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Warning |
Hello
SpringNet1 Internet Subscribers!
To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The SpringNet1 Internet Team
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Warning
- Phishing Scams Are On The Rise
An
ever-increasing number of "phishing" scams are targeting online consumers
each month. In fact, such scams are said to have risen by an average of 50%
a month during the first half of this year alone! The term "phishing," also
referred to as "brand spoofing," or "carding," is a variation of the word
"fishing" -- the idea being that "bait" is thrown out with the hopes that
while most people will ignore the "bait," some will be tempted into biting.
Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to an Internet user and falsely
claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise with the intent of
scamming the user into surrendering confidential information that will then
be used for identity theft. Here's how a typical phishing scam works:
A con artist sends a bogus e-mail message to a list of e-mail addresses. The
phony spam e-mail message purports to be from a bank, for instance, and asks
the e-mail recipient to provide account information to assist the bank in
its efforts to crack down on identity theft. The e-mail message is usually
very authentic looking and includes company logos and copyright information.
These messages typically state something about the recipient's account being
temporarily suspended if account information is not provided. A link is
provided within the e-mail message which takes the consumer to an
official-looking website. The site asks for personal information such as
account numbers, pin numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, etc.
Participation in the scam by the consumer results in identity theft -- and
bad consequences.
Businesses that are commonly targeted by "phishers" include banks, credit
card companies, brokerage firms, ebay, PayPal, Internet service providers,
as well as a variety of online retail e-commerce sites.
Tips On How To Avoid Getting Hooked By Phishing Scams
- Legitimate companies don't ask for financial or personal information
via e-mail. If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for this
type of information, do not reply or click on the link in the message.
If you are questioning the legitimacy of an e-mail regarding your
account, contact the organization in the e-mail using a telephone number
you know to be genuine.
- NEVER send personal or financial information via e-mail. E-mail is
not a secure method of transmitting personal information.
- Initiate online transactions by typing in the organization's web
address into your browser's Address Bar rather than clicking on a link
provided within an e-mail message that supposedly takes you to the
organization's site. Con artists can spoof an organization's web address
shown on an e-mail message's link and send you to a bogus site instead.
- When you are asked to provide personal or financial information
through an organization's website, be sure to look for indicators that
the site is secure like a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a web
address that begins with "https:" -- the "s" stands for "secure." Be
sure to follow #3 above before doing this step.
- Review bank account and credit card statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges.
If you believe you've been scammed by a phishing scheme, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft.
Is It Time To Move Up To Highspeed/Broadband?
- Modems Have Served Our Customers Very Well Over The Years, But Is It Time
For A Switch?
Springnet1 has been providing dialup Internet over a modem for 9 years now and find that many of our customers are satisfied with the speed and performance. However, times are changing and the demand for highspeed/broadband connections are on the rise. At Springnet1, we understand this trend and have had highspeed/broadband services available to our customers for over 7 years. If your demands have changed and you think its time to switch to a highspeed/broadband connection give us a call, we can let you know what we have to offer in your area. Call (800) 261-6006 today.
Ask The Help Desk - How
Do I Know Which Service Packs Have Been Installed On My Computer?
Question: My
computer uses Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition as its operating system. I
have automatic updates set up but how do I know if the new Service Pack 2
(SP2) has been installed on my computer?
Answer: If you are curious to find out which service packs or
software updates have been installed on your PC running Windows XP Home
Edition, do the following:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "START" menu located at the bottom
left of your screen. Click on "My Computer" from the resulting pop-up
menu.
- When the "My Computer" screen appears, you will see a list of items
along the left side. Click on "View system information." The "System
Properties" screen will then appear.
- Click on the "General" tab and you will see all of your system information listed including which version of Windows you are running and which service packs have been installed.
Great Sites To Check Out This Month
The
Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest For The Best TV Show
http://www.fox.com/rebelbillionaire/ - Donald Trump's ego just got some
new competition. Britain's Sir Richard Branson, billionaire and founder of
Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, and over 300 other Virgin-related
companies, debuts this month in his own reality TV series. In a format
similar to The Donald's popular The Apprentice TV series, sixteen
American entrepreneurs are jetted to destinations around the globe where
their leadership skills are tested. Each week one contestant is left behind
on the tarmac as the rest of the group flies off to the next adventure. The
winner receives Branson's job and one million dollars!
Delicious Holiday Recipes
http://epicurious.com/ - Are you
looking for a variety of great new recipes to try this holiday season? Then
head over to what this site calls "The World's Greatest Recipe Collection."
The recipe section has a "Search Spy" link which gives you a peephole look
into the ten most recent terms typed into the site's recipe search box. The
terms are refreshed every fifteen seconds with a new set of ten terms. It
might give you some great ideas for something new to try. How about a
platter of lime and coconut shrimp with red curry sauce to go with your
turkey?
Online Owner's Manuals
http://livemanuals.com/ - So it's
time to reset the clock on your VCR but you can't find your owner's manual.
Not to worry. This useful site makes online owner's manuals available for
hundreds of different products -- everything from photography equipment to
electronics. You can search the site's database by the type of product or by
the manufacturer. The website also includes a live simulation showroom with
an audio feature that reads step-by-step manual information to you.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Opens This Month
http://nick.com/all_nick/movies/spongebob/ - This month marks the
return of SpongeBob SquarePants, Squidward Tentacles, Sandy Cheeks, Mr.
Eugene H. Krabs, and the rest of the gang in The SpongeBob SquarePants
Movie. The movie is based on the popular animated TV series which was
the #1 rated TV show for ages 2-11 during the 2001-2002 season. Its creators
ended TV production in 2003 to concentrate on the making of this movie. Yes,
SpongeBob SquarePants still lives in a pineapple in the community of Bikini
Bottom. The site includes four hilarious movie trailers, fun games, cast
member bios, and cute e-cards.
Simplified BCS System To Determine College Football Champion
http://bcsfootball.org/ - The purpose
of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), which was established in 1998, is to
determine the national champion of NCAA Division I college football yet
maintain the bowl system that's nearly 100 years old. Although not perfect,
the system is probably an improvement over the old format of bowl match-ups
with affiliated conferences. There's a new, simpler formula in place this
season. So now is the time for football fans to begin putting down their
binoculars and picking up their calculators. For all you've ever wanted to
know about the BCS plus a complete breakdown of the week's current
standings, check out this site.
Short Tutorial - Turning
Off Your E-mail Software Program's Preview Pane
The Outlook
Express, Entourage, Netscape 7.1, and Eudora e-mail programs all utilize the
"Preview Pane" feature as a default setting. The Preview Pane setting allows
recipients to easily view the contents of new e-mail messages without having
to click on the message to open it up. This saves time and is great when
getting e-mail messages from friends and family.
The problem with the activated Preview Pane feature of these software
programs, of course, occurs when spam e-mail is sent to a user's inbox. The
recipient is almost forced into viewing the contents of spam e-mail messages
prior to deleting them. Sometimes the images can be pretty distasteful.
A user can easily "turn off" the Preview Pane feature of their e-mail
program. By doing this, the user only views messages he/she actually wants
to open. Here's how to do it:
Outlook Express for Windows
- Click your cursor arrow on the Outlook Express "View" menu.
- From the resulting drop-down menu, select "Layout."
- When the "Layout" window opens, look for "Preview Pane" about half
way down.
- Uncheck the check box next to "Show Preview Pane."
- Click on the "Apply" button and then click "OK" to close the window.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu.
- From the resulting drop-down menu, uncheck "Preview Pane" by clicking on it.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu.
- From the resulting drop-down menu, select "Show/Hide."
- From the resulting submenu, uncheck "Message Pane" by clicking on it.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu.
- From the resulting drop-down menu, select "Options."
- When the "Options" window opens, look for the "Category" pane on the
left hand side. Scroll down until you find the "Viewing Mail" icon and
click on it.
- In the "Preview Pane" section, uncheck the check box next to "Show
message in preview pane."
- Click "OK" to close the window.
We hope you
found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted
on the happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive
these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
Anthony D. Hopp
Springnet1, Inc.
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2004
Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are
trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.