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Greetings from Polar's E-Connections Team
We think
you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable
tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to
receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE. |
Security
Info - FTC's Top Consumer
Complaints for 2006
The Federal Trade
Commission recently issued its annual report, "Consumer Fraud and Identity
Theft Complaint Data," on fraud complaints filed by consumers in 2006. For
the seventh year in a row, identity theft tops the list, accounting for 36
percent of the 674,354 complaints received between January 1 and December 31, 2006.
Credit card fraud (25 percent) was the most common form of reported identity
theft, followed by phone or utilities fraud (16 percent), bank fraud (16
percent), and employment fraud (14 percent). Other common fraud complaints
included shop-at-home/catalog sales; prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries;
Internet services and computer complaints; and Internet auction fraud.
Consumers reported fraud losses totaling more than $1.1 billion and the median
monetary loss was $500.
The FTC provides data on consumer fraud complaints to the Consumer Sentinel, a
secure online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies in the
The Internet was the top method chosen by fraudulent companies to contact
consumers, used 60% of the time (e-mail was used in 45% of the cases and
websites in 15%). The remaining methods were mail (16%), phone (13%), and
others (10%). What can you do to avoid becoming the victim of online consumer
fraud? Take these precautions:
- Don't reply to suspicious, unsolicited e-mail
messages.
- Don't click on links contained in these types of
e-mail messages.
- Don't provide personal information via e-mail.
- Keep your anti-virus and firewall software running and
up-to-date.
If you do
encounter problems, file a complaint with the FTC by completing a form at FTC.gov, or by calling
1-877-FTC-HELP.
Get
FREE PC Clean-Up - When You Sign
Up For SecureIT Plus!
Have you heard? The buzz
with Polar Internet customers is SecureIT
Plus. SecureIT Plus the leading virus protection
software that includes a remote professional installation, anti-virus
protection and removal of spyware and adware, automated installation of critical Microsoft patch
updates, automated disc maintenance and optimization, PC clean up, firewall,
monthly e-mail reporting and 24/7 technical support.
SecureIT Plus is only $4.95 and so much easier than a
retail boxed anti-virus solution! Call before April 30th, 2007 and we'll
give you FREE PC CLEAN UP when you sign up for SecureIT
Plus. Another value-added service from your local Internet service provider!
Contact Polar today at sales@polarcomm.com or by calling
284-7221 or 800-284-7222.
Ask The Help Desk - How
Do I Add A Status Bar To My Web Browser?
Question: I used to have a bar at the
bottom of my Web browser that showed the progress of searches when trying to
find a website. It would tell me if I was connected to the site I was searching
for and it even had a little bar that showed whether the requested page was
making progress in completely opening. I don't see this information at the
bottom of my browser window anymore. Is there a way to get it back?
Answer: Yes. You are referring to a "status bar" and it
is a handy tool that tells you whether or not you're connecting to a site. To
add the status bar back onto your browser when using Internet Explorer 6.0 and
7.0, simply click your cursor arrow on the Internet Explorer "View"
menu and drop down to "Status Bar" on the resulting drop-down menu.
If your menu bar in I.E. 7.0 isn't visible, click on the "Tools" icon
to the right of your address bar, drop down to "Toolbars," and select
"Status Bar" from the resulting submenu. The status bar will appear
at the bottom of your browser. If you are using Firefox
2.0, click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu and drop down to
"Status Bar." The status bar will appear at the bottom of your browser.
When using Safari 2.0, click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu and
drop down to "Show Status Bar." The "Status Bar" will
appear at the bottom of your browser.
Great
Sites To Check Out This Month
Get Growing
http://landscape-america.com/index.html - April is Lawn and Garden Month so it's time to get
growing. To plant the seeds of inspiration, you may want to visit this
comprehensive landscaping site. It's an excellent resource for planning your
next yard project, and includes information on all aspects of landscaping from
selecting the right plants for your climate to adding beautiful and practical pathways.
And because things aren't always rosy, this site also offers advice on
controlling weeds, insects, and disease.
Top Picks in NASA Pics
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html - It's the next best thing to being there. Each day
NASA posts the Astronomy Picture of the Day on this site, along with a brief
explanation written by a professional astronomer. You can see our fascinating
universe in all its glory, and get a close-up feel for the stars and planets so
far away. In addition to the Astronomy Picture of the Day, check out selected
photos dating back to 1995.
Reel Reviews
http://reel.com/reel.asp?node=intheaters - If you don't get your fill of stars on the NASA site,
come here for detailed reviews of new movies in theaters and those coming soon.
These reviews include handy links to the stars in the cast that show their
other movie credits, as well as lists of similar films under Close Movie
Matches. Still deciding what to see this weekend? Be sure to view the new
trailers included on the site and take a look at the current top ten at the box
office.
Wonders of the World
http://new7wonders.com - The Ancient 7 Wonders of the World (including the
Pyramids at
Draft Tracker
http://nfl.com/draft - Keep up with the action of the 2007 NFL draft (April
28-29) with the help of the official NFL site. All the stats you could possibly
want are here including prospect profiles listed by position or school, and a
team-by-team history of first round picks from 1982 to 2006. NFL.com draft guru
Gil Brandt weighs in with results from this year's Pro Days, plus you'll find
draft analysis and columns, player diaries, and links to team draft sites.
Short
Tutorial - Customizing
Your Browser's Toolbar
The default settings of
the newer versions of the Internet Explorer Web browser include buttons for
common functions such as "back," forward," "stop,"
"refresh," home," "autofill,"
"print," and "mail." Additional buttons for other functions
can easily be added to your toolbar or default buttons can be removed. Here's
how:
To Make Adjustments To The Browser Toolbar When Using Internet Explorer 6.0
For Windows XP Home Edition:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu
and drop down to "Toolbars."
- Select "Customize" from the resulting
submenu. When the "Customize Toolbar" window appears, there will
be two side-by-side panes visible with an "Add" and
"Remove" button between them. The right hand pane shows you the
buttons currently displayed on your toolbar and the left hand pane shows
you the buttons that you can add to your toolbar.
- Click your cursor arrow on a button in the left hand
pane that you'd like to add and then click on the "Add" button.
The button you selected will then move over to the right hand pane and
become visible on your toolbar. NOTE: A double click on buttons in the
left hand pane will also add them to the right hand pane as well as your
toolbar.
- To remove a button from the toolbar, click on it in
the right hand pane and click on the "Remove" button or double
click on it in the right hand pane. The button will disappear from your
browser's toolbar. Please note that buttons removed from your toolbar do
not disappear completely, they just go over to the left hand pane and can
be easily put back.
- The "Customize Toolbar" window also has
buttons that will allow you to change the position or order of the buttons
on your toolbar. Click on the "Move Up" button or the "Move
Down" button to change the position of the buttons.
- If you've finished modifying your toolbar and you
don't like what you've done, press the "Reset" button and the
toolbar will revert to its original factory settings. If you like your
changes, click on the "Close" button and enjoy your newly
modified toolbar.
To Make
Adjustments To The Browser Toolbar When Using Internet Explorer 7.0 For Windows
XP Home Edition:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools"
button to the right of your address field and drop down to
"Toolbars."
- Select "Customize" from the resulting
submenu. When the "Customize Toolbar" window appears, there will
be two side-by-side panes visible with an "Add" and
"Remove" button between them. The right hand pane shows you the
buttons currently displayed on your toolbar and the left hand pane shows
you the buttons that you could add to your toolbar.
- Click your cursor arrow on a button in the left hand
pane that you'd like to add and then click on the "Add" button.
The button you selected will then move over to the right hand pane and
become visible on your toolbar. NOTE: A double click on buttons in the
left hand pane will also add them to the right hand pane as well as your
toolbar.
- To remove a button from the toolbar, click on it in
the right hand pane and click on the "Remove" button or double
click on it in the right hand pane. The button will disappear from your
browser's toolbar. Please note that buttons removed from your toolbar do
not disappear completely, they just go over to the left hand pane and can
be easily put back.
- The "Customize Toolbar" window also has
buttons that will allow you to change the position or order of the buttons
on your toolbar. Click on the "Move Up" button or the "Move
Down" button to change the position of the buttons.
- If you've finished modifying your toolbar and you
don't like what you've done, press the "Reset" button and the
toolbar will revert to its original factory settings. If you like your
changes, click on the "Close" button and enjoy your newly
modified toolbar.
To Make
Adjustments To The Browser Toolbar When Using Firefox
2.0 For Windows XP Home Edition Or Macintosh OS X:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu
and drop down to "Toolbars."
- Select "Customize" from the resulting
submenu. The "Customize Toolbar" palette will appear.
- Drag tool icons from the palette to the position you
want them to take on your browser's toolbar. You can also reposition the
icons to different places on the toolbar.
- To remove icon buttons that you've added to your
browser, drag them back onto the palette. You can also restore the toolbar
to its original condition by using the "Restore Default Set"
button on the palette.
- When you've finished customizing your toolbar, click
the "Done" button.
To Make
Adjustments To The Browser Toolbar When Using Safari 2.0 For Macintosh OS X:
- Click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu
and drop down to "Customize Address Bar..."
- The toolbar palette window will appear.
- Drag tool icons from the palette onto your Safari
toolbar to the position you want them to take on your browser's toolbar.
You can also reposition the icons to different places on the toolbar.
- If you don't like the changes you've made and want to
restore the toolbar to the way it was, simply drag the entire default set
from the palette to your Safari browser's toolbar.
- Click "Done" when you've finished making
your changes.
We hope you found this
newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the
happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a
monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
The E-Connections
Team
Polar E-Connections
Polar Communications
110 4th St E
Park River, ND 58270
800-284-7222 
(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.)
©2007
Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter
are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.