How to Tell Fake Phishing E-Mails from Real Ones

There is a very easy way to tell a fake phishing e-mail from a real one.

One immediate clue is to receive it from a bank where you have no account. That one is obvious (you would think) but still you'd be amazed how many people take such mails seriously despite the fact that they know they don't have an account at the said institution.

More importantly:

Such e-mails ALWAYS include a web URL link that they want you to click and visit to "update your critical security information" etc.

BEFORE clicking it, HOVER your cursor on the link and then look at the STATUS BAR at the bottom of your browser window to see the REAL ADDRESS that the link is pointing to.

If that address has nothing to do with the real-looking URL in the letter, then you can rest assured that you are the target of a phishing expedition that could drain your bank account before you know what.

Most of the time, such real addresses will have foreign country suffixes at the end since they are usually sent by scam artists from other countries. That would be a dead giveaway as well.

Remember: the e-mail address from where the e-mail seems to be originating from means NOTHING since it can easily be faked. Once I even received a scam mail from MY OWN E-MAIL ADDRESS! Wow... the scam operators really went overboard with that one without being aware of it.

The URL typed inside the body of the mail also means nothing because it is just plain text.

But the real web address to which that text is linked - that cannot be faked that easily.

Just hover your cursor over any link that you suspect and find out the real address the link is pointing at. That can save you a lot of unnecessary headache.

High Cost of Bad Information Design!

Poorly designed fax sheet causes police to evacuate more than a dozen businesses in Massachusetts!



This faxed page released by the Ashland Police Dept., shows a fax as it was to appear as a promotion sent by a marketing group Wednesday, May 30, 2007, to a Bank of America branch in Ashland, Mass.

A faulty fax arrived at the Bank of America's Ashland office Tuesday night omitting portions of the fax.

A bank employee misinterpreted the message Wednesday as a bomb threat causing authorities to evacuate more than a dozen neighboring businesses. (AP Photo/Ashland Police Dept.)

FrameMaker Tip – How to Set Up Your INDEX page numbers correctly

FrameMaker, like all powerful tools, can be frustrating if you do not know how to use it properly.

For example, FM has one of the most reliable and versatile book indexing functionalities under the sun. But setting it right might require paying attention to what’s going on in the Reference Pages and one particular paragraph tag within that page.

If you think your Index page numbers do not look right, do the following:

1) Go to your Reference Pages by selecting View > Reference Pages from your main menu.

2) In there, make a search for the Index tags by pressing Ctrl + G to display the GO TO PAGE dialog box.

3) From the Reference Page drop-down list, select “IX” and click the GO button.

4) Once you are in the Index reference page, find the building block(s) with the paragraph tag “IndexIX”. This step is very important. Just place your cursor on the building block(s) and read the corresponding paragraph tag in the status bar, at the bottom of your screen.

If there are no building blocks in the Index reference page with the IndexIX tag, you will not have any page numbers showing up in your Index.

If that is the case, type in <$pagenum>. Launch your Paragraph Designer and assign the IndexIX tag to that building block. That will display your Index page numbers.

If you have just <$pagenum>, your Index entries will be followed only by plain page numbers.

If you would like to have chapter numbers precede the page numbers, then you need to add another building block before the page number building block:

<$chapnum>-<$pagenum>

If you want your Index page numbers in bold and red (let's say), select all the IndexIX blocks, launch your Paragraph Designer, and make the necessary font changes. Apply the changes and you are done.

Note: For all such changes to take effect, you need to save the Reference Pages, go back to your Body Page view, and update your book index.

You Said "Testimonials"? Here are some!

Rare is a microsite which really hits the ball out of the ballpark with testimonials so many and so good that they almost sell the product by themselves.

Here is one such microsite that should be studied by all copywriters and marketers as to how the testimonials should be handled:

http://www.losethebackpain.com/backpainreliefguide.html

1) There are so many testimonials on this web site that you cannot even count. You end up saying "I'll be darn - even if only half of them are telling the truth it still is amazing!"

2) Almost all of them are accompanied by real names, real towns, and PHOTOS of real people. Very effective. The fact that some of them are riding horses or in sports gear earns EXTRA BONUS POINTS since this is a site about getting rid of back pain.

3) There are quite a few sound files, ready for you to listen. Now you decide ALL of the testimonials must be true.

Also note how they are offset from the main body text with a light green screen. It is important to visually differentiate the testimonials from the rest of the text for easy reading.

By the time you reach the end of the page you KNOW that this product works, definitely.

Three Masters of Copy who are not “Copywriters”

“Copy” simply means prose, and good copy is any piece of text that communicates well.

There are many master writers who turn out exquisite pieces of copy who are not “copywriters” since they do not write direct sales copy. But they still sell, albeit indirectly, the products, personalities and services that they so skillfully review.

Since they are so good with the words, you also don’t want to be around them when they don’t like your product or service. Their mighty sword uplifts and reflects light on their favorite objects. But the same instrument can also cut and dissect like a laser beam.

Here are the three non-copywriter masters of the copy that I read regularly:

1) Frank Deford is an award winning sports author with fifteen books, a Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated and a commentator on NPR.

Here are some Deford samples:

“Clemens, the best pitcher of this era, engages in an annual peek-a-boo. He retires in autumn, and then, like a perennial, decides to bloom again in the spring.”

“More often, though, there is the likes of Terrell Owens, diagnosed with modesty deficiency syndrome…”

“For many athletes, New York City is an intimidating place to play. Fans have high expectations and aren't afraid to boo players who disappoint them. If you can take it there, you can take it anywhere.”

For more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4499275

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2) Rex Reed is a movie critic at New York Oberver.

Here are some samples from Reed:

“…Mr. Fraser as Jamie, a frustrated, simmering wimp with a streak of mendacity waiting to surface and torch…”

“…director Rydell balances every move on the head of a pin…”

“Jane Fonda can do just about anything, but first you have to give her something to do.”

“This movie is so bad people are taking bets to see how long they can stay awake without snoring.”

“Directed by Marc Evans, Snow Cake suffers from the same faults that plague most Canadian films: It drones itself to death with the pace of a drunken ant, and the ending takes longer than to arrive than Christmas morning.”

For more: http://www.observer.com/culture_rexreed.asp

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3) Warren Brown is an automobile reviewer at The Washington Post.

Here are some Brown samples:

“If pickup trucks were a religion, most of the owners of those vehicles in Asheville would be fundamentalists.”

“Witness the all-wheel-drive 2006 Infiniti M35 X sedan, a motorized treaty between excess and practicality.”

“…finished with elegant rosewood for older, more traditional customers who know that life's bits and bytes are relatively meaningless without its poetry.”

“Sitting in the car is akin to fitting one's body into a rich, comfortable glove. It is a rare instance in which status plays second fiddle to seduction.”

“Head-turning quotient: Oh, Bess! Honey, you snapped necks everywhere with your bad self…”

“I much prefer dancing -- spending an evening with salsa, samba or tango. There is just as much sweat in such movement; but the experience is more enjoyable, memorable -- like driving a DB9 along a beach road in Coronado at twilight.”

For more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/columns/autos/brownwarren/

SCAMGLISH Gives Away E-Mail Scams

If you are not sure if an e-mail offer is a scam or not, just look at the English with which it is written.

Almost all scam letters have ungrammatical, awkward, stilted and sometimes outright laughable English (or, "Scamglish") since the text is copied and pasted many times over during the life cycle of the scam, without hardly any proofreading or anybody taking the time to make sure it is a grammatically correct letter. I doubt if some of them can even write or speak standard English.

Scam artists do not have the time for such niceties, thanks goodness. Otherwise how would we immediately recognize them?

Here are some recent gems that ended up in my mail box today... Enjoy!

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“You would be paid $450 every two weeks to a total of $900 per month.”

“Commission: 10% of every money order/check that is cashed instantly "cash in hand"
or "cash on counter" is what you get from the total cashed amount.”

“…our company supports any fees.”

“Thank You for taking your time to read our offer.”

“…we do not have a payment receiving personnel in these Areas.”

“I am very happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds transferred…”

“Furnish him with your informations like; Your full name.............”

Editing is a Process

ORIGINAL: This multi-pack approach saves space in the parking lot but with a lessening of system reliability.

BETTER: This multi-pack approach saves space in the parking lot but decreases system reliability.

BEST: This multi-pack approach saves parking lot space at the cost of decreased system reliability.

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ORIGINAL: "Your ticket price includes both free parking as well as free pop-corn."

BETTER: "Your ticket price includes free parking as well as free pop-corn."

OR: "Your ticket price includes both free parking and free pop-corn."

No Testimonials? No Problem!

Testimonials are important in marketing. Nothing beats a real testimonial singing the praises of your product or services.

When I write marketing copy for a client, testimonials are among the first inputs I ask for. They really make a difference in the tone and credibility of the copy.

But sometimes the business would be so new that the client would not have any testimonials yet. So what do you do then?

My solution is to write “hypothetical testimonials” that express my client's rendering of what an imaginary prospect would have thought or said had she in fact used the product or service in question.

This way I avoid committing a misrepresentation (by inventing a real testimonial that does not exist) while planting the seeds of a realistic and positive outcome in the prospect's mind. When a real testimony does not exist, I think that's the best a copywriter can do without crossing over into the misrepresentation territory.

For example, imagine you are Linda Smith, a (fictional) Real Estate buyer's agent and you have commissioned a copywriter to draft a copy introducing your services without any real client testimonials.

Then I would recommend something like the following, written with your voice:

“...

And imagine yourself moving into that home of your dreams overlooking the Pacific Palisades, with three bedrooms and a media room in the basement. I can imagine you out there in the balcony enjoying the sweet ocean breeze and thinking:

This is exactly what I always wanted, down to the monthly payments right within my range! I have no idea how Linda Smith did this but I won't worry about that part...

...”

The copy in italics clearly is a hypothetical testimonial since it expresses your thoughts (as "Linda Smith") about what a prospect MIGHT be thinking after purchasing a hypothetical home of her choice.

I think a sales or web copy with such hypothetical constructs would be more powerful than without them. And since you make it very clear that it is no more than a figment of your client's imagination (“ I can imagine you out there ... and thinking”) there is no misrepresentation either.

A “hypothetical testimonial” is a legitimate copy device that you may choose to employ when you do not have any better input from your client.