CrexTechs Blog

Not only individuals but businesses have to watch out for scammers and not just on the internet but on the telephone.

I took a call at CrexTechs today from a caller purported to be using AT&T Relay which is a taxpayer supported service for the hearing impaired. The operator read out what the caller typed then typed my responses for the caller.  Linda, the caller, wanted to know if we sold laptops, did we take credit cards over the phone and would I give her some information on what we had. The relay proved to be a cumbersome tool for this kind of communication so we switched to email at the caller's behest.  I sent her the information and asked how she found CrexTechs and where she was calling from.  She responded only that wanted to order three laptops even though the two I described didn't meet her previously expressed needs. That was when I decided that this was definitely a scam.

I was suspicious from the get go.  I'm not sure why, maybe I have a suspicious nature.  In between emails from Linda I did a Google search on AT&T relay scams.  I found that this scam has been around since at least 2004.  Scam-o-Rama gave me the scoop on the relay scam and ways to try to verify if a caller is really deaf and calling from the US.  By then, the call was over and we were on email.

Linda soon realized I was on to her and the email exchange stopped.  Had it not been for my suspicious nature, my helping nature would have kicked in and I would have wanted to assist this hearing impaired customer get the laptops she needed.

There are a lot of good people out there, private individuals and customer service folks, wanting more than anything to be helpful to anyone needing special attention, especially in this season of peace on earth, good will to all.  I would hate for all of us to become so cynical that those of us really in need of help will not get it.

When someone you don't know calls you to ask a favor or wants to sell you something or wants to be sure your account doesn't get closed and needs to get information from you,  ask the caller to wait a moment while you find a paper and pencil to write down the information.   Some scammers will be put off by this and hang up.  Others will play you so be sure to write everything down.

To determine who is calling and what organization they represent, ask a few questions.

• How did you get my name and number,
• where are you calling from,
• what is your name and how do you spell it,
• how do you spell the name of your organization,
• please repeat the name of the offer or promotion
• can I get your phone number and call you back, I need to do a little research on your organization or I need to call my bank to be sure they know about this promotion or problem.

Usually with this kind of vigilance, the scammer will give up and hang up on you but not always.

If they ask you for personal information or even want to verify what they have, tell them, "I'm sorry, I don't discuss this information over the phone." Some of these scammers are very talented at getting you to give correct information by feeding you wrong information.  So be very careful.

If you find yourself in the midst of a situation that seems hinky to you, the best thing for you to do, even if it is contrary to your nature, is hang up the phone-- Oops! We got disconnected!   If you are business, you can tell them your credit card machine is off-line or the items they want are sold out and you will call them back with special order information.  Once disconnected, you probably won't get a call back.

Emailing and texting are so much a part of how we live our lives that we forget that face to face conversation is the best way to handle problems especially when they involve the people we care about.  The most recent Vipre Security News newsletter addressed this subject better than I could so I will quote Larry Jaffe, the editor, and give you the link.

I was recently having a discussion with someone and she told me how angry she was with someone and had dashed off an email to said person and the response was nuclear....

There is no way email or texting is the proper medium for controversial subjects. In person, on the phone or even a hand-written letter is a better way to communicate. You need some way to explain your thoughts and looking at the person face to face is the best way. Email fails miserably if you try to patch up an upset, so does texting....

I know this to be true having lost a friendship to too many emails and not enough face time.  If you are in the middle of a heated battle via email or text or even on Facebook, stop now and get on the phone, talk it out or better yet, ask for a time to get together to talk it out.  You will be glad you did.

http://crextechs.com/blog/2010/05/manually-set-vipre-to-scan-then-shut-down/

We also recommend running Malwarebytes at least once a week.    Crextechs loads a free version of Malwarebytes on all computers that we sell or service.

Here is a link to download a free version of Malwarebytes

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free

Here is a link for how to use Malwarebytes (unfortunately, Malwarebytes won't shut the computer off when done).

Wish you knew how to create a project in Publisher, or a presentation in PowerPoint? How about creating a spreadsheet in Excel or using your camera's software to edit and save photos? How about help getting started selling on eBay or setting up a PayPal account. Want to get on Facebook but can't quite make it work?

CrexTechs can help you learn how to get more out of your computer and out of the internet. Mini-classes, designed by you, in your home or office using your computer and software or at our shop from $20.00 per hour. Email us at sales@crextech.com, subject Mini-Courses, for more information. Let us know what you'd like to learn and what your budget is. We could have you creating that presentation or sharing photos on Facebook in as little as one hour!! How easy is that!!

FYI for all WindowsXP users:

Microsoft stopped support and security updates for WindowsXP with Service Pack 2 back in July 2011.  Service Pack 3 is still available and support and security updates for Windows XP with service pack 3 will continue until 2014.

Microsoft is encouraging businesses running WindowsXP to start making plans now to upgrade to Windows7 before 2014 to ensure they get support and security upgrades.

For the average user, XP is still a very easy to use, functional operating system.  No one needs to run out and replace their machines now.  By 2014, anything could happen in the world of computing.  Be sure you have uploaded and installed Service Pack 3.

To find out what service pack you have, go to the start menu and look for My Computer on the right.  Right click on My Computer and select properties.  You will see this screen (click once on the image to zoom in):

You will find service pack listed under System.

To upgrade your service pack, go to your Start menu and All Programs. Up at the top you will find Microsoft Update. Click on Microsoft Update. Internet Explorer will open to Microsoft which will begin checking your computer for your most recent updates.

If you have questions or concerns, drop us an email or give us a call.

Happy Halloween

Ever wish you'd kept better track of when things happened in your life or labeled you photos better?  You always mean to sit down and do a timeline  just for yourself, maybe the kids would be interested one day.  And all those photos that need organizing....

Now you can do just that on Facebook, or soon anyway!  You can organize your life history in a timeline using events and pictures and share it with whom ever you wish.  Check out the short video Facebook offers on Timeline.  Then read the post on, are we ready for Timeline.

Facebook's Timeline

Is the World Ready for Facebook Timeline

Does your computer go to sleep or hibernate when you step away for 20 or so minutes?   Have you often wondered if your Vipre scans are really getting finished?  Are you getting messages that your scan did not finish?

When you are running Vipre scans, your computer does not detect Vipre and may go to sleep.  Once asleep, the scan is stopped and will not resume.

What to do about this:  You must change some settings.

(See the screen shots below for help with turning off the sleep/hibernate function so you can run your scans.)

Step 1: click the START button on the bottom left of your screen and select ALL PROGRAMS >>>> CONTROL PANEL >>>> POWER OPTIONS

Step 2: On the POWER OPTIONS screen, select POWER SCHEMES tab. Select NEVER for turn off monitor, turn off hard drive and system standby.

Step 3: Now click on the HIBERNATE tab and uncheck the enable hibernate.

Your computer will now stay up and running even when you step away so if you are going to be away for a fairly long period of time you will want to close your browser and shut off your monitor and maybe even turn off your computer.   Shutting down will save power and, if you have high speed internet that stays connected all the time, shutting down will keep your machine safer from hackers. Shutting down also helps clear your RAM memory. Clearing your RAM can help your computer run better.

While running Vipre, leave your computer up and running.  It will shut itself off.  You can turn off your monitor while it runs.  For more info on running Vipre.

Depending on your operating system, this procedure may vary a bit.  Give us a call if you have problems finding the Power Options window.

If you have ever wondered where you can report internet fraud and abuse the latest Vipre Security Newsletter offers a number of links to places you can report internet fraud.   Here are a few of them:

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Internet_Fraud.shtml

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting.php

http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud

It is not enough just to report an incident.  Certain  information contained withing the email or popup or link is needed in order to effectively track down the abusers.

Here is a primer from Charter.net on what you need to know to effectively report internet abuse. This includes a great definition of internet abuse that includes not only fraud but other forms of abuse such as threats and harassment as well as copyright infringement.

Internet fraud and abuse are so pervasive that it would be difficult to report everything.   It is important to make the effort in especially egregious cases such as claims aimed at frightening un-savvy users by scammers masquerading as legitimate businesses such as banks or utilities, or anything intended to ensnare children.

The internet belongs to all of us.  It is an important and powerful tool that we are growing more and more dependent upon in our personal and business lives.  It is our responsibility to help police cyberspace.

A friend was ready to abandon Facebook altogether this week with the latest rounds of changes taking place.  We just get used to what's new and feel confident we understand fully what Facebook is doing with the information we post, who can see what and how we want to use this powerful set of online applications, then bam!! They change it again and not just in a little way but in huge, almost conceptual ways.  How much time does one have to put into researching the changes before we are again confident that we know how we are being used and possibly abused by Facebook.

Privacy is the main issue. Who sees what and how is our information gathered and stored and used to sell to us or feed information to us that we may or may not want to know.

Some of these changes have to do with the two types of interfaces that Facebook offers.

1. The personal "Profile."
2. The "page."

Most users don't have "Pages," they have "profiles."

What is a Page and how is it different from a profile? (this is not new)

From the Facebook definition: "Pages are for organizations, businesses, celebrities, and bands to broadcast great information in an official, public manner to people who choose to connect with them."

By definition, pages are public.  CrexTechs has a page.

A profile is a place on Facebook where an individual presents themselves in order to connect with family and friends, usually privately.

An individual can have a profile and a page and keep their profile private and post what they want to be public to their page.  But in most cases, pages are for businesses and organizations who want to be "Liked" so they can promote themselves.  Profiles are for people to connect with friends and family privately.  To connect you must request to be a "Friend" and be accepted provided your privacy setting is set to Friends or Custom not Public (see below).

So what is new?

In the past one had to "Like" a page to comment on a post.  It is no longer necessary to "Like" a page to comment on that page. All such comments on "Pages" will be public.  If you have friends who also "Like" the page and have made posts or comments, you can click on "Friend Activity" to see what they have posted or commented on in the past (you will also see your comments and posts) .  Non-friends will not see this compilation of posts and comments.  They will see their own posts and comments and their own friend's posts and comments.

From a page that you are perusing, for instance the Grantsburg, WI page, you can click through to a profile of someone who has posted or commented.  You will see their profile page but you will not be able to see anything they don't want you to see.  The same goes for anyone who clicks through one of your post to get to your profile.  They will not be able to see anything you don't want them to see.

Privacy settings

As in the past, you must set your own privacy setting but you don't need to do it again unless you have custom settings that you want to review.  If you have selected Public, all your posts are public.  If you selected Friends, then only your friends can see what is on your wall or news feed including posts and comments by others.  Be warned, if you have a friend whose profile is public and you post or comment to her wall, your post or comment will also be public (your profile, your wall and your news feed are still friend's only though). Her posts to your wall or news feed will not be public.

Subscribe is a new feature that is pretty interesting.  If you have an update on your news feed from a friend, right click on your friend's picture or link.  You will see Subscribe.  Click on that.  Now select the things you want to see from that person. You may not want to see everything they post such as status changes.   This looks pretty slick to me.

There are a lot more changes.  Take a look at these articles to see what else you need to know about these changes.

Facebook Changes: New Privacy Concerns Surround Facebook Changes

Facebook’s Latest Changes: A Hands-On Look [PICS]

I am using the new chat feature while writing this article.  I had a FB message from my brother while I was exploring some of the changes.  I responded and he was online so he was able to respond immediately to me.  What's not to like!!