Key Bank Online Account

Internet users are being urged to exercise caution when making online donations to charitable causes, such as today's Children in Need appeal.

Security firm Webroot Software warned that users must be extra vigilant to avoid exposing personal information to cyber-criminals.Webroot stressed that it does not want to discourage people from donating to worthy causes, but to make sure that the donation reaches the intended recipient."We are seeing increases in spoofing and typo-squatting around events driving traffic on the web," said Nick Banks, managing director in EMEA for Webroot. "Internet users need to think about protection and good habits when surfing online for information or donating."Cyber-criminals are targeting heavily trafficked websites, and donors seeking to contribute to worthy causes must use caution when visiting these sites."Children in Need fundraising activities have been taking place throughout the year, but the televised events today will prompt many people to visit related websites with the intention of donating.Webroot said that a potential spike in system monitors and key-loggers allows hackers to obtain personal information such as credit card or bank account numbers.The company also recommends that users ensure that security software is up to date, look for the padlock symbol on the browser when entering private information, and check bank accounts regularly for unexpected transactions.

The Dollar in Danger

For a quarter-century after World War II, money was based on a loose version of the gold standard. The U.S. dollar was pegged to gold; other currencies were pegged to the dollar; stable prices underpinned the prosperity and soaring trade of the 1950s and '60s. Then in 1971 Richard Nixon balked at the high interest rates necessary to maintain the dollar's link to gold. For the rest of the decade, inflation ripped. The cure, starting in 1979, involved two recessions in the United States and the Third World debt crisis.

Now we face another potential watershed in the world's system of money. Since the breaking of the gold link, the dollar has become the world's primary measure of value, so much so that bank deposits in Uruguay and bribes paid in Russia are mostly denominated in dollars.

Dell Inc. and other celebrities help with wish lists

Hoping it can boost holiday sales, Dell Inc. has enlisted Burt Reynolds, Ice T and other celebrities to help customers raise money to buy products for themselves or others. Through a new Web site launching Friday, visitors to http://www.YoursIsHere.com will be able to create a virtual piggy bank where friends and relatives can donate money for gifts. There are tools to create e-mail distribution lists, and gift-seekers can embed their fundraising requests on their Facebook and MySpace pages. The e-mails are embedded with celebrity video clips, each pitch based on a theme. Actress Estelle Harris, who played George Costanza's nagging mom in the sitcom Seinfeld, solicits funds through the "guilt sell." "Not that it's any of my business, but you usually get them a thoughtless gift every year anyway," she groans.