E-Mail Hoax - Poisonous Spiders Under Toilet Seats

There are a couple of variations of the "Poisonous Spiders Under Toilet Seats Hoax" that have been circulating around the Internet for some time. Here's an example of how one of the hoaxes begins:

"In an article by Dr. Beverly Clark, in the Journal of the United Medical Association (JUMA), the mystery behind a recent spate of deaths has been solved. If you haven't heard about it in the news, here is what happened. Three women in Chicago turned up at hospitals over a five day period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills and vomiting followed by muscular collapse, paralysis and finally death. There were no outward signs of trauma. Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood."

The e-mail hoax goes on to say that the women did not know each other and had nothing in common with one another other than visiting a restaurant called "Big Chappies" located at Blare Airport in Chicago within days of their deaths. The story details how the Civilian Aeronautics Board eventually discovered the source of the toxicity. It was supposedly from spider bites caused by South American Blush Spiders nesting under toilet seats of planes originating from South America. The hoax e-mail concludes by warning the e-mail recipients that the spiders could now be anywhere but they especially like to nest in cold, dark, damp places -- like under toilet rims. The hoax encourages people to lift up and inspect toilet seats before using a restroom facility and to forward the e-mail warning to everyone they know.

Of course, the entire "South American Blush Spider" e-mail warning is a hoax. There is no publication called the "Journal of the United Medical Association." There is no "Big Chappies" restaurant nor a "Blare Airport" in Chicago. There is also no such organization called the "Civilian Aeronautics Board" in the United States. The e-mail also contains the biggest tip that this message is a hoax when it encourages recipients to "forward the message to everyone they know." If you receive an e-mail from someone and in the message it encourages you to send the message to everyone you know, you can be pretty certain that the message is an e-mail hoax. Resist the temptation of forwarding the message to your friends.

A more recent twist to this hoax began circulating during the fall of 2002. It claims that three women, all of whom recently visited an Olive Garden restaurant in northern Florida, died from spider bites. This time the Civilian Aeronautics Board discovered that the bites were inflicted by Two-Striped Telamonia Spiders that arrived in the U.S. via airplanes originating from India. The spiders, as the story goes, like to "nest in cold, dark, damp places" -- like under toilet rims. Sound familiar? This revised spider story is also an e-mail hoax.

Back to Top

E-Bill Is Here! - Register Online Today

E-Bill from Scatter Creek InfoNet is now available. It's easy to use, all you need to do is register. Go to www.scattercreek.com and click on "Access Your Account Online." Once you are registered you will be able to view and/or pay your bill online. There is even an option to not receive a paper bill in the mail!

Back to Top

Ask The Help Desk - How Do I Open E-mail Attachments Using Outlook Express 6.0?

Question: I recently updated my e-mail software to Outlook Express Version 6.0. Now that I've done this, I am unable to open any e-mail attachments sent to me. Attachments are sent to me and I can see them in my inbox, but they are highlighted with a gray color and I cannot open them. Please help!

Answer: Microsoft has added a filtering feature into Version 6.0 of their Outlook Express e-mail software. The purpose of this feature is to block any potentially infected e-mail attachments from being opened by e-mail recipients. It's a great idea. The challenge, however, is that it appears that ALL attachments are blocked, no matter what the content is. The feature is a default setting on Version 6.0 so you'll need to go in manually to change the setting if you want to be able to open e-mail attachments. To remove the default setting so that you are able to open e-mail attachments, follow these easy steps:

1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the menu bar, and select "Options."
3. When the "Options" window opens, click your cursor arrow on the Security tab.
4. A checked box will appear that says "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus." Click your cursor arrow on the box to uncheck it.
5. Click "OK" to save the change and then close Outlook Express. When you re-open Outlook Express, you should now be able to open incoming e-mail attachments. Remember to scan all e-mail attachments with your virus scanning software before opening them -- even if the attachment is from a friend.

Back to Top

Great Sites To Check Out This Month

From The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
http://ready.gov/ -  Because of the possible event of another terrorist attack against America both at home and abroad, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has developed a website called "Ready.gov." It contains tips on planning for the unexpected in case of biological or chemical threats, explosions, radiation threats, etc. The main points covered are the following: 1) Make a Kit, 2) Make a Plan, and 3) Be Informed. Go to this important site for details.

Famous Quotations
http://quotationspage.com/ -  Will Rogers once said, "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." This site contains a searchable database of over 15,000 quotations. You'll find quotes by presidents, philosophers, comedians, scientists and writers. They're interesting to read! "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." - Thomas Jefferson

Helpful Tax Information In March
http://www.irs.gov/ -  Have you filed your federal income tax return yet? Are you expecting a refund but haven't yet received it? You can find out where your refund is by clicking your cursor arrow on the "Individuals" link found under the "Contents" section of the IRS home page. Next, click on the "Where's My Refund?" link to securely view your refund information. If you are still gathering information to file your 2002 tax return and want to review highlights on changes to the 2002 tax code, again go to the IRS home page. Type in "553" in the space indicated under "Search Forms and Publications for:" and click your cursor arrow on the "GO" button. The resulting web page (Publication 553) will provide you with an overview of the latest information on tax code changes.

Fun Online Games And Activities For Young Kids
http://noggin.com/ -  Are you looking for some fun, safe games to play online with your young kids or grandchildren? Here's the perfect site. (You'll have to have Shockwave installed to participate in some of the activities.) Start out playing "Play With Me Sesame." (No Shockwave needed.) The little tots will love it! Other games and activities feature characters from Maisy, Blue's Clues, Franklin, and more.

March Madness!
http://FinalFour.net/ -  It's time for some March Madness! This link takes you to the official site of both the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Championships. Read what the athletes, coaches and commentators are saying. The site also provides a history of the Final Four, a Championship Video Archive, articles highlighting recent big games, as well as bracket and ticket information.

Back to Top

Short Tutorial - How To Make Incoming E-mail "Standout" When Sent From Specific People

Do you want e-mail from specific people to stand out more when they arrive in your inbox? You can use the Outlook Express "Messages Rules" feature to cause incoming e-mail from specific senders to show up in color. You choose the sender(s) and the corresponding color(s). You can also do this for groups of people, i.e. designate all incoming e-mail from family to show up in your inbox in the color green, designate all incoming e-mail from co-workers to be blue, etc. Here's how to set up your message rules:

Using Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 Client Software via Windows 98

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu and drop down to "Message Rules." Then click on "Mail" from the resulting submenu.
3. Click on the "New" button and the "New Mail Rule" window will appear. It contains four sections which will need your input. The first is the area in which you select the conditions for your rule. The second area is where you choose the actions that will occur in your rule. The third matches the specific condition with the specific action's result. The last allows you to name the rule.
4. Select the condition for your new rule by clicking on its check box. In this case, there is only one condition that applies, "Where the From line contains people." Move down to the third section where it says "Rule Description" and click "contains people." Type in an e-mail address, click "Add" and then click "OK."
5. Now, move to the "Select the actions for your rule" area and select the "Highlight it with color" check box. Move to "Rule Description" and click "color." Select your color and click "OK."
6. Back in the "New Mail Rule" window, click "OK." Now click "OK" to exit the "Message Rules" window and save your settings.

Back to Top

We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

All of Us at Scatter Creek InfoNet

©2003 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.