The Police Don’t Like It!
Surprise! Surprise!
The police don’t like the fact that David Cameron is calling in Bill Bratton.
I’ve met a few high ranking policemen and with one glorious exception, they were not a bunch I warmed to.
They generally want to do things their way and just be given the funding to make their own successes and failures.
I once heard a comment from someone who was selling technology to a particular Police Force. The Chief Constable said that he wanted the best system that money could buy, but he didn’t want the company to sell it to any other Force.
Surely, with Police technology and equipment, it should all be standardised, so that each force uses the same equipment, vehicles and computers for the same jobs. Some have said that the dreadful Soham murders happened because two Police Force computer systems were incompatible and couldn’t talk to each other.
Imagine what would happen if the computer systems at Barclays couldn’t talk to those at Lloyds and HSBC.
Chief Constables are always harping on about their links to the local communities and that every Force has different needs. If you believe some of the stories in the reputable Press, some of them have been behaving in the manner of rather poor dictators, led much more by the rules of the Data Protection Act and the Health and Safety Executive.
They must accept that they don’t have a monopoly of knowledge on policing in the UK.
China’s Fake Apple Stores
It would appear Apple has a problem.
Keith Madeley MBE
I have received spam from someone claiming to be this guy and a company called HoneyPot mail. As my reputable spam filter marked his message as junk mail, I binned it. I suggest you do the same.
He might be a genuine person or he could just be a very bad e-mail marketeer. After all, I couldn’t find an unsubscribe on the e-mail, which is against the ICO rules.
You Wouldn’t Want To Mess With Mary
I was alerted to this blog post by The Times this morning.
It’s all sensible advice and we need more Marys to come forward to give the crooks a good kicking.
Academic Year 2011/12 Payment Access Review Alart
I received a phishing e-mail with this title today. Note how alert is spelled.
This is the body of the e-mail.
This is a message for all students receiving grants and loans from the Students Loan Company. You are required to verify your account information in order to avoid any delay in your loan/grant payments. You can do this by visiting http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/
Yours Sincerely
Student Finance England
Please do not reply to this email as it has been automatically produced from an address which cannot accept incoming mail.****************************** ****************************** ******************* The information from the Student Loans Company Ltd contained in this e-mail is private and privileged. If you have received this e-mail in error be advised that any use is strictly prohibited. Please notify us and delete the message from your computer. You may not copy or forward it or use or disclose its contents to any other person.
As internet communications are capable of data corruption it may be inappropriate to rely on advice or opinions contained in an e-mail without obtaining written confirmation of it. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses, however we do not accept any liability or responsibility for resultant virus infection. Opinions and views expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender and may not reflect the opinions and views of The Student Loans Company Limited.
The Student Loans Company Ltd registered office is at 21 St Thomas Street, Bristol, BS1 6JS and it is registered in England Company No. 02401034, VAT No. 556 4352
Note that the Student Loan Company details are correct, but that the e-mail points to a web site called gankotimata.com, which has these registration details.
Domain Admin (contact@privacyprotect.org)
ID#10760, PO Box 16
Note – All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Nobby Beach
null,QLD 4218
AU
Tel. +45.36946676
The phone number is actually in Denmark and the website is in Australia. Enough said!
Who is behind this I do not know, but please don’t contact them, unless you want to give them your student finance.
But these scams seem to be getting more and more sophisticated and believable.
A Web Site Not To Use
In my previous post, I mentioned that some web sites, when you access them, open a new browser with a full page advert.
I find this practice very unacceptable. I know that some of the more sleazy tabloids use this practice, but I just opened the web site for the Daily Express. I got a very unacceptable advertisement in another copy of my browser. Incidentally, when I closed this unwanted browser window, it immediately reopened and only by closing the original page containing the Daily Express web site, was I able to continue without being interrupted by offensive advertising.
So I shall be continuing of my policy of never having bought this rag in my lifetime! And I’ll never look at their web site again, unless there is a story there, that I have to look at. But I haven’t needed to yet!
I shall be reporting them to someone. But who?
Unwanted E-Mails From Respected Companies
When I sign up to buy something from a company on-line, I always make sure that the direct marketing links are checked or unchecked, so that I don’t get any marketing e-mails. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that a good on-line marketing code, that might even be the law, states that you must be able to opt-out of any direct marketing. So I always do.
Obviously for my on-line banking and utility suppliers, I don’t opt out of receiving informational messages like my new bill is ready, but these are not direct marketing.
Recently, I got a promotional e-mail from a respected company that I use, where I knew that I’d set the marketing e-mails settings, so that I don’t get any.
I reported this to the company and they said it shouldn’t happen, especially as the offer was genuine.
On checking I found that the e-mail had not come to the e-mail address, I commonly use, but to an old one that I used to use a couple of years ago. I still monitor this address, as some of my old friends still use it and haven’t updated their e-mail address for me.
It then became obvious what had happened. It had been sent by an e-mail marketing company and they were using a list, which contained my old e-mail address. I’m not sure how they obtained the e-mail, but I could have signed up with any number of companies several years ago and one of these didn’t have an acceptable non-pass on policy. Incidentally, I have checked and find that I still use the e-mail for a couple of subscriptions, so these companies may have sold on the the details. I’m not going to name anybody here, as I can’t be sure how the marketing company obtained the e-mail address.
But this does show a very big dilemma for the marketing departments of respected companies.
If say you are doing a promotion and feel that because it may have popular appeal, you might want to give it to a marketing company, who have a list of e-mail addresses, that they have obtained legitimately.
But this list might contain the e-mail addresses of your current customers, who have signed up with you not to receive marketing e-mails. Some may find this unacceptable and may take their business elsewhere.
So how can you ensure that a marketing list used by a third party, does not contain old or unused e-mail addresses of your current customers.
To put it simply, you can’t!
The only way to ensure it, is not to employ a third party marketing company, that uses e-mail. After all, if you want to obtain new customers through the Internet, you can always use embedded web adverts in respected web sites, like newspapers and broadcasting companies. I have bought quite a few products from this type of advert in the quality newspapers. But I would avoid using adverts that pop-up in a new web browser, when you access some of the tabloid web sites. They just annoy.
After all, you get more business from an existing customer, who you don’t annoy!
One company I deal with is always sending me unwanted e-mails, despite settings to say they shouldn’t. Unfortunately, I need to deal with them, but when I can find an alternative, I will cease my involvement with the company.
Ed Milliband Ignores The Internet
According to one of my favourite columnists, Sathnam Sangera, Small Brain wants to introduce new media rules. But what is he going to do about the increasing power of the Internet? Probably nothing! Although many would like all Internet-connected computers to have a government spy system in them! As Sathnam says, in a few years time, there won’t be too many journalists.
But let’s hope there are lots of entertaining columnists and bloggers.
The Anonymous Widower 