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Tuesday, November 24
Network Computing reviews a batch of V.90
desktop and PC card modems.
Bob
Metcalfe's column for InfoWorld makes good reading, and
he has strong opinions about the G.Lite version of DSL.
Summary: he
don't like it.
Dell
has joined Compaq in offering build-to-order PCs with ADSL
modems. Cisco is supplying Dell with ADSL modems.
Macworld's
Henry Bortman reviews FCR Software's LinkUPPP Duo, which
controls ISDN channel bonding. The company's other
products allow bonding of multiple analog lines or up to
four ISDN lines.
The 90# scare email
Last month a massively forwarded email was forwarded to a
company mailing list I receive:
I received a telephone call today from an
individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service
Technician who was conducting a test on our telephone
lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch
nine (9), zero (0), the pound sign (#) and then hang up.
Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.
Upon contacting the telephone company, I was
informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting
individual full access to your telephone line, which
allows them to place long distance telephone calls billed
to your phone number. I was further informed that this
scam has been originating from many of the local
jails/prisons. I have also verified this information with
UCB Telecom Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic, GTE and
NYNEX. Please beware. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. The
GTE Security Department requested that I share this
information with EVERYONE I KNOW.
I'm always suspicious of emails that encourage people to
"warn everyone they know," which is what originally led me
to write the Good
Times Virus Hoax FAQ. I couldn't find anything on this
one until recently yesterday when I found this page
by Snopes. It turns out there is some truth to the story,
but only for certain corporate phone systems:
Is this scam possible? Technically, yes.
This trick could work with business phone systems or
switchboards where pressing '9' is the signal to obtain
an outside line, and where there are no restrictions
placed on outgoing calls. (As many of us know, our
employers' phone systems are often configured to prevent
us from making long-distance calls from our desks.) We
can't give any more definitive information than to say
that this is possible, since there are so many different
types of phone systems all throughout the USA and the
rest of the world.
Do you, as the average residential phone customer
(in the USA, at least), have to worry about this scam?
No, not unless your home phone requires you to press '9'
to obtain an outside line. Otherwise, the only result
you'll obtain from trying this is likely to be a fast
busy signal. However, this isn't to say you shouldn't be
wary of phone scams at all. Telecommunications fraud is a
rather unfortunate, yet common, occurrence in today's
high-tech age, and there are many ways that someone can
run up your phone bill without your knowledge.
Snopes goes on to explain some phone scams, and links to
AT&T's
9-0-# scam page. Here are some good resources to counter
the "email virus of the week" scares:
Friday, November 27
A reader named Nigel noticed that Motorola has finally
posted the UK V.90 upgrade at v90.motorola.com.
If you haven't seen the Robert
Cringeley documentary, Nerds
2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet, check your PBS
listings. It's loads of fun to see the early evolution of
the Internet and IMP, the first packet-switched router. It's
also hilarious to listen to every company discuss how
Microsoft tried to destroy them.
Alyson
Behr of Internet Week reviews the TDK Systems Global
Freedom 5660 and Xircom RealPort CardBus 10/100+Modem 56 PC
cards. I've added these two reviews plus the ones from
Network Computing to the Buyer's
Guide and Reviews page.
The Associated Press looks at Hayes
Corporation's financial troubles.
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