Internet fraud is a way of taking money from victims by some clever and manipulating scheme using online applications like e-mails, chat rooms, auctions, web malls.
But how can you tell that it might be a scam?
I will just point out few points mentioned in the Fraud.org webpage:
Someone offers you something that sound too good to be true
Promises that you can win money, make money, or borrow money easily
Refuses to give you details(e.g. address) of offer before you make any payment
Uses scare tactics or pressure to act immediately
One possible Internet scam on selling good on one web page can have the following scenario:
1.Some criminal build up internet webpage to sell furniture
2.They make advertisement so their page can be recognized
3. Blue-eyed customers can not believe that they can buy a sofa for so cheap. But of course they have heard that everything is cheaper in internet so they think it should be like that.
4. Without checking background of the company and the webpage customers make their first uncredible order. They need to pay in advance all the sum and wait for some time to receive the furniture.
5. After the promised deadline by the seller has passed from a long time the customer makes a call and asks when does he sees his sofa? The answer will be most probably some lie that the goods are stacked in customs of factory is doing so well that they have longer deadlines etc.
6. Then for a while when the customer is again trying to contact the seller most probably the phone numbers are dead...
So be aware of the scams going on in Internet and make sure always do some backup search before sending money to someone or buying something from web.
Like the website "Whats the Bloody Point?" one headline describes it consists bate for some money schemers. The author describes himself as peoples entertainer. By responding to fraud letter senders he plays along like he has no idea about the scam that the sender is planning. These are on one hand entertaining to read but on the other hand educative to know that frauds like this exist. I like the way author is responding to the letters. Someone has to reply to schemers and give them at least that kind of lesson. Of course these real life examples are good for the others to learn from.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Chapter 4 - Testing blocking software
My choice for testing blocking software was Net Nanny because of its ironic name. With few steps I was able to start using it.
Firstly I was testing it with the factory default settings by inserting some forbidden keywords to google. Like expected the search engine gave no results. But there where still some drawbacks. E.g when I googled for "guns" it allowed to go on a site to learn more about grenade launchers or rifles even thoght the hate/violence category was blocked. Keywords "feminism" turned out to be blocked by the content of Adult/Matur and Hate/Violence. So it`s bit controversial if these keyword should be filtered or not.
Now I turned my search keywords to Estonian. In some occasion like "kaardimäng"contenct was blocked but then again search for "viin", "tulistama" gave information needed. So there needs to be done some improvement there.
Major drawback was was that the Net Nanny program administrator interface have just categorised topics. The key words related to the topic where not shown or editable at least I could find a way to do it. This lead some forbidden keywords through filter or blocked contect that should have been visible.
This software seems to be quite useful on having emplyees do their work, student not reach forbidden contect and it also helps to prevent getting hooked by spyware. Just the administrator have to make sure that it does not block some content that should be accessed.
Firstly I was testing it with the factory default settings by inserting some forbidden keywords to google. Like expected the search engine gave no results. But there where still some drawbacks. E.g when I googled for "guns" it allowed to go on a site to learn more about grenade launchers or rifles even thoght the hate/violence category was blocked. Keywords "feminism" turned out to be blocked by the content of Adult/Matur and Hate/Violence. So it`s bit controversial if these keyword should be filtered or not.
Now I turned my search keywords to Estonian. In some occasion like "kaardimäng"contenct was blocked but then again search for "viin", "tulistama" gave information needed. So there needs to be done some improvement there.
Major drawback was was that the Net Nanny program administrator interface have just categorised topics. The key words related to the topic where not shown or editable at least I could find a way to do it. This lead some forbidden keywords through filter or blocked contect that should have been visible.
This software seems to be quite useful on having emplyees do their work, student not reach forbidden contect and it also helps to prevent getting hooked by spyware. Just the administrator have to make sure that it does not block some content that should be accessed.
Chapter 2 - Towards the Information Society
Robert Theobald was an economist who become more know for his writings. Together with his colleagues he wrote "The Triple Revolution" where they stated that weaponry, computers and human rights revolution where ushering new era. His ideas where considered ahead of it´s time.
One of his definitions "mind-quake" is changing process where the old model and old understanding loose their meaning after a while. Then a new one must be constructed.
Most probably during the last century there have been greatest improvement in technology. Lot of new inventions have made influence to peoples lives and habits. For example who would have thought that internet would be the main market place for some consumers to make everyday purchase there. I remember that some 15 years ago most of the shops had abacus to calculate prices but nowadays nobody can imagine work without cash register or computer.
These things are self-evident at the moment but used to be not very necessary or did not exist at all.
Charles Handy is an Irish author and philosopher who formulated 9 paradoxes to come in society in management context. One from the list was the paradox of organizations which states that the more successful it becomes the less they know difficult is to make process and run it. There can be made a parallel with the sports that when one athlete or team gets to the top they are more likely to stuck on progress and keep training the same way instead of trying something something extra and becoming even better.
One of Manuel Castells network society description "changes in work and employment" illustrative example is e-learning space. Materials are available online and the participation can participate whenever they have time for it with some time constraints made by professors. Expressing or sharing thought this way can be more timeconsuming and can lead to missundestandings.
One of his definitions "mind-quake" is changing process where the old model and old understanding loose their meaning after a while. Then a new one must be constructed.
Most probably during the last century there have been greatest improvement in technology. Lot of new inventions have made influence to peoples lives and habits. For example who would have thought that internet would be the main market place for some consumers to make everyday purchase there. I remember that some 15 years ago most of the shops had abacus to calculate prices but nowadays nobody can imagine work without cash register or computer.
These things are self-evident at the moment but used to be not very necessary or did not exist at all.
Charles Handy is an Irish author and philosopher who formulated 9 paradoxes to come in society in management context. One from the list was the paradox of organizations which states that the more successful it becomes the less they know difficult is to make process and run it. There can be made a parallel with the sports that when one athlete or team gets to the top they are more likely to stuck on progress and keep training the same way instead of trying something something extra and becoming even better.
One of Manuel Castells network society description "changes in work and employment" illustrative example is e-learning space. Materials are available online and the participation can participate whenever they have time for it with some time constraints made by professors. Expressing or sharing thought this way can be more timeconsuming and can lead to missundestandings.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
the end starts here
This is the point where my blogging history begins...
I will use this blog for my Tallinn University Interactive Media and Knowledge Environments studies EMIM course "Ethics and Law in New Media" supervised by Kaido Kikkas
I will use this blog for my Tallinn University Interactive Media and Knowledge Environments studies EMIM course "Ethics and Law in New Media" supervised by Kaido Kikkas
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