Alert: Action Required : Upgrade to Latest Acrobat Reader for Windows?

I received a number of these emails just now so it looks like a mass sending of emails is under way to most likely trick people in some way. If you receive any unsolicited emails regarding Acrobat Reader software you should delete the emails.

Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails. Open your browser and go to the Adobe site if you require an updated version of Adobe Reader or other products.

All other emails will undoubtedly by fake with malicious intent. This email has links to a web site which has name servers ending in .ru which indicates Russia. The web site was registered supposedly by someone with an address in London in the UK.

I often wonder why if these emails lead to a valid web site address the site can’t be taken down immediately so no harm is done. The domain registrars should take more responsibility and act quickly to minimise harm to the community. They are after all making money from providing the domains so people can get ripped off so they should take more responsibility for their services.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

 

Red Energy increases electricity Service To Property charge by 25%

When I received the letter from Red Energy regarding electricity price increases it is never a good omen. However when I looked at the Service To Property charge, I was floored. A staggering 25% increase and this is before we see the flow on from the Carbon Tax which will add hundreds of dollars a year to most people’s energy bills.

The problem is I feel we’re being conned by the government. As people install low energy lights, solar panels and other government initiatives, the cost of those initiatives will be put back onto us through our energy bills. We are in effect being taxed indirectly and we can’t see the taxes. The government schemes are not cost effective. Each low energy light which can be purchased for a dollar or two is worth $10 as part of the scheme and we all end up paying for that.

I decided to pay for my own low energy lights, reduce my electricity usage rather than putting in solar panels which would put a cost on myself and neighbours, but now, even though we use under 40% of the average household, that effort is being eroded as the government cost is being put on the Service To Property, which is a cost I can’t reduce.

The irony is those who installed solar panels will soon find their savings completely eroded by the energy credits they now have to pay for via their increased energy bills. A group of 11 neighbours got together and found their saving from installing solar panels to be only around $200 a year. Now with this increase, a significant portion of that saving will have been further eroded. They’re unlikely to ever recover the cost of installing the panels.

What can we do about it? Unfortunately I’m at a loss as to what we can do about. For the government this is about raising taxes indirectly. They know we don’t have any real choices when it comes to power and gas.

When you are reviewing electricity retailers, a very important figure to consider is their Service To Property charge. Don’t just look at the kWh rate. I’ve found some retailers with lower kWh rates to end up being more expensive because of their Service To Property charge. A good technique is to enter your usage for the last 12 months and then compare both the rate and the service to property charges across electricity and gas retailers.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

 

MyAnswers: Google Samsung Nexus S available online for $269.

The following MyAnswers solution 2188 is now available:

Google Nexus S available online for $269.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Many thanks to Anthony Osborne for his articles during 2011.

For those living in the Rowville/Lysterfield area you may wish to keep an eye on the JustLocal blog maintained by Anthony Osborne (www.AnthonyOsborne.com). A big thanks to Anthony for the articles helping to keep the community of Rowville and Lysterfield updated with happenings in their area.

You can read the Rowville/Lysterfield blog at www.AnthonyOsborne.com and also http://justlocal3178.blogspot.com.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

MyAnswers: Brother all-in-one unit MFC-885CW shows NO CARTRIDGE.

The following MyAnswers solution 2187 is now available:

Brother all-in-one unit MFC-885CW shows NO CARTRIDGE on the display even though there is a cartridge installed.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Do you know who you're dealing with?

I recently wrote a blog post for Credit Matters to provide atip to help business people check out new businesses they may be dealing with. The blog post is republished here for JustLocal readers.

Have you ever received an email out of the blue and thought you’d be interested in the services of the business. Dealing with a complete stranger is potentially a recipe for a disaster. One technique to gain more information, which I find very useful, is to use the government’s ABN site. You can check out the person’s business details by entering their ABN number or their business name. Whilst this doesn’t mean they’ll be good to deal with, at least you’ve started the review process and the information you gather can be very useful.

For example I met a person who promoted themselves as being very successful in a networking group. When I checked their details they weren’t registered for GST, which meant at the time their business turnover was less than $50,000 a year. I have no problems dealing with other small businesses, but I do feel a little cautious when people try to portray themselves as different from what they are. With another business in Eltham, I wanted to purchase a dishwasher, but since I couldn’t find their business name in the register I didn’t feel confident in using their business.

I check out businesses a number of times a week and going to the government web site, and then through their pages, I found was a bit slow. To speed things up I created a search engine I could add to Internet Explorer. The search engine is the field in the top right of Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8, and in Internet Explorer 9 the search engine has been combined with the field where you enter a web site address. A lot of people don’t even know the search engine feature is there but I find it a very useful feature. I can now enter the ABN number or the company name, select the ABN search by number or name, and presto, I have their details.

If you regularly check ABN details for businesses and would like to install the ABN search engines in Internet Explorer, visit the “Fun With Search” page I created (http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/search-fun/), scroll down to the Australian Business Number section and click on each of the links to install the search engines. (Don’t set the search engine as the default as more than likely you don’t want the ABN search engine as the default.)

Once the search engine is installed you can search the ABN register by number or name. For example, in the search box in Internet Explorer type “Online Connections” (without the quotes), click on the drop down arrow next to the search field, select “JustLocal ABN (Name)” and you’ll go direct to the ABN site. There you’ll see the first two entries which are for my business.

This is where it gets exciting. You can see the postcode so you know where I’m located. You’ll see two entries so you can see how my business structure has changed over time. You can see the business is registered for GST. Most importantly you’ve confirmed the business is a registered entity.

Checking that a business is registered is just one of the steps you can take to check out a business you may wish to deal with. By adding an ABN search engine to the Internet Explorer browser the task of checking the ABN details becomes very quick and easy. I trust you’ll find using the search engine as convenient as I do.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Alert: Daily Deal - APPLE IPHONE 4S BLACK 64GB 24CT GOLD PLATED

I received a number of copies of an email with the subject Daily Deal - APPLE IPHONE 4S BLACK 64GB 24CT GOLD PLATED.  These emails are fake and should be deleted.

What is interesting about this fake email is that nearly all the links in the email are links to eBay. If you check links before visiting the site to see if the advertisement is legitimate this could trick some people. You need to check all the links and in particular the link you use. The email is well formed and looks like and eBay email which could trick a number of people.

The emails were sent from Italy and the suspect links resolve to an Italian domain.

Take care in the run up to Christmas and the subsequent sales period. A bargain too good to be true probably is.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

"Flash Player Upgrade required" message when in Facebook. - MyAnswers

The following MyAnswers solution 2186 is now available:

"Flash Player Upgrade required" message when in Facebook. I've installed the Flash upgrade. Every time I restart the computer I have to upgrade Flash again as I get the same message. I'm using Windows Vista.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)