is full of things that can damage your credit cards. They are not only vulnerable to cloning. For me it really is a no-brainer. Peace of mind for a few bucks."

More and more wallet and purse manufacturers are now choosing to use the hard wearing materials that block RF signals, and many believe this faceless crime will be completely stamped out within the next two to three years.

"The criminals know the window of opportunity won't be around forever, so they are taking full advantage of the naive and unprotected while they still can. Eventually, only a small percentage of the population will be using the exposed cardholders, wallets, and purses, and the hackers will move on to something new. The sooner everyone converts to the protective materials the better we will all be."

Banks are catching on to this crime wave and recommending the secure wallet, some are even offering new account holders a secure wallet as a welcome gift.

"When credit card details are stolen with an RFID reader it can be a complicated issue from the banks perspective." said David Brian. "They must investigate each crime to ensure the claim is valid. From a cyber-security point of view, an electronic transaction is made with all the valid details and it's very hard to prove that the cardholder didn't make the purchase."

Spokesman for FiberX, Jeff Atkins who was interviewed in a breaking news production had this to say.

“Anyone with a modified smart phone can invisibly get all of your credit card information in seconds. What we’ve developed here is a special wallet that is able to completely protect all of your credit cards from this threat, so you don’t have to ever worry about it. The FiberX Wallet creates an electromagnetic force field that completely blocks RFID reader technology. You see, FiberX Wallet has polycarbonate plates guarding your credit cards… effectively sandwiching them in between two impenetrable shields.”

Widespread criticism has been voiced at how some banks have started freezing victim's accounts and delaying the replacement of lost funds until a lengthy investigation has been made.

“It’s called “Micro fraud” skimming. $20 here, $30 there, and they do it for months before you or your credit card company gets suspicious. By the time you find out about it, your money is long gone!” added Jeff Atkins of FiberX.

Hundreds of victims not having a stash of cash under the mattress are suffering and the list is growing, and the only advice being offered by the authorities is to upgrade your wallet or purse and not wait for it to happen to you.

FiberX spokesman, Jeff Atkins ended his interview by assuring the breaking news viewers that protection is easily achieved. “FiberX Wallet is exactly the solution. It protects up to 10 credit cards no problem. 100% safe… and it easily fits in your front pocket or small bag. No one will be able to steal your credit card details and your personal information.”

With no other solution in development by the credit card companies and banks, people all across America are finding their own ways to protect themselves and avoid being a victim of Digital Pick pocketing. We urge you to stay vigilant whenever in a public place. Guard your wallet at all times, pay attention to the people around you and report any suspicious characters. Most of all get protected as soon as possible and deny the hackers the chance to rip you off.

WHITE TEENAGER RAISES $15K FOR COLLEGE, SAYS PARENTS CUT HER OFF OVER BLACK BOYFRIEND

A white high school senior who says her parents cut her off financially after she continued, despite them forbidding it, to date her African-American boyfriend, has raised more than $15,000 in a day through her GoFundMe page.

“About a year ago, I told my parents that I’d started dating a boy named Michael, pictured with me above,” writes Allie Dowdle, 18, of Eads, Tenn. “Hoping to share him with my family, I showed my parents his picture, and the conversation was over before it even began. My dad did not give me an option, he told me that I was not allowed to see Michael ever again. Why? Strictly because of skin color. It wasn’t a quiet ‘no,’ either. I’ll never forget the yelling my parents did, when they expressed how disappointed they were in me, that I could do so much better. I did not know what to do. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could be seen as less because of pigment. I still can’t comprehend it, and I never will be able to.”

After continuing to discreetly date Michael — reportedly a college soccer player named Michael Swift — the couple again approached Dowdle’s parents, she says, who then decided to cut her off.

“As I am 18, my parents have chosen to no longer support my future, stripping me of all my resources including my personal savings, my car, my phone, and my education and leaving me on my own to pay for college,” writes the teen, who shares that she has maintained a 4.0 GPA since ninth grade at her private school and completed a two-month surgery fellowship at a local hospital. “Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to attend college if I cannot come up with the money somehow.” She adds that she’s received some scholarship money, and cannot find a job because she does not have “consistent transportation available.”

Allie did not immediately respond to a request for an interview. Yahoo Beauty also was unable to reach her father, Bill Dowdle, the owner of a sporting goods store, who told the Daily News “it was never about race,” that he is not a racist, and that his daughter’s race-based story is “a justification and gave her the moral high ground.” He explained that he decided to cut off his daughter’s college money because “it became obvious that she needed to go out in the world and grow up.”

Although Allie clearly has a lot of supporters based on the remarkable amount of money she’s been given in just one day, her cause has also attracted a number of harsh critics, who call her campaign, titled “Allie’s Tuition – Say No to Racism,” one that is “offensive,” “steeped in privilege,” and “really insulting.”

“Sending a white girl from a middle-class family to college is not fighting racism,” noted one GoFundMe commenter, Marissa Kizer. “In fact, expecting to avoid work, student loans, etc. and be treated like a hero for dating a black guy seems pretty racist to me.”

Another commenter, Susan Martin, noted, “This campaign is highly offensive. Saying no to racism has nothing to do with this situation. Dating a black man and sending a privileged white girl to college who can’t get a job because her parents took away her car is absolutely ridiculous. Take a bus. This campaign is an absolute insult to the millions of people who have been supporting themselves (and their families) for years, even before ‘they were 18,’ the millions of people struggling with student loan debt, the millions of people of color who are confronted with the behemoth that is racism everyday… Your struggle is so not real.”

Detractors also spoke up on social media that this girl really thinks she deserves money for dating a Black man. She's getting her college paid for, like? People have actually donated to this. Why am I even surprised. Reminds me of another gofundme this white girl set up with a goal of $120 million to "find herself" LMAO. I guess growing out musty dreads and wearing headpieces isn't as fulfilling these days. The entitlement is boggling.

We’ll update the story if we hear back from Allie. But in the meantime, what do you think? Please, drop your comment.