eCurrents | October 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Facebook Warning
Scams Often Follow Big News Events

What's Happening On TV @ 3 Rivers?

Two To View
A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss

This Month's FAQ
Is There A Way To Quickly Screen Websites?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In October

Short Tutorial
Removing Contacts From Your Address Book

WEBSITE COMPASS ONLINE
Your Advanced Technology, Personal Touch Guide To Understanding The Internet  

Welcome to eCurrents

Halloween has its share of scary characters, as does the Internet. In this October issue, we start by reminding you of how scammers take advantage of natural disasters like Hurricane Irene to try and lure you to malicious links. Speaking of scary, check out the elevator video in our Two to View section; it's a claustrophobic's worst nightmare. This issue also includes advice on how to quickly screen websites (so you can avoid the disreputable ones) and highlights a few wonderful websites to inspire you for pumpkin carving, fall baking, family photography, and more.

The goal of each of our eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- The eCurrents Team
  

Facebook Warning – Scams Often Follow Big News Events

Newsworthy events, like the devastating Hurricane Irene in August, often trigger malicious links and phishing attacks that spread quickly across Facebook. The lure used by scammers is a promise of showing "leaked" videos, pictures, and other sensational information.

The Hurricane Irene version looks something like the screen shot to the right. No video actually exists. The page displays a clickable image of a fake video player. Clicking "Share" displays the link on the Facebook user's wall. Clicking "See the video" displays a list of deals that require user registration.

The scammers' goal is to drive more traffic towards certain sites. They earn their money by getting a commission for every survey completed, every product purchased, and/or every account compromised. They may also use these types of Facebook scams to spread malware and obtain personal information.

Regardless of the disaster that's in the news, remember this: Whenever you're offered the chance to see a video or pictures that no one else has seen, don't be tempted to click. At the very least, these types of scams will place you in a cycle of worthless advertising promotions. In the worst-case scenario, you may unknowingly load nasty spyware and viruses on your computer. If you fall victim to a scam like this and the scammer's page appears on your Facebook wall, go directly to the page and click the "Unlike" link in the lower left-hand column. This will stop the scam from spreading via your wall.  

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What's Happening On TV @ 3 Rivers?

3 Rivers has a new eNewsletter available, 3RTV News, that includes the latest information on our 3RTV video services plus a variety of television news, videos, behind the scenes info on your favorite shows and more! If you're interested in receiving this, please send an email to 3rt@3rivers.net with the words "TV eNewsletter" in the subject line and we'll put you on the list! You can always opt out at a later date if you so choose.

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Two To View – A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss

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This Month's FAQ – Is There A Way To Quickly Screen Websites?

Question: I don't want to get scammed dealing with suspicious websites. Is there a way to quickly screen websites before I do business with them?

Answer: Yes, there are a number of ways to do this type of screening. Both Internet Explorer and Firefox have features that monitor your browsing activity and alert you if a site seems suspicious. Review the help section within your browser to find out how to activate these features. There is also software available that serves the same purpose. Contact your Internet Service Provider for more details.

In addition, you should always keep your eyes open and watch for the warning signs of phishing sites. Here are two key strategies:

• When you navigate to a website, such as PayPal, be sure the URL shows the correct address (such as www.paypal.com), and not a variation (such as www.scammercentral.com/paypal). Move your mouse over links on the site or try clicking on them to see if they are active. Many phishing sites use links that don't work or that open to blank pages.
• If you are performing a financial transaction, look for "https" at the beginning of the URL (the "s" stands for "secure") and the locked padlock "secure browsing" symbol (usually located at the bottom left of your sceen). Be wary of pop-ups or requests for information the site should already have, such as your name, address, password, credit card number, or Social Security number.

Remember, phishing is successful not because of advanced technology but because of unsuspecting Web users. When you're aware of what you're doing, you reduce your chances of landing on a phony site and becoming a phishing victim.

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Sites Of The Month – Great Sites To Check Out In October

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Short Tutorial – Removing Contacts From Your Address Book

If your email address book is cluttered with names from inactive relationships or filled with out-of-date email addresses, you're wasting time wading through an unnecessarily long list. So it's worth taking a few minutes now to clear out the clutter.

To remove contact information from your address book, simply follow the steps below for your specific email program:

1.    With Thunderbird open, click your cursor arrow on the "Address Book" button located on the toolbar.

2.    When the Address Book window opens, click on the contact you want to delete. (The contact's name will be highlighted when you click on it.)

3.    Click the "Delete" button located on the toolbar. If you are using Windows XP, the selected contact is now deleted.

4.    If using other operating systems, a Confirm dialogue box will appear asking, "Are you sure you want to delete the selected contact?" Click the "OK" button. The selected contact is now deleted.

1.    With Address Book open, click your cursor arrow on the "All Contacts" icon in the "Group" column.

2.    Click on the entry you want to delete in the "Name" column to select it. (The contact's name will be highlighted when you click on it.)

3.    Click on the "Edit" menu and select "Delete Card" from the drop-down menu. A dialog box will drop down asking, "Are you sure you want to delete the card for..." Click the "Delete" button and the contact is deleted.

1.    With Windows Live Mail open, click your cursor arrow on the "Contacts" button located in the left-hand column of the Windows Live Mail window.

2.    Select the contact you want to delete. (The contact's name will be highlighted.)

3.    Click on the "Delete" button located on the toolbar.

4.    A Windows Live Mail dialogue box will appear asking the question, "Delete this contact?" Click the "Yes" button and the contact will be deleted.

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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, please see the links at the bottom of this email to manage your preferences.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards

Your eCurrents Team
3 Rivers Communications



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