E-Mail Scam Social Security Administration Warns of E-mail Scam Webster-Calhoun Announcements February Bill Insert, Status of SPAM, Blank Newsletters Ask The Help Desk How Do I Get a Web Page to Refresh with Updated Information? Sites Of The Month Great Sites To Check Out In February! Short Tutorial Burning A Folder Of Photos Onto A CD

Hi Webster-Calhoun Internet Subscribers! We're right in the middle of winter and this month's newsletter brings you a flurry of information and ideas. Be sure to read the warning about fraudulent Social Security e-mail messages making the rounds, and check out the passport site regarding new air travel regulations. You'll also find instructions on how to refresh web pages to get updated information, and how to burn CDs containing your holiday photo files. To celebrate the snow season, visit the Great Sites section and discover more about the Iditarod race, ski resorts around the world, and International Polar Bear Day. 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! - The Webster-Calhoun Internet Team

E-Mail Scam - Social Security Administration Warns of E-mail Scam

The Social Security Administration has received reports of an e-mail message being circulated with the subject "Cost-of-Living for 2007 update" and purporting to be from the SSA. The message provides information about the 3.3 percent benefit increase for 2007 and tells the e-mail recipients to update their personal information or their account will be suspended indefinitely. They are then directed to a phony site designed to look like the official Social Security website.

Once at the bogus website, individuals are asked to register for a password and to confirm their identity by providing personal information such as their Social Security number, bank account information, and credit card information.

Patrick O'Carroll, Jr., Inspector General of Social Security, reminds the public to always take precautions when giving out personal information. "You should never provide your Social Security number or other personal information over the Internet or by telephone unless you are extremely confident of the source to whom you are providing the information," O'Carroll said.

You can report receipt of the aforementioned fraudulent e-mail message or other suspicious activity to Social Security's Office of Inspector General by calling the OIG Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. A Public Fraud Reporting form is also available at OIG's website at www.socialsecurity.gov/oig.

Back to Top

Webster-Calhoun Announcements - February Bill Insert, Status of SPAM, Blank Newsletters

February Bill Insert
Required notices for the national Do-Not-Call Registry, telephone assistance to low income residents and information about the upcoming Annual Meeting of Members are a few of the highlights of the newsletter inserted in the February bill statements. To see the newsletter on-line, go to http://www.wccta.net or http://www.wccta.com/state-news/documents/Feb07newsletter.pdf.

Status of SPAM
The Internet community has been abuzz lately regarding the dramatic increase in spam. Some industry analysts are estimating the increase to be 80 percent or greater! The increase in spam can be attributed to several things. A new generation of viruses and spyware are infecting PC's quicker and are harder to get rid of. There is also a new type of spam called image spam which contains text imbedded as an image. WCCTA.net has been working on and has now implemented a new spam filter to help get rid of the increasing junk mail.

Blank Newsletters
Have you received this newsletter as a blank e-mail? It reads ok from the web-based I-Mail program and can be forwarded but when downloaded on your computer, the original e-newsletter is blank. This has been an on-going issue and is not a problem with the newsletter itself. It has been narrowed down to a handful of individuals that use McAfee's anti spam software. When it scans the message it actually adds text which can then corrupt the MIME boundaries on some HTML e-mail.

Back to Top

Ask The Help Desk - How Do I Get a Web Page to Refresh with Updated Information?

Question: Sometimes I go to a web page that I know updates their content frequently (with stock reports, weather, news, etc.) but I can't get it to refresh/reload with new information. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: Yes, there is a trick you can try when this happens to you. When typing the site's URL (web address), add a question mark (?) to the end. Your web browser will think it's a new web page and will "refresh" it for you, displaying the updated content. If you need to keep "refreshing" on subsequent visits to the same web page, simply add a different letter(s) behind the question mark each time (i.e. ?glp) and the page will be downloaded with the most current information.

Why does this trick work? Your browser only downloads information in front of a question mark. However, since the whole URL changes (by adding the question mark and possibly other letters behind the question mark), the browser provides a complete "refresh" of the web page.

Back to Top

Great Sites To Check Out This Month

New Passport Site a Hub for Travelers
http://getapassportnow.com -  In an effort to enhance security and efficiency at U.S. borders, new passport requirements went into effect on January 23, 2007. All air travelers entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (excluding Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) must now show a passport, even if they are U.S. citizens. The Travel Industry Association recently launched this "one-stop shopping" site to simplify the process for passport applicants. It features links to appropriate agencies for U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens and explains how and where to get a passport.

Hit the Slopes
http://skicentral.com -  If you want to go skiing but aren't sure where, this site is a great place to start. There's a mountain of information including links to nearly 8,000 sites offering ski resort details, snow sports news, and vacation-planning resources. You can get current conditions at virtually any ski resort in the world and view snow cams at locations from Aspen to Zermatt.

International Polar Bear Day
http://polarbearsinternational.org -  February 27th is International Polar Bear Day, a great time to learn more facts about our furry friends. For example, the five "polar bear nations" in which the bears are found include the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway. Explore this site to check out common myths and misconceptions about polar bears, see the photo and video gallery, and find out how you can support polar bear conservation projects.

Hot Recipes for Cold Weather
http://busycooks.about.com/od/favoriterecipes/tp/top10winterreci.htm -  Gathered here are 10 favorite recipes for winter meals — hearty comfort foods guaranteed to warm up your spirits on even the coldest days. There's Mexican Pizza, Slow Cooker Chicken Curry, Swiss Eggs, Herbed Oatmeal Bread, Monte Cristo Sandwiches, Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff, Indulgent Mac & Cheese, and more. If you're not hungry now, you will be after getting a taste of this site.

Iditarod: Get Ready for the Race
http://iditarod.com -  The Iditarod trail sled dog race is unlike any other event in the world. Each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover 1,150 miles across mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra, and windswept coastline. The adventure begins on Saturday, March 3rd. To get ready for the action, check out the official site of the Iditarod now. You'll find an interactive trail map, information on this year's teams, a history of the event — even a glossary of mushing terminology. Become an Iditarod Insider and you'll also have access to daily video clips throughout the race and live streaming video events.

Back to Top

Short Tutorial - Burning A Folder Of Photos Onto A CD

Remember all those heartwarming family photos you took over the holidays? Where are they now? If they're stored in a file on your computer and if your computer is equipped with a CD burner, make sure you also burn a CD as a backup in case of hard drive failure. (Note: If you have a DVD burner, the procedures are the same.) Here's how to do it:

Burning Images From Your PC To A CD Using Windows XP

1. Open the "My Photos" folder or whatever folder your pictures are in.
2. On the folder window's sidebar, look for the "Picture Tasks" area.
3. Click your cursor arrow on the link "Copy all items to CD." You'll see a progress bar.
4. A bubble will appear at the bottom of your screen that says, "You have files waiting to be written to the CD. To see the files now, click this balloon." Go ahead and click on the balloon. The CD Drive window will appear.
5. Under the "CD Writing Tasks" area on the right side of the window, click on the link called "Write these files to a CD." The "CD Writing Wizard" will start.
6. Type a name for your CD and click the "Next" button.
7. Insert a CD into your burner and click "Next."
8. You'll see a progress bar as pictures are burned onto your CD.
9. When the project is completed, the CD will be ejected. Click "Finish" to close out of the wizard.

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 on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

WCCTA.net
A product of Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association




Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association
1106 Beek Street, PO Box 475
Gowrie, IA  50543-0475

Phone: 515-352-3151

©2007 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.