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Dear Valued Customer Welcome to our October 2005 eNewsletter. The Gulf Coast continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina and we encourage everyone to do their part in helping the victims. Unfortunately, Internet scammers are out to steal money from well-meaning people who are trying to assist the victims of this disaster. Learn how to protect yourself by reading the information within this month's eNewsletter. The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:
To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The DTC Communications Team |
Surfer
Beware
- Hurricane Katrina Internet Scams Abound
Besides fraudulent websites, the most common Hurricane Katrina Internet-related scams are e-mail solicitations, a practice called "phishing," asking for money for Katrina's 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 Katrina-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:
- Never respond to unsolicited e-mail messages asking for a donation.
- Be leery of relief websites run by unfamiliar organizations.
- 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.
- Learn more about avoiding Hurricane Katrina charitable-giving rip-offs at the Better Business Bureau's BBB Wise Giving Alliance website: www.give.org.
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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.
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.
Solve Your Midnight Gourmet Coffee Craving
http://gourmetsleuth.com/copycat_starbucks.asp -
Have you ever had a 2 a.m. craving for a java
chip frappe from your favorite local coffee shop
which happened to close hours ago? This site can
help as it takes a shot at trying to recreate
some popular drink and baked good recipes. It
may not taste exactly the same nor have the same
ambiance as your cozy coffee shop, but at least
you can wear your pajamas as you sip.
Short
Tutorial - Add
A Sound Alert When Hitting The "Caps Lock" Key
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:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Start" menu
in the lower left corner of your screen.
- Click on the "Control Panel" icon. This will
open the "Control Panel" window.
- Click on "Accessibility Options" (either on
the icon or on the link next to it). The "Accessibility
Options" window will open.
- Click on "Accessibility Options" again in
the window. A smaller "Accessibility Options"
window will open.
- Click on the "Keyboard" tab.
- Look for the item labeled "ToggleKeys" and
click in the check box labeled "Use ToggleKeys."
- 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.
- Click the "OK" button in the small "Accessibility
Options" window.
- 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!
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,
WeCare@DTCcom.Net
DTC Communications
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(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 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.