|
Scam Warning – Whitney Houston’s Death Triggers Scams
 Hoping to make a quick buck, online crooks
wasted no time capitalizing on the death of Whitney Houston. The Better
Business Bureau is warning consumers to beware of new scams that exploit the
public's fascination with the singer. Twitter and Facebook have been
bombarded with responses to Houston's death, creating a perfect target for
cybercriminals to access personal information from unknowing victims.
One popular Twitter scam disguises itself under "RIP Whitney
Houston." Clicking on the link in the rigged Twitter post takes people
to a blog dedicated to Houston's career, but the blog automatically redirects
them to a webpage offering different Whitney Houston wallpapers. Downloading
wallpaper then triggers yet another offer to download Whitney Houston
ringtones. No matter what you do, the devious webpage eventually takes you to
a survey site that asks for private information such as your cellphone
number.
On Facebook, a wall post with the subject "I cried watching this video.
RIP Whitney Houston" is followed by a link to what promises to be a
YouTube video. It is, in actuality, a link that leads to several other
websites until you reach a similar survey site.
To protect yourself from Whitney Houston phishing scams—and other ones tied
to news events that are sure to come—follow these simple rules:
- Don't click on the links. A mouse click on a link can be an easy trace for the
cybercriminal to track down the private information stored in your
system.
- Never download anything that looks suspicious even if it comes from a friend on Facebook or
Twitter. This will help keep your personal information safe.
- Make sure your antivirus software is frequently
updated and scan your system
accordingly.
In short, remain
vigilant whenever you're online and use basic common sense.
Back to Top
Wireless Best Practices
Most of our
customers have a wireless router in their home. We deal with wireless
connectivity problems on a daily basis; in fact, it is the most common
problem that we deal with. As a result, I'd like to spend a few minutes
discussing wireless best practices to insure that your Internet experience is
the best that it can be.
1. Make sure that you are connected to your
wireless router and not a neighbor's. On most Windows computers, there is a
wireless icon on the bottom right corner of your screen. If you hover your
mouse pointer over this icon, you should see the SSID or the name of the
wireless router that you are connected to.
2. Insure that your wireless network is secure
with an encryption key. If you have a Comtrend DSL Modem/Wireless router
supplied by Moapa Valley Telephone, it is most likely secure. If you have any
questions regarding your Moapa Valley Telephone supplied wireless router,
give us a call at 397-2601 or send an email to support@mvdsl.com. If you have purchased
your wireless router somewhere else and have questions regarding its
security, contact the manufacturer.
3. Make sure that your wireless router is in an
open and central location in your home for the best coverage. Walls and
objects around the router absorb signal strength.
4. Be aware that home devices can interfere
with wireless connections—the microwave oven is one of the biggest culprits,
with vacuum cleaners and cordless phones as others. Most wireless routers
operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency range. This is the same ranges as your
microwave oven and some cordless phones. Electric motors like those in vacuum
cleaners spew out garbage across frequency spectrums and have the potential
to interfere with your wireless connection.
5. Other wireless routers can interfere with
your connection such as a neighbor's wireless router. You might need to
change the channel of your wireless router to find one that is not as
congested. Click
here for a You Tube video showing you how to change your wireless channel
and how to login to your Moapa Valley Telephone Comtrend router.
Back to Top
Two To View – A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To
Miss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Day Made of
Glass
Corning gives us a peek into the remarkable future of glass technology. A
family accesses news, messages, videos, and more—all by touching
next-generation glass panels located throughout their home on the bathroom
mirror, refrigerator, kitchen counter, and stovetop.
|
|
Chain Reaction of
Ordinary Objects
Look ma, no hands! This video is called "The Page Turner" because
a carefully arranged sequence of movements by a series of items, from
coffee cup to tape roll, causes the newspaper page to turn without being
touched by human hands. You have to see it to believe it.
|
Back to Top
This Month's FAQ – What Happens To A Facebook User’s Account
After Death?
Question: For many of us, the messages and photos
posted on Facebook are like a scrapbook of our lives. What happens to a
Facebook user’s account after death?
 Answer: That’s a great question. There’s increasing discussion these
days about social media as it relates to end-of-life issues. Here’s what it
says on Facebook:
"It is our policy to memorialize all deceased users' accounts on the
site. When an account is memorialized, only confirmed friends can see the
profile (timeline) or locate it in Search. The profile (timeline) will also
no longer appear in the Suggestions section of the Home page. Friends and
family can leave posts in remembrance.
In order to protect the privacy of the deceased user, we cannot provide login
information for the account to anyone. However, once an account has been
memorialized, it is completely secure and cannot be accessed or altered by
anyone.
Verified immediate family members may request the removal of a loved one’s
account from the site. To actually delete a profile page, however, a family
member or executor must submit proof of their relationship with the deceased
before getting further instructions."
Some people refer to memorializing a profile as a Facebook funeral. It allows
people to save and share their memories of the deceased.
On a related topic, there’s now a Facebook app called if I die. It gives people the opportunity to
create a video or text message to be played after their demise, as verified
by at least three “trustees” the person selects from his or her Facebook
list.
Back to Top
Sites Of The Month – Great Sites To Check Out In March
|
 See Yourself In Vintage Style
yearbookyourself.com – How
would you look in the hairstyles and clothing from past decades? It's fun
to find out on this site, which lets you take your photo and place it in
vintage yearbook shots from the '50s, '60s, '70s and beyond. Just picture
it—you with Farrah hair, or a groovy headband, or Buddy Holly glasses.
Create hysterical portraits and then share them on Facebook.
|
|
 Duct Tape Prom Outfits
duckbrand.com – Sure,
we all know that duct tape is handy for lots of repairs. But did you know
it could be used to make prom outfits? Stuck at Prom® is a contest from
Duck Tape® brand that challenges high-schoolers to make amazing prom
outfits out of the tape for the chance to win scholarships. Once the top 10
entries are selected, you can start voting for the winners in March.
|
|
 Can’t Recall What’s Recalled?
saferproducts.gov – It
seems like every time you turn around, there's another product recall in
the news. By visiting this site, you can easily search for recalls by
product category including dishwashers, appliances, space heaters,
children's products, and toys. You can also file a report on an unsafe
product that you've discovered.
|
|
 Best Recipes, Best Chefs
cookeatshare.com – They
have to be three of the best verbs around—cook, eat, and share. Billed as
the world's largest kitchen, cookeatshare.com is boiling over with culinary
content. Find the world's highest rated recipes, share recipes with family
and friends, connect with the world's best chefs and subscribe to their recipes,
and organize and manage your own recipes.
|
|
 Grow Your Garden Knowledge
www.garden.org – March is a
great month to plan your spring planting. At this National Gardening
Association site, you can dig up all kinds of fresh ideas for your
landscape. It features expert advice on flowers, food gardens, lawns and
ground covers, trees and shrubs, and much more. You'll also find helpful
tools like how-to videos, a pest control library, and plant care guides.
|
Back to Top
Short Tutorial – Uploading And Sharing Images On Twitter
 A picture is worth a thousand words, which
makes tweeting photos such a great idea. Fortunately, it's easy to upload and
share images using your Twitter account. Just follow the steps and tips
below.
1. Go to your homepage on Twitter.com.
2. When you click inside the Tweet box on your
homepage or on the New Tweet button, you will see two small icons in the
lower left corner — one for adding your location (a compass) and one for
uploading an image (a camera). Click on the camera icon.
3. It will prompt you to locate the image you
want to upload on your computer.
4. After you attach the image to your Tweet,
your Tweet box will contain the thumbnail in the lower left corner and the
camera icon highlighted in blue.
5. If you selected the wrong image or no longer
wish to share that image, click the "x" control in the thumbnail or
next to the filename to delete the current image.
6. Enter any text you'd like and click on the
Tweet button.
7. Once you've successfully tweeted, click on
the Tweet to view the image in the display pane.
Tips:
- You're welcome to upload any image that is 3MB or
smaller.
- Twitter will scale the image for you to fit into the
display pane on the right side of your Twitter.com timeline.
- Twitter accepts gif, .jpeg, and .png files.
Back to Top
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,
click here.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards
Brad Lyon
Internet Manager
Moapa Valley Telephone Company
183 S Anderson St
Overton, NV 89040
702-397-2601
©2012 Cornerstone
Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are
trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
|
|
