The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them.

Hi there and a big, warm welcome to our new readers. We're so happy to have you with us.

Summer is officially here although we haven't been able to prove it by the weather in most places. It's also been about three or four years since we've seen the benefit of the 'longest day of the year' due to overcast skies or rain.

If you've been following the postings to the Home 4 Success channel this week or so, you'll notice we've covered a range of topics which fall within the pervue of theft of identity, falsifying headers in email as well as spoofing and phishing scams.

I found an interesting article called Five Ways to Fight ID Theft that you might want to take a few minutes to read. As they say "What's more valuable than your own good name? Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the country." Admittedly this article is geared more towards corporations but does offer suggestions on how to protect yourself and your information.

It also ties in well with today's Feature Article from Bob Osgoodby, It's Your Money. As Bob suggests, we become immune to many of these scams but there is always someone willing to be a little more creative and if you aren't paying attention, it could cost you - big time.

Steve Goodier is the author of today's Special Feature, One Of Your Greatest Assets. Our imaginations are extremely powerful tools, particularly if they are put to good use.

Have a great day and keep smiling.

Publisher, KIT and the Home4Success Channel
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http://www.home4success.com/kit2004.html

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An Effective Alternative to eMail

Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby

Most of us think of hype as exaggerated or extravagant claims, made especially in advertising or promotional material. Sometimes it is deceptive and deliberately misleading. While we have become a bit immune to this through constant exposure, it always seems that someone comes up with a fresh approach that is not immediately recognized. There are a number of "Red Flags:" being raised.

Con artists have been around since the beginning of time, and are always willing to take advantage of another "hot prospect". But every scam has "red flags" and a little common sense should prevail so you do not fall prey to them. Let's examine a few we get by email everyday.

You get an email from what looks like the Bank you deal with, or Paypal. It could also be from VISA or AMEX, and in all cases you click a link and are taken to what “looks like” their official site. It requires you to sign on giving your ID, password or pin number. Guess what – if you do – you’ve just been had. These are “look alike” sites designed to capture this information from the gullible, and you WILL be a victim of identity theft. These institutions do not send out email asking for this information. If you get one, forward it to the fraud division of your Bank or Credit Card Company.

"Complimentary Vacation Package" - this one has been around a long time, but it still survives on the web. It starts off with "Congratulations! You will be our guest in Orlando, Florida, home of Walt Disney World, for 4 days and 3 nights. All compliments of major Vacation Resort Developers." Reading it, you might feel you have won a contest. In actuality, this is not the case. It is a high pressure sales campaign designed to sell you a "timeshare" vacation package.

Another variation promises deeply discounted vacation packages. You pay for a package that seems great on the surface, but in reality is either third rate accommodations or doesn't exist at all.

"Guaranteed Winner" - they state - "You're going to get one of these top five prizes, guaranteed!" In this scam you normally send some information, and either return it by email or fill out a form on a web site. They require that you supply your telephone number to be eligible. You will then be contacted by a telemarketer who confirms that you have been chosen for one of the five "valuable" prizes; however, you must pay a processing fee for handling, customs duties or taxes, and you must send a check or money order to them by overnight mail. The prize usually winds up being small trinkets of minimal value, discount coupons or vouchers, worth far less than what you paid.

Or, you might receive an e-mail informing you that your order has been received and processed, and your credit card will be billed for the charges. The trouble is, you haven't ordered anything. They contacted you using bulk email, using inactive return addresses which prevent you from refuting the orders by email. They do provide a telephone number in the area code 767, which is actually in the West Indies. They try to keep callers on the line as long as possible, and you are reportedly billed as much as $25 per minute. Be aware that your local telephone company may bill for services provided by other companies, and not be able to provide you relief.

Another scam still floating about the web offers you a cut of stolen money from Nigeria that was stolen and they need your help getting the money out of the country. They of course want a cut of the money that they claim will be wired to your personal bank account. You of course are expected to pay them their share up front. The money however never arrives in your bank.

One group sends hundreds of thousands of unsolicited emails to people directing them to web sites promoting the Mega$Nets and MegaResource programs. When you visit one of their web sites you can download copies of the software program which contains a list of five names and addresses. The software program and web sites direct you to send twenty dollars to each of five people listed in the software in order for you to get yourself placed at the top of the list of names. This is simply a variation of the old fashioned chain letter. Actually, there are a lot of chain letters floating about the web and all should be avoided.

Another email promises guaranteed Credit Card approval! One group offered Visa cards to the credit-challenged "to put you back in the mainstream of financial life in high style" at an interest rate of only 4.9%. How? Through the magic of using offshore banks in tax haven countries. There is however a $100 processing fee and $25 per month charge regardless of use.

Some people really believe that they have been selected to be in the Internet Version of "Who's Who". This one started years ago and was sent to every company executive in the country - They will include your listing at no charge - oh, would you like a copy? "Send $98 to us and it will be delivered to your doorstep."

There is no way to adequately cover all the scams that permeate the web. Before jumping into any of these "make a million while you sleep" plans, use a little "due diligence" and check them out.

If you see any of these "Red Flags", run, don't walk to your nearest delete button . Remember - it's your money and the money you save will be your own.

Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby’s Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

If you step back far enough, it is easy to see humanity as one.

What you see is evidence of what you believe. Believe it and you'll see it.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
- Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)

Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back.
- Harvey Mackay

Do not look back on happiness or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated out of it.
- Henry Ward Beecher

One Of Your Greatest Assets
by Steve Goodier

One of your greatest assets is ... your imagination!

In his book THE WINNER'S EDGE, writer Denis Waitley tells of high school basketball players who were divided into three groups. Group One was told not to practice shooting free throws for one month. Group Two was told to practice shooting free throws in the gym every afternoon for a month. Group Three was told to "imagine" shooting free throws every afternoon for one hour for a month.

The results? Group One slipped slightly in their percentage free-throw average. Group Two increased about two percentage points. Group Three also increased about two percentage points.

Do you want to excel at some endeavor? Or perhaps improve or change something about yourself? Is there a skill you'd like to perfect? Or maybe you want to replace your fear of something, such as speaking in public or heading up a project with more confidence and courage. If so, then mental practice, visioning success, is as important as physical practice. The time you spend "seeing" in your mind what you are trying to accomplish actually helps to bring it to pass.

Imagine your success. Visualize doing that thing you fear. Get it in your mind. Then imagine your success in that area again and again, like free throws going into the basket. In a short time, you'll likely discover that things really did change for you!

Anatole France said, "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything." Whatever you desire begins in the mind. You can IMAGINE what will follow!

Steve Goodier Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professional speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.

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TextMorph is a powerful ASCII text formatter. It is also a text editor, similar to Notepad. There are lots of text editing programs around, but TextMorph has a number of things that set it apart. TextMorph has a number of "tools" that you can apply to the text, such as converting from text to HTML and vice versa, cleaning up emails (removing all those ">" signs and so forth), search and replace by words OR multiple paragraphs, changing upper/lower case, etc. - all with the click of a mouse! You can also create your own custom tools that utilize the pre-set tools. Plus, with the Multiple File Morph wizard, you can apply tools to a large group of files at one time, without having to open and edit each file. This makes TextMorph an ideal program for people who work with large numbers of text files or archives of HTML or text content, as it can quickly and easily apply formatting to all files.

But most people can benefit from TextMorph if for no other reason than using it to quickly "clean up" forwarded emails. TextMorph is a fairly simple program to use, but it is also very powerful and provides many advanced options including command line processing of files and the ability to actually make your own tools and interface them with TextMorph, which can be very useful to programmers.

TextMorph runs on all 32-bit Windows platforms from Windows 95B on, and is easy to install and uninstall. It has been thoroughly tested on Windows 95B and Windows XP. Complete program information and examples are given in the help file that comes with the program. You can download it here:

Legal Stuff ...

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within KIT.

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.