Each month, we will post information for our members 
regarding new services, important Internet notices, and helpful tips. 
 

 


Domain Scams
The Trouble With Spam and 
New Ways to Deal With It
How to Fight Spam
Filtering Junk & Adult Mail
New Type of Spam
Spy Ware - What it Does to You
The "419" Scam or Nigerian Letter Scam
 Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
E-Greeting Downloads PornKeyboard Shortcuts for Netscape
Online Shopping Safety Tips


Visit our Previous Features and Stories
(more on Spam here)


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THE TROUBLE WITH SPAM AND NEW WAYS TO DEAL WITH IT
The unwanted junk email that comes flooding into our email each day feels like a sustained attack from unseen enemies.  The offers of herbal Viagra, cheap ink-jet cartridges, jobs working from home, bigger body parts, smaller mortgage payments, porn, wealth, beauty, and many, many more go unheeded by the vast majority of recipients.

Ever-increasing Spam

Close to a million Spam messages flow into CVC Internet, LLC alone every day.  Some 80% of incoming CVC messages are Spam.  That does not count mail stopped by CVC's Spam filters.  The amount of global Spam sent each day has increased by a factor of five in the past year according to some estimates.  Predictions conservatively show that the total number of Spam email messages sent will increase from 10 billion per day today to 30 billion a day by 2006.

It's obvious that Spam "evildoers" are just scattering junk mail to the wind, trolling for suckers.  They'll Spam 10 million people in order to make 100 sales.  But the net effect is needless aggravation, wasted time and money, and the unspoken psychological damage of being unable to stop the mess from pouring into our mailboxes.

Declaration of war

Spam is spoiling the Internet, reducing the convenience and value of email, and making people think twice about letting kids go online.  Current legislation doesn't work.  Email can come from anywhere in the world.  Filters are temporary because spammers figure out how to get around them.  Lawsuits have done nothing to slow the onslaught.

Yes, it's a war.  They're attacking us - and we've got to fight back.  We'll never end all Spam forever.  The goal is to make Spamming expensive, difficult and spectacularly unpleasant enterprise that just isn't worth the trouble.

Spamming is expensive and difficult.  Sending millions of email messages costs tens of thousands of dollars.  Changing ISP's, keeping identities secret, evading the law (something Spammers cannot avoid) all costs a bundle.

The goal of Spam should be to make it as difficult, expensive, and painful as possible by working to end Spam for ourselves, and for less technical people who need help stopping Spam.

Anti-Spam software and services

  • It turns out that the easiest, cheapest, and most effective way to stop Spam also helps harm Spammers worldwide.  It's called SpamNet from Couldmark.  This program only works with Outlook, but will soon work with Outlook Express.  This is a free download.

    The installation creates a "Spam" folder in Outlook and dumps most of your Spam there automatically.  When Spam isn't caught by SpamNet, you can simply select that message and click "Block."  The best part of this program is when you click on "Block" it tells central SpamNet servers that the message is Spam and the message, sender, and advertiser are placed on the global block list, which means you are helping to identify Spam for other users.  The software becomes more effective for you, and more damaging to Spammers with each passing day.

  • MailWasher is another program that is very effective on the war against Spam.  MailWasher is highly configurable shareware so you can customize it until it eliminates 99% of all Spam.  The best feature of this program is the automatic fake error message to the spammers telling their automated computers that you email address is no longer valid.

  • There are a wide variety of other anti-spam solutions available.  Some cost money, others are free.  Some emphasize effectiveness, others convenience.  Each taking a slightly different approach to stopping Spam.  It is recommended that you experiment with a variety of programs to see which works best for you.  Here are some other programs available:

    Mail Shell
    Spam Assassin
    Choice Mail
    Spam Killer
    Spam Cop
    I Hate Spam
    Postini

Anti-Spam Tips and Tricks

The reality of Spam is that you as a user need to valid email addresses to register for websites, verify passwords and so on.  Some of those websites sell or rent their list of email address to Spammers.

Here is a list of techniques used for managing Spam in random order:

  • Ask your friends and family to never send e-cards to your main email address.  (In doing so, they risk giving your email address to spammers.)

  • Never forward jokes or chain letters without first deleting the addresses that traveled with it.  You can use Blind Carbon Copies to avoid sharing email addresses with the rest of the world.  You just never know who will get their hands on those addresses!

  • Never reply to Spam, even to request removal.  When you reply, you verify that your email address is current, which means Spammers can sell your address to other Spammers and make even more money.

  • Use mail filters in your mail program to block unwanted mail.

  • Create a special email address for email newsletters, or even a separate address for each newsletter you receive.  (This will show you who sells your email address.)

  • Never post your private email address on the Web,  in a chat room, message board, or anywhere else.

  • Never reward Spammers by buying anything advertised through Spam.

  • Create a rule in your mail program that automatically deletes any email that doesn't contain your email address in the "To:" field.  (Make sure you exempt any newsletters you want to receive.)

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how to fight Spam
The volume of Spam has increased ten times throughout the year 2001 - these numbers are staggering - and we're sure that you have noticed the increase of Spam in your mailbox.  It may seem CVC Internet, LLC has nothing in place to take care of this problem,  but CVC fights Spam on several levels.  We handle internally-maintained lists of offending domains and IP addresses, we carefully use and monitor text filtering and scan attachments for viruses.

Overall, our defense is helping to curb the load of Spam but it's not eliminating this continually growing problem.  Spammers often use various techniques to make it difficult or impossible for us to block them and we need to be careful that we don't block legitimate messages.   One person's Spam could be another's legitimate message.  We tend to err on the side of letting the message through.

CVC Internet, LLC can only do so much to keep the Spam out of your mailbox.  
You can help with the "war" on Spam - here are a few suggestions:
PREVENTION

If you send e-mail or surf the net,  Spammers can find your contact information.  Here are five things that expose you to Spam:

  • Chatting Online
  • Posting notes to message boards or newsgroups
  • Joining mailing lists
  • Creating a member profile on a Web Site
  • Creating a Web Page and being listed as the Webmaster

Precautions to help limit your exposure on the net:

  • Create "Dummy" Identities
  • Be careful where you expose your address
  • Check a Web Site's Privacy Statement
  • Avoid replying to any Spam

Read a report on what behaviors generate the most Spam: www.cnet.com

EVADE SPAM

Spammers will often use programs to scan the net and collect e-mail addresses.  No matter how careful you are with your e-mail address, you will get Spam.  When you find it in your mailbox, here are some suggestions to avoid getting more:

  • DELETE IT! The best defense is using this button in your mail program.
  • Choose carefully when you reply to an e-mail.  Replying to Spam often validates your e-mail address and ensures that you'll get even more Spam!
  • Don't click on any links in a Spam e-mail.  Spammers are now using html (Internet language) messages with embedded links (another way of validating your e-mail address).  More often then not, these links don't lead to a valid page.
  • Use e-mail filters in your mail program.  (In the Previous Features and Stories section of the CVC Bulletin Board you can find how to place these filters.)

 

REPORT SPAM

Reporting Spam is one of the most productive defensive strategies.   ISP's dislike Spammers as much as you do and Spammers also move around quite a bit.  The problem is getting the correct information to the right people.  Here are some links we have found that can help:

DEFENSE

There are many programs available to help you combat the war on Spam. 

  • ZD-Net and C-Net are two sites that are always on the lookout for new tools to help with Spam.

 

 

 

 


For more information on Spam click here.

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How to Filter Junk and Adult Content E-mail Messages
in Microsoft Mail Programs (Exchange, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc.)
There is a growing business in using e-mail messages as a direct marketing tool.  If you do not wish to receive these kind of messages, Microsoft mail can search for commonly used phrases in such messages, and automatically move them from you Inbox to a junk e-mail folder, your deleted items folder, or any other folder you specify.  The list of terms that Microsoft Mail uses to filter suspected junk e-mail messages, can be found in a file called Filters.txt (please refer to the help menu within the mail program, for more information on this file and the usage of e-mail filtering).

You can also filter messages based on a list of e-mail addresses of junk and adult content senders.  There are third party filters, which are regularly updated, that you can add to Microsoft's mail.  These filter's have the latest list of commercial and adult content senders. For more information on setting up and using e-mail filters, please visit Microsoft's site by going to http://www.microsoft.com

 

How to Filter Junk and Adult Content E-mail Messages
in Netscape Communicator
To activate the Mail Filters in Netscape, open the Netscape program, and open the Mail window.  In the Mail window, click on the Edit menu, select Message Filters, and adjust the settings as needed.  For more information on using Mail Filters in Netscape, please refer to the Help menu located within the software program, or go to Netscape's site located at http://www.netscape.com.

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NEW TYPE OF SPAM
Beware of e-mail trying to sound like they are a part of CVC Internet, LLC.  It has been brought to our attention a company called FreshAddress.com is trying to verify your e-mail address.  Do not respond to this e-mail! It is simply a ploy to get you to verify your address and probably resell it for a profit.

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The "419" Scam or Nigerian Letter Scam
This scam has been around for over 20 years according to the Oregon Attorney General's office.  In broken often sheepish English, the writer claims to be from Africa, most often from Nigeria, Zimbabwe or South Africa.  The writer is desperate to move large amounts of money out of the country and into a foreign bank.  Targets of the shakedown are told they can keep a share of the money in exchange for their help.  The cut is usually around a fourth of the total making for a multimillion dollar payoff.  The US State Department has published a booklet about this scam and it can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format at: 

 www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/naffpub.pdf

If you have lost money to this scam, please contact Financial Crimes Division at 950 H Street NW, Washington D.C.; call 202-406-5850; or visit www.secretservice.gov/contact_fcd.shtml

If you have NOT lost money, but received a letter are being asked to fax a copy of the letter to the Secret Service in Washington D.C. at 202-406-5031.

To protect yourself from other scams, please check out this website:

Korva Multimedia - this website is devoted to exposing scams including the McDonalds meat story, lost children, etc.  

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SPYWARE - WHAT IT DOES TO YOU
Spyware or adware is defined as a third party application that is bundled into a downloaded program from the Internet.  Once these programs are installed on your computer, they can install a wide assortment of DLLs and other executables files sending a continuous data stream to the parent marketing company out from your computer;  leave a backdoor open for hackers without your knowledge - they can install other programs directly on to your computer without your knowledge and they can send and receive cookies to other spyware programs and invite them into your computer (even if your cookies are disabled).  To make matters worse, they can also add Trojan horses into your system, many are fully independent executable files which are self sufficient programs which take on the authorization abilities of the user, they include auto install and auto update capabilities and can report on any attempts to remove or modify them, and just generally create havoc on your computer.

Currently, there are well over 800 shareware/freeware products which also include additional components for what the Internet community call adware and spyware.  These applications are located all over the Internet as easy downloads.  They can be found on CNet, Tucows and several other locations offering free and low cost bargains.  Most of these products make no real statement that they include adware or spyware and if they do, it is buried in the "terms of use" or make a small reference that they are supported this way.  Some developers might include a small privacy statement which does not fully explain what information will be gathered or give a full explanation regarding what will be done with the information.  

Unfortunately programs like Go!Zilla and Lime Wire, iMesh, Kazaa along with most file-sharing apps also install several applications to finance its development including TopText and Gator, Cydoor, and BonziBuddy.  For example, Gator's capabilities include helping you manage your personal information, banking records, credit card account numbers, passwords and other vital information and can process forms on your behalf while shopping online - this sounds great - IF all the personal information it held remained securely on your personal computer, but all of it does not and much of it gets included in the data stream to Gator's headquarters where it can be sold to third parties.

There is help available.  There is a freeware program you can install into your computer that will tell you every piece of spyware installed on your system and help you uninstall it to avoid any damage on your computer.  Visit www.lavasoftusa.com for more information about their product.

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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft is the use or attempted use of credit cards, checks, access codes (ie: ATM cards), or identifying information such as your social security number or mother's maiden name to get goods or services.

On average, it takes 15 months for a victim to discover identity theft, giving crooks plenty of time to operate and get away.  The good news is that a victim is responsible for no more than the first $50 of credit card charges if misuse is reported promptly.  The bad news is that the average victim faces $18,00 in fraudulent charges that must be removed from his or her credit history.

How Identity Thieves Operate

Some scammers buy fake birth certificates and IDs while others hack into databases.  In March 2001, the FBI reported that 40 corporations in 20 states were targeted by hackers operating outside the United States.  Activities compromised the security of more than 1 million credit cards numbers stored by the hacked corporations.  Most of the hacking activity originated in Eastern Europe, China, and the former Soviet Republics.

The latest trend in identity theft is "skimming."  Take a restaurant as an example.  A waiter swipes your credit card two times:  once for the meal, and once to copy all the data off the magnetic strip into a small device.

The criminal who supplied the waiter with the skimming device then downloads the swiped card's information into his or her computer, puts the information on counterfeit cards, and uses those cards to buy goods and services using your account.

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

You can take several steps to avoid falling prey to identity thieves:

  1. Buy a shredder.  Destroy all pre-approved credit offers that come in the mail as well as credit card receipts you no longer need.  Call 1.888.OPTOUT to reduce the number of future unwanted credit card offers you get in the mail.

  2. Keep important numbers safe.  Don't carry social security card numbers or PIN numbers in your wallet.  Cover your hand when you're entering a PIN or long distance access code at a bank machine or pay phone.  This will prevent "shoulder surfers" from copying your number.

  3. Give your credit card number or social security number over the phone only if you initiated the purchase or transaction.

  4. Check your credit report for credit cards or charges you don't recognize once a year.  Credit reports are available for $8 each from each of the three credit reporting bureaus:

    Equifax: 1.800.685.1111
    Experian: 1.800.397.3742
    TransUnion: 1.800.916.8800

What if you are a victim?

If you discover you're a victim of identity theft, follow these steps:

  • Make a police report in the town you live in.  Local police are required to file the report, even if the ultimate case will be referred to a different location for prosecution (for example, where the goods are being shipped).

  • Call the three credit reporting bureaus' fraud lines to report the misuse and place a fraud alert in your file.  By federal law, a victim is entitled to a free credit report (you may have to provide them copies of the police report).  The fraud numbers are:

    Equifax: 1.800.525.6285
    Experian: 1.88.397.3742
    TransUnion: 1.800.680.7289

  • Check your credit reports carefully, and contact any unfamiliar creditors.  Close any credit card or bank accounts that have been tampered with, and open new ones at your proper address.  Add extra password protection to avoid changes by anyone other than yourself.

  • To report a stolen or misued social security number, call 1.800.269.0271 or email oig.hotline@ssa.gov

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E-GREETING DOWNLOADS PORN
The email may look harmless enough; it appears someone has sent you an e-card.  If you click on the link, it will take you to the site to pick up your card.  Easy enough right? Email marketers (many being porn sites) are increasingly borrowing tactics used by hackers to trick potential customers into seeing their messages using Microsoft products to instantly download their unwanted programs.  The latest site is from www.xxxgreatings.com and will mimic many legitimate greeting card sites by including a personalized subject line.  Within the message, there is a link to the Web site and a small note:  "E-card viewer plug-in may be required to view some cards" - after accepting a lengthy agreement unwittingly download a program that is porn-filled pop-up ads and hands over the email address in their Outlook address book to the marketer.  It has been suggested to avoid clicking on email links you do not recognize.  

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KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS USING NETSCAPE
The following list shows keyboard shortcuts for Netscape browser:

  • ALT + Left Arrow - takes you back to the previous site

  • ALT + Right Arrow - takes you forward to the next site

  • Ctrl + O - Opens the open dialogue box (caution using this shortcut - this can easily lead to a pornographic site)

  • Ctrl + D - will add a site to your bookmarks

  • Ctrl + N - opens another browser window (Quick tip: to open a link on the current page in a new window: place the cursor over the link you want to open and right click on your mouse button and select "open in new window")

  • Ctrl + W - closes window

  • Ctrl + F - opens the "find" dialogue box

  • Ctrl + G - find again

  • Ctrl + P - opens the print dialogue box

  • Ctrl + R - refreshes the current page

  • Ctrl + S - saves the current page to your hard drive for access while offline

  • Ctrl + H - opens history

  • Ctrl + ] - increase font size

  • Ctrl + [ - decrease font size

  • Ctrl + A - select all text/graphic 

  • Ctrl + C - copy

  • Ctrl + V - paste

  • Ctrl + X - cut

  • Ctrl + Y - redo

  • Ctrl + Z - undo

  • Page Up - moves the page up one screen at a time

  • Page Down - moves the page down one screen at a time

  • Ctrl + Q - quit Netscape

Shortcuts for Netscape Mail:

  • Ctrl + Shift + 1 - opens the Message Center

  • Ctrl + K - compress space on the Mail Folder

  • Ctrl + L - forward message as an attachment

  • Ctrl + M - create a new message

  • Ctrl + S - save message

  • Ctrl + R - reply to message

  • Ctrl + T - check for new mail

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ONLINE SHOPPING TIPS
Visa USA and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) offer these tips to keep you safe:

  • Shop with e-tailers you know, or research before you buy.  A responsible online retailer will clearly post its physical address and telephone number on its website.  Use that information to check the business's complaint record with the Better Business Bureau or local consumer protection agency.  If a site displays a BBBOnline Reliability seal, you can click on the seal to quickly check BBB information on the company and be assured the company will stand behind its service. 

  • Use your payment card to shop online.  If you decide to use your payment card to purchase goods and services online, your liability under federal law is limited to $50.  Visa also offers Zero Liability protection for purchases made with a Visa card.  Using your credit or debit card can also provide you with extra cardholder benefits.  Check with your card issuer for protection details or other advantages.

  • Know the e-tailer's customer satisfaction policies and the terms of the sale.  Before making a purchasing decision, consumers should look for information regarding shipping timeframe; return, refund, or exchange policies (including related fees, if any); product warranty/guarantee details; and information concerning the online store's commitment to resolve any disputes that might arise.

  • Understand the difference between buying from a business and buying from a private seller.  It's now more common for individuals to sell goods via auctions and other sites on the Internet.  Be aware that your legal rights against an individual may not be the same as against a business.  While many private sellers are legitimate, your legal recourse may be different if you're not satisfied with the merchandise.

  • Be in a secure environment at point of purchase.  Before providing your credit card or financial information, be certain you are using a secure browser that will encrypt the personal data you are about to transmit online.  At the point of purchase, look for the prefix "https://" at the beginning of the e-tailer's Web address in the uniform resource locator (URL) box.

  • Investigate the e-tailer's "security system" - look for information aobut the online store's security policies that indicates if the e-tailer provides an industry-standardlevel of security for the storage of personal data.

  • Protect your password.  Some online stores require you to register a user name and password before buying an item.  Just as you keep your automated teller machine (ATM) code secret, keep your password secret from outside parties.

  • Exercise the right to protect your privacy.  Shop at e-tailer sites that have posted privacy policies that reveal what personally identifiable information is collected about you and how it will be used, and offers you options about the use of your personal information.  Look for signs that the site has been reviewed by trustworthy organizations, such as BBBOnLine, to ensure that the business has demonstrated compliance with credible online privacy principles.  The only information reputable online stores typically require is your password, credit card number and shipping information.

  • Keep a record of your transactions  Print out and save a record of all online transactions, including the retailer's URL (Internet address).  That way, you'll have information at your fingertips in case questions arise about the order or terms of the sale.

  • Know your consumer rights.  The same laws that protect you when you shop by phone or mail apply when you shop in cyberspace.  Under the law, a company must ship your order within the time stated in its advertisements and no more than 30 days after the order date.

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