Dear SpammerBy Angela Giles KlockeDear Spammer,Please don't delete! This is sent in accordance within the laws of myhome. If you wish to be removed from my replies to your spam, pleasehit reply yourself and send an e-mail to my non-existent address.I'd like to thank you for the letter you sent about making millionsin just two weeks. I regret to tell you, though, that you are a weeklate. See, someone else got to me first and I am already amillionaire. At least I can report to you that it does indeed work soyou should probably keep spamming folks in hopes that they, too, willsend you the required $29.95 to find out how to do it like me. It maybe that I just got lucky, but you never know.The e-mail you sent about refilling my Viagra prescription was indeedpriceless. How did you know? I've had it on my list to do for weeksso your spam letter allowing me to refill for only $49.95 was sowelcome! I still don't know what this stuff is for really but I hadto get in on it when everyone else was and you should see my nails --they're gorgeous! Consider the check in the mail already.Did you really mean it when you e-mailed me about the free cable TV?Or about the free satellite? Which is best, do you think? I am torn.Of course, what confuses me more is how I can get either one for freefor only $69.95! Wow! What a deal! And lucky for me, you take creditcards because I just sent in my $59.99 for the activation of theguaranteed VISA your e-mail a few weeks ago promised. Question - youreally do keep all my vital statistic information private, right? Idon't usually give away my bank account number and social securitynumber so easily, but I sure did want that VISA. When will it gethere so I can order my choice of cable or satellite?In closing, thank you the most for the e-mails about how I canpurchase lists of e-mail addresses so that I, too, can be just likeyou. Now I can annoy the heck out of innocent Internet users bysending spam e-mail to every address they might have listed on theirsite, even autoresponders (cause that IS the most annoying), and bejust as welcome each day as you. I can't thank you enough for helpingme with all of this and to show my gratitude, I'm going to be sure tospread the word about you right away to some wonderful near and dearfriends of mine ... SpamCop and SpamBusters ... and let's not forgetyour ISP because they love to hear about their customers.No really, you don't have to e-mail me again to thank me. I know howyou are feeling so please, spend that time wisely by getting ready tostart all over again with a whole new scam.Best of luck ... GET A JOB!The SpameeAngela is the publisher of THE WRITING PARENT, the zine especiallyfor parent writers(mailto:TheWritingParent-subscribe@yahoogroups.com), and owns her ownpublishing business, Klocke Publishing(http://www.klockepresents.com).[end]Angela Giles Klocke - Writer/Publisher/Editor/Wife/Mom++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++In Udder Words - Yet Another Klocke Publishing ZineFor Writers! http://klockepresents.com/udderwords.htmlSubscribe - mailto:InUdderWords@yahoogroups.com++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I think it
Article on Consumer Protection on the Internet (Part 1) (9/9/01)
Consumer Protection on the InternetPart 1by Robin NoblesEven today, when many of us have been on the Net for years andyears, it's hard to believe the magnitude and power of theInternet. With that power, regretfully, comes problems.How can you protect yourself when ordering goods and services orconducting business over the Internet? And, where can you reportfraud if it happens to you?Please keep in mind that this article isn't meant to be an allinclusive listing of how you can protect yourself over theInternet. Instead, it's meant to serve as a guide for obtainingmore information and reporting cases of fraud.First, let's discuss how consumers can protect themselves overthe Internet.Let's say that you want to order a product online. Just like youwould do with "brick and mortar" businesses, you want to orderfrom a reputable company.How can you tell if it's reputable? To begin with, study the siteitself. Have they taken the time and expense to create a Web sitethat is professional and businesslike? Does the ordering processgive you confidence in the company? What is the company's policyon returns? Is there an "About us" button for you to learn moreabout the business? Does the company have a privacy policy? Lookfor a link to a privacy policy, and see how the company uses theinformation you provide when you order.You can take it a step further by learning how to evaluate thequality of online resources by taking Internet Detective's onlinetutorial. http://sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.htmlNext, look for a graphic to either the BBB Online (BetterBusiness Bureau Online: http://www.bbbonline.org) or TRUSTe(http://www.truste.org/). We'll discuss these organizations inmore detail when we talk about reporting fraudulent activities.But, at this point, see if the business has joined either ofthose organizations and posted the related graphic. If they have,this should give you a good measure of confidence in the businessactivities of the company. Understand that thousands of reputablecompanies have never joined either of those groups due to the highcost, so failure of the company to participate does not mean thatthe company isn't reputable. However, this is just something tolook for as an added precaution.When you find an item you want to order, and when you click onthe "Order" or "Purchase" button, does a little gold padlockappear on the bottom toolbar of your browser screen? Beforegiving your credit card information on the Internet, be sure thatthe gold padlock appears at the bottom of the browser screen,showing that you're in a secure and protected area. If itdoesn't, take your business elsewhere.(This article will be continued in Part 2.)This article was written by Robin Nobles, a professionalfreelance writer and the Director of Training of the Academy ofWeb Specialists. Over the past few years, she has trained severalthousand people in her online and onsite courses in search enginepositioning strategies and has written three books that can beordered through Amazon. Visit the Academy's Web site to learnmore about their online courses and products:http://www.academywebspecialists.com/more_info. Or, visit Robin'spersonal Web site at http://www.robinsnest.com.
Article: Consumer Protection on the Internet (Part 2) (9/16/01)
Consumer Protection on the InternetPart 2by Robin Nobles(Continued from Part 1)While we're on the subject of giving out credit card informationon the Web, don't ever give out your credit card number throughe-mail. Sending e-mail is just like sending a post card, with thecontents of the e-mail open and viewable to anyone who sees it.Educate yourself! The U.S. Federal Trade Commission offersconsumer education information as well as a way to file acomplaint online. The FTC doesn't try to resolve the complaintfor you. Instead, filing a complaint helps them investigate fraudand could lead to legal action against the company. You can alsogo through this organization to file a report on an identifytheft or an online transaction involving a foreign company.http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htmAt the FTC site, be sure to read what they consider to be the topten "dot con" scams.http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/dotcons.htmIf you enjoy participating in online auctions, beware! Onlineauction fraud is a real problem and was Internet Fraud Watch'stop complaint in the year 2000. How can you protect yourself?When possible, charge your purchases to a credit card. And, makesure that the seller has a good, solid feedback reputation. Also,read this article by the National Consumers League.http://www.fraud.org/internet/intalert.htmNow, let's move into the area of reporting fraud. Be sure tocomplete the online form at the FTC site(http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm). Complains fromorganizations such as the National Fraud Information Center,Federal Trade Commission, and National Consumers League are allfunneled into a database maintained by Consumer Sentinel, aninternational law enforcement fraud-fighting program. Thisinformation is then shared with law enforcement agencies acrossthe world.At the Fraud Bureau, besides being able to file a complaint, youcan also search their database for complaints filed againstonline businesses and even sellers at online auctions.http://www.fraudbureau.com/You can also file a fraud complaint at the Internet FraudComplaint Center, which is a partnership between the FederalBureau of Investigation and the National White Collar CrimeCenter. https://www.ifccfbi.gov/The Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has asite where you can report Internet-related crime.http://www.cybercrime.gov/We mentioned the Better Business Bureau Online and TRUSTe in Part1 of this article as organizations that businesses can join toshow that they participate in ethical online business practices.Consumers can also file online complaints at the BBB Online, andthe Better Business Bureau where the company is located willhandle the complaint. http://www.bbbonline.orgTRUSTe is an organization that believes that you should have fullcontrol over the uses of your personal information. If youbelieve that your privacy has been violated online, you can filean online complaint with this organization.http://www.truste.org/This article was written by Robin Nobles, a professionalfreelance writer and the Director of Training of the Academy ofWeb Specialists. Over the past few years, she has trained severalthousand people in her online and onsite courses in search enginepositioning strategies and has written three books that can beordered through Amazon. Visit the Academy's Web site to learnmore about their online courses and products:http://www.academywebspecialists.com/more_info. Or, visit Robin'spersonal Web site at http://www.robinsnest.com.
