Online fraud, offshore servers, and the Dark Web -- AND what you can do about it.

For all those who don't already know this about me, I'm a geek. Geek is a term of endearment, a compliment, a trait and an endearing quality in my world.

However, for my blog, 122 views from Mauritius (which is a small (very small) island off the eastern coast of Africa) in just one day (7.2.16) is quite an increase in views from the regular stream of viewers I get from the U.S., Denmark, France and the like. So, if you notice your blog, website, or other online presence being "viewed" from Mauritius, I'd imagine it's a re-route of a server so that the person viewing your online presence cannot be tracked.

It's a known fact: "The Dark Web," an article posted through the highly recognized and respected magazine, PC World, makes it very clear: our online presences are being stolen, rerouted and used for nefarious purposes.

It’s not paranoia if they’re watching you

We need an electronic condom of sorts, pardon the metaphor (and probably, the vision that came with it). However, this is an issue that cannot be understated. It has to stop. Internet crime and hacking are one and the same. A hacker feels very much in control, yet they are now targeting Mac's as well, because PC's have been hacked for far too long and now they're moving along because the PC users think they've got the hackers by the nape of the neck. Not so. Many of my accounts have been hacked.

There are several things to look for whilst you are merrily bounding through your regular routines:

• Mail that you receive with your name misspelled, or another last name entirely,especially credit offers.
• Phone calls that appear under Caller ID to come from a legitimate source, however, hang up the phone and the location will come up. I had a call from "India" yesterday that was actually from Arizona. 
• Items gone missing, no matter who you trust in your household (college students and adults in group living situations alike) that have ANY personally identifying information on them.
• Emails that purport to be from agencies that you regularly do business with, but something is off (always check the email address it came from).

Things you CAN do to battle the hacker/dark web villain yourself:

• Check bank statements and credit cards statements *online* regularly (these will show pending posts and "dips", which are small withdrawals and subsequent deposits that never show up on your regular statement. Thus, you cannot dispute them, according to credit card statutes.
• Change passwords REGULARLY on all accounts (there are several good programs out there, however, if your computer is compromised, keep a written log of the passwords instead). It's a pain, but so is identity theft and having a bankruptcy appearing on your credit report.
• By the way, "REGULARLY" means at least once per month, but I recommend every other week. Make sure the password has at least 12 characters, including special characters (not letters or numbers) as well. 
• Put "fraud alerts" on your credit reports, should you see anything looking fraudulent through mail, email or internet accounts. 
• All three credit reporting companies, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax do not regularly share information. However, if you put a fraud alert on your Experian report, they are required by law to report this to the other two agencies on your behalf. 
• Then, set a 90 day reminder. This is when the fraud alert expires. Then, re-up the fraud alert.
• If you have enough evidence, make a report to: https://www.ic3.gov (this is the "FBI of internet crime") - it is an agency I was made aware of by the Social Security office, as I was applying for a "lost" social security card.

Be careful out there. Listen to your gut. And, most of all, ask a lot of questions. Wait for answers. If they don't make sense or your gut tells you something is off, hang up. Then, call the number back. If it comes up as a disconnected number, you were smart, my friend.