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E-Mail Scam |
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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E-Mail Scam
- Online Bank Phishing Scams Are Hooking Consumers
As the number
of people using online banking services continues to grow, so does the
increase in the number and the variety of Internet-based bank fraud scams.
Below are a couple of actual examples.
Example 1
Example 2
The above are real-life examples. E-mail messages like these, often
awkwardly written, include a link directing the e-mail recipient to an
authentic-looking website. The site, which appears to be your bank's
website, asks that you submit personal information (such as your PIN,
checking account, and Social Security numbers) so the "bank" can "update"
its files. The scammers’ goal is to obtain personal information for identity
theft and/or bank and credit card fraud.
Don't fall prey to Internet-based bank fraud criminal activity! These types
of crimes, called "phishing scams," have increased dramatically in just the
past couple of years. According to the Federal Trade Commission, of the
635,173 complaints it received in 2004, 246,570 were identity theft reports
and 388,603 were fraud complaints. Information provided to scam artists by
unsuspecting online bank users has been a major contributing factor to these
high numbers.
Here are some steps you can take to avoid being "hooked" by bank-related
phishing scams:
- If you get a message or even a pop-up browser window that asks for
personal information, don’t reply. Legitimate companies do not collect
information in this manner; it's guaranteed to be a scam. Don't click on
suspicious file attachments either.
- Keep your anti-virus and firewall software running and up-to-date.
Some phishing efforts attempt to place viruses and spyware on your
computer.
- Forward the bank phishing messages to the financial institutions that the scammers are impersonating. Nearly all banking websites now have e-mail addresses to which you can report phishing scams.
Send And Receive E-mail
- While Away On Holidays!
Did you know
that you can access your e-mail account while you and your family are out of
town for the holidays? Any Springnet1 Internet customer can download and
view their e-mail from any computer connected to the Internet by going to
www.springnet1.com and clicking your
cursor arrow on the Webmail link. Simply enter your E-mail address and
Password on the resulting login screen and you'll be free to send and
receive e-mail messages from anywhere.
This is a FREE, added value service provided by Springnet1 to each of our
Internet customers. Have a happy and safe holiday!
Ask The Help Desk - Does
Outlook Express Provide Holiday E-mail Stationery?
Question: I
would like to send my holiday greetings this month via e-mail. I understand
that Microsoft's Outlook Express provides an option to insert a
holiday-themed stationery background on e-mail messages. Is this true?
Answer: Yes. Outlook Express does include pre-installed stationery
themes that can be used as backgrounds on your outgoing e-mail messages. To
view them, do the following:
- With Outlook Express open, click on the small black arrow on the
right side of the "Create Mail" button. You will see a list of
stationery names. If the stationery you want to use is listed in the
drop-down menu, simply select it and then a new message window will open
that uses the stationery. Add text to your subject line, type your
message, and send it to your intended recipients.
- If the stationery you want to use isn't listed, choose "Select Stationery" from the drop-down menu. Click on the stationery you want to use in the "Select Stationery" window. As you click on the stationery names, you will see a preview of each in the "Preview" pane on the right side of the window. When you find the one you want, click the "OK" button to open a new message window that uses your choice of stationery. Add text to your subject line, type your message, and send it to your intended recipients.
Great Sites To Check Out This Month
Read The
Happy Side Of News
http://www.happynews.com -
HappyNews.com covers many of the national, international, entertainment, and
sports stories that the big news services cover. However, Byron Reese,
founder and publisher of the website, says his site's take on the world is
more representative than the negative view commonly seen on TV or in
newspapers. Recent headlines have included "Average Gasoline Prices Drop 25
Cents," "Post-Hurricane Rita Weather Helps Crops," and "Mosul Is Policing
Its Own." Is network news making you "down in the dobber?" Try reading
HappyNews.com!
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html - This month
marks the long awaited film release of the popular children's fantasy novel
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Written by C.S. Lewis (AKA
Clive Staples Lewis 1898-1963), the story is actually the second volume in
Lewis's seven-part epic entitled The Chronicles of Narnia. Be sure to
check out the movie's trailer as well as the five fascinating
behind-the-scenes video clips.
Travel Wisely With Your Pet During The Holidays
http://PetTravel.com - Are you planning
to take your pet traveling with you during the holidays? Be prepared by
checking out this helpful site. It links you to over 28,000 pet friendly
hotels. It's also got information on how to obtain an international health
certificate for your pet, quarantine and inspection information for over 100
different countries, airline pet travel requirements, travel tips for pet
health and safety, and details on how to microchip your pet.
Celebrating Christmas At Graceland
http://elvis.com/graceland/calendar/elvis_christmas.asp - Elvis Presley
famously decorated his residence for the holidays. Today, the staff of
Graceland continues Presley's traditions with lighted aluminum trees, a
life-size nativity scene, a winding driveway with hundreds of blue lights,
and trees in several rooms. If you can't take in the holiday tour in person,
check out the Graceland Cam, which is available 24/7. You can also send
holiday e-cards to friends and family. Each card includes an audio clip of
an Elvis song.
Lyrics To Christmas Songs And Carols
http://www.nevada.edu/~blake/Christmas.songs.html - If you are having
trouble remembering whether it's "nine ladies dancing" or "nine pipers
piping" on the ninth day of Christmas in the song "The Twelve Days of
Christmas," this website is for you. The site provides the lyrics to 41
popular Christmas songs and 25 classic Christmas carols. It's time to "Deck
the Halls!" (By the way, the correct answer is "nine ladies dancing." The
eleventh day has "eleven pipers piping.")
Short Tutorial - Create
Custom Stationery Using Outlook Express
Outlook
Express includes built-in stationery templates that can be used for outgoing
e-mail messages. This can be especially handy this time of the year when e-mailing
your holiday greetings to friends and relatives. If none of the
pre-installed stationery templates fit your needs, you can create your own
stationery when using Outlook Express 6 in Windows XP Home Edition by
following the steps below.
- With Outlook Express open, click on the small black arrow on the
right side of the "Create Mail" button. Choose "Select Stationery" from
the drop-down menu.
- At the bottom right of the "Select Stationery" window, click the
"Create new" button to open the Stationery Setup Wizard. Click the
"Next" button.
- To find a photo on your computer to use as a background, click on
the "Browse" button under the "Picture" section.
- Navigate to the location where your photo is stored on your hard
drive and then click on the photo to select it. Your background photo's
name should now be shown in the "File name" box. Click the "Open"
button.
- Select how you want your background photo to be displayed in your
message by experimenting with the options under the "Position" section.
(The "Preview" section to the right of the window will help you decide
by allowing you to see a small representation of what your message will
look like.)
- Choose how you want your photo to be tiled under the "Tile" section.
For example, if you want to tile your photo over the entire message,
select "Entire Page."
- If your photo doesn't cover the entire background and you want to
choose a background color instead of white, check the "Color" box. Then
select a color from the drop-down menu in the Color section. Click the
"Next" button.
- Choose the font, font size, and font color that you want your
messages to be when using the stationery that you are creating. Then
click the "Next" button.
- Choose the size of your left and top margins. Then click the "Next"
button.
- Name your stationery by typing a title into the "Name" field. Click
the "Finish" button to create your new stationery. You will be taken
back to the "Select Stationery" window.
- Select your new stationery from the list and click "OK."
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,
Neal E. Miller
Springnet1, Inc.