Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1998)
Net surfers beware: Scams run rampant on-line A new pamphlet issued by the Federal Trade Commission warns Web users about fraud By David Ryan Freelance Heporter Internet surfers beware. The Internet is home to scam artists doing what they do best — ripping people off. The Federal Trade Commis sion, a government agency that regulates businesses, recently published a consumer informa tion pamphlet informing World Wide Web users on how to spot potential scams. “Fraud is rampant on the Inter net,” said Patricia Leigh, contact representative for the FTC. Leigh said the FTC has posted a Web site documenting the types of fraud consumers have encountered in the past. “Every type of fraud that’s list ed under the investment category and the telemarketing category is also being conducted on the Inter net,” Leigh said. Some of the most common are pyramid scams, seminar scams and Internet access scams. A pyramid scam “is any attempt to make money on the presupposi tion of the ever- increasing supply of fools,” said Dave Bush, a profes sor of marketing at the University. “You might get a letter telling you to send money to [the person who sent you the letter],” Bush said. “Then you’re supposed to get two more people to also give mon ey to [the person who sent you the letter].” For recruiting these new people into the scheme, the original per son sends you a payment. Bush explained the problem with pyramids: “The hangup of the whole thing is that if you get out your calculator, you can figure each level [of the pyramid] in creases by a power of two. You need a very, very large pool of peo ple or else the pool dies — roughly die population of India. What hap pens is a bunch of people get stuck at the end.” Another kind of scam, seminar scams, tell surfers they can earn Avoiding fraud The FTC recommends caution when conducting business on line: ■ Make sure you receive all of a company's claims or promises in writing. Scam artists will be scared away by that demand. R Investigate any company’s list of claimed references by calling them. Scam artists often use phony references. R Do not take a company's claims of what your earnings will be at face value. Talk with people — in person—who have bought the offer. SOURCE: www.ftc.gov big bucks as a result of being trained at a free seminar. All a surfer needs to do is attend a free seminar. “(Seminar scams are] a pretty common type of fraud,” Bush said. “People who are really thirsty to know more about their business can be susceptible to them.” According to the FTC’s pam phlet, the Internet version usually involves a scam artist who prints an Internet yellow pages. Leigh described the process: “[The scam artist] will go to peo ple and say that you are perfect for this Internet consulting job — just attend our free seminar and we’ll train you.” The "training” surfers receive turns out to be a high-pressure sales pitch to buy space to adver tise themselves as Internet consul tants on their yellow pages. The result is that surfers receive no training and scam artists receive advertising revenue. “The reason these seminar schemes work is because they don’t charge that much for what they want people to buy,” Bush said. Another type of fraud involves Internet access. It works like this: surfers encounter a company on the Web that tells them they can earn lots of money as a walk-up In ternet access kiosk owner. “People don’t want to run vend ing machines, but they do like the [Internet access] idea,” Leigh said. “I think the appeal is that because it’s high tech, if you get in early on the deal, you are guaranteed to be successful.” The company promises to place the Internet kiosks in high-traffic areas such as airports and shop ping malls. Instead, what happens is that the company places the kiosks in low-rent, low-traffic ar eas. Leigh did have some basic ad vice for surfers: “If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.” “When something sounds too good to be true, take a step back,” Leigh said. “You are as vulnerable on the Internet just as if you got a call from some stranger asking for your credit card number.” Surfers can research companies on the FTC’s Web site at www.ftc.gov or by calling the FTC at (206) 220-6363. There is also the Better Business Bureau at (503) 226-3981 and Dunn & Bradstreet, a credit investigating company that will give a company’s credit profile fora fee. Student Senate approves $200,000 request for EMU elevator By Kristina Rudinskas Student Activities Reporter The Student Senate approved a motion 15 to 2 to give $200,000 from the Overrealized Fund to the EMU board to assist in the con struction of an elevator granting wheelchair access to the Oregon Daily Emerald, International Stu dent Lounge and Adell McMillan Art Gallery. "We can’t start a project without funding,” explained EMU board member and Senator Jenna Was son. “You don’t want us to dig a shaft without an elevator.” The Senate granted the money on the requirement that the EMU board return the $200,000 if stu dents refuse to pass a ballot mea sure raising incidental fees to fund $330,000 of the total $550,000 cost. The elevator would bring the EMU up to American Disabilities Act standards required by the gov ernment. The EMU has been in vi olation of those standards since the wheelchair lift in the stairwell broke about a year ago. “Compliance of ADA standards doesn’t seem like something we should be voting on because it’s the law,” said Senator Michael Ol son. Debate ensued for an hour over in the student senate. Many sena tors were concerned with deplet ing the Overrealized Fund, which would only have $87,000 remain ing for the Senate to access the rest of this year. Many senators voiced their concern with keeping the in cidental fee down next year. Project Saferide was granted $2800 by the Senate to repair transmissions on two of their cars that had recently broken down. The Senate approved a line item transfer of funds for the Singapore Student Association and a trans fer of ASUO funds from payroll to pay for the extra $385 cost of run ning this year’s election. Jewish Student Union Presents: Holocaust Remembrance Week April 19-23 April 20 THE NEXT GENERATION EMU FIR ROOM 7:30pm One girl’s personal understanding about her Grandfather’s story of survival. The grandfather, daughter, and granddaughter give an intergenerational presentation. April 22-23 Reading of the Nantes A EMU Amphitheater (EMU Breezeway if rain) ^ Join us for opening remarks by the JSU at 6:45 pm to start off the 24hr. reading of the names and a closing candlelight ^ vigil at sundown for personal reflection ™ about the week. April 19-23 Holocaust Visual History EMU FIR ROOM Pictorial self tour. Open lOam-llpm ^ AftlftCtl The chronicle of one woman’s victory through faith, over Nazism while she is confined to a concentration camp. Sunday, April 19, 2 pm in Beall Hall. Pholo © Tony Hayden, Aloha Studio/Gallery A One-Woman Musical Performance Tickets are available at EMU Ticket Office and at the door: 85 Students/Children, 87 Community Tickets will also be on sale Friday, April 17 from 10-4 in front of University Bookstore. For more info contact JSU @ 346-4366 ETSo GO Sponsors: ASUO • Cultural Arts Committee at TBI • Cultural Forum • UO-Hillel • Jewish Federation of Lane County • LGBTA • ASUO-MultiCultural Center • Religious Studies Department • Survival Center • ASUO-Women’s Center f University Briefs UO ranks 9th among ‘wired colleges’ For the second year in a row, the University is ranked among the top 10 colleges and universities for on-line ser vices. The May issue of YAHOO Internet Life magazine ranked the University ninth among “America’s 100 Most Wired Colleges.” Peterson’s, a publisher of college guidebooks, collabo rated with the magazine to deepen and strengthen this year’s survey. Questions about on-line registration and Internet censorship as well as statistics on the number of public computers available on campus and lab waiting time rounded out the survey. The top 10 wired colleges are (in ascending order): Dart mouth College, New Jersey In stitute of Technology, Massa chusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Poly technic, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Carnegie Mellon University, California Institute of Technology, Indi ana University at Blooming ton, University of Oregon and Worcester Polytechnic Insti tute. —Ben Romano The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University ot Oregon, Eugene. Oregon. A member ot the Associated Press, the Emerald op erates independently ol the University with offices in Suite 300 ol the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use ol papers is proseculable bylaw. NEWSROOM - T46-SS11 Editor in chief: Sarah Kickler Managing Editor. Nicole Krueger Community: Michael Burnham, editor. Tricia Duryee, Jesse Sowa Entertainment: Evan Denbaum, editor. Shannon Sneed Higher Education: Ten Meeuwsen, editor. Ben Romano, Amalie Young Perspective: Michael Schmierbach, editor. Chris Hutchinson, illustrator Jonas Allen, Kameron Cole. Hannah Dillon, Jett Shaw, columnists Student Activities: Doug Irving, editor. Michael Hines, Chris Kenning, Kristina Rudinskas Sports: Alex Pond, editor. Joel Hood, Rob Moseley Copy Desk: Holly Sanders, copy chief. Brian Deka, Kelly Schulze, Shannon Sneed News Art: Matt Garton, editor Pamela Sirianni. CaraStrazzo Photography: Amanda Cowan, Rose Fung, Laura Goss, Nick Medley, Kristen Sullivan On-line: Jake Ortman. editor. Nicholas Strffler, webmaster Freelance: Carl Yeh, editor ADVERTISING — M6-A712 Becky Merchant, director. Yujin Chi, Leigh-Ann Cyboron, Brian Diamond. Chris Erickson, Lindsay Knaak, Andy Lakefish, Justice Rhodes, Erick Schiess, Rose Soil, Chris Suydam, Emily Wallace, CLASSIFIEDS — VMW, Anne Nielsen, manager. Heather Moye, Angela McGrath, Gillian Bentley BUSINESS — *&Vil2 General Manager: Judy Riedl Business: Kathy Carbone, business supervisor. Judy Connolly, recepbonist. Distribution: John Long, Joy Sears, Dave Ovall PRODUCTION — L46-4S8I Michele Ross, manager. Tara Sloan, coordinator. Shawna Abele, Joselyn Bickford, Laura Daniel, Susan Head, Leah Lekas. Laura Lucas. Leanne Nelms, Brandt Nelson, Broc Nelson, Katie Nesse, Sylvia Tewes
