Hopeless country !! NAPTIP : FG rescued 10,500 Nigerians from Libya

The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli, said on Monday that at least 10,500 Nigerians have been rescued from Libya.

This number includes the 3,500 rescued by the Federal Government and over 7,000 repatriated from the North African country by the International Organization for Migration (IMO).

She said the agency has so far recorded 359 convictions against traffickers since inception and 43 this year alone.

The NAPTIP chief added that 10 potential Russia- bound human trafficking victims were rescued at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on their way out of the country.

Address journalists in Abuja at a press conference to mark the agencies 15th anniversary and the 2018 World day against human trafficking, Okah-Donli said NAPTIP has written to the Ministry of Sports, inviting people who returned from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia to report at its office.

She said: “With regards to Libya, so far we gave been able to rescue 3,500, IOM has rescued over 7,000 and it is a work in progress. So giving figures might not be doing justice because almost every week we have returnees to Nigeria. So it is not easy to just pin a figure at it because we may get a plane tomorrow or next.

“For the reintegration of the victims, we have 10 shelters. We give them psychosocial support, those who want to go to school were given the opportunity and those who want to acquire some skills, they do that. We reintegrate them back into the society at the end of the day.” - The Nation

Impeachment notice:Now I know why Nigeria is a shithole country - Gov Ortom

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, says he now knows why President Donald Trump said there are “shithole countries” in Africa.

Washington Post had attributed the controversial comment to Trump but the US leader denied using those words.
While reacting to the impeachment notice which eight lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) served on him, Ortom said such a thing would only happen in a “shithole country”.

The governor said he was being targetted for moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He accused the inspector-general of police and director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS) of perpetuating evil, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to call them to order.
Ortom also alleged that George Akume, a serving senator in the state, was behind the political crisis in Benue.

“Today, I’ve realised why Donald Trump called Nigeria or Africa a shithole. I want to believe that Mr President is not aware of what is taking place in Benue state because as president who swore to uphold the rule of law and due process, and who is referred to as a man of integrity, a man of honour and who respects the constitution of our land, I’m sure he is not aware of the impunity and ignominy that is being perpetrated by the inspector general of police and the DG of DSS,” he said.

“For me, I will continue to do my duty at all times. The action of the agents actively supported by the police and DSS, the actions of the eight members of the house of assembly against 22 who are legitimately doing their jobs has demonstrated the highest level of hooliganism and ignominy.
“The police detachment from Abuja acting on the directives of Senator George Akume and the IGP and DSS, forcibly occupying the assembly in flagrant disobedience of court order to vacate the premises.

“The police barred and stopped the 22 members of the Benue state house of assembly from entering the assembly premises to conduct their legitimate duties and manhandled citizens who were going top watch the proceedings. They teargassed many and took them away.
“The same police provided heavy security escorts to the eight members who came to perpetrate the impunity, and led them away to their destination. Eight members seem to have suspended 22 members. It is only in a shithole counmtry that you can do this kind of thing.”

He said Terkimbi ikyange, impeached speaker, paraded himself in flagrant disobedience to the court order that he should not do so until the matter is heard.
“The same members claim to have illegally moved a motion to serve an impeachment notice on me. Eight members cannot be two/third of 30 members of the assembly. An impeachment notice that I’ve not seen anyway , but that is what I heard,” he said.

“I want to believe in the rule of law and will deploy legal process to tackle this form of challenge. We are not going into any kind of illegality and that is what democracy is all about. We will continue to protect the democracy that we have in this country.
“I call on patriotic Nigerians to rise and resist this impunity. What is my offence? Have I not got the right to decide to associate with any political association of my choice? Is it the first time we are doing that? Even in America, defection is not a crime, so I want to call on Mr President to protect this democracy that made him president.

“This form of impunity will only derail the democratic process that we have. Mr President should not allow this. The IGP should not be allowed to be used by Senator Akume to perpetrate evil.
“So, if Akume is recruited to destabilise to bring people to destabilise this government, he should be called to order.

“Now I know why Trump called Nigeria a shithole country. It’s only in a shithole country that eight house of assembly members can suspend 22 lawmakers.” - TheCable 

60-year-old man slashes village chief’s stomach with saw

A motor saw operator Samson Tueei, who allegedly slashed the stomach of a Baale (village head) with a motor saw, was on Monday arraigned at the Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Tueei, 60, of Sore Community in Takwa Bay, Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of assault and infliction of bodily harm.

Prosecuting police officer, Sgt. Godspower Ehizoba, alleged that the defendant committed the offences at 7:45 p.m. on July 19, at Sore Community in Takwa Bay.

He said the incident occurred following a dispute between Tueei and the complainant, Mr. Gani Thomas, over who should be the community’s head.

The stool was, however, given to Thomas.

“The defendant assaulted the Baale, Gani Thomas, by stabbing his stomach with a motor saw,” the prosecutor said.

According to him the offence contravened sections 170(2) and 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and punishable under same.

Tueei pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate T.A. Idowu granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case till October 11. - The Nation

Ekiti council chief commits suicide

Tragedy struck on Monday as a senior local government official, Michael Kayode Bamisaye, allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Bamisaye, who was the Director of Finance in Ise/Orun Local Government Council, Ise-Ekiti, jumped into the well in his compound behind
Tinuola Maximum School, off Afao Road, Ado-Ekiti.

The deceased had earlier drunk water mixed with cement in an earlier attempt to kill himself before jumping into the well.

Top management staff of local governments in Ekiti State have being paying condolence visit to Bamisaye’s home.

Sympathisers have been trooping to his residence to commiserate with the widow and other members of the family.

Activities were said to have been grounded at Ise/Orun Local Government secretariat when the report of Bamisaye’s death filtered in
from Ado-Ekiti.

The cause of the suicide could not be immediately ascertained.

Bamisaye was said to be the third senior management staff that would die in Ise/Orun Local Government Council this year as two other directors had died before him in mysterious circumstances.

A source said: “The deceased woke up at about 4.00 am to assist his wife to do some house chores and even called some council workers he
used to convey to Ise everyday to be ready to join him to their station.

“All of a sudden, he disappeared and went outside with the wife looking for her. Later she discovered that the well was opened and they saw the body floating.

“The wife and other people who joined her searching later saw the cement he had mixed with water which he might have taken before taking
the plunge into the well.

“The men of the State Fire Service had come to remove the corpse which has since been deposited at the mortuary.”

Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was not available for comment as his phone was switched off. - The Nation

Femi Kuti’s band member ‘absconds’ 20 minutes before show in US

Femi Kuti, Afrobeat legend, says his bassist “disappeared” 20 minutes before a concert in the US on Sunday.

The Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and his Positive Force band performed at the SummerStage concert in New York.

According to Kuti, the missing band member is a bassist whose name is Aghedo Andrew.

The musician said Andrew “nearly ruined” his concert.

“He disappeared 20mins before show time. I want to thank the rest of the band for standing strong and giving one of the best shows of the tour,” Kuti wrote on Instagram.

Yeni Kuti, his sister, also posted about the development on Instagram, describing Andrew as “the face of betrayal”.

She wrote: “The face of betrayal! Deserted Positive Force 20 mins before (the) show in New York but he is not up to who can bring us down.”

In another post, Yeni said she hopes the US authorities catch Andrew.

“The face of betrayal. I hope @realdonaldtrump catches you and deports you!!! Deserted band 20mins before concert because he wants to stay in America,” she wrote.

Femi Kuti is currently on a tour of the US, promoting his ‘One People, One World’ album.-Thecablestyle

Brexit : London is loosing business to Frankfurt

Deutsche Bank has moved almost half its euro clearing activities from London to Frankfurt, in the latest sign of European cities winning financial business from the UK ahead of Brexit.

The move has provided a significant boost to Deutsche Börse’s ambition to steal business from LCH after Britain leaves the EU next March — six months ago, Deutsche Bank’s euro clearing operation was almost entirely done in London.

The clearing of euro-denominated interest rate derivatives has become a key Brexit battleground for regulators, banks and exchanges. In the past, London’s LCH was the undisputed leader for clearing euro-denominated interest rate swaps, processing up to €1tn of notional deals per day. 

Germany’s largest lender does not disclose its clearing volumes but it is one of the five largest clearers of interest derivatives.

“To minimise risk for financial stability, it is indispensable that [the clearing of euro-derivatives] is subject to strong regulation and supervision in full conformity with EU standards,” Olaf Scholz, Germany’s finance minister, said last month, suggesting Frankfurt would be the natural place. 

“It’s a highly politically charged topic,” said a senior banker at a rival bank.

Deutsche Bank has been one of the early adopters of Frankfurt-based clearing. “We are now clearing the majority of our euro-denominated forward rates agreements in Frankfurt rather than in London,” Jürgen Feil, head of rates for Germany at Deutsche Bank, said.

Hubertus Väth, CEO of marketing group Frankfurt Main Finance, said that moving euro clearing from London to Frankfurt was “on top of our priority list from the very first day after the Brexit referendum”.

While only a few hundred jobs are directly linked to derivatives clearing, Mr Väth said the indirect effects would be substantial, adding that Frankfurt had lost most of its trading rooms to London over the past three decades: “This was the best chance to bring them back.”

London Stock Exchange Group, which owns LCH, has warned that as many as 100,000 jobs could leave the City if London loses its status as the euro clearing hub. 

But at Deutsche Bank, the shift to Frankfurt-based clearing has not led to relocating jobs. “It’s the same London-based person who clears a transaction. We’re just using a different clearing house,” said Stefan Hoops, the bank’s global co-head of institutional and treasury coverage.

European policymakers are calling for direct regulatory oversight after the UK’s departure from the EU, as so-called central counterparty clearing houses directly affect financial stability.

In October 2017, Deutsche Börse subsidiary Eurex launched an incentive scheme that encouraged banks to switch from London to Frankfurt. So far, 29 banks have signed up, with Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, Commerzbank, BNP Paribas and Stuttgart-based public lender LBBW being the heaviest users. The four other lenders declined to comment. 

At €3.8tn, the notional clearing volume in the second quarter of 2018 was 10 times higher than a year earlier, lifting Eurex’s market share in the euro-denominated interest rate derivatives to around 8 per cent.

Theo Weimer, Deutsche Börse chief executive, is aiming to control at least a quarter of the market for clearing euro interest rate swaps from London by 2019. 

“We are pleased with the first six months as volumes are growing,” said Erik Müller, CEO of Eurex Clearing. Yet while Eurex’s revenue from OTC derivatives clearing has almost tripled, it accounted for just 2.6 per cent of overall revenue.

So far, Frankfurt has attracted mainly short-dated derivatives that are heavy in volume but low on risk, a senior derivatives trader at a European bank pointed out. “Long-dated interest swaps with a maturity of five to 20 years is still primarily cleared in London,” said the banker, adding that he expected this to change over time in favour of Frankfurt. 

Forward rate agreements are short-dated contracts that allow parties to protect themselves against changes in interest rates and often involve large notional sums of billions of euros. 

For clients dealing with derivatives in different currencies, LCH can still be the better choice, said Mr Feil. However, for those dealing with euro-denominated products such as interest rate swaps and euro-bund futures, Eurex is often the better choice.  - Financial Times 

British farmers worry: Who will pick the fruit after Brexit?

After a dozen futile calls to big farms, agricultural lobbyists and labor contractors, we finally found him.

The rarest of the rare, the British berry picker.
Meet Max Hughes, a 20-year-old university student and history major, who is spending his summer harvesting blackcurrants at the Snell family farm in Herefordshire. He rides in the back of a harvester all day, standing beside a Czech migrant and a couple of sun-bronzed Romanian guys, who know very little English.

“No matter, you can’t hear a thing they say over the noise,” Hughes said, gesturing toward the wheeled harvester beside him. Its vibrating metal fingers shake the currant bushes and bring the tart berries via conveyor belt to the sorting table, where Hughes and his teammates discard the leaves, twigs, slugs and occasional mouse — whatever you don’t want to see in a frozen fruit pack.

Britain today is completely dependent on foreign workers to pick its fruit and vegetables. According to the National Farmers Union, an industry lobbying group, of the 60,000 seasonal workers in the fields last year, barely one percent was British. The vast majority come from Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria and Romania.

As long as Britain has remained part of the European Union, by treaty its doors have been wide-open to the “free movement” of fellow members, including those seasonal farmworkers who come for four or five months, get paid in British pounds and return home for the winter.
But as Britain prepares to leave the E.U., bringing the era of free movement to a close, farmers have begun to panic: Who will pick the crops next spring?

Already, labor shortages driven by economic shifts have left produce rotting in the strawberry fields and the high-tech, hydroponic poly-tunnels where top-tier soft fruit is produced. Jacqui Green, chief executive of the Berry Gardens growers cooperative, reports a 30 to 40 percent shortfall in labor this year.
“It's pretty grim,” Green said. “And it’s probably going to get worse before it potentially gets better, post-Brexit.”

During the 2016 Brexit campaign, anxiety over mass migration was top of mind, fueled in part by claims that, for example, millions of Muslims would arrive as soon as Turkey joined the E.U. (Turkey is not in the union and has no prospect of joining in the foreseeable future.)
With Britain’s exit from the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May vows that the country will regain “control of our borders” and dramatically curtail immigration.

Yet critics of Brexit argue that Britain desperately needs foreign workers — not only “the best and brightest” in finance, tech and medicine, who May promises will still be welcome, but those who clean hotel rooms in Brighton, man kitchens in London and harvest tomatoes in Norfolk.

If far fewer workers come from Europe, those jobs will have to be filled by Brits — who don’t seem very keen, truth be told — or contracted from Belarus or Nepal or the Philippines.

Britain had such a foreign farmworker scheme in the past, but it was scrapped — and now there are growing calls to restart it.

Stephanie Maurel, the chief executive of Concordia, a recruitment company that supplies workers to about 200 British farms, said they’ve had virtually zero Brits apply.

“We’ve had two applications out of 10,000,” she said. “It’s statistically quite damning.”

Asked why Brits aren’t high on the work, she recited the list: early hours, long days, physical toll, seasonality, lack of affordable transport, “and, quite simply, the farms aren’t in places with high levels of unemployment.”

And, unless you’re a local, you live in a trailer. Often a nice trailer, with WiFi, but still.

Maurel said some Brits work in less taxing farm jobs — as logistics managers or office staff — but even those higher-paying, indoor jobs are mostly taken by Eastern Europeans these days.

She said the rare British workers who give the fruit and vegetable harvest a try, “literally don’t last a week.”

Hughes and three other university students are the only Brits harvesting berries at the Snell family farm this summer, out of a workforce of 300.

“That’s quite something, isn’t it?” said Christine Snell who owns the award-winning, environmentally sensitive farm with her husband, Anthony. “We want to get the message across: If we could recruit British workers, we would, but we cannot.”

Snell drove a Washington Post reporter out to see these exotic British berry workers. They looked hot and dusty but otherwise like healthy contestants on a reality TV show.

For Hughes, the long workday begins at 5 a.m. and ends in the late afternoon. He said with overtime and bonuses for quick sorting, he could make almost $4,000 for six weeks of six-day work. The worst part, he said, is the dull, repetitive nature of the job. He zones out by listening to music through his ear buds. “It’s not a bad summer job,” he said.

But he and his mates think they understand why so few Brits want farm jobs.

“A lot of kids would never do this kind of work,” said Lewis Hiscox, 24, a recent graduate from Harper Adams University, who was working on the blackcurrant harvester, too. “They’d rather give London a try for more money, more fun. Also, there’s the snob thing. Farm work is associated with Eastern Europeans,” meaning “work for poor people.”

Many observers have suggested that Brits today are “too lazy” to do the farm work of their yeoman ancestors. Hiscox said that physically, “the British worker could definitely do this job.” He said the work provides an “outdoor life” and decent pay for a young person.

Elliot Packham, 22, who just graduated from Cardiff University, wondered, “If the pay were better, more might try?” He noted that then strawberries would cost more.

“So there’s the economics of it,” he said.

Some British commentators have suggested that maybe recently released felons could be employed on the farms — the way German prisoners of war were used during World War II.

Others have wondered if hale and hearty Britons living on social welfare benefits could be prodded to bend their backs to bring in a crop of strawberries. (Though those who receive such benefits may question if the work would be worth the risk of not requalifying for benefits after the season ends.)

Gabriela Yuganaru, a 50-year-old Romanian crew leader on the Snell farm, has been picking for 10 years. “If it was so hard, why would I come back? Your back is sore, okay? A fast picker can make 100 pounds in a day.”

She said, “Maybe the government gives people too much money not to work. I don’t know.” She said back home the governments are not so generous. “Better to work,” she said.

Helen Whately, a Conservative party politician who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for fruit and vegetable farmers, said growers would be facing a shortage of labor without Brexit, but the vote to leave the E.U. has “arguably made the problem a bit more acute.” Already, it has contributed to a weakening of the pound, thus decreasing the financial incentives for foreign workers, at the same time that economies are improving in source countries, such as Romania.

Whately is campaigning for a seasonal agricultural workers scheme that could include countries outside of the E.U. and would allow pickers to come and work for a defined and limited period of time.

Other than that? Robots? But berries are notoriously difficult to pick mechanically, Snell said.

Adrian Cirstea, the packing house and logistics manager at the Snell farm, who is originally from Romania, imagines that after Brexit, British growers will have look far and wide for labor.

“They’ll have to go further east and further south,” he said, to Africa and Asia, to find workers. Meaning that Britain may see the same number of foreign farmworkers, but fewer Bulgarians and more from Eritrea and Moldova. Maybe even Turkey. - The Washington Post

Ondo Police fumes as youths beat up DPO

Some Residents of Ilara Mokin, in the Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Sunday reportedly beat up a Divisional Police Officer in the town, Mr Wole Ogodo.

DPO Ogodo was attacked and beaten up while trying to calm the angry protesters.

This followed the death of two members of the community who were crushed to death by a commercial bus, Punch reports.

It was learnt that the accident stirred protest from youths of the community as they allegedly set the bus ablaze and attacked security agents in the area.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph, confirming the incident to reporters at the scene said the protesters who attacked the DPO would be prosecuted for taking laws into their hands.

He said, “ There was a fatal accident which claimed two lives, but the people of the community were unruly as they burnt down the vehicle and as the DPO was trying to prevent them from burning the vehicle, they overpowered him and seriously assaulted him.

“However, we have begun our investigation and we will still arrest those that set the bus ablaze and those that beat the DPO because they have committed another offence. Normalcy has been restored to the expressway.” - Daily Post

Dismissed US soldier arrested in Owerri for defrauding Nigerians

Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the Imo State Police Command have arrested one Garrick Slacks, a dismissed United States soldier, for allegedly defrauding Nigerians with fake promises to secure visas and other travelling documents to the US for them.

The suspect, who was arrested on Saturday, is currently in the custody of the state Police Command in Owerri.

The Police said the suspect was a serial fraudster who had used his position as a foreigner to defraud Nigerians, who are desperate to travel abroad, especially to the US.

“He is a serial and sophisticated fraudster. He was arrested this afternoon (Saturday) while he was hurriedly leaving Owerri for Port Harcourt.

“He is equally impersonating the US Army and Nigerian Army at the same time. His targets are mostly women. He would promise them marriage and tell them that he had the capacity to secure their visas and other travelling documents to America with his position as a colonel in the US Marine Army and as an American citizen.

“He has confessed to the crime and the forensic investigation we have done using his fingerprints revealed that he is a wanted man in California and he only ran to Nigeria in February to continue his heinous crimes.

“Just five days ago, he defrauded a young widow N500,000 with a fake promise that he would secure stay visa for the widow’s three children. He was about running away from Owerri before we tracked him. Could you imagine that the lady we used in tracking him, he had promised to marry her on meeting her for the first time this afternoon (Saturday).

“Exhibits recovered from the suspect, according to the police included a cash of over N2m, two pairs of military uniform, military fez cap, jungle boot, fake military identity card, fake driving licence and a car, which he used in making his fraud look real.

“All the exhibits we recovered from him are fake. The military identities which he used to make his fraudulent activities look genuine. He was even beating security men to this game until we nabbed him,” he said.

When interviewed, the suspect told newsmen that he was sorry for his actions and was ready to make amends if given the opportunity.

He admitted that he was dismissed from the US military in 2015 over his involvement in cocaine peddling. - Daily Post

More trouble for Facebook as social media giant is braced for $5.7bn US tax bill over its Irish subsidiary

Facebook is braced for a $5.7billion tax bill in the US over its Irish subsidiary – and tax changes in Europe could force it to overhaul its business, the company said.

Last week, the social media giant disclosed the litany of tax issues it is facing in its first half results.

Its shares fell on Thursday by more than 20 per cent, wiping $120billion (£90billion) off its market value as growth at the firm slowed.

The US company, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is being pursued by the tax authorities in the US over its Irish arm, which owns the global rights to the income from Facebook's business outside America.

US tax officials believe these were handed to the Irish division at a knockdown price to minimise tax liabilities and are seeking payments of $5billion for 2010 and $680million for 2011 to 2013. Facebook contests the bills.

The arrangement had implications in Britain. Under the structure, UK advertisers placing ads aimed at UK users paid the Irish business – a structure that kept payments to the Revenue at a minimal level.

The firm has since moved many UK payments onshore following a British Government crackdown. 

Facebook says this will increase its UK corporation tax bill. Facebook UK paid just £2.5million in corporation tax last year.

The Internal Revenue Service, America's equivalent of Revenue & Customs, is investigating Facebook's US tax returns for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The Irish tax authorities are investigating its tax returns between 2012 and 2015.

Facebook said changes to tax regimes for digital firms could 'require us to change the manner in which we operate' and it warned that the European Commission's investigations into tax breaks awarded by EU member states could affect the company.

Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager has ordered Apple to pay the Irish tax authorities €13billion, saying it struck an unfair deal with the US tech giant.

Facebook declined to comment. - Daily Mail

How to make sure no one is spying on your computer

A program that spies on your computer activity is one of the most dangerous forms of malware. It won't present you with a ransomware request or announce it's deleting your files. Instead, it hides silently on your system, watching and recording all your computer activity.

Spyware can do everything from hijacking your webcam feed to recording your keyboard inputs. The culprits ultimately aim to collect enough of your personal data to steal your identity, take over your accounts, or expose your digital life in other ways. To minimize the odds of an unwanted program taking root on your machine, follow our guide to staying spyware-free.

Secure your system

To start with, you need to establish solid protection for your computer. Most antivirus programs for both Windows and macOS will protect against keyloggers, webcam hackers, and other types of spyware, especially if you vigilantly keep this software up to date.

How do you choose? You won't find a "one size fits all" security solution for everyone. For most home computers, free software should provide adequate level of protection, but paying for an upgraded version of the program will increase your chances of staying safe.
We chose four of the most effective and intuitive free antivirus tools we've used in recent years. 

They all receive high scores from AV-Comparatives, an organization that independently assesses antivirus software, even compared to excellent fee-based programs like Avira and McAfee. Although none of the following options specializes in fighting spyware, all of them include some defenses against that type of malicious program. As long as you install any one of these packages, you'll massively reduce your system's risk of infection.

Our picks are Windows Defender (included with Windows 10), AVG Free (for Windows and macOS, upgraded version costs $70/year), Bitdefender (for Windows, upgraded version includes macOS support and costs $54/year), Malwarebytes (for Windows, upgraded version includes macOS support and costs $40/year), and Avast (for Windows and macOS, upgraded version costs $60/year). If you upgrade these programs to paid-for versions, you'll gain extras like enhanced web-link scanning to catch dodgy URLs, more comprehensive options for proactively preventing attacks, and secure file storage.

Alongside your main security product, we recommend that you install secondary protection. For Windows, we like the free Spybot Search & Destroy, which works alongside your regular antivirus package, performing deep scans as an extra layer of defense against infectious code. If you suspect that your computer suffers from spyware, but your normal antivirus tool doesn't pick it up, try digging deeper into your system with the secondary Windows security program Norton Power Eraser. In a similar vein, Trend Micro's HouseCall serves as an extra scanner on top of your current security package, and it works from your web browser, which allows it to cover any type of operating system.

Avoid infection

Even with a strong antivirus program in place, you don't want to give spyware a chance to hitch a ride on your computer. If you want to keep prying eyes off your system, then you need to monitor all the potential ways malicious code can worm its way into your machine.
Sadly, some spyware enters through the household, when people attempt to pry into the computer behavior of their friends and family members. While we're sure everyone in your home is perfectly trustworthy...a shared computer should still have separate user accounts for each person who relies on that machine. Protect those accounts with passwords to keep out snoops: In Windows, do this in Settings > Accounts; in macOS, check the setting in System Preferences > Users & Groups.

Other programs arrive in disguise, purporting to be random web pop-ups or harmless email messages. They often hide within applications that look perfectly legit, or appear to be email attachments in a file format you recognize. Be wary of links you receive over social media or email, even if they appear to come from people you trust—a bad actor may have compromised their accounts or spoofed their identities. Here are a few ways to protect yourself from fraudulent links, which may contain spyware.

In addition, you need to be very careful about what you install on your computer, and where you download it from. If you want to try a new piece of software, make sure to read up on it first. And when you're ready to install the program, make sure you get it from the official website of the software company that designs it, or stick to programs that you can download from the Mac or Windows Store. The same goes for browser extensions. Giving these tools access to your browser can compromise its security, so you need to vet add-ons carefully. Before you install anything, check the reviews left by other users, or search for it to see if it has endorsements from professional tech sites.

Know the warning signs

No matter how tight you make your system's defenses, you shouldn't get complacent. In addition to taking the aforementioned precautions against infection, keep an eye out for these signs of spyware's presence.

One red flag is a system that runs sluggishly. Of course, older computers slow down gradually over time, but watch for a sudden drop in performance. Also keep an eye out for a lot of hard drive activity and software pauses, especially if they happen even when your computer is not running a lot of programs.

In general, you should treat strange and unexpected behavior—such as the launch of applications that you didn't open directly—with suspicion. This is no big deal if you've set programs to open automatically when the computer turns on, but it could be problematic if this happens when you're in the middle of a session. It's particularly suspect if windows appear briefly and then disappear again, a sign of a program loading and then hiding itself.

Every spyware program and system setup is different, so we can't really give you a definitive checklist; but the more suspicious occurrences you notice, the more likely it is that your computer has been infected. Other odd actions include unexplained mouse movements or text input, which might be a sign of something unknown working in the background; changes to the settings of the operating system; and the appearance of application shortcuts that you haven't noticed before.

Spyware will try to run invisibly, but it will still use up memory and CPU time. So you should check what programs and processes are running on your computer. On a Windows machine, you can use Task Manager, which you launch by searching for it in the taskbar box. Then switch to the Processes tab to see all the applications and processes currently in memory. On macOS, take advantage of a similar tool called Activity Monitor, which you can find by opening Spotlight (hit the Cmd+Space keyboard shortcut) and searching for Activity Monitor. Under the CPU tab you'll see a list of programs and processes currently running, as well as how much of your computer's system resources they're taking up.

What should you look for in Task Manager or Activity Monitor? Annoyingly, malicious tools frequently have names that look as innocuous as possible. This means we can't give you a definitive list of terms that indicate spyware. Instead, keep an eye out for applications or processes that you don't recognize or remember launching, then do a quick web search for their names to find out if they're legitimate or not.

The good news is that even as spyware becomes smarter and more sophisticated, browsers and operating systems are including more security tools. Still, you should always keep your system, its programs, and its security tools up to date with the latest patches. - Popular Science