Welcome
to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today
is Sunday, June 8, 2008
In
this Issue:
Important
Reminder: Run Your Inkjet Printer
Special
Feature: Beware of Credit and Debit Card
Scams
Featured
Computer Term: Web 2.0
This
Week's Topic: Email Signatures in Gmail
Question: Turn Off Web Page Sounds
Websites
of Interest: Flag Day; BBC News; Epinions; Merriam Webster
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Important
Reminder: Run Your Inkjet Printer
If
you have an inkjet printer and do not use it very often, run it once a week or
every other week to keep the ink flowing. Without use, the ink can dry up long before
its expiration date.
**************************************************************
Special
Feature: Beware of Credit and Debit Card
Scams
The
following article is from a Bottom Line/Personal (www.BottomLineSecrets.com)
interview of Audri Lanford,
PhD, cofounder and coeditor of Scambusters.org (www.scambusters.org), a Web
site that informs the public about scams and cons.
Credit
card crooks are becoming more sophisticated. It often takes victims longer to
spot today's complex credit card scams, giving thieves extra time to make
fraudulent purchases.
Five
of the latest credit card scams today.
Keystroke
Loggers
You
use your credit card to make a purchase from a reputable Internet retailer. The
next time you try to use the card, it is rejected
because it has been maxed out.
Many
computers are infected with a "keystroke logger," a type of computer
spyware that tracks everything typed into the computer and reports it back to a
scammer via the Internet. When an online purchase is made, the scammer is able
to obtain the victim's credit card number.
Victims
often download and install keystroke logger spyware without realizing that they
are doing so.
Example:
Thousands of high-ranking executives across the country recently received email
messages that appeared to be official subpoenas from the United States District
Court in San Diego. A link embedded in the message offered a copy of the
subpoena.
When
the recipients clicked on the link to view the subpoena, they unknowingly
installed the software that recorded their subsequent keystrokes, including
credit card numbers, user IDs and passwords.
Self-defense:
Purchase and install an up-to-date Internet security program, such as ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite (877-966-5221,
www.zonealarm.com) or AVG Internet Security (www.grisoft.com).
Cell
Phone Camera Scam
A
shopper chats on his/her cell phone near a store's cash register while you pay
for a purchase... or he talks on a cell phone outside a restaurant window
while, just inside, you use your credit card to pay for a meal.
Though
the bystander appears to be deeply engrossed in his conversation, he actually
might be using the camera built into his cell phone to snap digital pictures of
your name, your credit card number and the expiration date.
Some
cell phones now contain five-megapixel cameras, with sharp enough resolution to
snap a legible picture of a credit card even from several feet away.
Self-defense:
Be aware of people around you whenever your credit card is out of your wallet,
particularly if someone nearby is holding a cell phone. Conceal your card under
your hand, or at least turn the card over.
Card
Switch
You
pay for a restaurant meal with your credit card. When the waiter returns, you
sign the receipt and slip the card back into your wallet, same as always.
But
the next time you use the credit card, it is declined. When you examine the
card, you realize that it is not your credit card, but rather a similar-looking
card with someone else's name on it.
Unscrupulous
restaurant and retail employees occasionally carry a few old credit cards,
perhaps ones stolen from previous customers that have been canceled by their
owners.
When
a customer pays with a card that is similar in appearance, the scammer pockets
the new card and substitutes the old one. If the victim fails to notice, the
thief goes on a shopping spree.
Self-defense:
Always double-check that the credit card returned to you really is your card.
Skimmers
Some
high-tech scammers working in restaurants, gas stations and other
establishments have small electronic boxes known as "skimmers" hidden
near the cash register.
Skimmers
steal the information -- name, address, telephone number, credit limit, PIN --
encoded on credit cards when the cards are swiped through them.
Unlike
a conventional credit card scanner, a skimmer is not attached to a phone line
or cash register and typically is concealed out of customers' view.
Self-defense:
Try not to let your card out of your sight. Of course, this
isn't always possible, but when it is, pay close attention. That alone
may make a scammer less likely to try anything.
Credit
Card Fraud "Assistance"
You
receive a phone call from someone who identifies himself as a Visa or
MasterCard representative. He asks if you authorized a particular purchase
(often electronics). You did not.
The
representative explains that someone has stolen your credit card number and is
running up your bill. "Don't worry," the rep says, "I can help
you cancel the card and have the fraudulent charges removed from your
account."
This
caller does not really work for a credit card company, and your card number has
not really been stolen -- yet. The caller is a con artist who will ask you to
"confirm" your credit card number and perhaps the three-digit code on
the back of the card while pretending to help you stop a fictitious thief.
Self-defense:
Never divulge your credit card number or the code on the back of your credit
card to anyone who phones you, even if he/she claims that you must act fast to
protect your account.
Hang
up, phone your credit card company's toll-free number and ask a real credit
card company rep to check for the fraudulent charge that the caller mentioned,
as well as for any other suspicious activity. If there is any sign of trouble,
cancel the card.
Also,
check your accounts regularly online for any fraudulent charges.
Credit
Card Liability Limits
Fortunately,
victims of credit card theft generally are liable for only $50 of the thief's
charges (and banks usually waive even this fee for good customers).
But
victims often have to cancel their cards and update any automatic charge
arrangements (for Internet service, electronic toll collection, etc.).
That
$50 liability limit also applies to ATM and debit cards, though holders of
these cards might be liable for up to $500 if they fail to report the card's
disappearance within two business days after they learn of the loss or theft of
the card. (Debit and ATM card owners can be held responsible for all losses if
they fail to report the theft within 60 days of when a bank statement showing
unauthorized charges is mailed.)
Victims
also face cash flow problems and bounced-check fees when thieves clean out
their bank accounts.
Reprinted
with the permission of:
Bottom
Line Personal
Boardroom
Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd.
Stamford,
CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com
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Featured
Computer Term: Web 2.0
Question:
I read a lot about computers and the Internet and try to keep up to date with
technology. I am a little confused as to
what Web 2.0 is. I read about it quite
often. Could you provide an explanation?
Answer:
Web
2.0 is an expression that describes the Internet as now a tool for programs,
services and interaction. In Web 1.0, the Internet provided information only.
Here
is a great article by Paul Gil from about.com that will give you a great
explanation of Web 2.0, its features, history and more:
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/w/f/web20.htm
Is
there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of? Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and
we'll put the term and its definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's
Topic: Email Signatures in Gmail
An
email signature contains text that you type once, set up the signature, and it
appears at the bottom of every email you send.
Here
are the steps to create an email signature in Gmail:
Open
your browser and go to your Gmail page.
Click
Settings near the top right corner.
Scroll down and to the Signature area.
Click in the box directly beneath No Signature.
Type
in the text you would like to have in your signature. When you are done, scroll down and click the
Save Changes button.
The
text you typed in there will now appear at the bottom of every email you send.
Visit
our newsletter archives to view the steps for creating signatures in other
email programs:
Outlook
Express:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051808.html
Yahoo!
Mail
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060108.html
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Question: Turn Off Web Page Sounds
Can
you please help me with something I find very annoying? When I visit some websites, music starts
blaring out of my speakers. I usually
listen to my CDs while I work on my computers which is
nice, quiet music. But this website
music blares right through. Is there
some setting I can change to make that stop?
Answer:
We
agree, that is very annoying. And yes, there is a setting you can
change. Here are the steps:
Open
Internet Explorer.
Click
Tools on the menu and then click Internet Options. (If you cannot see the menu,
press the Alt key on the keyboard). A
window will open.
Click
the Advanced tab at the top. Scroll down
to the Multimedia section. Click the checkbox to the left of Play sounds in webpages. Click the OK button.
You
will no longer hear any sounds or music in webpages.
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Websites
of Interest:
Flag
Day
Saturday,
June 14, is Flag Day. Read about the
history and celebration of this observance at these websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Day_in_the_United_States
http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html
BBC
News
The
British Broadcasting Corporation has earned the title of the most objective of
international reporting.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Epinions
before you make that purchase, check
this site for consumer reviews by regular people.
http://www.epinions.com/
Merriam
Webster
Bookmark
and visit this site whenever you need a dictionary or thesaurus.
http://www.m-w.com/