5. What are some common internet scams? Example: click scams, international modem dialing, paypal fraud, pump-nd-dump stock fraud, advance fee fraud. Nigerian 419, Spanish Prisoner, craigslist pay first scam. How do these scams work? How does the internet/web make this kind of fraud easier to perpetrate?

Here is some preliminary research I've done and the sources:

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/nigerian-scams.html#nigerian-scams
The "Nigerian 419" scam is titled this because 419 is the section of the Nigerian criminal code that the scam violates. The scammer claims in an email, craigslist ad, etc., that they need help accessing a large sum of money and they will allow you to keep a percentage of money in exchange for your assistance. Once you agree to help, you are charged fees (for taxes, etc.) and the main goal is gained access to your bank account.

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/CraigsList_scams.php
It is becoming increasingly popular on CraigsList for buyers to offer to sent money orders for more money than you're asking, and request that the remainder be sent back via Western Union. The money order will be bad, and they will have your money for good. This website gives a list of clues, one of the most important being "strange" English, most likely written by a Nigerian.

From personal experience, one of my friends signed up to be a "personal assistant" (she found the job on Craigslist) and her first job was to help this "artist" access a large sum of money. To do this, they first sent her a check to deposit in her own bank account, and then she was to take out some of that money to pay a fee. Luckily, she thought something was weird and quit in time. Another friend tried to buy a puppy off of Craigslist and encountered the second type of fraud listed above.

http://thespamdiaries.blogspot.com/2009/06/spanish-prisoner-scan-on-rise.html
The Spanish Prisoner Scam: Someone writes to you claiming to be a wealthy man stuck in a Spanish prison. He asks for bail and promises to pay you back (and then some) once he's out of prison. Secrecy is emphasized, and he usually says he cannot give his name because he's under the prison system with an alias.

http://darkreading.com/blog/archives/2009/06/facebook_419_im.html;jsessionid=3FSX1Z1DG5ICTQE1GHRSKH4ATMY32JVN
Here's a facebook scam about being held at gunpoint in London and needing money for a flight to get out.

Day 17

152.33.57.228 is my IP address

I've always wanted to own a boutique and name it "Strawberry Fields" since my last name is Fields, so I looked up the domain on www.whois.com. Unfortunately, strawberryfields.com is taken by a cheese company (??) and strawberryfields.net wasn't registered because they failed to comply with whois.com regulations. I visited strawberryfields.net and found that it's a site dedicated to keeping the memory of John Lennon alive. I JUST checked out strawberryfields.com and it turns out it's a site for think-tank services, so I don't know how reliable whois.com really is.

Registrant:
Belton Cheese Limited
Belton Farm
Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 1JD
UK

Domain Name: STRAWBERRYFIELDS.COM

Administrative Contact:
Strawberry Fields
Barbara Rainford
Prees Green
Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 2BN
UK
01948 840102

Day 16:

I was sent the word "knCUDATE", but after discussing with my sender, I was supposed to have received "incudate". I received the binary code correctly, but the sender didn't translate ASCII into binary properly. I sent out the word "xylocarp". I could not find either of these words in an online dictionary.

With the whole class using the random method of sending/receiving, it took about an hour for me to get my 8-byte message. It took about 45 minutes for me to send my 8-byte message. I found it easier to send a message, because once you establish that it's your turn to send, all you need to do is read the numbers. When you are receiving a message, you need to record and interpret it. If you're doing this, it keeps you from sending another message until you're finished. Theoretically, you could send consecutive messages if there are no collisions, but it would be much harder to receive consecutive messages.

Some difficulties arose during the random method, because people often tried to go at the same time by blurting out the second someone else was finished. Usually more than one person had this idea, and in the lull that came after the collision, someone else could get a word in. When we tried to do sender/receiver (hot potato type approach), many people were left out of the loop and were not able to send or receive any messages.

To make the process more efficient, I would suggest moving in a circle and pausing for a moment of silence if you're finished sending. This hesitation will let the next person know they can go.

Day 15: Bus Topology

To handle the issues of addressing and communication conflicts in a Bus network, each computer would be assigned a subgroup and a number, as in the classrooms here. (by room number and computer number, i.e. 201-13) This would give a smooth method of addressing the computers. If everyone was trying to use the server at once, common requests (open firefox) can be automated so that a simple shortcut instruction is sent through the buses. These tasks would take up less room, and others would be carried out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Day 7: Labs

LAB 1:

To redesign the punch card system, we assigned letters A-Z values from 1-26. When added, the numbers punched in each column equal one of those values and represent a letter. To show symbols, a 0 is punched and then a number.
0=space
01=.
02=,
03=?
04=!
05=:
06=;

Here we've coded "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla tellus cras amet."LAB 2:
To decipher the binary code, we used this binary translator:
http://www.roubaixinteractive.com/PlayGround/Binary_Conversion/Binary_To_Text.asp

"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."

The translator must have seperated the chunk of numbers into bytes (groups of 8 bits), because each byte stands for a specific character. It strung the letters together and gave us our answer.

Day 6: Punch Cards

Punch cards were an IBM invention used in early mainframe computers, banks, instruments, textile looms, etc. for permanent data storage. They are pieces of stiff paper with 80 columns of 12 rows, and they can be read according to the presence or absence of holes. To read a punch card, you must understand that each column represents one figure. Start with the leftmost column and decipher rightward.



Consult the key above for a visual aid:

-If there is only one punch in the column, the data represents the NUMBER that is punched.
-If there are two punches in the column, the data represents a LETTER.
-As you can see on the key, one of the punches will be in the top margin, and another will be
on a number. There are two possible levels for the punches in the top margin, and the
the row with 0s also serves to show letters. Three levels are necessary because there are 9 rows, therefore each level can only stand for 9 letters. The first tier represents A-I. Each of these letters has a numeric value 1-9. (For example, A=1, B=2, C=3...I=9. Therefore, if there is a punch in the top line of the top margin, and a second punch on the number 3, the data is "C".) The second line in the margin stands for letters J through R. Again, each of these letters is assigned a value 1-9. If there is a punch on the second blank line and the number 1, the data is "J". Finally, punches on 0 represent the rest of the alphabet (unless only 0 is punched, in which case the data is 0.)
-If there are three punches in the column, including one in the top three lines (like the alphabet), one number, and one "8", this represents a symbol. The system is the same as the alphabet. Consult the key for how to represent each symbol. (example: a period is top row in the margin, 3, and 8.)

Day 4: Comments on classmates' blogs

http://jackiecsc111.blogspot.com/2009/09/burning-questions.html

http://virginiacsc111.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-two-hardware.html

Day Two: Hardware

What is the computer doing when you can hear it running really loudly (usually while it's going slow or there is a delay)? Is it the fan? Does this mean your request is too much for the computer to handle? Does it do eventual damage to your computer?

Day One: Triumph of the Nerds

Stereotypes of Computer Nerds in 1995:
1. Young Males
2. GLASSES
3. Always working on computers, no time for other things

Most of these stereotypes still hold true, although there seems to be less programming and more with the internet and web design now. Most are still males, and contacts are probably more prevalent now. If I were to make a movie, the stereotypes would stay the same but they would be working on much more advanced software like we have today.

About Me

My name is Linsey and I'm a senior here at Elon. I hate science, so I'm taking this computer class instead to fill my non-lab science credit. I'm a member of Phi Mu and I live off-campus with my best friends. I'm a Corporate Communications major and I'll be very sad to leave this place in May!