CJ Ellen: Good evening and welcome to the AnswerMan conference. Your host is Kevin Savetz, the AnswerMan himself.

AnswerMan: Hi everyone.

CJ Ellen: Tonight's topic is Net Scams, Hoaxes, Mistruths, and Legends. Our audience is ready, so it's all yours, AnswerMan.  Take it away.

AnswerMan: Thanks, Ellen. Hi all. This is one of those topics that I don't like to talk about, but I have to, because at some time or another just about every Internet user comes across one of those annoying messages, or downright dangerous scams. Many come on the form of "spam" e-mail, from a total stranger or from someone you know. So, that's what we're talking about this hour.

AnswerMan: First off, chain letters. If you haven't received one of those "totem pole" "good luck chain letters," you can consider yourself a lucky person. It's been going around AOL and the Internet for a few months. Basically, you're supposed to read it and forward it to 10 people, and you'll have good luck. The problem with these messages, besides the fact that they don't bring good luck, is that they load down Internet servers -- servers that need to deliver more important stuff. Now, these chain letters are merely annoying -- you can delete them and get on with your life -- but others are meant to defraud you. Recently, people have been getting messages that tell them they must= dial a phone number: a relative has died, or they won a lot of money ,or for some other reason. The number is in the 809 area code--the Caribbean. They keep you on the phone as long as possible, and your phone bill at the end of the month is outrageous. They don't have to follow US laws for pay-per call calls (like 976 numbers) there, so you end up paying a big bill. Those are the, uh, pirates of the Caribbean.

Question: I've been getting email about software that can allow free unlimited AOL access?  If so, is this legal?

AnswerMan: Yeah, I've gotten this too. Can't give you the full details because I haven't tried it.. Why? Because 1) if it works, it's illegal. AOL wants to be paid for the fine service they provide, and using a program to 
defeat that would be wire fraud. 2) I don't trust the losers who are spreading the program. I have a hunch it might actually be a computer virus or something. 3) Even if it works, I know AOL will patch the hole quickly, if  they already haven't. 4) Starting December 1, you get unlimited time for $20 a month, so what's the point :) :?

Question: Answer Dude, how can I tell if a letter contains a virus or is there no way of telling?

AnswerMan: Good question...This one gets spread far and wide because it plays on our fears of losing computer data. The story is that a virus called "Good Times" is carried within an e-mail message. Just reading a message with the words "Good Times" in the subject line will supposedly erase your hard drive, or even destroy your computer's processor. It's a hoax. You can't possibly get a computer virus just by reading an e-mail message. The "joke" (if you can call it that) is that the  letter that tells you about the so-called virus, the  letter that proclaims  you should forward it to everyone you know -- the letter itself is the "virus." It's an information virus, spread by people. To clarify: you can never hurt your computer just by reading an e-mail message. Now, if you download a file attachment, and it's a program and you run it, THEN your computer could get a virus.

Question: We got one of those letters in the office for the little boy who needed business cards. This was a hoax?

AnswerMan: Hmm. Not actually a hoax --a good deed gone wayyy overboard. Let me explain: Craig Shergold was a boy who was dying of cancer. He wanted to get in the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the most get well cards. People sent him cards, Craig won the world record on 1991 and people kept sending him cards. Craig recovered from his cancer years ago. He really does not want cards anymore, and neither does his post office. :) Somehow in the letters that circulate around, "greeting cards" get changed to "business cards." The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America has set up a special 800 number to explain the situation. Callers can listen to a   prerecorded message by dialing (800) 215-1333, ext. 184.

Question: Tell us about the $250 cookie recipe please. I got that again recently... is it true?

AnswerMan  : OK, here's mer asked for the recipe and was told there would be a charge of "two-fifty" for it. Upon receiving the monthly charge card bill, the customer is shocked to realize they'd meant $250, not $2.50, and now in revenge is spreading the recipe to everyone for free. This isn't true. (Furthermore the cookies the recipe makes aren't very good. :-)  A side note: I got a letter this week from a person who insists that the  story is true -- her sister's college friend knew the woman that this happened to. I might believe it if it happened to my sister, but not from a third-hand source. Even if it was true, it may have happened 10 years ago -- there's no date in the letter, nor a way to verify the story.

Question: How do I get rid of all the junk mail about "Making money fast" and "Millions of email  addresses"?

AnswerMan: Well... Background on "Making money fast" -- this has been going around the Net forever...Devised by David Rhodes in 1987 or 1988,  "Make Money Fast" is an electronic version of a classic chain letter pyramid scheme. You're supposed to send money to the ten people on the list, then add your name to the list and repost the chain letter, committing federal wire fraud in the process. It's not only illegal, but mathematically  improbable that you'll make any money, slowly or fast. (For more information, read the Make Money Fast FAQ  at http://www.sanctum.com.au/josh/mmf/)

AnswerMan: When you get those messages, just delete them. I sometimes take the time to reply and tell the sender politely that he's an idiot, and I forward the letter to postmaster@hisdomain in the hopes that the idiot will lose  his Internet account and think twice before sending garbage like that next time.  BTW, AOL recently undertook measures to cut back on the amount of junk mail we receive. It went to court to fight for the right  to keep junk mail out of our  e-mail boxes. Since it started, bulk mail to the  system has dropped considerably. Not stopped entirely, but the problem's a lot better than it was.

Question: I heard that it is easy for scam artist to get one's password or credit card #. What should I watch out for since I am a newbie at AOL?

AnswerMan: The only way a scammer can get your password or credit card number  is if you give it to him. So don't. AOL will never, never, never, never, ask you for your password or CC#. If you get an e-mail asking you for this information, FORWARD it to "tosemail1" or "tosemail2" and the scammer will lose his account. If you get the request in an Instant Message, go to Keyword: GUIDEPAGER and an AOL guide will stop the scammer right then and there. The requests are often "Hi, I'm so-and-so from AOL billing. You need to send me your username and password, we're having a problem with the  billing database." Garbage.

Question: Can you explain the Lexis/Nexis PTrac situation?

AnswerMan: Sure. The electronic information service Lexis/Nexis has a utility called PTRAC where you can pay (big bucks) to enter a name, and it will give you that person's address, phone number and some other information. For a little while, the information included Mother's Maiden name (not anymore.) Some rumors said it included social security numbers (it doesn't and never did.) So this isn't a scam -- depending on the report you got, it was probably mostly true, and many people were upset that this sort of information -- even name and address--is for sale. You shouldn't be surprised at that -- that has been true for decades. Net it just may be a bit easier now that its online. 

CJ Ellen: Well, AnswerMan, we're out of time here and there are lots of questions left. Hope you'll do another show on this soon. Right now we have to say good night.

AnswerMan: OK, good night! Please go to Keyword: ANSWERMAN for more information about Net scams, and all things Internet-related.

CJ Ellen   : Thanks, AnswerMan! Good night, everyone.