Your Money Account Closure Microstock Agencies

Let's say, like me, some of your Microstock accounts aren't faring well in terms of sales so you decide to close the account. Now, perhaps there have been some sales in those low performing accounts but not enough to qualify for a cashout.

Since you are going to close those accounts, naturally, you would want your money from those accounts. Well, here is a short list of the Microstock agencies that will give you your money regardless of minimal cashout threshold and those that will grab your money as it is their company policy for you to forfeit any account balance below minimal cashout upon account closure.

So, before you agree and open your account at any Microstock agencies, make sure you favor those that will give you your hard earned cash upon account closure, regardless of their minimum cashout rule. Contact their support team via their email contact form unless you actually want to flick through the entire Terms of Service agreement - who does that anyway?

*Note: Shutterstock is not in this list because its the best Microstock agency for me, outperforming all others three to five times fold. Hence, no need for account closure for me there.

The list below is in alphabetical order and does not imply ranking or favoritism. Snippets of email replies from respective Microstock agencies support team.

1. 123RF

Balance Earnings Eater

"If you wish to close the account someday, note that your balance earnings will be forfeited based on our agreement policy which you have accepted during the account registration.

http://www.123rf.com/submit/agreement.php"

123RF.com

2. Bigstock

Balance Earnings Eater

Paragraph 3., Section b. "You may request a payout via PayPal, Skrill or other service used by Bigstock when royalties due reach the minimum threshold as stated on the Site. By closing an account before royalties are equal to or greater than the minimum payout threshold, or by breaching any terms of this Agreement or any other agreement with Bigstock, your accrued earnings may be forfeited in Bigstock’s sole discretion."

bigstockphoto.com

3. Crestock 

Balance Earnings Giver

"I can confirm that we will pay out the closing balance if you decide to terminate your Crestock account, as long as you provide us with a PayPal or Skrill email address we can transfer the funds to."

crestock.com

4. Dreamstime 

Balance Earnings Giver

"If you decide to close the account and after you disable all the images you have to notify us and if the balance is below $100 I will forward the request to our financial team. Usually the request is validated in cases like this. They have to approve it but I don't remember any case to have refused one so far."

dreamstime.com

5. iStockphoto

Balance Earnings Giver

"Before we close your account, could you please confirm if you would like the outstanding amount of $43.02 in your account sent to you via cheque (confirm the mailing address) or if you would like a payment sent to your paypal account"

istockphoto.com

6. Fotolia

Balance Earnings Giver

"Yes, Before we close your account, we encourage you to provide us with a PayPal or Moneybookers account to cash out the earned credits remaining in your account. Please note that there is a $1 processing fee for conversions of less than 50 credits."

fotolia.com

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Web Threats to Lookout for in 2012

Commonly used methods to distribute Malware on the web:

1. Blackhat search engine optimization (SEO) ranks Malware pages highly in search results.

2. Compromised legitimate websites host embedded Malware that spreads to unsuspecting visitors.

3. Drive-by downloads exploit flaws in browser software to install Malware just by visiting a webpage.

4. Malvertising embeds Malware in ad networks that display across hundreds of legitimate, high-traffic sites.

5. Social engineered click-jacking tricks users into clicking on innocent-looking webpages.

6. Spearphishing sites mimic legitimate institutions, such as banks, in an attempt to steal account login credentials.

These Malware threats include:

• Botnet software to subvert the system into silently joining a network that distributes spam, hosts illegal content or serves malware.
• Fake antivirus to extort money from the victim.
• Keyloggers to capture personal information and account passwords for identity or financial theft.

The Dreaded Chargebacks

If there is one word most Internet marketers quiver at the sound of, it is Chargebacks. A chargeback is a dispute over a charge - usually an unauthorized or fraudulent charge- between the customer and the company. The merchant must pay back the entire amount along with any credit card fees. This amount is automatically deducted from your merchant account.

There are three main problems about chargebacks that concern the merchant:

1. They lose the payment and also the inventory if it was sent,

2. Fees associated with every chargeback are between $15 to $25, and worse of all

3. Chargebacks don’t look good, and you may lose your merchant account. Merchant services are pretty finicky; they do not just hand out accounts to anyone.

The customer could either be dissatisfied with the product, or there could be a duplicate order, or it could be fraud. Whatever the reason may be, it is crucial to your online business to keep chargebacks to a minimum. One way to stop chargebacks is to stop fraudulent orders by checking to make sure the order seems legit. This may mean you may have to call each customer to confirm the order. You do not want to accept an order if it appears fraudulent. Be suspicious, because in the end, receiving too many chargebacks will damage your profit line.

If, on the other hand, your customer is simply dissatisfied with the product, give them a call and send them an email. Ask them what it is they didn’t like about the product. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them to satisfy them. If they still seem reluctant to drop the chargeback, your last resort would be to ask them if they wouldn’t mind dropping the chargeback and you can offer them a full refund. Most people wouldn’t mind this option. You will find that a simple phone call to the upset customer may actually turn things around in your favor.

Online Automated Ordering System

When you have an online company, it only makes sense to use all the online resources available. The payments you accept should be credit card and Paypal. Are you going to accept international orders? If you are going to receive orders daily, which is the goal, you will want to use an online shopping cart that automatically accepts the credit card, approves it and delivers the autoresponder emails and in the end, the product itself.

What exactly is an online shopping cart? It is a lot like a regular shopping cart, where you can add or remove items as you please. It calculates shipping and taxes and the total of the purchase and passes this information along to the merchant account by a secure site, which protects the customers’ information. Choosing a shopping cart is crucial because if you choose the right one, it can double your sales. Imagine trying to purchase a product and you are entering all your information when you order and the pages take forever to load. Or worse, there are too many forms to fill out or you cannot find the pricing or product list easily. You would abandon that idea pretty quickly, now wouldn’t you?

In addition, you will also need a reputable merchant account that can handle the amount of sales you are going to send their way. You do not want to find a merchant account that requests a very high escrow fee, because this can be difficult to come up with. Before you launch your product, you need to make sure you have a way to provide customer service. You could hire a fulfillment house that takes care of customer service, orders, credit cards, and shipping all at once. But, if you intend to have a lot of business, this is not very cost effective. It would be much easier to take care of the customer service with paid employees and have a special fulfillment house only duplicate, package, and ship products for you.

Lettuce Leaves as Good as Money

I bought some freshly made popcorn then. The popcorn was packed into two plastic packets closed with plastic thread. These are small than what I am used to buying. No matter as the price was proportionate to the size. I took out my wallet and handed the girl a few leaves of lettuce. I was quite surprised that I was paying with lettuce instead of money yet I did not say anything to express myself thinking that maybe with my silence the girl would accept this ludicrous form of payment. I was in for another surprise. The girl looked at me with disbelief on her face. I was ready to accept the leaves of lettuce back until she said, “Oh, this is OK. The leaves are still fresh.” I smiled in silent astonishment and swiftly walked away. Perhaps someday as the human population on earth becomes unsustainable then this would be a reality.

Make It Easy To Buy From Your Site

Convincing your prospects to purchase from you is a hard job, but have you ever thought that you're making the process twice as difficult for both parties if your prospects are convinced but don't know how to buy from you? No matter how good you are at convincing your prospects, they won't buy if they find the process cumbersome.

First, you will want to check that people can find your order form easily and hassle-free. You can write a clear, concise paragraph to direct your prospects to your order form so that you can minimize the chances of them getting lost. You can also reduce the chances of losing prospects by putting a prominent link to your order page from every other page on your site.

Also, do you offer multiple payment options? Some people may feel comfortable paying via Paypal, some may only want to pay with their credit card and others might want to send a cheque. The more options you offer, the better your chances of covering your prospects' desired payment method. After all, it wouldn't make any sense to sell hard to a prospect only to find that they won't be able to pay you when they want to.

On the other hand, you will want to prove that you are a credible merchant. Is your order form secured using encryption technology? You would want to look into SSL for this. You can also offer a money back guarantee so that people will feel confident about buying from you. How about after sales support? Who do they contact when they have problems after purchasing?

Alternatively, you can add customer testimonials, your contact information, address, and so on to boost your prospects' confidence. Make them feel safe about buying something from you, a total stranger to them on the other end of the Internet.

As a conclusion, it would be very pitiful if you sold hard and sold well to a prospect and something goes wrong when he or she is ready to pay. Eliminate any chances of that to maximize your profits!

An Automated Online Ordering System

When you have an online company, it only makes sense to use all the online resources available. The payments you accept should be credit card and Paypal - if you choose. Are you going to accept international orders? If you are going to receive orders daily, which is the goal, you will want to use an online shopping cart that automatically accepts the credit card, approves it and delivers the autoresponder emails and in the end, the product itself.

What exactly is an online shopping cart? It is a lot like a regular shopping cart, where you can add or remove items as you please. It calculates shipping and taxes and the total of the purchase and passes this information along to the merchant account by a secure site, which protects the customers’ information. Choosing a shopping cart is crucial because if you choose the right one, it can double your sales. Imagine trying to purchase a product and you are entering all your information when you order and the pages take forever to load. Or worse, there are too many forms to fill out or you cannot find the pricing or product list easily. You would abandon that idea pretty quickly.

In addition, you will also need a reputable merchant account that can handle the amount of sales you are going to send their way. You do not want to find a merchant account that requests a very high escrow fund, because this can be difficult to come up with. Before you launch your product, you need to make sure you have a way to provide customer service. You could hire a fulfillment house that takes care of customer service, orders, credit cards, and shipping all at once. But, if you intend to have a lot of business, this is not very cost effective. It would be much easier to take care of the customer service with paid employees and have a special fulfillment house only duplicate, package, and ship products for you.

Always a Discount with Online Coupons

Some of us that actually do our shopping online (even though this might be a rare occasion) might remember the nervous times when we first bought something online. Today, shopping online is much safer and so much more similar to shopping in a real world store. For instance, we also use coupons online. CouponChief.com invited me to peruse their vast supply of coupons in March. The difference between online coupons and the coupons that we cut out from newspapers is that online coupons are digital.

When asked, “Do you use coupons when shopping online?” some of us will answer this question with a simple “No.” Some of us will instead pose the question, “No, what are coupons?” In some cases we might also get the answer, “Yes, we have this system but I have never bought anything online using coupons before.” This situation reflects the reality of how some of us who shop online are foregoing the discounts that can be had with online coupons. When asked, “Let's say somebody wants to give you a lot of online coupons for free to do shopping online. Would you use these coupons to shop online?” most of us if not all of us will answer, “Yes.”

The Art of Intrusion by Kevin D. Mitnick & William L. Simon (2005)

Save time and effort trying to gather good reads about hacker exploits circa 2005 on your own and grab this book instead. 'The Art of Intrusion' brings the reader on engaging trips, gaining the mind set of hackers as they go about on their hacking projects. The hackers in this book include those that made news headlines for their exploits and also hackers whose exploits were not published by the mainstream media but nonetheless executed profound computer network compromises. Be forewarned that 'The Art of Intrusion' is not a book to find detailed hacking methods being disclosed. Instead, the reader can gain knowledge of an entire hacking process in a more conceptual and architectural sense.

Title: The Art of Intrusion

Author / s: Kevin D. Mitnick & William L. Simon

Year published: 2005

Pages: 291

Chapters: 11, each with its own story / stories

Format: Third party story-telling with first party experience inserts

Estimated reading completion [part-time]: 2 weeks

Target niche: hacker wannabes, information security professionals, computer enthusiasts concerned of hacker intrusions

'The Art of Intrusion' Content Glimpses

1. Alex Mayfield and his team’s 1990s Las Vegas casino slot machine hacking exploit
• Countermeasures: difficult firmware access, hashing, checksum routine
2. Comrade & ne0h hacks into Boeing and tries for the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) of the US military for Khalid Ibrahim (suspected Pakistani militant / FBI double agent)
• Countermeasures: operating system updates, DMZ (defense in depth model), second-level authentication
3. Prison inmates William and Danny sets up a computer and web network inside a Texas prison
• Countermeasures: insider threat awareness & mitigation, password management, “Dead” cubicles and other access points, prevent installation of unauthorized hardware, audit systems for software integrity, no excessive user privileges
4. Don Boelling, a Boeings security spokesman catches Matt and Costa red-handed hacking into the US District Court in Seattle and into Boeing
• Countermeasures: employee computer security awareness training, no default / static passwords, good password practice
5. Pieter Zatko aka “Mudge”, a highly respected computer security outfit; l0pht Heavy Industries, the software package called l0phtCrack, and the penetration test done on “Newton” consultant firm
• Countermeasures: source port & firewall issue, using programs based on cryptographic protocols like ssh, network jacks placement, control physical entry
6. Gabriel the Canadian hacker breaks into a bank in Dixie (a state in the southern United States), gaining capability to initiate an unauthorized wire transfer
• Countermeasures: web page source code flaw, limit the amount of user input that is passed to a server-side script, network monitoring
7. Whurley, a security consultant hired by a Vegas resort group executes social engineering approach to perform a variety of security audits
• Countermeasures: mitigate social engineering attacks - establishing appropriate security protocols and then motivating employees to adhere to the protocols

*Note: You can probably find this book ‘on the cheap’ over the internet by using your favorite search engine.

Saving Money by Avoiding Impulse Spending

The questions below will help determine whether one is an impulse spender. Don’t cheat so be honest with your answers.

1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?
2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you previously thought?
3.) Do you have more shoes & clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?
4.) Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?
5.) Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

By having answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender & be prepared to indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving money for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals & resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run. Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers flood us with their hype & product promotions 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned to buy. When you go shopping, make a list & take only enough money to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

When seeing something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide its legitimacy. Is it really something you need or something you can easily do without? By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences & your relationship as well.

Applying Online for a Public Bank Visa Debit Card

I applied for the Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card a few days ago through the online application website. Mind you, the procedure is quite extensive & one would have to complete five pages of filling information. Why am I doing it?

Well, Paypal offers the new withdrawal option. Only Visa debit/credit cards can be used for it. I shall not even bother to try using my Ambank nexG debit card for it because it is a type Mastercard. At least not until Paypal puts on banners for it. More about Public Bank Visa Debit Card online application.

So moving on about the Public Bank Visa Debit Card, one is required to provide a copy of identification card (both sides) for Malaysian citizens & a passport copy for foreigners. Yes, foreigners have the chance to apply for the debit card too!

Then print out the provided online application, sign it, & send it along with the identification document copies to the stated Public Bank address within thirty days of application. Saving $2.5 per withdrawal (VMI debit card $7.5 including fees) can buy me a decent meal today. :-)

New Colors & Layout for Liberty Reserve Website

The infamous online currency company Liberty Reserve (LR) has a new look. It is more colorful than the old red one. Liberty Reserve holds your money in USD$ & not gold. It is pretty much like Paypal with competitive fees. Anyway, I like the new colors & layout better because you can see things clearly while on the site. Things are spread out with ample space for the large fonts & everything is simple to read.

I like Liberty Reserve as it provides a sense of added safety for my funds. There are layers of security that one must pass through in order to enter into one’s own account. Nowadays to make it less hassle foe Liberty Reserve account holders, there is the ‘wallet’ option where you can place a bit of your LR funds in it & use it without having to fully enter your LR account. Cheers for Liberty Reserve. Malaysian who want to buy & sell their Liberty Reserve funds can do so at www.entelnova.com.

No Problem Car Loans with No Credit or Bad Credit

The present market activity presents to you an opportunity to apply for a car loan with having no credit history. Own your dream car easily & don’t worry for not having any credit report as proof or in any case, a bad credit rating score. The most important step in your case is to open a checking account. Your regular bill payments can be counted as your credit score with your respective checking account & will work for representing your minimum credit history. Also, before making any deal, you can open a credit card account but it is not very necessary.

How about the down payment?

Settling your payment procedure with a slightly higher amount of down payment is important because you have no credit history. By doing so, you will decrease the risk of loan & you will receive comparatively lower rates. Having no credit history will see that you are treated to some extent, like having bad credit history. Nonetheless, do not feel hampered as you have a lower rate of interest on your obtained loan to look forward to by making a high down payment for the car of your choice.

Will it help me attain good credit?

There are many lenders in the market so do browse about to have an idea how to deal with & how to meet low cost of buying your car. Take a close look into the various types of finance packages & ask for a quote whenever possible to make your dealing easier. Take it slow & be patient, making an evaluation of all terms & conditions being offered, including charges & interest rates of the Car Loans that you will have to pay. Also, make sure the monthly payment is affordable for you. Your decision & action to buy a new car presents a great opportunity to help you prepare good credit scores for future dealings.1800nextloan.com can help you find suitable lenders.

How about the paperwork?

Performing paper work is part & parcel of acquiring a car loan. Fill them accordingly for approval in order to get the loan & buy the car of your choice. Better yet, let 1800nextloan.com do all the paperwork for you. You can find it no more a big deal to have Car Loans even with no credit history. Also, you may want to go for refinancing in the future to help making regular payments for your purchased car. 1800nextloan.com is able to help you have a positive approach to buying your dream car even with no credit history. Be active & head over to 1800nextloan.com for a chance to build your good credit history with the car loan facility.

Shopping Online: Insider & Hacker Threat to Merchant Databases

Perhaps you are a person who likes to shop online. Who would not shop online? It’s so easy & convenient. The best part is of course receiving the merchandise that you bought directly at your front door. However, many of us take the security of shopping online for granted.

Is your identity & financial information truly safe with online merchants?

Many online merchants do tell you that your crucial information e.g. your identity & credit card number is safe with them & you not need to worry about them sharing the information. Or do you? Did you know that many cases of theft identity are caused by ‘Insiders’, working for the company that own the merchant sites where you shop? Your identity & other crucial information could become stolen by having it stored on the merchant site database. Worst still, your information could be sold to other companies to be used for dubious reasons. Do visit ShopShield.net to Learn More about the issue.

How do you go about the ‘Insider’ threat?

Choose Types Bad Credit Credit Cards

Bad credit credit cards are for folks who still want the convenience of using credit cards but have a less than decent credit history. Two types of bad credit credit cards can be had by them. The first is known as secured credit cards & the second are unsecured credit cards. Would be users of secured credit cards must open a bank account with the bad debt credit card supplier & the credit limit is set to about 50-100% of the bank account balance.


The second type is like normal credit cards but with features targeted for people with bad credit which may include a lower interest rate to help them consolidate their debt. Whichever bad credit credit cards you think is best for you, you can find a good selection of them at BadCreditOffers.com. You may want to browse through the selection of unsecured bad credit credit cards or the secured type on the site too to help you make your selection. Other offerings on the website include bad credit loans, auto loans, home loans, & etc.

Students Credit Card for Good Credit History

People who use credit cards find it very convenient because they do not have to carry a lot of cash with them to make pricey purchases. Credit cards can also convenient for students. Student can pay for books, tutorial fees, boarding fees, & etc with their student credit cards. Having a credit card as a student also has its risks of falling into a bad credit trap. Come to think of it, being a student with a credit card could carry a higher risk of being in financial debt because a student is in general, without a regular income. On the other hand, using a student credit card responsibly will make you have a good credit history!

Anyway, the final decision though, is entirely up to you as a student. There are a lot of great companies & banks offering student credit cards & it’s up to you to find the best credit card for your needs as a student. You can choose to go with a company or bank that’s local to you, or get online & search for your credit card. All in all, there are a lot of credit cards to choose from at http://www.studentcreditcards.com/. The Internet can be a great resource for credit cards, as long as you know what you want in a credit card. Knowing what you want before you go online will save you a lot of effort browsing through credit card offers.

Combine Various Loans into One Debt Consolidation Loan

Having a lot of monthly loan repayments is a hassle especially for folks who happen to be in difficult financial situations. Credit card debt, mortgage debt, & other forms of debts could make more than a dent in one’s household income. Folks who think that they are experiencing debt difficulty or will be in the near future may want to consider taking a Debt Consolidation Loan to combine all the various loans.

Do take a look at the debt consolidation services that Debt Free 24 offers online at http://www.debtfree24.com/. The site serves a guide for people to know more about debt consolidation loans & also as a site where people can acquire debt consolidation loan help. The company will help its clients pay off debt in 3-6 years which otherwise will normally take 15-45 years. Debt Free 24 will take you step by step process to help you consolidate your debts.

A Debt Repayment Representative from the company will review your debt situation & contact the lenders for further interest rates negotiations. Clients of Debt Free 24 will only need to pay a monthly repayment loan to dedicated Debt Repayment Representatives who will pay creditors on behalf of the clients. Save thousands of dollars having your debt consolidation loan done properly & pay lower interest rates. Ultimately Debt Free 24 wants its clients to be debt free.

Begin Investing with a WaMu Online Savings Account

One can start investing without the knowledge of the stock market. Be a conservative investor with low risk tolerance. It will give one the opportunity of making money while learning about investing. A good way to start is with a standard interest bearing saving account. A savings account should pay 2 – 4% on the money that you have in it. Yes, it’s splendid to have a million dollars in the account so one can really see the significant interest. An online savings account from WaMu is a good idea. You receive 3.3% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) when you open one with a WaMu Free Checking™ account.

Opening an online savings account is a trend nowadays as the internet makes it easier for people to do transactions without having to go to the bank itself. It is one of the benefits of opening a WaMu Online Savings at http://www.wamu.com/personal/savings_account/online_savings_account/default.asp. An account holder will receive free online banking & receive free electronic statements. To save a bit more money, one may want to maintain a minimum daily amount of $300 to avoid the monthly service charge of $4 or open Online Savings account with WaMu Free Checking to avoid a monthly service charge altogether! Another good thing about having an Online Savings Account at WaMu is that one can sign up for an Overdraft Transfer Service so that checks made from one’s checking account won’t bounce, prevent overdrafts, & etc.

Bad Credit Loans & Credit Cards Online

You may not have heard about bad credit credit cards. What are they? Basically, bad credit credit cards are the type of credit card offered by credit card suppliers to the people who have bad debt. One way to find offers on bad credit credit cards is to go to a good site online where one can find bad credit loans too. The perfect place to find both type of bad credit offers is at BadCreditOffers.com.

Comparing Credit Cards Online

There are hundred of banks & credit card vendors looking for your business. They are competition against each other, offering various incentives, rebates, rewards, & etc. You should always compare what each credit card vendor is offering you before deciding on which credit card. Always remember to do research about credit card offers on the internet & read the fine print to see whether there are hidden fees & costs with the card.

One such company where you can have a good credit card comparison online is at CreditCardSearchengine.com. When you start to compare Online Credit Card offers, make sure you observe the APR or interest rate & fees associated with the cards. A good way to start is to compare credit cards that offer the lowest APR possible so you can disregard the ones with high APR.