In a message dated 8/4/2006 10:41:34 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, JYoung6180@aol.com writes: Yes--it was--I got that one also. Joan yesterday I got something from them outlined in blue and today one in green about Travel Odd Sharonmc2002

The CEO email I received did not indicate anything embedded. The message itself was plain white. At the top there was a blue banner with AOL and the triange stating this was an important message from AOL's CEO. Nothing about this looked "official". It was like any other email. Judy In a message dated 8/4/2006 10:41:34 AM Eastern Standard Time, JYoung6180@aol.com writes: > My email yesterday from AOL's CEO came with a white envelope embedded > with a red AOL triangle and also little red box indicating there was in > embedded picture in the email, so I'm wondering, was that really "Official AOL > Mail"? >

In a message dated 8/4/2006 9:35:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, Kaesemein@aol.com writes: My email yesterday from AOL's CEO came with a white envelope embedded with a red AOL triangle and also little red box indicating there was in embedded picture in the email, so I'm wondering, was that really "Official AOL Mail"? Marilyn Yes--it was--I got that one also. Joan

In a message dated 8/4/2006 8:29:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Decampnews@aol.com writes: Maybe AOL has dropped the "blue envelope" on the inbox for a blue background when the mail is opened. This is what happened with the recent mails from AOL's CEO, and I can't imagine anything more official than that! ------------------------------------- My email yesterday from AOL's CEO came with a white envelope embedded with a red AOL triangle and also little red box indicating there was in embedded picture in the email, so I'm wondering, was that really "Official AOL Mail"? Marilyn

In a message dated 8/4/2006 5:00:42 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Wrakj1234@aol.com writes: NOW TELL us the way we can tell if it is legit? I was told by an AOL person the envelope had to be blue but we don't get those any more, believe me when I say none of them are any more, so what do we look forward to? Maybe AOL has dropped the "blue envelope" on the inbox for a blue background when the mail is opened. This is what happened with the recent mails from AOL's CEO, and I can't imagine anything more official than that! If that's true, then AOL has forgotten that the purpose of the blue envelope was to warn us before even opening the e-mail. Wilson

In a message dated 8/4/2006 12:01:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, Wrakj1234@aol.com writes: I thought AOL had something on their sight to stop spam and wrong emails. AOL uses spam filters and scans all incoming mail for viruses and worms....but some spam and phishing emails still come through. We have to use common sense in dealing with those and recognizing them. Joan

I thought AOL had something on their sight to stop spam and wrong emails.

Good for you and I hope they do something about it.ew

In a message dated 8/3/2006 2:36:59 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, Wrakj1234@aol.com writes: NOW TELL us the way we can tell if it is legit? I was told by an aol person the envelope had to be blue but we don't get those any nore, Believe me when I say none of them are any more, so what do we look forward to? I received a letter from the AOL CEO this morning telling me about all the lucky folks who will get AOL free because they had access to some other way to get online than the dial-up which I have. The envelope in the list of mail was not blue but when I opened the e-mail it said Priority AOL Mail in a medium blue on a light blue background. At the top of the e-mail box was a dark blue box w/ AOL, the symbol and "An Important Message from AOL's CEO in white. So if you open the mail you might find that it has the official heading, but not in the listing any more. As to the possibility of phishing on your computer, don't you find it a bit of a coincidence that this happens each time you have actually spoken with an AOL rep? Why would the rep go phishing, he already has all your info. As I understand it, an outside company contracted by AOL takes the survey to see what kind of service you received from the AOL rep. This is your chance to tell them your complaints if in fact that particular AOL rep was no help to you. Gail Vacaville, CA

Got one today purporting to be from AOL billing,saying that there was a problem with my May billing and the credit card to pay it. Red Flag I don't pay the AOL billing, my husband does I forwarded the whole shebang to AOL spam. Let them worry about it. Virginia Green

In a message dated 8/3/2006 2:37:02 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Wrakj1234@aol.com writes: NOW TELL us the way we can tell if it is legit? I was told by an aol person the envelope had to be blue but we don't get those any nore, Believe me when I say none of them are any more, so what do we look forward to? -------------------- Official Corporate Messages from AOL still come in the ol' blue envelope. However, the email messages asking us to evaluate recent tech help do not. And NOTHING from AOL will ever ask you for your password. As for any phishing emails, like spam, they are a part of the Internet and all you can do is delete them or report them. To report them to AOL, use the Forward feature (do not copy and paste the offending email) and send to TOSReports. You will probably not get back any response. Sharon

Well, I just got one the other day, so they are still using the blue envelopes. It so happened that the last AOL phishing letter I received was from the AOL billing Dept. I had just upgraded my credit card #. The AOL Billing dept said do NOT ever use the links in it but go to Keyword Billing. I get all kinds of Phishing letters. Most notably from EBay and PayPal. Since I have never used either one I knew it was fake. EBay gave me an E-Address to use to forward them to EBay. Was getting about 3 or so a week, but now down to about one per month. Got one the other day from my own bank. They tell me they never sent it. Gave me an E-Mail address for forwarding. Get all kinds of these Phishing letters. The ones that really bother me are these AOL/Tech conversation letters I receive. Jeannie Below are two of the responses from E/Bay Hello, Thank you for writing to eBay regarding the email you received. Emails such as this, commonly referred to as "spoof" or "phished" messages, are sent in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or financial information from the recipients. The email you reported was not sent by eBay. We have reported this email to the appropriate authorities. In the future, be very cautious of any email that asks you to submit information such as your credit card numbers or passwords. If you are ever concerned about an email you receive from eBay, simply follow these steps: 1. Open a new Web browser and type www.ebay.com into your browser address field to go directly to the eBay site. 2. On eBay, sign into your account and click the "My eBay" button at the top of the page. 3. Check the My Messages section located at the top of the My eBay page. If an email affects your eBay account, it's now in My Messages. Any email sent to your registered eBay email address from eBay or from another eBay member via eBay's member-to-member communication system will now appear in My Messages. Just remember, if you get an email to your registered eBay email address that looks like it's from eBay about a problem with your account or requesting personal information, check My Messages first. If it's not there, it's a fake email. If you still have any doubt about whether an email message is from eBay, please forward it immediately to spoof@ebay.com. Do not respond to it or click any of the links. Do not remove the original subject line or change the email in any way when you forward it to us. If you have already entered sensitive personal information, financial information, or your password into a Web site based on a request from a spoofed email, you should take immediate action to protect your identity and all of your online accounts. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself. http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-account-theft-reporting.html To review eBay's new tutorial about Spoof Emails, please see the following Web page: http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/ To help you better protect yourself from fake eBay and PayPal Web sites, we have developed a feature for the eBay Toolbar called "Account Guard." Account Guard includes an indicator of when you are on an eBay or PayPal Web site or a known spoof (or "phishing") site, buttons to report fake eBay Web sites, and a password notification feature that warns you when you may be entering your eBay password on an unverified site. To learn more about the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard go to www.ebay.com, click on "Downloads" at the bottom of the page, and then click on the "eBay Toolbar" link. Once again, thank you for alerting us to the spoof email you received. Your efforts help keep eBay a safe and fair place to trade. Regards, eBay SafeHarbor Investigations Team Original Message Follows: ------------------------ [ Attachment 1.3 Type: message/rfc822][ Forwarded message displayed below ] From: "eBay" <aw-confirm@ebay.com> Subject: FIP NOTICE: eBay Registration Suspension - User Agreement - Abusing eBay Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:54:29 -0500 [ End of Forwarded Message 1 ] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Thank you for contacting us about a potential fraudulent (spoof) email or Web site. We will investigate this situation immediately and inform you of the results in a separate email. If you are reporting an email or a Web site that is asking for personal financial information, it is best to assume it is fake until you receive a response from us. In order to reply as quickly as possible, we are sending you an automated response about the following topics: 1. IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES 2. USING EBAY TOOLBAR WITH ACCOUNT GUARD 3. PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT AND INTERNET SECURITY Please submit other questions or concerns through our Contact Us System, which can be accessed by clicking on the "help" button on the top of any eBay page. This allows us to dedicate our resources appropriately. 1. IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES The best defense against fake emails and Web sites is learning how to spot them. You can learn more about fake emails and Web sites through our Spoof Tutorial at the following Web page: http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/ You can also use My Messages (located at the top of the My eBay page) to detect Phishing emails. If an email from eBay affects your eBay account or asks for personal information, it's now in My Messages. Any email sent to your registered eBay email address from eBay that concerns your account or requests personal information will now appear in My Messages. 2. USING EBAY TOOLBAR WITH ACCOUNT GUARD One of the best tools to protect yourself from fraudulent (spoof) Web sites is eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. The Account Guard feature indicates when you are on an eBay or PayPal Web site and warns you if you are on a known spoof site. To learn more about eBay Toolbar with Account Guard open a new browser and type www.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar into the address bar. 3. PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT AND INTERNET SECURITY We recommend that you keep your browser, operating system, and virus protection software up to date. Check for updates at the "Windows Update" link on www.microsoft.com and scan your computer for viruses often. If you think your personal information has been compromised in any way, you should take immediate steps to change your eBay, PayPal, and email passwords. You should also contact your bank to see if there has been any suspicious activity on your account. You can find more information about protecting your identity at the following help page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html Thank you again for sending us your report. We appreciate your efforts to keep eBay and PayPal safe. Regards, eBay Trust & Safety Team

NOW TELL us the way we can tell if it is legit? I was told by an aol person the envelope had to be blue but we don't get those any nore, Believe me when I say none of them are any more, so what do we look forward to?

In a message dated 8/3/2006 5:25:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, PhyllisM19@aol.com writes: When I tried to install 9.0 SE on my new computer a box came up saying that what I had was a newer edition than the 9.0 SE that I was starting to install from a disc. I thought Limited edition was some kind of shortened version -- so can this be right? Phyllis Same thing happened to me. Got the limited edition with a new computer, it gave me a lot of problems, AOL wouldn't let me install 9.0 SE from a disk, so I deleted all traces of the Limited Edition and installed 9.0 SE.

Hi List, When I tried to install 9.0 SE on my new computer a box came up saying that what I had was a newer edition than the 9.0 SE that I was starting to install from a disc. I thought Limited edition was some kind of shortened version -- so can this be right? Phyllis

In a message dated 8/3/2006 11:36:56 AM Eastern Standard Time, Miltone@aol.com writes: In a message dated 8/3/06 9:00:49, AOLers-RootsWeb-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > In the New AOL will we have to pay to have a web site on aol? > Or is a web site part of the freebie aol? We won't know unless we ask on an individual basis but unless advised otherwise my gut feeling is that we can continue as we had been doing and paying AOL a minimal monthly fee for "bring your on access" and retain ALL the services we normally expect-including webpages and customer service, or we can go to the free option and maintain the basics but possibly lose some of the perks. Joan

In a message dated 8/3/2006 11:37:56 A.M. Central Standard Time, DULCICH6@aol.com writes: It is a way of rating and hopefully improving AOL's techs. If that is the purpose of those surveys, they obviously do no good. Jon Raymond St Paul Park, MN Web site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~raymond/

In a message dated 8/3/2006 9:37:51 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, DULCICH6@aol.com writes: Every time you talk to an AOL tech you will receive an email afterwards asking you for your opinion of that tech's helpfulness. It is not a phishing expedition. It is a way of rating and hopefully improving AOL's techs. You don't have to contribute by responding, but it is helpful if you do. Sharon I have been an AOL member for 10 years so have a decade of AOL experience. I was very careful to state in my letter that what I received was not an official AOL letter. ""afterwards I receive an AOL Phishing letter (not official envelope)" I am well aware of the difference between a real AOL letter and a phishing letter. It was identified by AOL tech as a phishing letter. Jeannie

In a message dated 8/3/2006 9:25:03 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Jeannabee@aol.com writes: My concern was and is that every time I talk to AOL tech on phone, very shortly afterwards I receive an AOL Phishing letter (not official envelope) concerning the topic addressed w/the AOL tech. ---------------- Every time you talk to an AOL tech you will receive an email afterwards asking you for your opinion of that tech's helpfulness. It is not a phishing expedition. It is a way of rating and hopefully improving AOL's techs. You don't have to contribute by responding, but it is helpful if you do. Sharon

>> In the New AOL will we have to pay to have a web site on aol? >> Miltone@aol.com writes: > Or is a web site part of the freebie aol? ++++++++++++++++++ Frustrating. AOL hasn't said a word about the fate of existing web sites for those who convert to free AOL. I've found places to write AOL, and I've asked under two different screen names, but haven't received a response. And I've wondered about the size of web sites that free and paid AOLs will provide. Although AOL has been asking site builders to limit their web sites to 2K per screen name, the actual size allowed per screen name has been experimentally found to be 100K. That's 700K of web space total currently to paid AOLers. I'd sure like to know what AOL is planning to do with that 100K per AOLer in the future. Woody