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Nigerian Scam?
Last month I received a couple of emails
with a subject line of PRIVATE BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
Sounds really good -
all I need do is give them my bank account details
and they will use my account to stash away 3100000000 US$
and pay me 20% for the use of my account.
Now, what is 20% of lots and lots of zeroes?
My bank account details are not exactly a state secret,
after all anyone I send a cheque to will know them,
so what is the catch?
I haven't subscribed,
but if you have or have been caught by this or other scams send me
an email.
continued.......
I resisted the temptation to send them my bank account details,
instead I did a little research:
Apparently what happens is that having got your bank details
they ask you for a small amount of money to cover expenses,
this is then followed by requests for larger and larger amounts.
For more information check out the following web sites:
www.scambusters.com/NigerianFee.html
www.scambusters.org/
www.fraud.org/
www.bbb.org/alerts/
weshopsafe.com/scam_alert.htm
www.worldwidescam.com/
UK Phone Costs
If you live in the US you may be surprised that
in the UK we have to pay a fortune to surf the net.
It is not as bad as it used to be a few years ago
when internet access used to cost some 10 pounds a month
plus a further 4 or 5 pounds an hour while online.
Now we can get online with no monthly charge
and less than a pound an hour at weekends.
Soon free surfing will become the norm,
for example there are now some UK telcos
that will give you unlimited free surfing if you spend
at least 10 pounds a month on ordinary calls,
worth looking at if your normal phone bill is over one hundred pounds,
click here for more info on unmetered internet
access in the UK
Given the possibility of absolutely free surfing,
it makes it almost worth considering
installing one of those pay to surf viewbars!
On the subject of cheap phone calls
the best I've found so far is
2p per minute for all of the UK from AXS Telecom.
Drawbacks:
you need to dial a prefix number,
during the weekend BT is cheaper.
cannot use to dial some numbers such as 0870 and 0845.
(so you cant use it for surfing)
For details send me an email
with your name and address and phone number (UK only)
and I'll get them to send you the details.
(we will then both get a discount of 5 pounds from our bills)
There is a Ziff Davis article on unmetered access at
www.zdnet.co.uk/news/specials/2000/03/unmetered/
If you are with BT you can check your telephone bill at
www.customer-service.bt.com/hhwayd/plsql/pls2java.ViewMyBill
You will need your BT bill to enter your account number.
You can also change your family and friends numbers at
www.customer-service.bt.com/hhwayd/plsql/pls2java.DBNForm?HOMESITE=0&SERVICE=FF
The page will show a list of your most expensive called numbers,
so you can check up on who your partner is calling
and change your calling circle as appropriate.
You will need your BT bill to enter your account number.
If you have a mobile you can send email messages to it.
sign up (for free) at www.genie.co.uk
You can now also receive spam email as text messages on your mobile!
I use the service to alert me of urgent emails when I'm away from
the office.
You can also send email messages to a fax machine or faxes to an
email address - for details please see our page at www.amcho.com/emailfax.htm
MI5 to read all e-mails
Have you read the headline about MI5 setting up a center to read
emails?
As a good citizen, and in the sprit of total co-operation
I have changed my junk email filters
to send all my junk email to MI5 so that they don't miss anything!
Advert:
Two years ago you paid a fortune to access the net
Now you can get on the net free of charge.
You can even be paid to surf:
uk.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=NKZ299
Pay to surf viewbars
You can download a 'viewbar' that sits at the bottom of your screen
and you are paid a small amount of money when you are on line.
The viewbar is about the size of a standard banner advert.
While you are surfing
the viewbar monitors your surfing activity
and serves up targetted banner ads.
The advertisers pay to have their adverts viewed by prospective clients
at the time the client is actively looking for the services they offer.
For example if you search for nappies then the advert
at the bottom of the screen should be for someone selling nappies.
(It should be - but isn't. Looks like an opportunity for someone in
the nappy trade!)
On the other hand, a search on domain registration
does result in an advert
for domain registration services.
It appears to be a good deal for the advertiser,
depending on the price
(I could not find any mention of advertising rates on their web site?).
From the point of view of the surfer I'm not convinced,
the biggest dissadvantage is that the net seems to be even slower
because the viewbar is downloading the adverts
I may have been unlucky as the company blurb states
Messages are uploaded when the user is not actively downloading pages
from the Web, so the Viewbar never slows down the user’s surfing
so, if your online time is free,
and you don't mind the world wide wait possibly being waitier,
and you don't mind giving up some of your screen to some more banner
ads
which can get irritating and distracting....
you could be paid a few dollars more just for surfing,
to sign up click the link below:
uk.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=NKZ299
Another 'get paid to surf' program
has just opened up in the UK. Claims to payout one pound per hour
plus 5% on your direct referals and 2% on their referrals. This could
be profitable at weekends even if you are still paying for your internet
access. Click
here to be paid to surf
Links in this newsletter:
Check out the latest scams at:
www.scambusters.com/NigerianFee.html
www.scambusters.org/
www.fraud.org/
www.bbb.org/alerts/
weshopsafe.com/scam_alert.htm
www.worldwidescam.com/
There is a Ziff Davis article on unmetered access at www.zdnet.co.uk/news/specials/2000/03/unmetered/
If you are with BT you can (theoretically) change your family and
friends numbers at
www.customer-service.bt.com/hhwayd/plsql/pls2java.DBNForm?HOMESITE=0&SERVICE=FF
Send email and text messages to a mobile:
www.genie.co.uk
Email - fax gateways:
www.amcho.com/emailfax.htm
Surf the net for free in the UK
and get your
'paid to surf' viewbar here:
Check domain availability
and domain registration
© 2000 Amcho Computer
Services Ltd. All rights reserved.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you want to.
but please check with us before reproducing the content,
normally all we will ask is a link to our website.
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Mike Choroszewski
Amcho Computer Services Ltd
Little Honeycombe, Tamar Way, Gunnislake, Cornwall, Pl18 9DH. UK
phone: 08707 41 40 50 UK National Rate
fax: 0870 124 6863
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