Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, December 6, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: How to Spot a Holiday Scam -- and Find Genuine Bargains
Question: How Do Spammers Get My Email Address?
Tips & Tricks: Five Online Shopping Sites That Will Save You Money
This Week's Topic: Online Shopping Safety Tips
Question: Change Your Home Page
Websites of Interest: Chanukkah; Pearl Harbor Day; Holiday Shopping: 100 Home-Made Gift Ideas; Microsoft Fix it Solution Center; Online Guide to Birds
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Special Feature: How to Spot a Holiday Scam -- and Find Genuine Bargains
The following is from scambusters.org
Bogus online stores and websites peddling cheap knock-offs of branded products masquerading as the real thing are at the top of the big holiday scams of 2009.
As we head into one of the busiest shopping and traveling periods of the year, it pays to wise up to the Christmas scam risks that the increasingly smart crooks have lined up.
In fact, the just published 2009 Online Buyer Economic Trends Study reckons many people already started their holiday shopping as early as mid-September -- and, presumably, some have already found out about holiday scams the hard way.
There are three things that make the threat even greater this year:
1. The massive increase in online shopping that retail experts are expecting. For the first time ever, more than half of all consumers are expected to buy online. That includes some who are dipping a toe in the Internet buying waters for the first time, especially older users who now feel comfortable enough to try their hand at the convenience of web shopping.
2. The economic woes of the past year have made shoppers more bargain-conscious than ever. The lowest price is often the biggest draw -- even when the buyer has never heard of the retailer before.
3. The move online of the busiest sales promotion of the year -- the so-called Black Friday sales that follow Thanksgiving. Instead of turning up for the 4am doorbusters, more shoppers will be staying home and logging on and battling for the midnight bargains.
All of these things play on a human weakness: when someone appears to sell at rock bottom prices or even just tells us that they slashed their prices, we just want to believe we got a bargain. That won't be the case if the item you ordered doesn't turn up or, even if it does, it's not what you expected. You've just fallen for a holiday scam.
Countries where copyright laws hardly exist and forgery isn't a dirty word are churning stuff out, often bearing well known brand names, other times just cheap and nasty lookalikes, whose only guarantee is to tarnish the sparkle of your holiday season.
And remember, the sellers likely will have your credit card number and other personal details to do with what they will.
So, here are 5 quick tips to help protect you from online holiday shopping scams:
1. Buying from reputable dealers should be a safe bet. But always check the address bar in your browser to make sure you're where you should be! Scammers are experts at creating phony lookalike sites where you land after mistyping an address or by following a link.
2. However, don't rule out newcomers and smaller firms. We don't want to stifle enterprise or genuine bargains! But if you don't recognize the name, check it out -- Google it and look for scam reports. Do your research and, if you're even slightly suspicious, follow your instincts.
3. If the seller accepts it, especially if you're buying from an auction site, consider paying with PayPal. They can safeguard your purchase -- and they do safeguard your credit card info. However, when you get to the PayPal site, especially if you used a link to get there, make doubly sure you're at paypal.com, not some bogus rip-off site that will harvest your sign-on details and clean out your account.
And, of course, never pay by money wire; they're untraceable and the biggest clue to an online holiday scam. And be careful using cashier’s checks as well.
4. When you're bargain-hunting, use recognized price comparison sites like Pricegrabber.com, Shopzilla.com, Nextag.com or special offer sites likes Bargainist.com or Techbargains.com -- to name a few. Looking for the best price on books? Try Addall.com, which will do all the searching for you. Of course, they don't guarantee the legitimacy of the firms they reference but your chances of becoming a Christmas scam victim are significantly lower.
There are also a couple of daily bargain sites -- Woot.com and Yugster.com -- that you can buy from directly.
5. Make sure it really is a bargain. Retailers of every shade are experts at making prices look like bargains, claiming things like "75% off." And maybe they are 75% off -- but do a price comparison check with others first.
Online shopping may be the major target for this year's holiday scam crooks. But here are a few other things to watch out for this season:
* People selling stuff at your front door.
Holiday light installation services are the big thing this year -- mostly enterprising individuals who have perhaps lost their jobs and have seen a profitable gap in the market. You'll get a flyer offering to provide, install and uninstall the lights for anywhere between $100 and $250. We're not recommending that you not use them. They can save a lot of hassle. But don't pay upfront, not even a deposit if you can avoid it. Don't fall for the line that they need all the money to buy the lights. Also, make sure you get a written guarantee that they'll remove them (hold back part of the payment till they're taken down) and make sure you know who owns the lights once they're down.
* Fake eCards. This is a whole subject in itself. But you can be sure they'll be as big a hit as ever as holiday scams. You get a message with a link to an online greeting card but, when you click it, you end up with a virus on your PC. A couple of simple rules here: Delete any messages that come from someone you don't know or that don't address you by name. If they do come from someone you know, email that person to check that they sent it before clicking the link.
* Holiday rentals. 2009 has seen a surge in ads offering bogus vacation rentals. You pay a deposit or even in full to get a key and that's the last you hear of them. Classified websites are fraught with this danger -- and it can be very difficult to check their authenticity. Of course, there are many legitimate owners offering rentals this way -- and countless more online. But investigate them carefully; check testimonials, do a search for other references. And again, don't wire cash. There are now a large number of online rental agencies who vet owners and this may be a safer bet.
* Phony seasonal jobs. Yes, real seasonal jobs do exist, mainly in retail but also a few in packing and manufacturing, but this year there are fewer of them and more people chasing them. Seasonal work at home schemes, like toy assembly, are usually scams. For retail and packing jobs, deal directly with the employer or a reputable agency -- and never pay to get work. It's a scam.
For the law-abiding majority of citizens, the winter holiday season should be a time to celebrate and rejoice. For the holiday scam artists it's one of the biggest money-making opportunities of the year. Make sure you don't give them yours!
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Question: How Do Spammers Get My Email Address?
The following is from Paul Gil of a bout.com
Answer: There are four ways that spam senders get people's email addresses:
1. Spammers will illegally buy lists of real people's email addresses.
2. Spammers will use "harvesting" programs that scour the Internet like Google, and copy any text that contains the "@" character.
3. Spammers will use "dictionary" (brute force) programs like hackers.
4. You will unwittingly volunteer your email address to dishonest subscribe/unsubscribe online services.
Buying illegal lists of real people's email is surprisingly commonplace. Dishonest employees of ISPs will sometimes sell information that they take from their work servers. This can happen on eBay or on the black market. From outside the ISP, hackers can also break in and steal ISP customer lists and then sell those addresses to spammers.
Harvesting programs, aka "crawl and scrape" programs, are also commonplace. Any text on a web page that contains "@" character is fair game for these programs, and lists of thousands of addresses can be harvested within an hour via these robotic harvesting tools.
Dictionary programs (brute force programs) are the third means to get spam target addresses. Just like hacker programs, these products will generate alphabetic/numeric combinations of addresses in sequence. While many of the results are incorrect, these dictionary programs can create hundreds of thousands of addresses per hour, guaranteeing that at least some will work as targets for spam.
Lastly, dishonest subscribe/unsubscribe services will also sell your email address for a commission. A very common unsubscribe tactic is to blast millions of people with a false "reply to remove your address from our mailing list" email. When users click on the "unsubscribe" link, they are actually confirming that a real person exists at their email address.
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Tips & Tricks: Five Online Shopping Sites That Will Save You Money
cheapstingybargains.com
CheapStingyBargains catalogues and lists discount coupons and special deals for everything from computers to electronics and apparel to home goods.
freeshipping.org
This site keeps a track of any free shipping offers going on at the 1500 stores on its list.
dealcatcher.com
Another coupon site that you should visit before making any online purchase. They have a long list of ready to use coupons and track more than 2000 online stores.
fatwallet.com
An online forum with thousands of users who try out the coupons and let everyone else know which coupons are valid and where.
coupons.com
On this site, you’ll find electronic equivalent of newspaper coupons that you can print and take to your nearest grocery store for an instant discount.
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Today's Topic: Online Shopping Safety Tips
The following is from worldstart.com
Online shopping is a quick and easy way to get what you need for the holidays, but in doing that, you're also taking a security risk. Don't get me wrong, most companies have top notch security for their Web sites, but there are still some things you need to look out for. Don't stress though! I'm here to help. Below, you will find the top five tips for safe online shopping. Read through them and then put them to practice. Here we go!
1.) Know Who You're Dealing With - The first thing you need to be aware of is the merchant you are buying from. There are a lot of companies out there today that run completely off of their Web site, which means you probably won't be as familiar with them as a store you could visit at the mall. In that case, you should take some time to learn about them and the reputation they hold. You can do that by searching them out on the Internet. Use a search engine to see if you can find any reviews about them from other consumers and try to find an information page on them. If previous shoppers really like or dislike a company, chances are, you'll be able to find some comments about them somewhere on the Web. If you take the time to do this before you order from a new business, you'll be much better off in the end.
2.) Protect Your Privacy - When you're shopping online, you have to think about yourself first and that means doing whatever it takes to protect your privacy. Before you do any ordering, you should be aware of what information the merchant is asking of you, how it will be used and if they have any intention of sharing it with others. The best way to do all of that is to check out the company's Web site. If they're a legit site, they should have a Privacy Policy posted there. You should take the time to read through that and make sure you're comfortable with everything they say. It's a good idea to look for seals from privacy enforcement organizations, such as TRUSTe and BBBOnLine, as well. If you're asked to enter in such things as your social security number or bank account information, do not do it! Those things are red flags and they are not needed to make an online purchase. If you pay close attention to what you're doing, you will be just fine.
3.) Know All the Details - When you're shopping online, you should always check out the complete details of your purchase. For example, make sure you know all about delivery dates, shipping and handling costs, warranties, return policies, etc. It's also a good idea to get a company's contact information before you finalize your order. They should have a telephone number or e-mail address on their Web site that you can keep on hand in case you have any questions or problems once you receive your items.
4.) Use a Credit Card - I know that may not sound like the safest thing to do, but it really is a good way to keep yourself safe. If you do business with a liable credit card company, they will protect you if anything happens while you're making online purchases. Most credit card companies provide liability agreements, so if your card information is stolen, they will be able to put a hold on your card and issue you a brand new number. That way, whoever has your number is stopped from being able to use it. So, if you suspect any suspicious activity after you make an online purchase, call your credit card company right away and they'll be able to handle everything for you. Also, when credit card companies see unusual activity on your card, they will inform you about it.
When you're using your credit card online, make sure you look for the yellow padlock at the bottom of your Web browser or for the "https" in the URL. Those are two signs that a site is secure and that your credit card information will transmit safely. You should also always use strong passwords when you're logging in to certain Web sites and make sure you don't share them with anyone.
5.) Keep It On Record - The last thing you should always do is keep good records of your purchases. Make sure you either print out the receipt for your transactions or save it somewhere on your computer. Most companies send confirmation e-mails, so it's a good idea to save that and print it out as well. In doing that, you will be able to keep better track of your total price, shipping and handling fees and shipping dates.
There you have it! Now, I know I mostly talked about online companies in this article, but these five tips go for every store you shop with online. It goes for all the "big box" stores, the department stores, grocery stores and so on. No matter where you're doing your shopping, you need to be aware of your surroundings and make sure your number one priority is keeping yourself safe. Online shopping is even better when you're smart about it.
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Question: Change Your Home Page
Question: I got a new computer. On my old computer, when I opened Internet Explorer, it went right to Yahoo, now it goes to Dell. Can I change it to open to Yahoo?
Answer:
The website that Internet Explorer opens to is called your home page.
To change your home page to the website you want, go to that website. Click Tools on the menu and then Internet Options. In the Internet Options window that you now see, make sure the General tab is selected. In the Home Page section, click the Use Current button. Click OK and you are done.
The page you are looking at will be your new home page. If you want to change it in the future, just follow the steps above.
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Websites of Interest:
Chanukkah
The festival of lights begins this week. Learn more about this holiday, the story, the traditions and much more, at our website.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/hanukkah.html
Pearl Harbor Day
December 7 is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. At the National Geographic website, you can read survivors stories and learn more about the ships and planes.
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/
Holiday Shopping: 100 Home-Made Gift Ideas
From about.com, visit this website for some creative gift suggestions.
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/giftstomake/tp/HomeMadeGiftIdeas.htm?r=9F
Microsoft Fix it Solution Center
Solve problems that occur in the Windows operating system.
http://support.microsoft.com/fixit
Online Guide to Birds
An indispensible resource for birders and people who like birds.
http://enature.com/fieldguides/intermediate.asp?curGroupID=1