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Surfer Beware
Hurricane Internet
Scams Abound
We've united to help the
Gulf Coast begin to recover from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. But
sadly, when disasters occur, scammers looking for a quick buck
inevitably follow. The FBI has reported that, as of mid-September,
about 4,000 Web sites were claiming to offer help to victims and
that about 60 percent of them were probably scams.
Besides
fraudulent Web sites, the most common Hurricane Internet-related
scams are e-mail solicitations, a practice called "phishing," asking
for money for Hurricane victims. The message asks for a donation
and, when an unsuspecting donor provides a credit card number or
makes an electronic payment, the money is pocketed by the scammer
and identity theft is a possibility. Rip-off attempts based upon the
notorious "Nigerian fee scams" are also making the rounds.
Other e-mail scams don't even require a reply. Messages with
Hurricane-related subject lines and file attachments carrying
Trojans or viruses can infect your computer if you open the files.
Plus, chain letters (such as "victims receive $1 every time you
forward this message") and messages that use interest in the
disaster to sell unrelated and often bogus products are circulating.
Common sense is your biggest ally in protecting yourself
against these scams. Here are several tips to help protect yourself
against scammers:
1) Never respond to unsolicited e-mail
messages asking for a donation.
2) Be leery of relief Web sites
run by unfamiliar organizations.
3) Report rip-off schemes to our
state's Attorney General Office, the Better Business Bureau, or the
FBI. The FBI's Hurricane Katrina scam tip line is
800-225-5324.
4) Learn more about avoiding Hurricane
charitable-giving rip-offs at the Better Business Bureau's BBB Wise
Giving Alliance Web site: www.give.org.
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Extend
Your Internet Connection
Affordable Wireless
Networking Is Here!
We make it easy and
affordable to enjoy a wireless network right in your own home or
small business. A wireless network allows you to connect multiple
computers together to share files, photos, printers, scanners - even
play online games - without wires. And now you can enjoy all the
freedom of a wireless network for less than the price of one gourmet
coffee a week.
Affordable networking
Now you can
lease everything you need to start your wireless network for only
$9.95/mo. Our starter package includes one wireless router/access
point and one wireless card for a desktop or laptop. Additional
wireless cards are sold separately.
Don't forget a
firewall
Not only does our wireless access point act as a
print sharing device that allows multiple computers to share
printers, scanners and other peripherals, it also includes a
firewall to keep your electronic data safe and secure from computer
hackers - all without wires!
Wireless networking has
never been more affordable.
Order yours today!
Call 651-385-0877 or
visit us in Red Wing at 1001 Main Street.
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Ask The Help Desk
Can Airport Security
Scans Harm My Laptop Computer?
Question: I
plan to take my laptop computer with me when I travel during the
upcoming holidays. Why does airport security scan laptops separately
from other carry-on luggage? Can the x-ray system that airports use
harm my computer?
Answer: Laptop
computers are inspected separately because it's a better way to
determine if an explosive device has been hidden within the
computer. With all of the electronic components built into a laptop,
it's difficult for a security worker to look at an x-ray image and
determine if there's a bomb. Chemistry kits called "sniffers" are
also used on suspect laptops to determine if residue from
bomb-making chemicals is present. Additionally, airport security may
ask you to turn your computer on as a further precaution to make
sure that your computer is not a bomb in disguise.
It's a
misperception that airport x-ray machines will damage laptop
computers and other electronic devices, such as cell phones and
PDAs. The concentration of the x-ray beam is not strong enough to
penetrate the casings of electronics. However, there has been a new
development regarding photographic film and airport security x-ray
machines. X-ray scanners of recent years do not damage film. But as
a part of anti-terrorism airport security upgrades, a new type of
x-ray machine, called a CTX-5000SP, is being installed in many
airports in North America.
The CTX-5000SP is designed to
better detect explosives, but tests have shown that x-rays from
these machines will damage unprocessed film if the film receives a
direct hit from the beam. Processed film and electronic devices are
not affected.
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Great Sites To Check Out This
Month
How To Find The Lowest
Gasoline Prices
http://gasbuddy.com - With gas prices
the way they are, we need all the help we can get. This site runs
170+ local websites across the U.S. and Canada that help consumers
find area gas stations that are selling fuel at lower prices. A
network of local volunteer gas price spotters submits updates for
their specific area. The site also includes a link comparing our
state's tax rate on gasoline compared to other states. It's
interesting information.
The Legend of Zorro Released
This Month
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thelegendofzorro
- Multiple Golden Globe Award nominee Antonio Banderas and Academy
Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones team up again in follow-up to
their internationally popular motion picture, The Mask of Zorro. The
first film grossed over $200 million and the sequel promises to be
just as adventurous and action-packed. The official site for The
Legend of Zorro includes production notes, lots of photos, bios, and
a thrilling movie trailer. The film opens October 28, 2005 and is
rated PG.
Dress Your Dog Up As A Bee For
Halloween
http://beedogs.com
- Have you been wondering what costume your dog will wear for
Halloween? Me neither. But for those of you who are, why not dress
him/her up as a bee? The person who runs this site collects pictures
of dogs that are dressed up in bee costumes and posts them for the
world to see. Come on. You're not doing anything really important
right now anyway ˜ and you are very curious. Go take a look!
The Amazing Race: Family Edition
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race8
- Last month's Emmy Award winning television show, The Great Race,
is back for another season only this time with a new spin. Instead
of two-person teams, the teams are now four-person teams comprised
exclusively of related family members ˜ including children as young
as eight years old. The Amazing Race: Family Edition is the eighth
competition for this popular series. Check out the site to learn
more about the family team members in this season's
contest.
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Short Tutorial
Add A Sound Alert When
Hitting The "Caps Lock" Key
Accidentally hitting the
"Caps Lock" key when typing an e-mail message is a common
keyboarding error. When you are in a hurry, your left pinky finger
sometimes just doesn't reach either the "tab" key or the "shift" key
but instead hits right in between on the "Caps Lock" key. Before you
know it, you've got a whole line of text in all capital letters.
If it's rare that you intentionally use the "Caps Lock" key
˜ it's used when making a series of letters all capitalized ˜ you
can set your computer to sound an alert when hitting this key.
Here's how to set your sound alert when using Windows XP:
1)
Click your cursor arrow on the "Start" menu in the lower left corner
of your screen.
2) Click on the "Control Panel" icon. This
will open the "Control Panel" window.
3) Click on
"Accessibility Options" (either on the icon or on the link next to
it). The "Accessibility Options" window will open.
4) Click
on "Accessibility Options" again in the window. A smaller
"Accessibility Options" window will open.
5) Click on the
"Keyboard" tab.
6) Look for the item labeled "ToggleKeys"
and click in the check box labeled "Use ToggleKeys."
7)
Click on the "Apply" button. Depress the "Caps Lock" key on your
keyboard and you'll hear the alert sound for that item. You will
also hear alert sounds when you depress "Num Lock" and "Scroll Lock"
if your keyboard has these keys.
8) Click the "OK" button in
the small "Accessibility Options" window.
9) Click on the
red "x" in the upper right corner of the large "Accessibility
Options" window to close it. Now, when you accidentally hit the
"Caps Lock" key, you'll hear about it!
For Mac users, there
is no sound alert setting for the "Caps Lock" key. However, if your
"Caps Lock" is turned on when using the Safari browser and going to
a site that requests a password, you'll see a symbol in the right
corner of the password field advising you that your "Caps Lock" key
is on. Give it a try.
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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our
way of keeping you up-to-date on what's happening in the fascinating
world of the Internet. However, if you'd prefer not to receive these
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Thanks for your business and best
regards,
Cannon Communications -
Your Local Communications Provider
1001 Main St
Red
Wing, MN 55066
(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.)
©2005 Cornerstone Advertising Group Inc.
Trademarks:
All brand names and product names used in this e-Newsletter are
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