CTC Net Didja Know eNewsletter March 2008

E-Mail Scam
New IRS E-Mail Scams Use Rebate as Lure

CTC net News
File Sharing
Free PC Health Report

Ask The Help Desk
Where Is The "Help" Button On Internet Explorer 7?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In March

Short Tutorial
Erasing Your Private Information From A Public Computer

Dear CTC Net Subscriber

This March issue starts with an important warning about e-mail scams during tax season — make sure you watch for these bogus messages in the weeks ahead to help avoid identity theft. To protect your private information when using a public computer, follow our tutorial on removing your history, cache, and temporary files. We also teach you how to find the "Help" button on Internet Explorer 7 and guide you to a variety of Great Sites to help educate, entertain, and instruct you this spring.

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:

Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax or security issue that may affect you
An update on new services and other local interests
An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question
Some fun, seasonal websites to check out
A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task

We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading!

- Your friends at CTC Net

E-Mail Scam - New IRS E-Mail Scams Use Rebate as Lure

It's tax season again and the Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers to beware of current e-mail scams using the IRS name. In particular, watch for messages about the upcoming rebate checks tied to the economic stimulus package — spammers are using these rebates as bait. The goal of the scams is to trick you into revealing personal and financial information such as Social Security or bank account numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.

The IRS does NOT send unsolicited e-mail about tax account matters to taxpayers, and you will NOT need to respond to any e-mail in order to receive this year's rebate check. The vast majority of Americans who qualify for the rebate will not have to do anything other than file their 2007 individual income tax return to receive their check. The IRS will use information on the tax return to determine eligibility and calculate the amount of the stimulus payments.

Another bogus e-mail falsely claims to come from the IRS and tells the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund of a specific amount. The message then instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form that asks for bank account information.

Should you receive an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS — DO NOTHING EXCEPT DELETE IT. Do not click on links within the body of the e-mail, and do not provide any information. If the IRS needs to contact you about a tax refund or audit, they will do so by traditional mail. If you need to access the IRS website to get information, initiate contact by typing the IRS.gov address into your browser's address bar.

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CTC Net News - File Sharing, Free PC Health Report

Every day, millions of computer users share files online. Whether it is movies, music, games, or software, file-sharing can give people access to a wealth of information. Millions of users can be connected to each other through special software at one time. The software often is free and easily accessible. An example would be Limewire, BitTorrent and Gnutella to name a few.
Sounds promising, right? Maybe, but make sure you consider the trade-offs. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, cautions that file-sharing can have a number of risks. For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files you never intended to share. You may download material that is protected by the copyright laws and find yourself mired in legal issues. You may download a virus or facilitate a security breach. Or, you may unwittingly download pornography labeled as something else.
To secure the personal information stored on your computer, the FTC suggests that you:

Set up the file-sharing software very carefully. If you don't check the proper settings when you install the software, you could open access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.

Talk with your family about file-sharing. Parents may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be inappropriate for them. Also, because other peoples' files sometimes are mislabeled, kids unintentionally may download these files. In addition, kids may not understand the security and other risks involved with file-sharing and may install the software incorrectly, giving anyone on the Internet access to the family's private computer files.

Be aware of spyware. Some file-sharing programs install other software known as spyware. Spyware monitors a user's browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties. Sometimes the user gets ads based on the information that the spyware has collected and disseminated. Spyware can be difficult to detect and remove. Before you use any file-sharing program, you may want to buy software that can prevent the downloading of spyware or help detect it on your hard drive.

Didja know that if you are having computer problems and you’re not sure what is causing them our free PC health report can pinpoint the issue and recommend a course of action?

Our certified technicians will remotely access your computer and perform a scan to determine if there are any issues, generate a customized profile report specifically for your PC, calculate a PC Health score with identified areas of risk, and provide a health report to you immediately upon completion.

Not only can we tell you what’s wrong with your computer, we have certified technicians on-staff who can fix it for you! (additional charges would apply) Simply call 1 (888) 725-4830 to get started. Offer valid March 1, 2008 through March 31st, 2008

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Ask The Help Desk - Where Is The "Help" Button On Internet Explorer 7?

Question: I recently replaced my Internet Explorer 6 with the newer Internet Explorer 7 browser. In looking at the Internet Explorer 7 browser, I can't find the "Help" button. What happened to it?

Answer: In an effort to free up space on the browser window, Microsoft Corp. hid the "Help" button on Internet Explorer 7. (Internet Explorer 7 does not have a menu bar by default, which is where "Help" is found in Internet Explorer 6.) To find the "Help" button, whether you are using Windows XP Home Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium as your operating system, follow these steps:

Launch your Internet Explorer 7 browser.
Click your cursor arrow on the two right-pointing arrows located to the far right of the icons on the browser's toolbar. (The arrows will be found on the very far right of your screen.)
Click on "Help" from the resulting menu screen. Selecting "Internet Explorer Tour" from the resulting submenu will provide helpful information about your new browser.

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Sites Of The Month - Great Sites To Check Out In March

National Geographic Videos
http://video.nationalgeogra phic.com/video - Take a close-up look at amazing video from around the world at this National Geographic site. Categories include animals, daily news, environment, kids, music, people & places, science & space, and specials. Both educational and entertaining, the videos let you explore the diversity of this planet a few minutes at a time — from a market in Morocco to giant spiders in the sea.

Dyeing to Decorate Eggs?
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/easter _eggs_ms - Disney's Family Fun magazine has "egg-xactly" what you need to prepare for Easter egg decorating. This site contains dozens of creative ideas to turn shells into little works of art. Go beyond the usual dip-and-dye method and try decoupage, sponges, stickers, crayons, and stencils. It'll be easy to get crackin' since the instructions are all here.

Prepare for the DTV Transition
http://dtv.gov - In less than a year, on February 17, 2009, a government mandate will require TV broadcasters to stop transmitting analog signals. After that day, only digital signals will be used. Now's the time to educate yourself on the upcoming change and find out what you may need to do to get ready. This FCC site covers all the essentials on the new TV technology, converter box coupon program, and shopping tips.

Welcome to the Show
http://mlb.co m/spring_training/y2008/index.jsp?c_id=mlb - Every team starts with a clean slate. Warm up for the 2008 season by visiting Major League Baseball's Official Spring Training website. You'll find the in-depth information you need on the teams, players, and new prospects to get you ready for the games ahead. Thinking about traveling to Florida or Arizona this year to watch the preseason action? You can purchase your Spring Training tickets online.

Come Aboard the Midway
http://midway.org - The Midway is a carrier with a 47-year history that spanned the end of WWII and Desert Storm. The next time you're in San Diego, make time to visit the USS Midway Museum and see the ship for yourself. It's a tour that's been experienced by more than a million people, and you can get a taste of it at this site. Check out this site to see historical photos, read about the crew, download a map, and get details on exhibits like the Admiral's War Room and the Brig.

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Short Tutorial - Erasing Your Private Information From A Public Computer

When sharing a computer at a public location (i.e. a hotel lobby or a library), it's a good idea to remove the history, cache, and temporary files from the computer before closing your surfing session. Leaving the information on the computer opens the door later for others to access your private information. Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer, Macintosh's Safari, and Mozilla's Firefox browsers each provide a solution for erasing your sensitive information upon the completion of your Internet session.

Erasing Your Private Information From A Public Computer When Using Internet Explorer 6 On Windows XP Home Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium

With Internet Explorer 6 open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu. Drop down to and select "Internet Options."
When the "Internet Options" window opens, click on the "General" tab.
In the section labeled "Internet Files," click on the "Delete Cookies" button. This will delete cookies set by the sites you visited.
When the "Delete Cookies" dialog box appears, click "OK."
To delete your temporary Internet files, click on the "Delete Files..." button. When the "Delete Files" dialog box appears, you can click "OK" to delete your temporary files. Also, if you saved any pages to your hard drive for offline viewing, you can delete them by checking the box next to "Delete all offline content" and then click "OK."
In the "History" section, click on the "Clear History" button. This will delete the record of the sites you visited.
A small "Internet Options" dialog box will open and ask, "Are sure you want Windows to delete your history of visited Web sites?" Click the "Yes" button.
Click "OK" to close the "Internet Options" window, and then close your browser.

Erasing Your Private Information From A Public Computer When Using Internet Explorer 7 On Windows XP Home Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium

With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on your Internet Explorer toolbar.
Scroll down and select "Internet Options" on the menu screen. An "Internet Options" window will appear.
Click your cursor arrow on the General tab and select "Delete..." under the "Browser history" heading.
A "Delete Browser History" window will appear. Click your cursor arrow on the "Delete all..." button located toward the bottom of the window.
A smaller "Delete Browser History" window will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete all Internet Explorer browsing history. Click on the "Yes" button in this window. This window also has the option to select "Also delete files and settings stored by add-ons." Check this box as well.
Click "OK" to close the General tab window.
Close your Internet browser to clear cookies still in memory, and then close your browser.

Erasing Your Private Information From A Public Computer When Using Firefox 2.0 With Mac OS X 10.4, Windows XP Home Edition, Or Windows Vista Home Premium

With Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu, drop down to and select "Clear Private Data...".
When the "Clear Private Data" dialog box opens, check the boxes next to all of the listed items.
Click the "Clear Private Data Now" button, and then close your browser.

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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!

See you next month

Your friends at CTC Net
chitel@chibardun.net

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©2008 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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