I discovered Discover!

When I was young, I used to like to lay on the front lawn at night and contemplate the night sky. Where I grew up there were no street lights so it was easy to see the Milky Way and all the constellations laid out before you, making it easy to ponder and wonder. I would look up and say "For every star there could be an Earth orbiting around it - a planet at just the same distance from its star as we are from our sun. There could be more people out there."

In the February issue of Discover magazine there is a short article that I find fascinating, First Light for Alien Worlds. Here is part of what the article says:

Achieving a feat that seemed impossible not so long ago, a team of scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope captured the first visible-light image of a planet orbiting another star. On the same day as this announcement, last November 14, came the report of a related breakthrough using the ground-based Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii, with which astronomers captured the first infrared image of three planets orbiting a star. A week later, another exoplanet candidate was spotted in infrared - this time by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope - orbiting the hot, bright star Beta Pictoris.

I just wish that more could be discovered during my lifetime. I wish I could know, before I die, that what I think is logical is, indeed, fact. How thrilling it would be to find out that there is life similar to ours within the Milky Way! Can you imagine how that could change the priorities of people here on Earth! Maybe we would start focusing on working together to obtain more knowledge of and work toward communication with those beyond our Earth.

And to think that I am not a fan of science fiction novels or movies.

Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

Remember that show, Lost In Space? It was great. I'll bet to see it now would make you cringe at the lack of production quality. I can remember what the landscape looked like in the show; fake beige mounds representing the terrain.

Take a look at this Skype screen shot that popped up on my computer.
In case it's too tough to read the small type, it's telling me that my computer is infected with a virus.
Then it says, "Recommendation: Users running vulnerable version should install a repair utility immediately. Your system IS affected, download the patch from the address below ! Failure to do so may result in severe computer malfunction." Then it gives a link to click on.

This is a very typical way for something known as a trojan horse to be loaded on a computer. A trojan horse is very bad because it takes over your computer. According to the Wikipedia entry, "Malicious Trojan Horse programs are used to circumvent protection systems in effect creating a vulnerable system to allow unauthorized access to the user's computer."

When I saw this pop up on my computer I knew immediately what it was. But that is only because my husband is an expert in IT security. I wonder how many computers they were able to infect with this scheme.

Beware! Danger, Will Robinson!

Today's count

My 3.5 mile walk today took me through a different neighborhood than I've counted in before. This neighborhood is still in my city but it's in an area with homes a step or two above ours. (I consider our area of Birmingham to be the third level up of about 5 or 6 levels, based on home prices.) It didn't surprise me that there were fewer homes for sale, just 9 total. I did see one home with a bright sticker on it naming the real estate company that owned it so I figured it was a foreclosed home. The area that I previously walked where there were 35 homes for sale is in the area I consider to be the bottom level of Birmingham. So maybe something can be read into those stats.

As for the count of lawn signs, I was totally surprised by what I counted. I figured with the higher income area than my previous counts there would possibly be more McCain signs than Obama. Not the case. I counted 13 Obama signs and....ZERO McCain signs. Zero. That, I think, says a lot. No wonder McCain pulled out of Michigan. Based on my counts, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in my bed of winning here! (I have a heating pad under the covers for my cold feet :)

The Keating story

I know everyone is getting sick of this election but what I'm getting sick of is the Republicans trying to dig up dirt. I think it's appalling and despicable to allow this:

At a Palin rally here, Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff Mike Scott took the stage to introduce the candidate and yelled: “On Nov. 4th, let’s leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened!”


I can imagine how angry this makes Obama and his camp. Even if it is his middle name the reason behind using it is underhanded. McCain's resorting to scumball tactics because he knows nothing else is working.

Everyone needs to keep in mind the role John McCain played in 'The Keating 5.'

Watch this video. It explains a lot that maybe we've all forgotten.

Ya gotta love these brainless attempts

I received this message from a crook on skype. For those of you not familiar with skype it is a free downloadable program that lets you make phone calls from your computer and you can also IM from it.

So here is the message Mr. Ko sends along:

[12:49:35 PM] Morris Ko says: Bank of East Asia Ltd.
The Bank of East Asia Building
137 Market Street, Singapore 048943
Reply to E-mail ID: morrisko69@yahoo.com.sg

Special Information!!

A customer of ours who may relate to you (perhaps) in Singapore died four years ago in Tsunami tragedy in Indonesia leaving behind an estate/capital (US$38.9M with interest) in a bank here where I work as an external auditor, till date nobody has come forward or put application for the claim. Please log on to this websites for more information about the Tsunami tragedy.

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=2375
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=2745

During the bank private search recently for the late gentle man relatives your name and email contact was among the findings that matches the SAME SURNAME as the deceased (name WITHHELD for security reason) who died intestate with no Will or Next of Kin. To maintain the level of security required I have intentionally left out the final details.

I urge you to come forward since I can provide you with the details needed for you to claim the estate/capital so that we can be gratify by you, in this way USD$11.670,000.00 for you and USD$23.340,000.00 for us and the remaining $3.890,000.00 for miscellaneous expenses incurred during the cost of this project though my colleagues and I will do all the crucial part in the bank to have the inheritance claim release to you promptly.

However, to affirm your willingness and cooperation please do so by replying me at my private email (morrisko69@yahoo.com.sg) with the following listed below;

a.) YOUR FULL NAME:
b.) HOME ADDRESS:
c.) DATE OF BIRTH:
d.) OCCUPATION/POSITION HELD:
e.) TELEPHONE & FAX NUMBER:
f.) NATIONALITY:
g.) PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS:
h.) MARITAL STATUS, SEX & AGE:

I do expect your prompt response.

Thank you,

Morris Ko

I couldn't resist trying to turn it on him. Hey, if he's stupid enough to try this sh*t then maybe he's stupid enough to send me money!

[2:56:26 PM] Karen Ethier says:

Hey! I've had this happen to me before and I've made a lot of money off of it. So what I need from you is a 'good faith' deposit of $5000 in the form of a cashier's check. Once I receive that and it has cleared all bank hurdles then we can proceed with your instructions. I'm excited! When can I expect your 'good-faith' deposit?

I'll let you know if he falls for it.

Craig's list scam

Here's another twist from the scamming lot. It's so much fun to catch these guys but I can't help thinking that they swindled someone else.

I'll start from the beginning.

Richard sent me a link to a Dodge Caravan being sold through Craig's list. The van was priced well below any other Caravan listed of the same year. The listing had pictures of the van, all nice and clean inside and out. Since we are down to one car (Chelsea is using the van because her car is out of commission for good) I answered the ad to a Mark@usarmydt.com. Hmmm...looks like he's in the army. I didn't get a reply by late the next day so I emailed 'Mark' again.

Hi Mark,
I sent you one previous email asking how many miles are on the 2003 Caravan but you haven't responded yet. Also, are you the original owner? Are you the owner at all? What city do you live in? How available would you be for my husband and me to come out and look at it?
Thank you,
-Karen

This was his reply:

Hello Karen,
The car is located in West Ann Arbor, MI and it is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no scratches, dings, special marks whatsoever. It has 40K miles and the VIN # is : 2C8GP64LX3R215895 . It has a clear title ready to be signed and notarized on your name. You can see more pictures by click on the link below :
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg21/markroberts_albums/
This car needs nothing, the title is clear, it is not a salvage one. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very important events and have little time at my disposal. I already have tons of emails so I hope you understand that I need to sort them out.
The price is $2,900 THIS IS MY LAST PRICE. I will not negotiate the price. I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car, to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless discussions. This way, I shall be assured of the serious intentions.
So if you are interested please email me back so we can move forward,
Mark Roberts

There were a few words and phrases in here that raised some red flags right away. First of all, he never answers my question as to whether or not he is the owner.

"..it is not a salvage one." This is not normal American speech. He sounds foreign. Alert number two.

"I want this transaction to go smoothly enough..." again, normal speech would leave out the 'enough.' He sounds foreign again. Alert number three.

The whole tone of the email takes on a typical Nigerian scam. "I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car..." "...this way I will be assured of the serious intentions."

But, I tell Richard I am going to email him again. Deep down, I want to bait him to see what is next because I smell something fishy.

Mark,
I would want my car guys to check this van out before I purchase it. So, if you are willing to let me do that we can move forward. It sounds like you are not the owner, is that correct? Is your name on the title?
-Karen

To which he replies:

Hello again Karen,
The transaction will be closed only through Buyer Protector and this way we will both be protected. I work in the army and my current job doesn't allow me to do otherwise. I have way to little free time to handle home visits and my phone calls are very limited. As I said before the car is as described and you will be able to inspect the car before a final decision.
I had prearranged shipping with Buyer Protector and DAS so my presence isn't necessary. The car is in a Buyer Protector warehouse, ready for delivery.
To begin the transaction I'll need your full name and shipping address, I will forward the details of our transaction to Buyer Protector and then you will receive an invoice from them. The car will be shipped insured to your location with DAS and you will have 5 days for inspection. I have already payed the shipping fees so there is no shipping cost for you.
Mark Roberts

Ahh-Hahh! I found the scam! I emailed this comment to Richard as I forwarded 'Mark's' email. The all-knowing Richard checked out this 'Buyer Protector' and found that sure enough there was a website that looked legit. But upon further digging, he found out that the site had just got up and running on January 26, 2008 and is registered to an unknown in the Netherlands. And if you go to the Buyer Protection site here you will notice that it is very similar to another legitimate company, Buyer Guardian. They even stole the logo! Check out Buyer Guardian here. (But wasn't it nice of him to pick up the shipping cost? He's such a considerate guy, eh?)

Then Richard went on Craig's list and did a search on this Mark guy's email address and found the same exact Caravan posted in a bunch of other cities. Some of them had been flagged and taken down already.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the scam works like this. The seller is claiming that he is in the Army (trying to play on our bleeding hearts for the soldiers, no doubt) and cannot do this transaction in person. He claims that he is hiring a legitimate escrow company to be the 'middle-man' in the transaction. If we want the car, we send the escrow company our money and they send us the car. Well, can you see it now? We send the money, get no car and are SOL.

I told Richard that I wanted to bait him more and he agreed because he wanted to blog about it. This was my next correspondence to 'Mark.'

OK Mark: I checked out Buyer Protector on line. I think I understand.
Here is my address:
Karen Ethier
151 Martin St, Birmingham, MI 48009
Please let me know what are the next steps.

These were actually Richard's words and Richard's idea to use the Birmingham police department's address. He's good! Here is the next response and it's a doozie!:

Hello again Karen,
I forwarded the details about our transaction to Buyer Protector. I hope that everything works out fine and we are done in this week. Please let me know when will you be able to make the deposit, so I know when to prepare the shipping.
Also I would personally advise you that when you will go to the Money Gram office to send the money, don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction, tell him that you sending the money for a friend of yours that you know because they will charge you additional fees if you tell them that you will send the money for an internet transaction.
I'll look forward to close this deal with you successfully and in the best manner.
Thank you
Mark

Don't you just love it!! "...don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction...because they will charge you additional fees..." That one had us laughing out loud! And he also writes words in the wrong order...no, you're not foreign, Mark!

I responded:

Mark,
I thought you told me in the last email that I could check out the car. If you give me the address where it is being stored, I could go there.
-Karen

To which he replied (this is good!):

Hello again Karen,
As I've told you before my current job does not allow me to show you the car because right now I'm a specialist in the Army @ the 10TH Mountain Division in Buffalo, NY 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry and I can't get a permission to leave just to come and show you the car. I will take the permission only if I know I have a sure client.
If you don't feel safe with this transaction I can understand you also and I will sell the car to somebody else. I will wait for your final decision.
Mark

Well, by this time Richard had posted this whole scheme on his blog and the cats were done playing with the mouse. I was ready to let him know I was on to his shenanigans. This was my last email to which I have not had a reply.

Mark, Mark, Mark! You are too funny, Mark, or whatever your real name is!

"Also I would personally advise you that when you will go to the Money Gram office to send the money, don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction, tell him that you sending the money for a friend of yours that you know because they will charge you additional fees if you tell them that you will send the money for an internet transaction."

A Money Gram office?? We don't have those over here in the States. Additional fees for an Internet transaction?? No bank could get away with that here in the States.

Funny that this EXACT vehicle was posted in multiple cities on Craig's List and taken down on many of them.

I have contacted Craig's List to hopefully shut you down completely. There will be a bit of press on this. Google map the address I gave you. It's a police station.

I could tell from your first email that you are not American. Using words like 'on' when you should say 'in' and small stuff like that. I was surprised that you weren't Nigerian. Or maybe you are, operating through the Netherlands. I just wish I could have strung you on and screwed you over before you had a chance to know what was happening, like the guy that went through the tattoo ritual thinking he was going to get money in the end. I will just do what I can and alert as many people as possible and contact whatever authorities I can.

You went through a lot of hassle, setting up a fake 'Buyer Protector' website, setting up a site that clicks through to the US Army website. With all that skill you should think about working on the 'good' side. You would feel much better about yourself. And you can make 'honest' money.

So, to bid you adieu, I hope you get what you deserve and even worse. I just hope no one fell for this vile scam.

Oh, and check this out: you're in someone's blog!!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/threatchaos/

-Karen

Check out Richards blog at the above link. Also check out the comments that he got. It's a riot!

So the moral of the story is: if the price looks too good, it is. And NEVER send money. NEVER.

Au revoir, amies!