Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Telecommunications network equipment maker Tellabs filed a patent infringement
lawsuit against Fujitsu in regards to technology associated with optical and multiplexing
systems and equipment.
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Red Hat settled patent infringement claims over business process software with Firestar
Software and DataTern.
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Computer-Related Scams
People have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on real estate, travel, stock, and other
business scams. Today, many of these scams are being perpetrated with computers. Using
the Internet, scam artists offer get-rich-quick schemes involving bogus real estate deals, tout
“free” vacations with huge hidden costs, commit bank fraud, offer fake telephone lotteries,
sell worthless penny stocks, and promote illegal tax-avoidance schemes.
Over the past few years, credit card customers of various banks have been targeted by
scam artists trying to get personal information needed to use their credit cards. The scam
works by sending customers an e-mail including a link that seems to direct users to their
bank's Web site. At the site, they are greeted with a pop-up box asking them for their full
debit card numbers, their personal identification numbers, and their credit card expiration
dates. The problem is that the Web site customers are directed to is a fake site operated by
someone trying to gain access to their private information. As discussed previously, this form
of scam is called
phishing
. According to the IT research firm Gartner, more than an estimated
124 million people in the U.S. received phishing e-mails and some 3.6 million of them lost
to be from eBay's security team and warning recipients that they have a security issue to
resolve. The e-mail includes a link urging the recipient to take action. Clicking the link takes
the user to a page requesting personal information that, if provided, compromises the victim's
identity.
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The following is a list of tips to help you avoid becoming a scam victim:
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Don't agree to anything in a high-pressure meeting or seminar. Insist on having time to
think it over and to discuss things with your spouse, partner, or attorney. If a company
won't give you the time you need to check out an offer and think things over, you don't
want to do business with them. A good deal now will be a good deal tomorrow; the only
reason for rushing you is if the company has something to hide.
•
Don't judge a company based on appearances. Flashy Web sites can be created and
published in a matter of days. After a few weeks of taking money, a site can vanish without
a trace in just a few minutes. You might find that the perfect money-making opportunity
offered on a Web site was a money maker for the crook and a money loser for you.
•
Avoid any plan that pays commissions simply for recruiting additional distributors. Your
primary source of income should be your own product sales. If the earnings are not made
primarily by sales of goods or services to consumers or sales by distributors under you,
you might be dealing with an illegal pyramid.
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Beware of shills, people paid by a company to lie about how much they've earned and
how easy the plan was to operate. Check with an independent source to make sure that
you aren't having the wool pulled over your eyes.
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Beware of a company's claim that it can set you up in a profitable home-based business
but that you must first pay up front to attend a seminar and buy expensive materials.
Frequently, seminars are high-pressure sales pitches, and the material is so general that it
is worthless.
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If you are interested in starting a home-based business, get a complete description of the
work involved before you send any money. You might find that what you are asked to
do after you pay is far different from what was stated in the ad. You should never have
to pay for a job description or for needed materials.
•
Get in writing the refund, buy-back, and cancellation policies of any company you deal
with. Do not depend on oral promises.
•
Do your homework. Check with your state attorney general and the National Fraud
Information Center before getting involved, especially when the claims about a product
or potential earnings seem too good to be true.
