Clik here to view.
Not from Yahoo (scam)
“Your Mail version is outdated.” “Upgrade your account now.” Never follow links like this that ask you to enter your email username and password. Would you hand your credit card to a criminal? Don’t...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A new twist on blog spam
I’ve written about blog spam before, a particularly underhanded and sleazy way of driving traffic to another website by flooding others with comments which contain backlinks or IP addresses. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How can you tell when an advertiser is lying?
Answer: His lips are moving. Let’s look at this ad that appeared on my Facebook feed (Android). The first one seems to indicate that US comsumers are urged to stop using WiFi after some sort of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In case you forgot, a gorilla is a wild animal
Harambe. Rest in peace. With all the media frenzy about the tragic death of Harambe the gorilla, people seem to have forgotten two simple facts: gorillas are wild animals, and kids are fast. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Please: never respond to a letter like this
Scam letter. Never respond, never fall for these lies. CONGRATULATIONS we are pleased to inform you of the result of the just clouded annual final draws of Yahoo FAIR LONDON international programs. You...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Dearest in the Lord”– Yes, it’s a scam
Ever get an email like this? I am Mrs Julie Mayo from United Kingdom. However I know this message may come to you as a surprise, please consider this with all seriousness as I solicit your assistance...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Auto Warranty Scam
“We don’t actually send out any paperwork without receiving a down payment.” This from an article by ConsumerMan, written in 2008, addressing the onslaught of fraudulent extended auto warranty offers...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Infect your computer from home!
From: <my email address> To: <my email address> Subject: Cooperarion with a large firm Hello! We are looking for employees working remotely. My name is [Audra|Joni|Gus|Emily], I am the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A dozen Crypto attempts today
All of these arrived in my inbox today; many are duplicated versions of the same message with minor changes. Dear info, Cathleen Holcomb asked me to send you the attached Word document, which contains...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Loan Sharking: Alive and Well
I recently had brought to my attention the existence of a company called “LoanMe,” which pre-qualified a redditor for a $10,600 loan at an APR of 99.75% with a $70,000 payback. I knew credit cards had...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Trading Stamp Era
In a previous entry about things gone but not forgotten (by me and my generation, anyway,) I mentioned S&H green stamps. Trading stamps were incentives given out by grocery stores and gas stations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Try Moxie, they said.
My first introduction to Moxie came as I read Stuart Little in the 1950s. Stuart, on his journey to find his lost love Margalo, stopped at a gas station and asked about something to drink. “Have you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It’s not the lesser evil, it’s the greater good.
For a long time I’ve been complaining to myself, about every four years or so, of having to choose between the evil of two lessers. Over the course of my life, my politics have been all over the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A visit to a dark corner of my soul
One of my Facebook friends just posted the following question: “Just a thought….who does the Muslim world and ISIS support for president?” The obvious answer is “Clinton” – the implication being that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Android Phone Virus Scam
I’ve written about this gambit before, but today I encountered an especially egregious example of one. While perusing an article found at reddit, one of the pages I visited popped up with this: My...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flower Sack Dresses From the Flour Mills (Historical Kindness)
Beautifully crafted article demonstrating compassion and ingenuity in difficult times. Kindness Blog In times gone by, amidst widespread poverty, the Flour Mills realized that some women were using...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Foistware (or: Unwanted Software While Installing)
I wrote a few years ago about stealth installs, but the practice continues; I thought I’d give another example of what to watch out for. Today I updated a couple of modules of Free Studio from DVD...
View ArticleClik here to view.
End the Madness
Reuters recently reported that an Egyptian Judoka refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent after a match at the Olympics in Rio. It’s all the more sad because there were so many supporters on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coin collecting – nobody makes money but the dealers.
I learned this lesson the hard way as a kid, as I sank endless amounts of allowance and paychecks and tips into a coin collection and various and sundry offerings from the Franklin Mint, touted as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carpenter’s Sandwiches, 1932
West Sunset Boulevard & Vine Street, Los Angeles, California. (Click image for full-size version. Just look at those prices…) A wonderful memory of early Los Angeles – before my time, certainly,...
View Article