Don’t Use Reunion.com!
December 4, 2008
My dear mother just fell victim to a phishing scam from Reunion.com. As a result, Reunion.com was able to hack into and steal her entire contact list and email everyone on this list. My mother had to email an apology to all her contacts.
Rather than explain what happened, I thought I’d reprint an edited version of her email. It’s chock full of info — now I know where I got my Proud Geek-ness from!
Dear Friends,
I sent out an email two days ago, asking you to join Reunion.com and it seemed a little strange. I did some online searching and apparently this is some kind of phishing scam. Here are some links to information about the scam. You may want to alert your address book to the scam!
http://consumerist.com/380751/reunioncom-will-scrape-your-address-book-then-spam-your-contacts
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/348/RipOff0348286.htm
Here’s the information from this one:
This company should be banned from the Internet. Here’s what happened to me last week. First of all, let me explain that I have been a member of Classmates.com for about 5 years, and it is a very reputable site that does nothing illegal or objectionable.
So when I got an e-mail about Reunion.com in my Hotmail Inbox, I thought it was similar. WRONG! I signed up for the free service, and started typing information into my ‘Profile’, which was quite inclusive, although you could pick and choose what information to give. Here’s what they did: the idea is to keep you online long enough for them to get into your e-mail account and literally STEAL your entire CONTACTS LIST!
How do I know? Luckily, two of my best friends were online at the time, and one sent an e-mail, and one called me on the phone, asking me ‘what’s up with this invitation to join me on Reunion.com?’ I hadn’t been on the site for more than 10 minutes and they had already hacked my e-mail!
Here’s what I did: I immediately deleted all the information I had typed in, logged out, and left the site, and my Firefox preferences prompted me to remove all my personal information from the previous session. It was too late, unfortunately, so I immediately contacted every single person on my Contacts List with a note of apology and explanation that I had been inadvertently, innocently been raided by this disgusting company before I had even finished my profile, and that in no way had I given them permission to contact my friends. I told every person to report the e-mail that they had received as a ‘Phishing Scam’ and then put the original message into their Junk Folder. and delete it.
(For those of you who don’t know what Phishing is, it’s a devious and much more effective cyber variation on the old ‘fishing expedition’ trick, wherein someone asks you a lot of personal questions in order to get something they want: your name, address, even your social security number, and then on to your whole ID.) Hotmail allows you to report any suspicious e-mail as a Phishing Scam; I don’t know about other sites, but Ã…OL makes it very difficult, it seems you can only put it in Spam,which still allows the perp to continue scamming other innocent people.
Anyway, after I did that, I went back into Reunion.com, and sure enough, all my info was still there. I searched around for a way to cancel my membership, and sure enough, the only way is to call the toll free number given, be put on hold forever, and only that after you navigate your way through endless prompts. I am so enraged at these people there is no way to express it. Since my info’s been out there, and even if my membership’s canceled, a whole lot of other people have it, I’ve been getting a lot of junk mail about ‘guess who’s looking for you’, ‘guess who’s got a crush on you,’ etc. etc. I trash them all.
This definitely should be a matter for the FCC, since they are using the Internet to steal people’s information nationwide, maybe even worldwide. Don’t fall for it under any circumstances. Join (((competitor’s name redacted))) instead: you’ll be glad you did.
Is This What Your Family Did During Your Thanksgiving Meal?
November 30, 2008
With thanks to cartoonist Shane Johnson who drew this for the Official Palm Blog. (Jenny, this is for YOU!)
Finally, A Smartphone With Video Camera In Front
November 24, 2008
I’ve been waiting for a smartphone to come out with a videocamera installed in the front — rather than in the back.
Looks like I’ll be getting my wish. The new HTC Touch HD is now being sold in Europe, and it has a videocamera in front AND a 5.0 megapixel camera in back as well. Wow. It looks like an iPhone and runs on Windows Mobile. Has WiFi and wireless as well.
Wonder if I would be able to use it to do video relay and video-phone’ing with my friends and family? Hmm.
More info at Treonauts. Rather than repeat anything in that very informative review, just hop over there. I’m too sick and lazy to say anything more … :-P
More Reason To Be Careful On Facebook
November 18, 2008
If you get a Wall message saying the following, DO NOT VISIT THAT SITE listed in the Wall message!!
has anyone messaged you to let you know your facebook pic was just featured on [site URL removed]
If you do visit that site and enter your log-in information and other information, that site will then “harvest” your facebook friends list and send them spam, fill your in-box with spam, and charge your cell phone $9.99 a month. Yes, that bad!
The following websites seem to be involved — avoid them at all costs: datbug.com, gabblemodule.com, and friends-to-friends-only.com … [Update 1/12/2009: Also, cackletoss.com ]
A blog, Play This Magazine, has an excellent explanation of what happens if you do log in and let it steal your information. Raises the hair on my back and sends shivers down my spine …
Here’s a picture of what this wall post looks like:
EDIT: If you DO visit this site, you won’t be able to leave that page or even close your browser! If that happens, and you’re using a PC (not Mac), press CTRL-ALT-DEL, select “Task Manager,” click on the “Process” tab, and find your Internet browser listed in it (“Firefox.exe” for Firefox, or “iexplore.exe” for IE, or “netscp.exe” for Netscape). Select that on the list and click on “End Process,” and say “Yes” to the warning.
On a Mac, press option-Apple-Esc. That’ll bring up a “Force Quit” dialog box. Choose your web browser (Firefox, Safari, whatever), and press the “Force Quit” button. (Thanks, Jenny!!)
Don’t Forget To Register Your VRS Numbers with DoNotCall.gov
November 13, 2008
Now that FCC is mandating 10-digit numbers for our videophones, the major video relay / videophone companies have been busy assigning new phone numbers to our videophones. For some of these numbers, hearing people can also call and be connected directly to you via video relay (or instant messaging or email). In addition, we may have signed up for additional personal VRS phone numbers independent from our videophones.
The result? Many, many new phone numbers to keep track of! I now have SIX personal VRS phone numbers that I need to keep track of, with several different VRS providers!
So, a reminder: please do not forget to register ALL of them (and your mobile phone number) with DoNotCall.gov — or else you’ll start getting lots of telemarketing calls.
Consider yourself reminded.
Trivia: once you register a phone number on donotcall.gov, it will stay on the list permanently. Used to be deleted in 3 years, but a recent change in law now makes registration permanent. Hooray.
And thus, this blog post snaps my recent streak of Google-loving posts …
(See my ancient reminder on DeafDC.com)
GMail adds Video Chat!
November 12, 2008
In an attempt to further cement my enduring love for Gmail (Google Mail), video chat has been added!
As a deaf person and a Google lover, this is the perfect confluence of all things Google-goodness. I can’t emphasize how thrilled I am with this new development.
(No, that’s not me in the picture above. That’s a Google employee demo’ing the video. Grin.)
The Official Google Blog has more details. In a nutshell:
Just click on the new “Video & more” menu in a Gmail chat window and select “Start video chat” or “Start voice chat.” You can switch to a full screen view or pop out the chat window and change the size and positioning as you wish.
…
Gmail voice and video chat will be rolled out globally over the next day or so for Macs and PCs. The first time you use this feature, you’ll be prompted to download and install a small plugin. To get started, visit http://www.gmail.com/videochat or click on the “Options” menu in a Gmail chat window and choose “Add voice/video chat.” Find out more on our Gmail Blog.
Of course, you’ll need a webcam (and a good friend) to use this functionality.
My, today is a wonderful day, isn’t it? :-)
(I just realized I’ve been blogging about Google several times in a row. I think I need medication to stop my Google OCD-ness …)
This Perfectly Shows How I Feel …
November 10, 2008
… about the first phone to come out using Google’s Android platform:
(Click image for a larger version)
I’ve already blogged some preliminary thoughts about the Tmobile G1, the first Android phone. I want it so bad that it aches! However, I don’t like the phone unit itself that Tmobile used for its first Android phone. I’m waiting to see if Sprint or Verizon comes out soon with their own phones running on the Android platform. I’m curious if those phones would have built-in keyboards that you don’t have to slide out to use. See what happens (hopefully soon) …
Voting Information for your Area
October 31, 2008
Are you registered? Where do you vote? What are your polling place’s hours? Etc etc etc? Google has set up a map website with specialized info. Just enter your address and you’ll get more information on your polling place than you would ever need. (And for some locations, you can even verify if you have indeed been registered.)
Google Map with Voting Information
P.S. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! And happy birthday, Alli!
I Want the G1 Running on the Android Platform
October 6, 2008
The more I read about and see T-Mobile’s G1 smartphone running on Google’s new Android platform, the more I want it.
It looks smooth. It looks slick. It looks uber-cool. It has most of the programs I already use on my Palm Treo 755p. It has a physical keyboard. It has a touch-screen and wifi as well as high-speed wireless connection. It has a 3 megapixel camera (but I don’t think it captures video). The maps app lets you see street-view, and I believe has GPS as well.
A cool emulator shows what using it would be like. Be sure to click the “360 View,” “Guide” and “Emulator” buttons on the right side. On the emulator, you can slide the background (the “blue pond” in the emulator) left or right to see more. Be sure to slide out the arrow on the right side of the “blue pond” for additional options, then scroll the icon menu up.
Gmail (which I use on the computer and also on my Treo via IMAP) looks easy to use and has just about all the features of the website. I wonder if this allows for logging in from my “Google Apps for my Domain” account which I use with my own domain URL address.
The instant messaging app allows you to log into Gtalk, AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger. Nice! I’m pretty sure it can work in the background — that is, you can do other things and then get notification of new messages. I also wonder if this works with my Google Apps account as well.
If you’re a true geek like me, check out the “settings” on that right-arrow menu to see settings for wifi, calls, sounds and display, data sync, etc. I wonder if it can be set to vibrate several times and for different notifications. One of the most annoying flaws of the iPhone is the fact that it vibrates only once.
The biggest downside for me? It’s T-Mobile, using a similar slide-out as the Sidekick. I’m gonna wait and see if Verizon comes out with a smartphone (and one that doesn’t slide out) using the Android platform. I just hope it’s sometime soon — Verizon is (in-)famous for NOT being an early adopter of new types of smartphones. On the other hand, I’m surprised that Verizon will be the first network to release the new Palm Treo Pro.
The T-Mobile G1 will be selling later this month for $179, and you can pre-order yours via the Tmobile website.
Banned Books – Read ‘Em ALL!
October 2, 2008
With a tip of the hat to Living La Vida Alpo and the Banned Books Week, here’s a list of banned books. Read ‘em! The ones I’ve read in the past are bolded. Hmm, looks like I need to read quite a few more. Wonder if any of these are available via ereader.com. Some books I understand why are on the list, but for some others, I’m like “WTF?” Fellow bloggers, pass this on via your blog!
Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (I saw the movie – does that count?)
SexybookwormSex by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
