Ask a Geek http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/ Information source for questions concerning computers, internet, television, telephone, and cellular technologies en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek//nucleus/nucleus2.gif Ask a Geek http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/ How to Determine if an E-mail is a Hoax http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=76
The forwarded messages almost always say “This is real, I checked with insert source here” Never take their word for it, you don't know the original perpetrator of this e-mail. In fact, this is a big neon sign telling you it's probably fake. Do your own checking and I’m not talking about links in the e-mail, web pages are easily doctored. One of my favorite places to verify authenticity is snopes.com. Let’s use an e-mail I received today as an example of how to verify authenticity.

The E-Mail:

I just went to the website below. And it is on AT&T website......Wow and checked out on Snopes.com

Subject: DONT DIAL AREA CODE 809 , 284 AND 876

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T DIAL AREA CODE 809

This one is being distributed all over the US . This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this and pass it on. They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has-been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

If you call from the US , you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged more than $24,100.00.

WHY IT WORKS:

The 809 area code is located in theBritish Virgin Islands (The Bahamas). the dominican actually
The charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam

Sandi Van Handel
AT&T Field Service Manager
(920)687-904


What Snopes says:

Claim: Unsuspecting phone customers have been gulled by scam artists into placing calls to area codes in the Caribbean that result in hefty charges.

Status: Real fraud, but its usage is rare and most victims are taken for only a small amount of money.

The full article can be found here. http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

So the claim is real to an extent, however it is greatly exaggerated instead of a whopping $25,000 phone bill you are hit with a $25 to $100 charge.

As my favorite cartoon use to say “Knowing is half the battle!”
]]> Computers \ Internet http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=76 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:26:57 -0500 The MailBag http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=75
“All of my out-going email arrives at the other person's computer marked spam....why is this and how can I stop it?”

It has a way to do with how you are sending your e-mail. Do you send it out with a huge list of addresses in the “To:” field? Most Anti-Spam and Junk Mail folders will flag your message as spam if you do. Try placing those addresses in the BCC field instead, it may help, it may not. Everything really depends on the recipients spam settings.


]]> Computers \ Internet http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=75 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:45:21 -0500 FBI Battles Zombies! http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=74
Zombie


Internet hijackers use malicious software to take control of your machine without you even knowing it. Once the software is installed the hijacker is able to remotely control the PC using it in coordinated internet attacks, hosting illegal file sharing and send an estimated 55 billion in spam every day. An estimated 55 million computers are infected with this malicious software. The infected machine is in essence turned into a zombie and once enough computers are compromised the hijacker has a robot network or “Botnet”

Bot


The FBI is trying to take down these botnets, but they are huge sometimes containing tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of personal computers. Operation Bot Roast is an ongoing and coordinated initiative to disrupt and dismantle these robot networks and to put the hijackers behind bars. The FBI has already put three of these major hijackers behind bars. They have also identified about 1 million computers across the country that have been compromised and will be contacting the PC owner to notify them so the owner can take steps to remove the infection on their PC.

Don’t think you are one of the hijacked machines? You could be, very easily. Most likely the machine you are working on right now is compromised with some type of spyware. Your home machine is probably worse and if you have children that use the internet, good luck keeping it secure.

For help in getting rid of spyware and keeping your machine secure visit this post.



]]> Computers \ Internet http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=74 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:55:12 -0500 Harnessing the Internet to Share Your Photos with Family and Friends http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=73 Bluebonnet

Are you still e-mailing your photos to friends and family? Why? Not only is it time consuming and outdated, it’s a little boring. There are hundreds of websites that will host those pictures for you and allow you to arrange, categorize, and update your pictures with a few clicks of a mouse, not to mention you can use it as a backup. Flickr, Bubbleshare, Fotki, are all popular photo sites that will host those precious pictures for you for free. These sites allow you to create sets or albums to categorize your pictures. You can make the photos private allowing only certain people to view them or make them public and share with everyone. There are also websites like Dropshots which allow you to not only share pictures, but video as well. If you decide you want a little more functionality then the free websites offer, alternatives like Photosite have a premium service that includes customizable photo albums, a photoblog, professional online printing service, and your own domain name (familynamephotos.com). Each of the services offers something a little different and you can take a tour or browse the site to see what each service offer and which one is the right choice for you.

I currently use Flickr. It only required a yahoo account, something which I already had. If you don’t it’s free and easy to join just click the signup button and follow the instructions or if you have a yahoo account, like me, just use your username and password to login. Soon as you are finished logging in it will ask if you want to upload photos. You can upload six pictures at a time. I usually make them public but this choice is up to you. That is all there is to getting started. Don’t be afraid to play around and find your own way, creating sets, making comments on or about your pictures. There is a lot to do on Flickr so have fun! You can visit a set of spring time pictures Barbara took HERE and see why this method is so much better then sending photos via e-mail.

EDIT: Flickr appears to be experiencing difficulties and running slow. If you can't get to it now. Check back later and try again. The other sites are working if you would like to to view them. - Thanks.


]]> Computers \ Internet http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=73 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:34:40 -0500 What are the Differences between Analog and Digital Phones? http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=72
An easy comparison between the two technologies is to think in terms of music. Analog phones are represented by an old record player while digital phones are CD players.

Digital cordless phones can also travel over a higher frequency called gigahertz increasing the quality of the sound and extending the range of the handset.


]]> Telephone \ Phone Systems http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=72 Wed, 4 Apr 2007 14:45:30 -0500 Tournament Outcome http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=71
Barak Harlan!

He was able to pull out a win by picking the Florida Gators to take it all. Congratulations Barak and thanks to all that participated in the event. I hope you all had fun!


]]> Contests \ Events http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=71 Wed, 4 Apr 2007 08:21:30 -0500 Bluetooth Security http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=70 Bluejacking
Bluejacking is the sending of unsolicited messages to your phone, they are usually text messages. It’s like spam for your phone. It begins with the creation of a new contact in a bluejacker's own phone book, but in the name field, instead of typing a person's name, the bluejacker types a short message. Then, it's simply a matter of choosing a nearby Bluetooth phone that is in discoverable mode to send it to.

Bluesnarfing
Bluesnarfing allows a hacker to access a phone wirelessly without the owner's knowledge and download the stored phonebook, calendar, and other data. The best way to protect your device is to set to no discoverable mode.

Bluebugging
Bluebugging actually allows a hacker to initiate phone calls, send and read SMS, read and write phonebook contacts, eavesdrop on phone conversations, and connect to the Internet, basically taking complete control of the phone. Fortunately, only a few early models of Bluetooth phones are vulnerable to bluebugging.

The Car Whisperer
The car whisper is a software utility designed to hack the most vulnerable target, the hands free crowd. It actively pings around for a target, think “Red October”. When it finds one it tries to break the pass code using known passkeys since most people use 0000 or 1111 it is easy to break in and listen to phone calls. The Car Whisperer software includes an audio clip that says, "Hello there. This is the Trifinite Car Whisperer. Drive carefully." The best way to avoid being "Car Whispered" is to simply connect or pair the in-car system to a Bluetooth phone, because only one such device can be connected at a time.

Do these Attacks take a skilled individual?
No, not really. Most of these attacks are simple to perform and the software is free and readily available.

What can we do to protect our data?
There are several things we can do to protect ourselves from malicious individuals.

• If you get a pairing request from an unknown device, DON’T except it. You wouldn’t allow your kids to take candy from a stranger why would you?
• When not using Bluetooth on your phone turn it to non-discoverable mode.
• Find out if your phone is vulnerable to Bluesnarfing or bluebugging by visiting the phone manufacturer’s website. They may already have software patches to fix the vulnerabilities.
• Don’t initially pair your phone in a public place. Most people wouldn’t shout their social security and credit card numbers out in the middle of a mall. You shouldn’t pair your phone their either, others maybe listening.

The easiest way to keep your data and yourself safe is knowledge and common sense. I can share the knowledge, but you have to use your own common sense.
]]> Cellular http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=70 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:35:21 -0600 Men's NCAA Tournament Pick'em http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=69
Just go to this url:

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men

The following is the Group ID and Password.

Group ID#: 96787
Password: caprock

It’s all in fun so be sure to join up and root on your favorite teams and trash talk is encouraged. GO TECH!

Edit:
On the Tournament Bracket you must have a Yahoo Account. It's free to set up and if you have any questions. Please e-mail or call me. Sorry for the confusion.


]]> Contests \ Events http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=69 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 07:09:35 -0600 And the Winner is... http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=68
The Winner
]]> Contests \ Events http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=68 Fri, 2 Mar 2007 10:14:57 -0600 Drawing Today http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=67
On a side note today is Texas Independence day.

“We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: none is at hand. We must now act or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name.”
-Sam Houston

Texas Independence


Here are a couple more quotes that spoke to me as a Texan:

I must say as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world,the best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here
- Davey Crockett

Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas –
Senator William Blakley
]]> Contests \ Events http://www.caprock-spur.com/askageek/index.php?itemid=67 Fri, 2 Mar 2007 08:38:39 -0600