MAC USER GROUP MEETING
Leader/Contact: Jack Hennessy
aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu

FEBRUARY 9th MEETING
  The Cambria Computer Club February 2012 Mac Users meeting will be held on Thursday the 9th in the Joslyn Center Conference Room at 2:00pm (doors open at 1:30). The topic will be "Quicken and Other Mac Financial Software", presented by Jack Hennessy. We'll discuss ways to keep track of your finances, pay bills, prepare your taxes, etc.
As usual, there will be an open forum prior to the main topic presentation, for questions and exchange of ideas. Arrive early to listen in or participate.
- - Jack  aonghus@alumni.calpoly.edu

DUES DUE
  As usual, the new year triggers the annual plea for past members to renew their memberships and wannabe members to take the plunge. Your membership dues to the Joslyn Center and the Computer Club first and foremost provide us with an excellent venue to conduct 30+ meetings a year and to store our assets. In addition, your dues and other contributions have enabled and will continue to enable us to acquire new equipment and software so we can present the programs and demonstrations which our members want to see.
Moreover, your Joslyn Center membership dues provide you with a one-payment annual entry to one or more of several other clubs and activities that are headquartered in the Center. I encourage all Computer Club members to explore the participation opportunities at Joslyn. Who knows? You might find something that interests you. I know that I have for many years now.

GUESS WHAT THIS IS?
  Hint: The picture was taken in 1956.


  It’s a hard disk drive back in 1956… With 5 MB of storage. In September 1956, IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first ‘SUPER’ computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored a ‘whopping’ 5 MB of data.
Do you appreciate your 8 GB memory stick a little more now?

PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM FINANCIAL SCAMS
  The cybercrime industry is taking a particular liking to financial scams. They automatically assume that a percentage of their victims are looking for a job, transferring money, or trying to streamline their financial lives.

            JUST DON’T CLICK …

           
  Most of you already know how to sniff out such intrusions, but you probably know a young person, or an uninformed person who may fall victim to such ploys — whom you need to warn.
Who & What : #1 above is an immediate give-away that this is a scam. Even if you conduct wire transfers from time to time, look who sent, or claimed to send, the scam. In this case, you are being spoofed. Don’t click!
Real world crossover? No, I don’t think so. #2 above is preposterous because the sending address is wrong and how would any police or traffic court single you out for a ticket. This doesn’t happen, even if it could. Don’t click!
The Government? Nope. First, even if there’s a “Matilda Blank” at the IRS(#3 above), the IRS will NEVER contact you via email, nor initiate a case via email. If there is a situation or case already established, then the case number is used, and you would already know to expect it. Don’t click!
Check the Date: Spam filters do not react to or report spam that is more than two to three days old. So many spammers will put old dates in the mail. They still show up in your in-box today, so look at the date (#4 above)! If it’s mail from August and this is December, don’t click!
If you must peek, be careful! The act of merely opening the email alerts the spammer that the email address is real. But if you do need to peek, then be very careful. Watch the progress bar at the bottom of your browser and see if other activities initiate when opening. Bingo, you’ve got malware. If the email really looks authentic, you just ordered something or made a payment to someone and you’re really paranoid that it could be real — RESIST the temptation to click. Pick up the phone, send a separate inquiry — do what you need to do to check it out WITHOUT using that email.
Then, pass this along … get the word out to as many people as you can, saying:
DO NOT CLICK ON FINANCIAL SCAMS AND SPAMS!

I HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE FEBRUARY 9th MEETING!