Hello Marlowe & Associates Subscribers! Summertime is all about easy living, and we're doing our best to make things a little easier for you when it comes to your online activities. We begin this June issue with a warning about swine flu scams now spreading like a virus on the Web—it's easy to protect yourself if you follow basic precautions. You'll also find simple instructions for deleting the e-mail addresses of previous recipients before you forward an e-mail, and a shortcut for e-mailing a website link to a friend. Finally, browse through the selections in Great Sites for summer-ready resources including grilling tips from an expert, great deals on vacation condos, and a free tool that enables you to "see yourself slimmer" while getting ready for swimsuit season. 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, simply click "reply" and type "remove" into the subject line. Here's what's inside our June 2009 Newsletter: A. E-MAIL SCAM - FLU OUTBREAK LEADS TO SCAM OUTBREAK B. NEWS FROM THE SHOP C. ASK THE HELP DESK - BEFORE I FORWARD E-MAILS, AM I SUPPOSED TO DELETE THE E-MAIL ADDRESSES OF THE PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS? D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN JUNE E. SHORT TUTORIAL - SHORTCUT FOR E-MAILING A LINK TO A FRIEND The Marlowe.net Team ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A. E-MAIL SCAM - FLU OUTBREAK LEADS TO SCAM OUTBREAK As they do with most every major news event, cybercriminals are attempting to cash in on the worldwide hysteria over H1N1 swine flu by using a variety of online scams. These include fraudulent e-mails selling swine flu survival guides or bogus vaccines and medications. One of the more serious spam messages contains a malicious PDF file that purports to answer frequently asked questions about the swine flu. When a user accesses the file, malcode within the PDF tries to drop another piece of malware onto the user's system. If a victim opens the file, their machine is immediately infected with a Trojan, which tries to steal sensitive data. There have also been Search Engine Optimization (SEO) attacks where malware writers register domains related to the swine flu news event, and "game" the search engines' site-ranking algorithms to have their domains displayed among the top items when users search for information on the event. These bogus websites claim to have products available for purchase that will "prevent, treat and even cure" the swine flu virus. Be on the lookout for e-mails and websites aimed at taking advantage of the current swine flu outbreak. To avoid falling victim to these scams: • Get all the information you need about the flu from a reputable source such as the World Health Organization site at www.who.int/en/ • Avoid opening e-mail from an unknown source and do not click on links in the body of the e-mail or open any attachments. • Make sure your antivirus and antispyware software is up-to-date and all operating system security patches have been installed. B. NEWS FROM THE SHOP We are officially into the rainy season, and that means thunderstorms. Be sure you have your computer on a battery backup, or you may be visiting us for a new power supply or worse. Naturally, we've got battery backups available for immediate delivery. We are stocking a range of new systems for every budget. If we don't have exactly what you want, we can configure a system to your specifications. We are happy to announce that Jennifer Bowen is back in the shop at least a few hours several days a week. After a rather long hospitalization and maternity leave tacked on, it's nice to have her back. Given how busy things are getting, the extra hands help. To assist us in managing a growing list of projects, We've been testing out a new help desk ticket system this past month. It has been interesting to use and has helped keep me from forgetting some of the issues that I can't solve immediately. Our customers can enter a ticket and receive notices as we work on the ticket. For example: One customer has been chasing a particular toner cartridge that has been out of stock pretty much everywhere. With an active ticket, I've been reminded to check regularly to see if any of the major distributors has gotten the cartridges in stock. The customer has received an email each time I check and update the ticket. Watch for links off our website to the new system. You'll have to register with your email address and select a password to use the system. Finally, Tim and I participated last month in the MS Citrus Bike Tour that started at Bok Tower in Lake Wales and went to Orlando and back. The Suncoast Cycling Club raised well over $30,000 to fight MS. C. ASK THE HELP DESK - BEFORE I FORWARD E-MAILS, AM I SUPPOSED TO DELETE THE E-MAIL ADDRESSES OF THE PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS? Question: Whenever I get an e-mail with a funny joke or video, I enjoy forwarding it to family and friends. But I heard that it's viewed as inconsiderate to not delete the e-mail addresses of the previous recipients before I forward e-mails. Why is this? And how do I delete the addresses? Answer: There are a couple of reasons why it's preferred to delete the e-mail addresses of the previous recipients before forwarding e- mails. First, it can be annoying for your recipients to have to scroll down through a seemingly endless list of addresses before they get to the "guts" of the message. More importantly, addresses left exposed in circulating e-mails can be easily harvested by spammers and other cybercrooks. Fortunately, it's very easy to delete these addresses before you forward e-mails. And your family and friends will thank you. Whether you are using Outlook Express, Windows Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird for PC users, or Mail.app 3.1 for Mac users, simply highlight and then delete the "From" and "To" e-mail addresses within the body of the e-mail before you forward it. D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN JUNE WHO on Swine Flu http://who.int/en - Looking for authoritative information about the H1N1 flu virus (otherwise known as swine flu)? The World Health Organization (WHO) website is a good place to get it. This comprehensive site offers public health guidelines, updates on reported cases, pandemic status alerts, travel advice, and FAQs. Instructables http://instructables.com - Go here to learn how to do just about anything better. The site features instructions for do-it-yourself projects in a wide variety of categories such as arts and crafts, games, gardening, music, pets, and technology. User-friendly videos and photos guide you through the projects, and user comments offer firsthand accounts of what it's like to work on them. Go Condo http://pickpackgo.com - Take a trip through vacation rentals at hundreds of locations worldwide. Now is a great time to find a good deal on a condo and, since condos have kitchens, you can also save on restaurant costs by cooking for yourself. To use the site, just enter your destination, travel dates, preferred price, and other details to get your results. Photos and visitor comments provide a realistic description of each property. The Grilling Coach http://thegrillingcoach.com - It's grilling season! And if anyone knows grilling, it's Richard Myers, otherwise known as The Grilling Coach. This site offers detailed instructions about all things related to grilling including recipes, safety instructions, how to improve your grilling skills, and grill buying guides. Check out the instructional videos for more "hot tips." View the New You http://weightview.com - Ever wonder what you will look like when you lose those extra pounds? Now you don't have to wait for it to happen to find out. The WeightView site allows you to upload a photo of yourself and specify how much weight you'd like to lose, then sends you back an image of you at your target weight. You can use this image to motivate yourself to stay proactive about your goals. Check out the blog and join the community for additional support. E. SHORT TUTORIAL - SHORTCUT FOR E-MAILING A LINK TO A FRIEND What do you do when you discover a great website and want to e-mail the link to a friend? Do you copy and paste the URL from the address bar into the body of your e-mail message? That method certainly works, but many browsers offer a feature that makes e-mailing a link even easier by setting up the e-mail for you. Just follow the steps below for the browser you use: E-mailing a Link Using … -Web Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or 8 -Computer Operating System: Windows XP or Windows Vista 1. With Internet Explorer 7 or 8 open and while on the webpage that you would like to e-mail, click your cursor arrow on “File” on the menu bar, select “Send” from the resulting drop-down menu, and then select “Link by E-mail…” from the subsequent drop-down menu. 2. Your default e-mail program will open and a new e-mail will automatically appear that contains the link to the webpage you selected within the body of the e-mail. The subject line will also automatically populate. 3. You simply need to add the recipient's e-mail address in the “To:” field and write a message in the body of the e-mail if you choose. 4. Next, click on the “Send” button and your e-mail containing the link will be on its way. E-mailing a Link Using … -Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3.0 -Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5, Windows XP, or Windows Vista 1. With Firefox open and while on the webpage that you would like to e-mail, click your cursor arrow on “File” on the menu bar, and select “Send Link…” from the resulting drop-down menu. 2. Your default e-mail program will open and a new e-mail will automatically appear that contains the link to the webpage you selected within the body of the e-mail. The subject line will also automatically populate. 3. You simply need to add the recipient's e-mail address in the “To:” field and write a message in the body of the e-mail if you choose. 4. Next, click on the “Send” button and your e-mail containing the link will be on its way. E-mailing a Link Using … -Web Browser: Safari -Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5, Windows XP and Windows Vista 1. With Safari open and while on the webpage that you would like to e- mail, click your cursor arrow on “File” on the menu bar, and select “Mail Link to This Page” from the resulting drop-down menu. 2. Your default e-mail program will open and a new e-mail will automatically appear that contains the link to the webpage you selected within the body of the e-mail. The subject line will also automatically populate. 3. You simply need to add the recipient's e-mail address in the “To:” field and write a message in the body of the e-mail if you choose. 4. Next, click on the “Send” button and your e-mail containing the link will be on its way. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop. Thanks for your business! Best regards, Rob Marlowe Marlowe & Associates and Gulfcoast Networking, Inc. 6335 Grand Blvd New Port Richey, FL 34652 Internet Support: 727-232-1558 Hardware sales and service: 727-847-2424 (We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.) Portions ©2009 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc.