Warning! - Stay Alert For Cashier's Check Scams On Web Purchases

Fake cashier's checks have been used for years by crooks posing as Internet buyers, and new variations of this scam are also stealing money from unsuspecting victims. If you sell items online or receive any online requests involving cashier's checks, pay close attention to this warning.

Here's how a typical cashier's check scam works: You are selling a valuable item over the Internet such as a car or computer. You receive an e-mail offer through a relay service with the buyer promising to pay by cashier's check. An authentic-looking check arrives, but it is made out for several thousand dollars more than the agreed upon price and the buyer asks you to wire the difference back. Your bank accepts the check and credits your account for the money so you wire the extra money back to the seller. But later, the cashier's check turns out to be counterfeit so you're out both the sold item and the extra money you sent to the buyer.

Another variation of this scam involves people who become friends through online chat rooms and e-mail. For example, a man may chat with a woman for a couple of months (to gain her trust) and then tell her he'd like to move to the country where she resides. He asks her to get him an apartment, sends a cashier's check for thousands of dollars, and tells her to wire him back the overpayment. The check, of course, is counterfeit and any money she wires to him is lost. People have also been scammed by fake cashier's checks sent to pay for work done at home, or as an "advance" on a sweepstakes they've supposedly won.

We remind you to be extremely skeptical of a cashier's check from an unfamiliar source. It may look so authentic that your bank cannot determine if it's fake until several days or even weeks later. Under federal law, banks have to make the funds you deposit available quickly — usually within one to five days, depending on the type of check. But just because you can withdraw the money doesn't mean the check is good — even if it's a cashier's check. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce.

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DSL Speeds Up To 1 Mb - Now Available!

3 Rivers Communications is upgrading its DSL broadband Internet service. Beginning October 1, the "standard" (up to 350k) and "premium" (up to 700k) services will be eliminated. All current and new DSL customers will receive 3 Rivers' new service with a download speed of up to 1Mb for the current standard service price of $49.95 per month.

If you are a current customer and have questions as to how this change may affect your service or bill, or if you are a dial-up customer and would like to sign up for 3 Rivers DSL broadband Internet service, please call one of our customer service representatives at
1-800-796-4567 (467-2535 local).

As with other providers, 3 Rivers' DSL speed is not guaranteed and speeds may vary by location. Actual download speeds depend on a variety of factors including line conditions and distance from a 3 Rivers central office. DSL service is not available in all areas and is subject to qualification by 3 Rivers.

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Ask The Help Desk - Can You View More Than One Browser Window At A Time?

Question: Is it possible to view more than one window from my browser at the same time? If so, how do you do it?

Answer: Yes. Two or more browser windows open on your desk top at the same time can be helpful when you want to view a new web page without leaving behind the current one you are viewing. It can be especially beneficial when comparing information on two or more web pages, such as when you want to do comparison shopping on multiple e-commerce websites during this holiday season.

To open an additional browser window in Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the File menu, select "New," and then click "Window." As a shortcut, you can press the Control (ctrl) key on your keyboard as well as the letter "N" (ctrl+N).

With Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, you can choose to either open a new browser window or a new tab -- the latter provides a convenient way to access multiple web pages within a single browser window.

To open a new window in Firefox, go to the File menu and select "New Window." As in Internet Explorer, the shortcut is CTRL+N. To open a new tab, select "New Tab" from the File menu or use the CTRL+T shortcut.

To open an additional browser window when using Macintosh’s Safari, select "New Window" from the File menu. The shortcut is to press the "Command" key (the key with the apple symbol on it) along with the letter "N" (command+N).

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Essential Reading Before Flying
http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm -  To check or not to check? We suggest you check out the site of the Transportation Security Administration before you pack for your next plane trip. Posted here is the most current and detailed information on airport screening procedures and baggage contents restrictions. Take a few minutes to review the rules and you can spare yourself some annoying surprises at the terminal.

Carve Out Time For Pumpkins
http://pumpkincarving101.com -  After you go to the pumpkin patch, make this "cutting edge" site your next stop. It explains absolutely everything you need to know about pumpkin carving to get ready for Halloween night. Learn how to select the right pumpkin, which tools to use, and how to create masterpiece Jack O' Lanterns with the help of stencils. You'll even get tips on extending the lifespan of your creations and photographing them successfully.

Discover Geocaching
http://geocaching.com -  Searching for a new hobby? Explore Geocaching — the adventure game for GPS users which began in 2000. Participants hunt for caches (boxes with a logbook and little treasures) that have been placed all over the world in both remote locations and cities. Location coordinates are posted online but the challenge is actually getting there and finding the cache. When you do, you take an item from the box and leave one of your own. This official site provides all the directions you'll need to get started.

Poor Pluto Gets Demoted
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Pluto -  On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Pluto from an official planet to a dwarf planet. Feeling a little sorry for little Pluto? Find out more at this NASA site, including details on the New Horizons mission that will reach Pluto in July 2015 - the first visit of its kind. Scientists hope the long journey will finally answer questions about the mysterious dwarf planet's surface properties, geology, and atmosphere.

For Fans of College Football
http://fanblogs.com -  Forbes.com calls this "…the best blog dedicated to a single sport." If you're crazy about college football, you'll want to read the comments posted by other fans (and maybe add a few of your own). Join the heated discussions, participate in polls, and sign up for RSS feeds about your favorite college team. It's a site sure to score big with football fans this fall.

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Short Tutorial - Adjust Frequency Of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups

Most e-mail software programs are set as a default to check for incoming e-mail messages every ten minutes. If a message has been received, an e-mail sound alert notifies the computer user that a message is available for him/her to read. If these alert notices are too frequent for your liking, the settings can easily be adjusted. Follow the steps below to change the frequency that your e-mail software checks for and advises you of new e-mail messages.

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Outlook Express When Using Windows XP:

1. With Outlook Express open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on the menu bar and select "Options" from the drop-down menu.
2. When the "Options" window appears, click on the "General" tab.
3. Under "Send/Receive Messages," look for the check boxes next to "Play sound when new messages arrive" and "Check for new messages every (# of minutes) minute(s)." If you want to turn off the alert sound, uncheck its check box. If you want to change the frequency of mail pick-ups, either uncheck its check box or change the number of minutes between pick-ups to a more suitable number.
4. Click on the "Apply" button and click "OK" to close the window.

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Outlook When Using Windows XP:

1. With Outlook open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on the menu bar. Drop down to "Send/Receive" from the drop-down menu and then "Send/Receive Settings" from the resulting submenu. Then choose "Define Send/Receive Groups" from the next submenu. Or, if that sounds too complicated, press on the "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "S" keys.
2. When the "Send/Receive Groups" window appears, select the groups you want to modify in the "Group Name" field or just select "All Accounts" to make your changes global.
3. Look for settings for the group "All Accounts" or the name of the group you selected and then look for the check box next to "Schedule an automatic send/receive every (# of minutes) minutes." Change the time in the field to whatever amount of time seems reasonable.
4. Click on the "Close" button to close the "Send/Receive Groups" window.

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Thunderbird 1.0.7 When Using Windows XP and Thunderbird 1.5 on Mac OS X:

1. With Thunderbird open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on the menu bar and drop down to "Account Settings" from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the "Account Settings" window opens, click on your account name in the pane on the left side and, if it has a small "+" (plus sign) next to it, expand it by clicking on it.
3. Click on "Server Settings."
4. Under "Server Settings," look for "Check for new messages every (# of minutes) minutes." Adjust the number of minutes in the field to whatever amount of time seems reasonable.
5. Click "OK."

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Netscape 7.2 When Using Windows XP and Mac OS X:

1. With Netscape Mail open, click your cursor arrow on "Edit" located on the menu bar and drop down to "Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings" from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the "Account Settings" window opens, click on your account name in the pane on the left side. If the arrow next to the account name is pointing to the right, click on it so that it points down and expands to show the server settings.
3. Click on "Server Settings."
4. Under "Server Settings," look for "Check for new messages every (# of minutes) minutes." Adjust the number of minutes in the field to whatever amount of time seems reasonable.
5. Click "OK."

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Mail.app 2.0 When Using Macintosh OS X:

1. With Mail.app open, click your cursor arrow on "Mail" located on the menu bar and select "Preferences" from the drop-down menu.
2. Click on the "General" button on the button bar at the top of the window.
3. Find the item labeled "Check for new mail:" and set the interval by clicking on the menu to the right.
4. Click the red dot in the upper left hand corner of the window to close it.

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Entourage 2004 When Using Macintosh OS X:

1. With Entourage open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on the menu bar and select "Schedules" from the drop-down menu.
2. Find the schedule named "Send and Receive all" and double click on it.
3. When the "Edit Schedule" window opens, click on the button under the heading "When" and select the time interval that seems best to you.
4. Click "OK" to close the window.

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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 Homefront Reporter Team
3 Rivers Communications
Offering advanced technology with a personal touch



3 Rivers Communications
202 5th St S
PO Box 429
Fairfield, MT 59436

1-800-796-4567 406-467-2535

(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.)

©2006 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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