FYI:

The Federal Trade Commission will offer new consumer protection:

Relief from annoying telemarketers is just a few months away. The FTC will begin taking names for its national "Do Not Call" list by July 1. Those on the list can expect the calls to stop in September. Folks stay on the list for five years or until they change their number. Consumers may sign up on the web.*

Who can still call you?**

• charitable organizations
• political fundraisers
• surveys
• telephone companies, airlines and banks along with some other businesses will be exempt.

If you have already added your name to the Colorado list, it will automatically be added to the federal one.

Pertinent Links:

http://www.ftc.gov/
bcp/conline/edcams/donotcall/index.html **The only identifying information that the federal (national) registry says they will keep is the phone number.

http://www.ftc.gov/
opa/2003/06/dncaccelerated.htm*

http://www.ftc.gov/
opa/2003/02/dncstatement.htm*


[Source*: The Kiplinger Letter; P.3; 20 June 2002; content provided by CPN resident, Dale Mullen]
[Source**: The Federal Trade Commission]

List of sites devoted to de-hoaxing:

www.urbanlegends.com

www.snopes.com

www.breakthechain.org

www.nonprofit.net/hoax

hoaxbusters.ciac.org

www.hoaxsquad.com

www.thisistrue.com

There are three types of SPAM:

Occupational SPAM - from collegues (friends and family too) who put you on their distribution lists. You have to deal with this on a per-recipient basis. (Humor falls under this category - please resist the urge and choose not to send on what you find hilariously funny. You know who you are).

Honest Folks Trying To Make A Living - you signed up at Sears once, but it is enough already; usually you can UNsubscribe.

Pure, Rotten Trash - pornography and scams (endless streams, on and on).

List of sites devoted to de-spamming:

www.spamcon.org

spam.abuse.net

Tips on Stopping SPAM:

• Don't post your e-mail address online in chat rooms or newsgroups.
• Don't use email addresses that are easy to guess.
• Scrutinize a web site for guarantees of privacy.
• Uncheck the box on a site that invites you to receive additional information.
• Report fraudulent span to appropriate authorities (www.ifccfbi.gov) designated to specifically address this problem.
• Contact the spammer's service provider. If the upstream service providers are obvious, send an email to "postmaster@(domain name).com".
• An email that says "remove" usually doesn't work. It may increase your SPAM as it confirms the active status of your email address.

When in doubt about a chain letter, STOP - if you need to, check out the veracity at one of the resources below. Don't deluge everyone you know...