Here’s what’s inside our November 2015 Newsletter:
FRAUD ALERT – SCAMS TARGETING NANNIES, BABYSITTERS, AND CAREGIVERS
GO PINTEREST-ING! – COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
FREE FEATURED APPS – THESE THREE ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK
TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
SHORT FAQ – HOW DO I STAY SAFE WHEN USING PUBLIC WI-FI?
The Gulfcoast Networking Team
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FRAUD ALERT – SCAMS TARGETING NANNIES, BABYSITTERS, AND CAREGIVERS
If you’re a caregiver who uses sites like care.com or sittercity.com to find work, beware! Scammers have found a way to con people just like you. Here’s how it works: They send you a message saying they’d like to hire you, and then offer to send you money in advance, asking you to send some of it back to them — or they give you a phony reason to send them money. Either way, you end up out of money because the jobs and checks aren’t real. Here are some ways to detect these false employers:
~Lots of mistakes in their messages including spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors, as well as strange-sounding language.
~Changing stories, such as differences from one communication to another as to how many children they have.
~Lack of response to questions you might ask about the job.
You can protect yourself by following these tips:
~Never give out personal information. If you use one of the services mentioned above, they may request your social security information for a background check, or credit card information to pay for specific services, but they will never request this information via email.
~Don’t accept money from or send money to anyone you’ve never met.
~Always have an in-person interview, in public, before agreeing to a job.
If you think you’re already being scammed, don’t panic. Use the “report” function of the service you’re using and stop communicating with the other party. Consider reporting the situation to the police. Finally, don’t let the situation deter you from finding a great position with someone else.
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NEWS FROM THE SHOP
We are now offering the highly rated Avera Antivirus lineup for our consumer clients. They appear to work very well in our testing and they are more compatible with our remote support technology. If you are using F-Secure Anti-Virus or F-Secure Internet Security, we will be happy to assist you in upgrading your protection when your F-Secure product comes up for renewal.
We continue to sell and support the F-Secure corporate products for our business clients. We also offer the full suite of AVG Cloudcare products for our business clients.
We are seeing a steady stream of machines that have been compromised after the owner got a phone call from “Microsoft” or dialed an 800 number when a popup appeared on their screen. If you get such a phone call, please hang up. If you get a popup directing you to call Microsoft, turn your machine off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. Both are a scam. If you get suckered into installing stuff on your computer, give us a call for instructions.
GO PINTEREST-ING! – COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
Pretty Pinecone and Candle Centerpiece
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775855036513/
Old Rake Makes Festive Door Déco
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/204913851766668905/
Hearty and Healthy Fall Squash Soup
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775853625703/
You haven’t started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/
FREE FEATURED APPS – THESE THREE ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK
Flipagram
This fun app allows you to make slideshows, musical videos, lipsyncs, stop-motion movies, and more–all set to music you love.
Learn more… https://flipagram.com/
Google Maps
The new Google Maps helps you navigate, avoid traffic jams, find places to go near your location, and virtually visit others far away.
Learn more… http://www.google.com/maps/about/
Santa’s Bag for iOS
Holiday shopping? Naturally, there’s an app for that! With Santa’s Bag, you can create a gift list, set budgets, and track or share your progress.
Learn more… http://www.claypotsoftware.com/
Thanksgiving’s Rich History
http://plimoth.org/learn/multimedia-reference-library/read-articles-and-writings/thanksgiving-history
If you think of food and football when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” you might want to check out this site, which describes the fascinating history of the holiday. The practice of setting aside a special day to give thanks goes all the way back to traditions from the 1600s.
Loyalty Made Easy
http://points.com/#
Loyalty programs for airlines, hotels, shops, and credit cards are great, but if you have more than a few, they can be hard to keep track of. The free Points service allows you to manage all your programs in one spot, move points between programs, and even reward yourself with gift cards.
The Reluctant Gourmet
http://reluctantgourmet.com
The name says it all: some of us want to be great cooks, but don’t know where to start. Now you do! This site offers everything from cooking tips, to information on cooking tools and ingredients, to meal planning strategies and — of course — delectable recipes.
Learn About Life on Mars
http://mars.nasa.gov
Mars has been in the news a lot lately – because scientists have discovered water there and because of the new movie, The Martian. Want to know more about the Red Planet? This site has videos, images, articles, and much more. Don’t miss the updates on the Curiosity Rover, which is there now!
TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2015/1511_VIDEO_A.htm
A Watchdog Worth Watching
This little dog has some big courage! Watch as it defends its territory by chasing away not one, but two bears twice its size.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2015/1511_VIDEO_B.htm
Humans Teach a Pelican to Fly
This bird lost its parents but found some great friends. They give us a unique view of its progress as it learns to fly.
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SHORT FAQ – HOW DO I STAY SAFE WHEN USING PUBLIC WI-FI?
Question: I’ve heard it can be dangerous to use public Wi-Fi, but sometimes I need to connect when I’m out and about. Are there steps I can take to do it safely?
Answer: Before you even get to a Wi-Fi location, take these three steps: make sure your software patches are up to date; set up two-factor authentication on services (like Facebook) that allow it; and make sure all your passwords are complex and difficult to guess. Then, when you get to the Wi-Fi location, verify with someone at the establishment that the network you’re using is legitimate. Next, turn off file sharing for your device (how you do this will depend on which operating system you use). Once you’re on the network, check for “https://” at the beginning of URLs to ensure you’re using secure websites. Finally, when you’re ready to log off, set your device to not “connect automatically” to the network again.
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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,
Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
6335 Grand Blvd
New Port Richey, FL 34652
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.)
©2015 Gulfcoast Networking, Inc.
Portions ©2015 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc., used with permission.