SHOP SAFELY ONLINE

Top Ten Cyber Monday Tips for Staying Safe When Shopping Online
From Better Business Bureau

Before you begin your cyber Monday holiday shopping spree – take a few moments to check out the Better Business Bureau’s tip to be safe – Shopping on line is the usually the only way that I shop, but you have to be proactive and be careful…

Hopefully you’ll find the tips on the BBB website very helpful…

www.bbb.org/us/article/top-ten-cyber-monday-tips-for-staying-safe-when-shopping-online-23416

TOP 12 CYBER SCAMS OF CHRISTMAS

If you missed this article we don't want you to miss it - it helps to be careful and remember, most times if it sounds to good to be true it probably is…

TOP 12 CYBER SCAMS THIS CHRISTMAS (Top on this year's list: Offers of free iPads)
Nov 16, 2010 published on MSNBC & MSN

Shoppers looking for holiday bargains are already scouring the Web as well as incoming e-mails and text messages for deals — and cyber criminals are quite busy, too, hoping to lure you in with a deal that seems too good to be true. "We’re all looking for a great deal online, but some sites offer electronics or luxury goods at prices that are too good to be true," said Alison Southwick of the Better Business Bureau.

"Every holiday season BBB hears from holiday shoppers who paid for a supposedly great deal online, but received nothing in return." (For more tips on shopping safely online, check out the BBB's link for this list...

www.bbb.org/us/article/top-ten-cyber-monday-tips-for-staying-safe-when-shopping-online-23416

Security software company McAfee recently released its "12 Scams of Christmas" list, and offers of "free" iPads — among this year's most coveted tech gadgets — comes in at No. 1.
"With Apple products topping most shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads" via e-mail spam, McAfee said. In the e-mail, "consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad. Of course, victims never receive the iPad or the other items, just the headache of reporting a stolen credit card number."

Meanwhile, in the Facebook, Twitter or other social media version of the ruse, users are asked to "take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week," McAfee said.

Here's the rest of the company's "12 Scams of Christmas" list:

2. "Help! I’ve Been Robbed" — "This travel scam sends phony distress messages to family and friends requesting that money be wired or transferred so that they can get home." We and other news organizations have written about this before, especially as an issue on Facebook, where people feel like they trust information that's posted. With so many people traveling during the holiday season, though, it's easy to fall prey to this one.

3. Fake gift cards — Social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace as examples) are used by no-goodniks to "promote fake gift card offers with the goal of stealing consumers’ information and money, which is then sold to marketers or used for ID theft," says McAfee. "One recent Facebook scam offered a 'free $1,000 Best Buy gift card" to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page, which was a lookalike. To apply for the gift card they had to provide personal information and take a series of quizzes."

4. Holiday job offers — Maybe for some, the recession is over, but not for many of us still. Which is why "as people seek extra cash for gifts this holiday season, Twitter scams offer dangerous links to high-paying, work-at-home jobs that ask for your personal information, such as your e-mail address, home address and Social Security number to apply for the fake job."

5. "Smishing" — You've heard of phishing? "Smishing" is when a phishing SMS, or text messages, arrives on your cell phone, wanting you to bite. "These texts appear to come from your bank or an online retailer saying that there is something wrong with an account and you have to call a number to verify your account information. In reality, these efforts are merely a ruse to extract valuable personal information from the targets," McAfee says. "Cyber crooks know that people are more vulnerable to this scam during the holiday season when consumers are doing more online shopping and checking bank balances frequently."

6. Suspicious holiday rentals — Many of us are looking to save on that Christmas-y cabin in the mountains or chic vacation apartment in the city of our dreams. "During peak travel times when consumers often look online for affordable holiday rentals, cyber crooks post fake holiday rental sites that ask for down payments on properties by credit card or wire transfer."

7. Recession scams continue — "Scammers target vulnerable consumers with recession related scams such as pay-in-advance credit schemes. McAfee Labs has seen a significant number of spam e-mails advertising pre-qualified, low-interest loans and credit cards if" — that emphasis is mine —"the recipient pays a processing fee, which goes directly into the scammer’s pocket."

8. Grinch-like greetings, involving e-cards — Electronic cards can save paper and postage, but "cyber criminals load fake versions with links to computer viruses and other malware instead of cheer ... Computers may start displaying obscene images, pop-up ads, or even start sending cards to contacts that appear to come from you."

9. Low price traps — Discussed above, as the "too good to be true" deals, which are promoted on some auction sites and fake websites. The aim, McAfee says: "the goal of stealing your money and information."

10. Charity scams — "Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans’ charities, children's causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe."

11. Dangerous holiday downloads — "Holiday-themed screensavers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats especially when links come from an e-mail or IM that appears to be from a friend."

12. Hotel and airport Wi-Fi vulnerabilities — This is an anytime risk with thieves who are savvy enough to hack into public networks being used by hurried travelers. Hacker-thieves can steal credit card numbers, bank accounts and other forms of personal identity; try not to access bank accounts, for example, or give your credit card number online while using public Wi-Fi. It's a good rule for every day — not just for the holidays.

© 2010 msnbc.com Reprints

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

From our families to yours, we all wish you and yours a blessed, safe and thankful Thanksgiving Holiday...

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~~Author Unknown.~~

Websites for driving directions, weather reports & more

If you don't have a GPS or TomTom to give you step by step driving directions ~ No Problem.. Check out these popular map services. They all have great driving direction sections to give you step by step instructions on how to get where you are going, calculating distances and much more..

• www.maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
• http://www.maps.com/
• http://www.randmcnally.com/
• http://www.mapquest.com/
• http://www.ezdrivingdirections.com/
• www.usatourist.com/english/traveltips/travel-map.html

And if you are interested in what the weather might be here at home or wherever you are traveling to, check out one of these popular weather websites…

• http://www.weather.com/
• http://www.accuweather.com/
• http://www.noaa.gov/
• http://www.intellicast.com/
• http://www.wunderground.com/

Or just visit our overall favorite website, where you can find just about anything you are looking for to help you with your holiday travels, weather, cooking, shopping and much more...

• http://www.allmyfaves.com/

Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday from our home to yours.....

Thanksgiving Trivia & Turkey websites

Thanksgiving is just a few days away – did you know…

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States
2. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada
3. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving
4. The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620
5. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America
6. The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'
7. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621
8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts
9. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer
10. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

This previous trivia was copied from the following website - check it out for more interesting facts…

http://www.thanksgivingnovember.com/thanksgiving-facts.html

For more trivia go to http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/trivia.htm

Here are a few websites that can help you prepare Thanksgiving dinner...

http://www.butterball.com/

www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

www.allrecipes.com/info/holidays-events-and-occasions/thanksgiving/main.aspx

www.whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/thanksgivingtips.htm

www.divinedinnerparty.com/thanksgiving-dinner-recipes.html

If you have a favorite Thanksgiving Holiday website - send it along so we can share it next year with your fellow students...

Change the style, size & color of your Cursor/Pointer

Quite often I hear “I can’t find the cursor” – So for those of us who may from time to time “lose the cursor” on our desktop and other screens when we are moving the mouse around – the best thing to do is to make the cursor larger or change the color from white to black – there are numerous choices…you decide.

To change the cursor/pointer appearance & other “hardware” settings follow these simple steps by going to the various settings available in your "control panel"

• Left Click on your Start Button
• Left Click on Control Panel
• Left Click on "Hardware & Sound"
• Now choose & Left Click on "Mouse", then "Change Pointer Appearance"
• You will see is a drop down list of choices under "Schemes"
• Once you decide which you would like, highlight it and click "Apply"
• A good choice is: Window Standard (extra large) system scheme

If you aren't happy with your choice, No Problem - Just repeat the process until you find a style, color & size that you are happy with

These steps may vary slightly based on the level of your operating system (Windows 98, XP, Vista or 7) but remember, they are basically the same for all..

HOW TO PLAY MUSIC CDS ON THE COMPUTER

Why not listen to your favorite music while you work - it's easy once your computer is on and when you have speakers:

• Put your favorite music CD, label side up, in the CD-ROM drive and close the drive
• When auto play is enabled (which is pretty standard) the CD will start playing the first track (using your default media player, such as Windows or VLC Media Player )
• If the CD doesn’t start playing automatically, open the Start menu. Choose Programs, then Accessories, then Entertainment and Click CD Player. Click the Play button on the CD Player window (a single right-pointing arrow in the top row)
• You can use the Pause, Stop, Skip to Next Track and Go Back to Last Track buttons to control what you listen to.
• Choose Edit Playlist from the Disc menu to program a particular sequence of tracks
• Minimize the CD Player window if you plan to listen to the entire CD while working and you can bring it up anytime from your taskbar

In the system tray (right side of the monitor) you can quickly control the music volume with the speaker icon - just left click on it to slide volume up & down, and by checking the speaker icon or box - you can toggle between MUTE to turn music off for that phone call and then again to turn it back on...

Why not save/rip the entire CD to your computer so next time you simply access your “music list” just as you do with a word document.. it’s there ready for you to listen to

When I download music from the Internet (such as iTunes) or from my CD’s, I always download (save/rip) it in mp3 format so that I can use it on my mp3 player and just as importantly, so that I can use the music in projects that I might create, such as in Power Point Slide shows, Picasa & Windows Movie Maker projects)