Warning! Stay Alert For Cashier's Check Scams On Web Purchases Coming Soon SYRINGA Wireless, A New Cellular Phone Option For Southern Idaho! Ask The Help Desk Can You View More Than One Browser Window At A Time? Sites Of The Month Great Sites To Check Out In October! Short Tutorial Adjust Frequency Of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups

Hello ATC Internet Subscribers Autumn is a great time for exploration. In this spirit, we've filled October's eNewsletter with new ideas. Find out the latest on cashier's check scams. Double your efficiency by learning to open two browser windows at once. And get help personalizing the frequency of your incoming e-mail pickups. For even more exploration, check out the Great Sites featured. You can update your view of Pluto, take a stab at pumpkin carving, prepare to fly through airport security, or even join the global treasure hunt of geocaching. The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:   Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax or security issue that may affect you An update on new services and other local interests An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question Some fun, seasonal websites to check out A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task 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. To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The ATC Internet Team

Warning! - Stay Alert For Cashier's Check Scams On Web Purchases

Fake cashier's checks have been used for years by crooks posing as Internet buyers, and new variations of this scam are also stealing money from unsuspecting victims. If you sell items online or receive any online requests involving cashier's checks, pay close attention to this warning.

Here's how a typical cashier's check scam works: You are selling a valuable item over the Internet such as a car or computer. You receive an e-mail offer through a relay service with the buyer promising to pay by cashier's check. An authentic-looking check arrives, but it is made out for several thousand dollars more than the agreed upon price and the buyer asks you to wire the difference back. Your bank accepts the check and credits your account for the money so you wire the extra money back to the seller. But later, the cashier's check turns out to be counterfeit so you're out both the sold item and the extra money you sent to the buyer.

Another variation of this scam involves people who become friends through online chat rooms and e-mail. For example, a man may chat with a woman for a couple of months (to gain her trust) and then tell her he'd like to move to the country where she resides. He asks her to get him an apartment, sends a cashier's check for thousands of dollars, and tells her to wire him back the overpayment. The check, of course, is counterfeit and any money she wires to him is lost. People have also been scammed by fake cashier's checks sent to pay for work done at home, or as an "advance" on a sweepstakes they've supposedly won.

We remind you to be extremely skeptical of a cashier's check from an unfamiliar source. It may look so authentic that your bank cannot determine if it's fake until several days or even weeks later. Under federal law, banks have to make the funds you deposit available quickly — usually within one to five days, depending on the type of check. But just because you can withdraw the money doesn't mean the check is good — even if it's a cashier's check. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce.

Back to Top
 

Coming Soon - SYRINGA Wireless, A New Cellular Phone Option For Southern Idaho!

Who is Syringa Wireless?
Syringa Wireless is a consortium of long standing, local Idaho telecommunication companies who banded together to form a new cellular company called Syringa Wireless, LLC. www.syringawireless.com The member partners include Albion Telecommunication Company (ATC), Direct Communications of Rockland, Filer Mutual Telephone, Silver Star Communications based in Freedom, Wyoming and serving the Driggs, Victor Idaho areas, and Project Mutual Telephone (PMT) of Rupert. Combined, these companies have been in business for more than 400 years; the newest company is 60 years old.

What is Syringa Wireless?
Syringa Wireless is a new cellular phone service available in Southern Idaho. Syringa Wireless will offer local, regional and national coverage plans. Syringa will provide superior local cellular phone coverage, because unlike our competition, we will build towers in key rural locations, rather than just along the freeway! Coverage will stretch from Filer to Rexburg and cover all the towns in between (i.e. Jerome, Rupert, Burley, Albion, Raft River, Declo, Heyburn, American Falls, Pocatello, Chubbuck, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls). Local coverage also includes the I-15 and I-86/I-84 corridors in southeast Idaho. Syringa Wireless also has negotiated roaming agreements with all major carriers of similar technology (CDMA). If customers roam onto any of these major carrier’s towers they are NOT billed for roaming; the minutes are simply counted as anytime minutes on your rate plan. Syringa coverage is outstanding and there is no penalty for roaming. Syringa Wireless has 35 of their own towers and will add about 10 towers per year for the next seven years.

Technology - Syringa Wireless is using cutting edge technology, specifically “1X data” to send and receive e-mail as well as for text and picture messaging. In addition Syringa Wireless offers all of the latest accessories our customers want most such as Bluetooth headsets and the latest models in cellular phones (Razr, Slider, TREO, Strobe etc…)

When
Target launch date for sales is Dec 1st for the Magic Valley and Pocatello, and December 8 for Idaho Falls. Future stores are planned for Rexburg and Blackfoot in 2007.

Where
Syringa Wireless will be available at all Project Mutual Telephone, Albion Telephone Company, and Filer Mutual business offices as well as the new Syringa retail stores in Pocatello, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls. Syringa Wireless headquarters will be located in Pocatello.

Unique ADVANTAGES:
The unique advantages of Syringa Wireless include our local presence, great home-town service, unmatched coverage and cutting-edge technology.

Top Priorities:
Our number-one priority is to bring our great hometown customer service and coverage to the wireless market in southern Idaho.

Back to Top
 

Ask The Help Desk - Can You View More Than One Browser Window At A Time?

Question: Is it possible to view more than one window from my browser at the same time? If so, how do you do it?

Answer: Yes. Two or more browser windows open on your desk top at the same time can be helpful when you want to view a new web page without leaving behind the current one you are viewing. It can be especially beneficial when comparing information on two or more web pages, such as when you want to do comparison shopping on multiple e-commerce websites during this holiday season.

To open an additional browser window in Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the File menu, select "New," and then click "Window." As a shortcut, you can press the Control (ctrl) key on your keyboard as well as the letter "N" (ctrl+N).

With Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, you can choose to either open a new browser window or a new tab -- the latter provides a convenient way to access multiple web pages within a single browser window.

To open a new window in Firefox, go to the File menu and select "New Window." As in Internet Explorer, the shortcut is CTRL+N. To open a new tab, select "New Tab" from the File menu or use the CTRL+T shortcut.

To open an additional browser window when using Macintosh’s Safari, select "New Window" from the File menu. The shortcut is to press the "Command" key (the key with the apple symbol on it) along with the letter "N" (command+N).

Back to Top
 

Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Essential Reading Before Flying
http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm -  To check or not to check? We suggest you check out the site of the Transportation Security Administration before you pack for your next plane trip. Posted here is the most current and detailed information on airport screening procedures and baggage contents restrictions. Take a few minutes to review the rules and you can spare yourself some annoying surprises at the terminal.

Carve Out Time For Pumpkins
http://pumpkincarving101.com -  After you go to the pumpkin patch, make this "cutting edge" site your next stop. It explains absolutely everything you need to know about pumpkin carving to get ready for Halloween night. Learn how to select the right pumpkin, which tools to use, and how to create masterpiece Jack O' Lanterns with the help of stencils. You'll even get tips on extending the lifespan of your creations and photographing them successfully.

Discover Geocaching
http://geocaching.com -  Searching for a new hobby? Explore Geocaching — the adventure game for GPS users which began in 2000. Participants hunt for caches (boxes with a logbook and little treasures) that have been placed all over the world in both remote locations and cities. Location coordinates are posted online but the challenge is actually getting there and finding the cache. When you do, you take an item from the box and leave one of your own. This official site provides all the directions you'll need to get started.

Poor Pluto Gets Demoted
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Pluto -  On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Pluto from an official planet to a dwarf planet. Feeling a little sorry for little Pluto? Find out more at this NASA site, including details on the New Horizons mission that will reach Pluto in July 2015 - the first visit of its kind. Scientists hope the long journey will finally answer questions about the mysterious dwarf planet's surface properties, geology, and atmosphere.

For Fans of College Football
http://fanblogs.com -  Forbes.com calls this "…the best blog dedicated to a single sport." If you're crazy about college football, you'll want to read the comments posted by other fans (and maybe add a few of your own). Join the heated discussions, participate in polls, and sign up for RSS feeds about your favorite college team. It's a site sure to score big with football fans this fall.

Back to Top
 

Short Tutorial - Adjust Frequency Of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups

Most e-mail software programs are set as a default to check for incoming e-mail messages every ten minutes. If a message has been received, an e-mail sound alert notifies the computer user that a message is available for him/her to read. If these alert notices are too frequent for your liking, the settings can easily be adjusted. Follow the steps below to change the frequency that your e-mail software checks for and advises you of new e-mail messages.

Adjust Frequency of Incoming E-mail Pick-ups in Outlook Express When Using Windows XP:

1. With Outlook Express open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" located on the menu bar and select "Options" from the drop-down menu.
2. When the "Options" window appears, click on the "General" tab.
3. Under "Send/Receive Messages," look for the check boxes next to "Play sound when new messages arrive" and "Check for new messages every (# of minutes) minute(s)." If you want to turn off the alert sound, uncheck its check box. If you want to change the frequency of mail pick-ups, either uncheck its check box or change the number of minutes between pick-ups to a more suitable number.
4. Click on the "Apply" button and click "OK" to close the window.

Back to Top

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,

Rich Redman
General Manager
ATC Communications



ATCnet
P.O. Box 98
Albion, ID 83311

PH 673-5335, 527-3249, 766-2882

©2006 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.