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The video rental market has changed.  Traditional video stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are now going out of business.  The video rental market has evolved from storefronts to video by mail outlets, like Netflix to an even more efficient phenomenon: Video Rental Kiosks. 

These video rental kiosks are essentially vending machines which allow you to use your credit card to rent movies for only $1.00 a night.  This business model is by far the most efficient, it can run 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week and can run by itself without any staff onsite.  However, there is also a trick to beat this system and actually keep your DVD for only $1.00 without ever having to return it or be charged any additional money.

Getting the Movie for only $1.00

The way these video rental kiosks work is that you select which movie(s) you want to rent.  You swipe your credit or debit card in the machine and your movie is given to you and you are billed $1.00 plus tax for one night’s rental.  If you don’t return the movie within 24 hours you will be billed an additional $1.00 plus tax for each night you keep the movie.  After 25 nights and $25.00 plus tax, the movie is yours to keep and you will no longer be billed.

The Credit Card Transaction Process

When you rent the movie, the video rental kiosk checks your credit or debit card and makes sure that $25 is available on the card.  You are initially charged $1.00 plus tax, which turns out to be $1.08 (with tax) in my area, you are not charged anything over this initial $1.00 for 24 hours.

The Trick

If you buy one of those $25 Visa or Amex Gift Cards, you will be able to use this gift card to rent the movie.  It will check to see that $25 is available, which it is and then it will charge you an initial $1.08 as a rental fee.   Leaving a balance of $23.92 on your gift card.  You can take your video and then go spend the rest of the money on the gift card, thus they will not be able to charge you anything additional beyond the initial $1.00 regardless of whether or not you return the movie! 

This trick would only allow you to rent one movie using a $25.00 gift card, because after the initial rental, the card no longer has $25 available on it.  That’s why I prefer using the $50 gift card, because it allows you to rent multiple movies and still keep $25 available on the card.  Using a $50 gift card you can rent 10-12 movies easily and still have over $25 left over. 

After you rent the movies using your gift card be sure to spend the remaining balance on your giftcard within 24 hours or you will be billed an additional $1 per movie.  I like using gas stations to spend my additional balance because you can buy beer, cigarettes, food, soda and then gasoline.  With pumping gas you can spend the remaining balance on your gift card to the penny.

You can easily use the process above to get any movie from the video rental kiosks for only $1.00 plus tax and keep it forever without being charged anything additional!

At airports around the world there are first-class lounges that offer their first class passengers free world-class meals, an open bar with free unlimited drinks, free internet access, self-serve bars, free gifts, private rooms, free magazines and newspapers, and private rooms. Some first-class lounges even offers private bedrooms, full buffet, massage services, gyms, spas, and swimming pools.

The top-ten first class lounges are:

1. Singapore - Singapore Airlines - Gold Kris Lounge.
2. Hong Kong - Cathay Pacific Airlines - Blue-Chip Lounge.
3. Dubai - Emirates Airways - Elegant Lounge.
4. Abu Dubai - Etihad Airways - Premium Lounge.
5. Instanbul - Turkish Airways - Millennium Lounge.
6. London - Virgin Atlantic - Clubhouse.
7. London - British Airways - Galleries.
8. New York - Lufthansa Airlines - Premium Lounge.
9. Miami - American Airlines - Admirals Club.
10. San Francisco - United Airlines - Red Carpet Club.

There is one easy little-known trick to get access to any first class lounge at the airport for free.

Simply follow the following steps:

1) Purchase a fully refundable first-class airline ticket which can be refunded without any fees.  Pick an airlines with a first-class lounge that you wish to access. 

2) Go to the airport, check-in, and get your first-class boarding pass.

3) Use your first-class airline ticket to bypass security.

4) You can now use your first-class ticket to access the first-class lounge.

5) You can then cancel your ticket anytime before the flight takes off to receive a full refund credit back on to your credit card.  It is recommended that you call the airlines to cancel the ticket from inside the lounge, immediately after you gain access.

You could book the actual flight that you will be taking this day in advance.  It is possible to book both a first class and a coach ticket for the same person in advance as long as they are on different airlines.   It would also be possible to book your coach ticket after you cancel your first-class ticket.

If you are flying out of a larger International Airport like New York, San Francisco, or Chicago O’Hare, it would be possible for someone flying domestic coach to also purchase a fully-refundable International First-Class ticket from the same airport and gain access to the International First Class lounge while they are waiting for their flight.

In some cases you might want to cancel your ticket and get your refund “before” accessing the first-class lounge, because it may be possible that airlines won’t refund all of your money if they realize that you used your ticket to access the lounge.  However, even if the ticket is canceled in the system you can often use the paper ticket itself to access the lounge. 

This trick would also people to purchase fully-refundable international tickets to access the duty free shops without leaving the country.

There are 3 main classes of Fake IDs out there:

Class 1 = False Identity (ID Card or Driver’s License belonging to someone else.)
Class 2 = Altered (A real Driver’s License or ID Card that has been physically changed to represent false information such as Date of Birth.)
Class 3 = Fake (Completely manufactured as a counterfeit ID Card.)

Class 1 False Identity

If you are planning on using someone else’s ID Card there is a very high probability that you will get caught.  Typically this method only works with a younger sibling that looks very much like an older “of age” sibling.  Many bars and night clubs will not accept expired ID Cards to prevent this type of activitiy.

In order to be effective you would need the older sibling’s Current Driver’s License, using the Original ID Card can be risky for both siblings.  Therefore, it makes more sense and is safer for the younger sibling to borrow the “of age” siblings Birth Certificate and Social Security Card and go to the DMV and claim that the Original license was lost.

The younger sibling can now get a Duplicate ID with their own picture (younger sibling) and the pertinent info belonging to the older sibling.  The older sibling can continue to use the Original ID card and the younger sibling can use the Duplicate ID Card (with the younger sibling’s photo) obtained from the DMV.  Most DMV offices require no proof to walk in and obtain a Driver’s License other than a Birth Certificate and a Social Security Card.

Class 2 Altered

Years ago with the traditional laminated ID Cards it was possible to easily to alter the Date of Birth on a Driver’s License by “Chalking” the ID.  The term “Chalking” refers to using colored pencils (Yes, that’s right, Colored Pencils!) to alter the Date of Birth on a Driver’s License.

This is not possible to do in all states, but is especially popular an easy to do with New York State Driver’s Licenses.  If done correctly contrary to what you might think, a chalked ID Card can look extremely convincing to a bouncer or bartender - especially in the dark.

Some “chalked” IDs can be foiled if a bartender wets his finger and then runs it across the Date of Birth causing the colored pencil lead to smear.

With the help of technological advancements, such as holograms and textured lamination - today’s Driver’s Licenses are nearly impossible to alter except by a professional.

Class 3 Fake

One of the biggest giveaways on a well made fake Driver’s License is a bad photo.  Never use a photo of a person wearing a hat as this is a dead giveaway.  The DMV would never allow a person to pose for their Driver’s License photo wearing a hat.

Be sure that your photo shows your face looking directly forward with your head level and a forward aligned profile.  Don’t use a picture of a person looking up, down, to the left, or to the right.  Be sure that the photo is taken against a plain white background.  Also be sure that there is no red eye in the picture.

Be sure to wear appropriate casual clothes.  The girl in the photo above looks fine in the full profile picture, but looks naked once the photo is cropped into an ID sized image.

The print on your ID card should be high resolution, all printed information needs to be solid and clear.  If the print is fuzzy, pixelated, or grainy then it will be a clear indication that the ID is fake.

Make sure that the lamination is done well.  It should not peel, there should be no bumpy surfaces, and it should form a solid piece with the rest of the ID card.

Make sure that the holograms, barcodes, and magnetic strips look accurate.  People often check the holograms.  Scanning the barcodes or magnetic strip occur less often so even if the ID doesn’t scan accurately, it should pass most of the time as long as the magnetic strip and barcode looks realistic.

Make sure that the information on your card is accurate and realistic.  The height and weight should be around your height and weight.  The date of birth should also be as close to your own age as possible.  Do not use ridiculous information that would attract unnecessary attention.

Additional Tips

- Always put your fake ID or Driver’s License in a different wallet separate from your real identification cards.  Having your real ID and your fake ID in the wallet can spell trouble.  If someone spots your real ID they will want to see that ID as well and you’ll be caught.

- Always carry additional identification or cards with your fake IDs name on them.  Often times bartenders and bouncers will ask to see a second form of ID.  They know that most  people who have fake ID  cards, do not have backup identification.

- Know the information printed on your fake ID card.  Many people make the mistake of using a fake ID without knowing the information printed on the card.  If a bouncer or bartender suspects that an ID is fake they might ask your birth date, middle initial, address, or zodiac sign.  If you hesitate, don’t know the answer, or get it wrong it will be a major indication that the ID you are using is fake.

Have you ever wanted to hack into someone’s voicemail without them knowing about it? 

You may want to listen to someone’s voicemail because you are suspicious of a rival, suspecting a lover of cheating on you, or just plain curious.

A service called SpoofCard allows you to change what a person sees on their caller id when they receive a phone call.   This SpoofCard service allows you to MAKE ANY PHONE NUMBER APPEAR on the caller id of the person that you are calling, CHANGE YOUR VOICE to sound like a man or a woman, digitally record your calls, and even GAIN ACCESS TO OTHER PEOPLE’S VOICEMAIL!

HACK INTO VOICEMAIL BOXES

If you want to break into someone’s voicemail with SpoofCard simply enter their phone number as the number you wish to call and provide the exact same number as the number you wish to appear on the caller id.

This SpoofCard trick works especially well on cellphone voicemail systems. I have found that AT&T, Sprint, Boost Mobile, Cingular Wireless, and T-Mobile USA telephone networks use Caller ID to identify voicemail users without requiring passwords. So users on these networks are totally vulnerable to this trick.

There was even an article two years ago talking about how Paris Hilton got into trouble for using SpoofCard to break into Lindsay Lohan’s voicemail. Paris also used SpoofCard to make harassing calls and made them appear to be made from Lindsay’s cellphone.

Read this article by clicking here.

Get 10% off SpoofCard! Use coupon code SPRING at checkout.

Recently there has been an increasing number of ATM scams surfacing.  Scammers are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs to steal both the ATM card number and the PIN from customers. 

These ATM scams are highly effective and have accounted for millions of dollars worth of money scammed.

The equipment that these scammers use to capture your ATM card number and PIN is carefully disguised to look like normal ATM equipment.

A credit card “skimmer” is mounted to the front of the normal ATM card slot which reads the ATM card number and either stores or transmits the number to the scammers.  This card reader “skimmer” is designed to fit into the ATM and be relatively undetectable.

Once in place it’s very difficult to tell that a skimmer is attached to the ATM machine.  Any cards used in this machine will have their magnetic strip recorded and the scammers will be able to use this information to create a “clone” of this card using a magnetic strip writer.

The scammers can take things even further and install a pamplet box containing a concealed camera to record the user’s PIN number.  The camera installed in this pamplet box is relatively undetectable and can be used to record the users PIN number.  Once the scammer has the magnetic card info and the PIN number they can encode a blank card and use this card and PIN number to withdraw money from this person’s account.

This setup is virtually undetectable even with both the pamplet box and magnetic strip skimmer in place.

Look at the picture above, there is only one subtle difference between the regular ATM on the left and the ATM on the right with the skimmer installed.  Notice that the card slot where you insert your ATM card no longer dents inward, instead it bulges out?  This is because there is a skimmer in place which will read your ATM card. 

The skimmer will still allow the ATM to function normally, but it will read the information off the card and the scammer will be able to swipe the magnetic strip encoding when the card is placed into the slot and then create a clone of your ATM card.

The Lebanese Loop Trick

Another trick that Scammer’s use to physically steal your ATM card is known as the Lebanese Loop Trick. 

The Lebanese Loop consist of a strip or sleeve of metal or plastic (such as x-ray film or VCR tape) that is inserted into the ATM’s card slot. When the victim inserts their ATM card, the loop prevents the card being drawn into the machine, fooling the user into believing the machine has malfunctioned or retained their card.

These Lebanese Loops tend to be made out of thin, black material that can easily blend into the ATM card slot.

The Lebanese Loop is carefully inserted into the ATM card slot.  The ends of the strip are folded upwards.

The foldered ends are glued to the outer surface of the ATM card slot, making the Lebanese Loop virtually impossible to detect.

Slits are cut on both sides of the Lebanese Loop to prevent the card from being returned at the end of the transaction.  This causes the card to remain in the machine.

Once the ATM user leaves the scammer can now return to the machine and pull down the ends of the loop to retrieve the ATM card and remove it from the slot.

The scammer now has the ATM card and is free to use it provided he was able to record or view the user entering in their PIN number.

Blackjack is the only casino game that can be consistently won by players if they know the proper techniques.  If you know how to count cards then you can bet higher amounts when you have the advantage over the casino. 

The principle behind counting cards in blackjack is that a deck of cards with a high proportion of high cards (10-valued cards and Aces) to low cards (2-valued thru 6-valued) is btter for the player, while the reverse (a deck with a high proportion of low cards to high cards) is better for the dealer. There are many reasons for this: blackjacks become more common (and they offer a higher payout than other winning hands), the dealer is more likely to bust on a stiff hand, double-downs are more successful, and insurance becomes profitable.

Card Counting recently became infamous after the release of the movie, 21, which was about the MIT Blackjack team which took the Las Vegas casinos for millions of dollars during the 80s and 90s.

Counting cards is much more difficult than it seems, you have to keep track of all the cards coming out of a six deck shoe, watch the dealer and other player’s hands, decide how much to bet, under a ton of distractions.

However, now a new Apple iPhone application called HiLo makes card counting easy.  Nevada gaming authorities have warned casinos to watch for blackjack players using an iPhone application to count cards.

In a memorandum that the Nevada Gaming Control Board circulated to casinos starting Feb. 5, board member Randall Sayre sounded the alarm about Blackjack Card Counter, an iPhone application that sells for $1.99 on Apple Inc.’s App Store.

“This program can be utilized on either the Apple iPhone or the Apple iPod Touch portable music player,” Sayre said in the memo (download PDF). “Once this program is installed on the phone through the iTunes Web site, it can make counting cards easy.”

Although card counting — attempting to keep track of the number of face cards, aces and 10s in the multideck Blackjack shoe — is not illegal in Nevada, using a device that aids in counting is against the law.

Card counting is a strategy that tries to track the ratio of high-value cards to low-value cards. A high ratio supposedly benefits the player, while the reverse gives the advantage to the dealer.

According to Sayre, Nevada gaming authorities were tipped to the iPhone application by colleagues in California, who in turn had been told by a tribal casino in the northern part of the state that it had found customers using the program.

Among the application’s features that Sayre called out is its “Stealth Mode,” which shuts off the iPhone screen — making the phone appear to be turned off. However, the user can still continue to track cards by pressing the screen at the spots where the keys would normally show.

“Just as a reminder, use of this type of program or possession of a device with this type of program on it — with the intent to use it — in a licensed gaming establishment, is a violation of NRS 465.075,” said Sayre. Counting cards with a device is a felony under Nevada law and is punishable by prison terms of between one and six years, or a fine of no more than $10,000, for the first offense.

Blackjack Card Counter is not the only such software on the App Store. The rival “Card Counter,” billed as a card-counting practice program, sells for $2.99. Card Counter is more popular than Blackjack Card Counter; the former is currently No. 30 on the App Store’s list of best-selling games.

Don’t you hate getting calls with blocked Caller ID?

I do! 

However now there is a brand new service which unmasks blocked calls so you will always know who is calling you!  This service is called TrapCall and it’s the worlds first cell phone service to unmask blocked calls.

TrapCall.com was officially launched today and I wanted to let you be the first to know about it!

TrapCall is incredibly simple to use and setup. No messy software downloads or installs required, and it works on all cell phones with most providers. You just key a few numbers into your cell phone and TrapCall’s ready. So, if you’ve got fingers your good to go! (For those of you without fingers, just ask a buddy to help out!)

Along with Caller ID unmasking, TrapCall also has advanced premium features, like incoming call recording (another first!), voicemail transcriptions, selective number blocking (we play them a disconnected number notice!), Caller ID Name, and more!

Did we also mention that TrapCall is FREE?

To get started using TrapCall, just visit: TrapCall.com.

Wired.com broke the news about the TrapCall launch last night! You can read the article at: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/02/trapcall.html.

I just tried it out and it works great!

What is does is when someone calls you with a blocked number first forwards the number to be unblocked to an 800 number and then forwards the call back to you with the number exposed.  At this point you can send them to voice mail if you don’t want to answer the call.

It was very easy to disable the feature as well, it varies per carrier. Just look on your trapcall account on how to disable it if you don’t want to use it.