WestHost Blog – WestHost Web Hosting » General http://blog.westhost.com Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:55:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 7 Steps to Minimize your Risk to Consumer Fraud – Internet Scams Part II http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/12/7-steps-to-minimize-your-risk-to-consumer-fraud-%e2%80%93-internet-scams-part-ii/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/12/7-steps-to-minimize-your-risk-to-consumer-fraud-%e2%80%93-internet-scams-part-ii/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:00:36 +0000 Adam Croshaw http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=825 This is part two of a two-part series dedicated to protecting your information and/or money from deceitful individuals, online fraud and email scams.

Fraud, scams, Internet fruad, Interned Scams, email scams, email spam, credit card fraud

Have you ever felt that something is too good to be true? Chances are it probably is! Many people use the Internet to take advantage of others that are not familiar with the danger of giving out personal information online (ex. Credit card, social security number, bank numbers, etc.). The Internet can be as safe as walking your grandma to the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland, if you take the right steps. Here is a list of thing you can do to prevent consumer fraud:

  • DMAchoice.org

    • Register with DMAchoice. It is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. This site divides direct mail into four categories including; credit offers, catalogs, magazine offers and other mail offers. Once registered at the site, you can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category. You must re-register after three years. DMAchoice will also help get your email off spammer lists.

  • Annualcreditreport.com

    • Check your credit report at least once a year by going to annualcreditreport.com. Do not register at freecreditreport.com (remember the commercials with the guitar guy) as they will charge you a monthly rate unless you proactively cancel your membership within the 7-day trial period. Annualcreditreport.com is the official Web site sponsored by the three credit reporting agencies; Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Checking your credit report often will ensure you catch fraudulent activity and prevent someone from using your credit for their own purposes.

  • Ic3.gov

    • As our last blog post mentioned you can visit Ic3.gov and report Internet abuse. This is a good place to report spammers and other fraudulent activity on the Internet. They also have annual reports that include a number of great fraud-prevention tips, including; Internet auction fraud, investment fraud, identity theft, credit card fraud, business fraud, non-delivery merchandise, and cyberstalking.

  • OptOutPreScreen.com

    • You can opt out of pre-approved credit cards by calling 1-888-567-8688 or go to OptOutPreScreen.com, which is the official consumer credit reporting industry opt-out Web site. The company asks for your social security number but you do not have to give it to them. There are other ways for them to process the request without your social security number. For more information visit: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi

  • Donotcall.gov

    • Opt out of telemarketing (reduces risk of telemarketing fraud): Call 1-888-382-1222 or go to www.donotcall.gov. Your registration is permanent.

  • Bbb.org

    • Before investing in a company or donating to a charity make sure you visit the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. Remember, you shouldn’t assume any company is honest just because you can’t find a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau. Scammers will often change the name of the company in order to avoid detection. If the company does not have a history or is included in the Better Business Bureau database as having problems this should send a definite red flag. You can also report fraudulent activity to this agency.

From my experience with domain registrations and in the Web hosting world there are companies you have never heard of claiming “YOU NEED TO RENEW YOUR DOMAIN IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL LOSE IT!” Although you do need to renew your domain periodically most of these claims come from companies who try to pull your domain registration away from your current registrar. If you ever have a question about your domain and when it expires you can check at any WHOIS to see when your domain is going to expire. The WHOIS will also tell you who provides your domain registration and how you can contact them if you have any further questions.

Consumer fraud is avoidable, we just need to take the time to prevent it from happening to us. It is unfortunate when good people get taken advantage of. These types of things can be avoided by following the simple guidelines listed above. Remember the Internet doesn’t have to be a scary place, it can actually be a safe place to do business.

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/12/7-steps-to-minimize-your-risk-to-consumer-fraud-%e2%80%93-internet-scams-part-ii/feed/ 0 4+ Tips to Expose E-Mail Scams – Internet Scams Part I http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/05/4-tips-to-expose-e-mail-scams-internet-scams-part-i/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/05/4-tips-to-expose-e-mail-scams-internet-scams-part-i/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:34:21 +0000 Jake Neeley http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=763 This is part one of a two-part series dedicated to protecting your information and/or money from deceitful individuals, online fraud and email scams.



Email fraud, Email scams

ATTENTION!

One November 1, 2009 a server upgrade will take place and your server be offline for about an hour. The changes will concern security, reliability and performance of the system as a whole. This procedure is quite simple. All you have to do is just to click the link provided, to save the patch file and then to run it from your computer location. That’s all.

http://system.westhost.com/repair/htm.asp/jneeleysystem.php/systemadmin/html

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and sorry for possible inconveniences.

- WestHost System Administrator

Does this sound familiar? This was taken from an actual message sent to our sales team (with the original link omitted) containing fraudulent information. I get messages daily requiring skeptical thought and often a thorough examination.

Recently I received an e-mail message encouraging me to boycott the new dollar coin claiming the government is “phasing God out of America” by removing ‘In God We Trust’ from the coin. I thought this seemed a little odd, so I looked at my favorite urban legend super-site, snopes.com. They provided additional pictures showing the classic motto engraved around the entire outer edge of the coin. Myth debunked!

If you’ve had your e-mail address for a few months you can likely relate to what I’ve written above. I’ll show you 4 ways to reduce your risk of being defrauded or tricked into providing personal information.

Four Ways to Avoid Being Caught by an E-mail Scam

Follow these four basic rules, and most of the risk of any e-mail message can be removed.

  1. Never click directly on a link in an e-mail message. Frequently, links will appear as www.yourbank.com, but in reality clicking the link will take you somewhere like scamsunlimited.somewheredark.ru/yourbank.com. You can eliminate this risk by typing, or pasting, the link into a search engine rather than directly clicking it. The search engine results page will display a little information about the page before you actually visit it.
  2. Never trust a message from somebody you are not familiar with. If you know you don’t have an account or profile with the entity that sent you the unsolicited email, don’t visit any link asking you to update your information, account, profile, etc.
  3. Judge the clarity of the message’s language. Almost every message attempting to steal information contains terrible spelling, bad grammar and is hard to follow. Remember that most large organizations have teams dedicated to create proficient messages and are highly unlikely to send a poorly written message.
  4. If you are suspicious of a message but don’t want to disregard something that might be important, call the company via telephone to determine if the message is real before taking any action; like giving out personal details. If suspicious, look up the telephone number – don’t assume the number in the suspect message is accurate!

E-Mail Hoax Resources

In addition to the basic security steps outlined above, the following sites are dedicated to debunking online scams and e-mail spoofs. It is best to visit and confirm the rumor with more that one source. Although the sources listed below are generally credible, there may be some bias in the answers given or not given.

  • Snopes.com

    • One of the best-known resources for validating and debunking urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, etc. Use the search feature to find your specific issue. Founded by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.

  • About.com: Urban Legends

    • Take the quiz to see how skilled you have become, receive tips and tricks and browse by topic. Maintained by David Emery.

  • TruthorFiction.com

    • Similar to other sources listed above, they provide information on eRumors, warnings, offers etc. Founded by Rich Buhler.

  • FactCheck.org

    • Go-to site for political issues. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.

  • Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3)

    • IC3 is a partnership of federal entities, FBI included, created to provide a resource for reporting Internet related crime and furthering research.

Let’s discuss, what do you do to sniff scams?


]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/11/05/4-tips-to-expose-e-mail-scams-internet-scams-part-i/feed/ 5 7 Fun Web sites and an Excuse to Visit Them! http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/12/7-fun-web-sites-and-an-excuse-to-visit-them/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/12/7-fun-web-sites-and-an-excuse-to-visit-them/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:31:08 +0000 Jake Neeley http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=629

Admit it, most of you with a job that involves staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day have been caught surfing the wonderful Web. For many of you, this may have happened more often than you’d like to admit.

While in the middle of your reprimand did you ever have the chance to prove that your frivolous web surfing was actually making you more productive? Well, now you can.

A recent study conducted by the University of Melbourne found that “surfing the net at work for pleasure actually increases our concentration levels and helps make a more productive workforce… by about 9%.”

Now I’m not saying you should spend half of your day surfing and expect big results for all your “hard work.” Neither is this study. However, the study shows that if you keep your surfing to a bare minimum, your productivity can increase by 9%.

Too good to be true? That’s for you (and your boss) to decide.

If you are one who chooses to spend a small section of your day for a little surf, here are 7 fun sites to get your mind back on track.

  1. Jackson Pollock

    2. Unveil your creative genius while painting a Jackson Pollock-esque masterpiece.

  2. BallDroppings

    3. Create fun music through strategically placing panels across your screen.

  3. Where’s George?

    4. Enter George’s information and watch your money travel across the world.

  4. aM Laboratory

    5. Fill your inner DJ love by creating the perfect office tones to enlighten your cubicle. Mix it up even more with the enhanced audio tool!

  5. iamawesome.com

    6. Enough said.

  6. Mr. Doob | Depth of Field

    7. Better sit down while viewing this site, you might get dizzy. Mr. Doob makes your screen 3D with interactive depth tests.

  7. Crazy Rabbit
    Watch an eager bunny chase your cursor, which he thinks is a carrot, but don’t let him catch it, he might not let go.

Disclaimer: This blog post is solely intended for entertainment and conversational purposes. In no way does it reflect the opinion of WestHost management. In fact, all WestHost employees who happen to read this are kindly reminded that their surf can be done comfortably during their lunch hour or scheduled breaks. ;)

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/12/7-fun-web-sites-and-an-excuse-to-visit-them/feed/ 5 Lance Weeks – Client Services & Sales http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/06/lance-weeks-client-services-sales/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/06/lance-weeks-client-services-sales/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:52:00 +0000 WestHost Management http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=620 Lance WeeksWe would like to congratulate Lance for his outstanding contributions in client service excellence! Lance has not only been a valuable asset to our Sales team but he has also been instrumental in maintaining some of our social media campaigns. Clients who have had the pleasure of working with Lance have commended him on his ability to listen carefully and take decisive action in resolving their needs quickly. Lance has an easy-going demeanor and contributes to a positive work environment for everyone. We appreciate his hard work and focus in helping clients to achieve their business goals.

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/10/06/lance-weeks-client-services-sales/feed/ 0 Online Success Requires Excellent Web Hosting http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/15/online-success-requires-excellent-web-hosting/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/15/online-success-requires-excellent-web-hosting/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:39:21 +0000 Jake Neeley http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=388 If you have read or watched the news in recent months you have probably heard something about someone getting rich using Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. I’ll save discussions on social media success for later but I will tell you that to make money on your site you need a lot of visitors; and that translates into the need for unsullied Web hosting.

If you’ve figured out how to use social media for business success or if you are getting a lot of traffic through other means you have felt the burden of making sure your site is up 24/7. This can be an arduous task if you don’t have good hosting services.

How do You Find the Right Fit?

With several variations on many hosting packages, finding the best plan for your needs can be difficult. Choosing the best hosting plan is similar to the way some women may choose a pair of jeans.

Their search begins by checking out other women and the way their jeans fit. Then they start combing through ads looking for deals, variations and the right cut. They search from store to store trying on every pair that looks remotely fitting. After enduring the clothing rack gauntlet the ceremonial event of finding the perfect fit arrives. It does not matter how much the perfect jeans cost or how long it takes to get them, if that style makes them look and feel good, they will buy.

The steps to finding the right fit for your hosting account are quite similar, but not totally the same; unless there is some way you think your Web hosting could make you look fat :)

6 Steps

The following steps will help speed up your process to find exactly what you need whether it’s an upgrade, a whole new account, or confirmation that you choose wisely.

  1. Rely upon your online network – Talk to your friends and see what they use. With an attitude of openness for sharing information your online network will be glad to share their experiences, good or bad, about their Web hosting package. They will help you figure out what you really need and want.
  2. Visit non-biased review sites – Check out what people outside your network are saying about their Web hosting. Keep in mind that some comments posted anonymously don’t reflect the company in the right light and are no more than a bored teenagers attempt to gain attention.
  3. Visit company Web sites and compare packages – Most corporate Web sites will give you all the information you need to know about their hosting packages. Chat with their representatives online or call in and drill them with your list of questions.
  4. Can you upgrade if you start to burst at the seams? – Does the hosting provider allow you to upgrade if your site is growing? If it’s your goal, and you do things right, your site will grow and people will come. It is important that you have options to expand when the time comes. In other words, it‘s time to face reality: we all gain a little weight when we get older. If you prepare now it will be a lot less traumatic later.
  5. Do they have good technical support? – It is imperative that your hosting company have a good technical support team. Inevitably something will go wrong. Most of the time it is an easy fix and requires them to simply walk you through your mistake. Make sure they’re knowledgeable and accessible.
  6. Other features to look for – There are many features tied to hosting services. In my opinion I want (1) a good Web analytics program, (2) a free Web site builder, (3) an email address @mydomain.com and (4) a strong guarantee.

Post your favorite jean and/or Web hosting experience below. Tell us what you do to find the right fit. Who knows, we may even include your story in a future post.

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/15/online-success-requires-excellent-web-hosting/feed/ 0 HostingCon 2009 – Washington DC http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/08/hostingcon-2009-washington-dc/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/08/hostingcon-2009-washington-dc/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:22:19 +0000 Brian Chambers http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=382

A few of us attended this years HostingCon in Washington DC. HostingCon is an annual event that gathers Web hosting professionals from around the world. During this three day convention, participants network with hosted services professionals to gain greater knowledge and learn of new resources within the industry that can help improve the services they offer their clients. It was an excellent convention and much was gained by our involvement. We were fortunate to have several representatives within UK2 Group attend this years event including staff from WestHost, Midphase, UK2.net and VPS.NET.

After the conference was completed, we were able to enjoy some of the sites around Washington DC. The monuments and museums within the National Mall are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices of many individuals throughout history who have helped to build and protect this great nation.

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/09/08/hostingcon-2009-washington-dc/feed/ 0 WestHost Highway Cleanup Project http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/08/04/westhost-highway-cleanup-project/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/08/04/westhost-highway-cleanup-project/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:35:19 +0000 WestHost Management http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=375 Highway-ProjectWe are always looking for ways to give back to our local community and to say thank you for the many years of support we have received. We are proud to participate in many volunteer projects including our most recent highway cleanup project. Many WestHost employees have volunteered their time over the years for this and several other special projects. We would like to especially thank Adam Croshaw from our Sales team who recently organized and oversaw our efforts on this project making it a success. We feel fortunate to have so many employees who are willing to sacrifice their time and skills to give back to our community.

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/08/04/westhost-highway-cleanup-project/feed/ 3 Robert Montierth: Technical Support http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/07/01/robert-montierth-technical-support/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/07/01/robert-montierth-technical-support/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:20:17 +0000 WestHost Management http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=342 montierth_poloroidWe would like to congratulate Rob for his outstanding contributions in client service excellence! Rob is a great example of how WestHost demonstrates our commitment to each client. Like many of our employees Rob frequently rides his bicycle to work. Living here in Utah, we experience all kinds of weather and as you can see from the photo rain or shine Rob has always been reliable. As part of our Technical Support team Rob is always willing to help out his coworkers and works diligently to help resolve any client issues. We appreciate Rob and his dedication in helping WestHost succeed!

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/07/01/robert-montierth-technical-support/feed/ 2 Updated Premium Web Hosting Plans http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/06/04/updated-premium-web-hosting-plans/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/06/04/updated-premium-web-hosting-plans/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:27:06 +0000 Brian Chambers http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=312 Premium Web Hosting

We have recently updated our world class Web hosting plans! Each new plan now includes our 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Promise, 60 day money back guarantee, and Premium U.S. based support. The updated plans also include new features, increased space, bandwidth and more. To check out our new plans, click here.

Since opening our doors in 1998, we have always placed a high degree of importance on providing excellent service. We have now taken our industry leading support to a new level by implementing our 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Promise. We are committed to taking care of each client for the lifetime of their account.

We have also doubled our money back guarantee from 30 days to 60, something many hosting providers shy away from. We have an amazing team of dedicated employees who are committed to providing the absolute best service possible. They are long-standing employees who understand WestHost’s philosophy when it comes to client services. It is because of our team that I am willing to offer the guarantees and promises that continue to set us apart from our competition.

With operations based in Utah, we are fortunate to employ highly trained and highly skilled technicians who offer unmatched support. Before being hired our technicians go through a lengthy and rigorous interviewing process. They then go through several weeks of training and later receive scheduled reviews to improve the quality of their performance. It is no wonder why our support technicians are the best in the industry!

]]> http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/06/04/updated-premium-web-hosting-plans/feed/ 1 Paul Gozart: Jr. Systems Administrator http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/05/05/paul-gozart-jr-systems-administrator/ http://www.westhost.com/blog/2009/05/05/paul-gozart-jr-systems-administrator/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 21:01:00 +0000 WestHost Management http://www.westhost.com/blog/?p=277 We would like to congratulate Paul Gozart for his outstanding contributions in client service excellence! Paul has been a valuable asset to WestHost over the years and is always striving for excellence. As a Systems Administrator Paul has the important responsibility of upgrading, monitoring, and maintaining optimal server performance. Additionally, Paul has been involved in many projects including WestHost 4.0. With his skill sets and experience he has proven to be an invaluable resource to the WestHost team. We would like to thank Paul for his hard work and dedication to the success of the business.

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