Rainbow Communications Association eNewsletter

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, recently released its 2009 Annual Report about fraudulent activity on the Internet. Online crime complaints increased substantially in 2009, according to the report. The IC3 received a total of 336,655 complaints, a 22.3% increase over 2008. And the total dollar loss linked to online fraud was $559.7 million, up from $265 million the previous year.

Although the complaints consisted of a variety of fraud types, the top five scams were:

E-mail scams using FBI name
Non-delivered merchandise and/or payment
Advance fee fraud
Identity theft
Overpayment fraud

Peter Trahon, Section Chief of the FBI's Cyber Division, says, "Computer users are encouraged to have up-to-date security protection on their devices and evaluate e-mail solicitations they receive with a healthy skepticism—if something seems too good to be true, it likely is." In addition, be suspicious of any unsolicited e-mail that asks for personal information, and do not follow unsolicited links or respond to unsolicited e-mails.

Spammers (or junk emailers) are using more and more complex methods each day. Accordingly, the methods used to block this unwanted e-mail from your inbox are becoming more numerous and diverse. It's important to understand a little about how junk e-mail is filtered. There are a few main tests used to check if a given e-mail destined for you is junk:

Sender checks: The Web Mail application looks at the sender's provided information and tests it to be sure it's reliable. It will check to be sure that there aren't any errors in the sender's details - incorrectly formatted ``From:'' addresses and so on - because many spammers don't bother to send their junk properly. It will also check where a message is sent from. If an e-mail comes to you from a server which is known to be 'bad' it will be rejected. Additionally, the Web Mail application will check your blacklist to be sure that the sender has not been specifically set by you for deletion.

Message checks: The Web Mail application also scans the message itself. It will first scan the e-mail for viruses and attempt to remove any it finds. If no virus is found, the e-mail will then be scanned for certain spam 'signatures.' These are characteristics of spam messages that help the system know that a given e-mail is not valid. For example, the e-mail server will scan for keywords common to junk messages.

There are many more checks used to evaluate a message, but this has outlined how the primary ones work.

This Month's FAQ - Is It Considered Rude To Use Excessive Punctuation In E-mail Messages?

Question: Is it considered rude to use excessive punctuation, such as ????? or !!!!!, in e-mail messages?

Answer: Yes, most "netiquette" experts recommend not over-punctuating since it may seem as though you are shouting or frustrated with the recipient. Depending on the circumstances, communicating in this manner can also come off as demanding and condescending. (Plus, people are busy enough without having to wade through a dozen exclamation marks at the end of a sentence.)

Keep in mind that since e-mail messages lack the clarity and expressiveness of the human voice, they can easily be misinterpreted. For the sake of effective communication, it's best to follow normal punctuation rules when you write e-mail messages, and use the text itself to express emphasis rather than excessive punctuation. Also avoid using no punctuation or capitalization at all (habits you may have developed from instant messaging) as well as acronyms that the recipient might not understand.

Explore the Outdoors
http://wildernet.com/index.cfm - With spring comes many more outdoor recreational opportunities. If you're looking for new adventures, look no further than this site for all the details. Pick a state on the U.S. map, and you'll find dozens of ideas for trails, state parks, lakes, rivers, scenic byways, and more. You'll get thorough descriptions, trip reports, trip planning resources, and contact information. The site also features a gift center, gear store, bookstore, and custom map service.

20-Minute Meal Recipes
http://cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/ - What's better than fast meals? Superfast meals! If you're looking for great food that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less, check out the wide variety of superfast suppers on the Cooking Light magazine site. Each category (pasta, sides, comfort food, pork, summer, seafood, Asian, and more) includes 20 recipes that get changed every two weeks.

Stop Bullying Now
http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/default.aspx - Bullying is more than just a nuisance for kids. It's a serious social problem that can produce troubling, or even tragic, results. The Stop Bullying Now site is a resource for learning what constitutes bullying and cyberbullying, the consequences of this behavior, and what kids and adults can do to prevent it. Based on the work of researchers from around the world, the site includes games, webisodes, quizzes, articles, and tip sheets.

Grow a Gorgeous Garden
http://weekendgardener.net/index.html - As the weather warms up, are you gearing up for gardening season? If so, the Weekend Gardener may be for you. This comprehensive site offers feature articles, Q&As, how-tos, video tips, and climate zone maps. You'll find monthly to-do lists, gardening club listings, and suggestions for growing specific plants. Still want more? There are landscaping ideas, gardening resource lists, and instructions for controlling pesky garden pests.

Listen to Real-life Stories
http://storycorps.org - StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization that helps people share their life stories with friends, family, and the community. Their site features touching tales that have been recorded through the program, as well as instructions for producing your own. Listen to stories in such categories as Angels & Mentors, Friendship, and Wisdom. Or learn how to create a keepsake for Mother's or Father's Day that will be cherished for years to come.

There are times when "short and sweet" is best, and this may apply to the names of your Favorites/Bookmarks. Their names come from webpage titles; if the author gave it a crazy long title, you end up with a crazy long name in your browser's list of Favorites/Bookmarks. You can use a shorter name when you create a new Favorite/Bookmark or you can rename it later by following the steps below.

Renaming Your Favorites/Bookmarks Using ...
Internet Browser: Firefox 3.5
Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X

With Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on the "Bookmarks" menu and select "Organize Bookmarks..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
When the Library window opens, you will find a list of bookmark collections in the sidebar along the left side. Select "Bookmarks Menu" and a list of bookmarks will be listed in the larger pane to the right.
Select a bookmark you want to rename by clicking on it. The name will now appear in a field at the bottom of the pane.
Click in the "Name" field and change its name. Do not change the information in the "Location" field.
You can keep changing names of bookmarks by clicking on them and renaming them in the "Name" field. Close the window when you are finished.

Renaming Your Favorites/Bookmarks Using ...
Internet Browser: Safari 4.0
Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X

With Safari open, click your cursor arrow on the "Bookmarks" menu and select "Show All Bookmarks" from the resulting drop-down menu.
When the Bookmarks Menu window opens, you will find a list of bookmark collections in the sidebar on the left side. Select "Bookmarks Bar" and the bookmarks in that collection will appear in the main window on the right.
Select a bookmark you want to rename by clicking on it. Click on the bookmark name again and type the new name.
Rename other bookmarks in the same manner.

Renaming Your Favorites/Bookmarks Using ...
Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 8
Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on the "Favorites" button located in the upper left corner.
When the list of favorites opens, click the down arrow next to "Add to Favorites..." and then select "Organize Favorites..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
When the Organize Favorites window opens, select the favorite you want to rename and click on the "Rename" button.
The name will now be highlighted in blue. Begin typing the new name for your favorite and press the "Enter" key when you are finished.
Rename other favorites in the same manner. Close the window when you are finished.

We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click here.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

The Rainbow Communications Internet Team

Internet Tech Support Call:

800.892.0163

Tech Support hours are 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM Monday - Friday and Weekends from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Rainbow Communications
608 Main Street
Everest, KS 66424

(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.)

©2010 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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