Several MAPS-L members have sent in copies of the warnings that have
been appearing about the International Internet Association. These warnings
and other traffic have appeared onmany other lists. I do not know, nor can
I tell from available information, the status of this association. There are
many ways to get access to the Internet other than through a college computer
center. Before you spend a lot of money on access you should check around.
In any case what follows are the warning messages sent in by MAPS-L members.
Johnnie Sutherland
Moderator, MAPS-L
JSUTHERL@UGA
----------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 5 Jan 1994 10:16:35 -0700 (MST)
Debbie Lords <[log in to unmask]>
WARNING: IIA
To follow-up the warning message sent about the Int'l Internet
Association, I did a "finger" on [log in to unmask] The response
to the request was "Host unknown".
Thanks, Rowan, for the warning.
Debbie Lords
University of Utah
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Wed, 5 Jan 1994 08:09:57 -0800
Rowan Fairgrove <[log in to unmask]>
FYI: WARNING Int'l Internet Assn
Multiple recipients of list ASIS-L <[log in to unmask]>
I am cross-posting this information from another mailing list.
Please consider it a public service announcement. I'm sure
may of you have seen this company's notices and wondered if
they could be for real. They seemed too good to be true...
------ Forwarded Message
Tue, 4 Jan 1994 16:18:44 -0500
Scott A. Ward 703-614-4719 <[log in to unmask]>
Multiple recipients of list COMMUNET
Warning: International Internet Association
A company calling itself the International Internet Association, and billing
itself as "the largest non-profit provider of free Internet access in the
world" has started advertizing in the Washington, D.C. area, and offering
free
Internet accounts to individuals who will FAX them, among other things, a
credit card number. As an active member of the Member Council of the
National
Capital Area Public Access Network (CapAccess), I wanted to find more about
this organization that supposedly has offices NOT THREE BLOCKS FROM
CAPACCESS.
Here's the result of my search for the IIA.
1. Their address, listed as "Suite 852 - 202 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington
D.C. 20006", is actually a post office box at Mailboxes, Etc.
2. The company lists no incorporation, trademark or service-mark licenses.
3. They claim your E-mail address would be <userid>@iia.org. However:
a. No iia.org is listed in the hq.af.mil hosts table
b. No iia.org is listed in the acq.osd.mil hosts table
c. No iia.org is listed is the INTERNIC 'whois' database
d. No iia.org is listed using the INTERNIC 'netfind' Internet lookup
In other words, IIA.ORG does NOT, at this time, exist.
4. Although they apologize profusely in the application, they state that
"Without receiving a credit card number, the IIA _cannot_ process an
account."
5. Although I have left a message on their voice-mail system, I have
received
no response from them. (they also apologize in the voice mail that, due to
demand, they are operating at a 3-week backlog for applications.)
I cannot judge an organization in advance. However, I do think it highly
suspicious that, to use their propaganda, "The International Internet
Association is able to make this service available through generous private
donations, and the extraordinary dedication of its membership." I can say
that
I am not convinced this organization exists, and highly discourage any
Internet
user from sending information until you make certain that the IIA is real.
------ End of Forwarded Message
Rowan Fairgrove
Research Librarian
Ricoh California Research Center
2882 Sand Hill Road, Ste 115
Menlo Park, California 94025-7022
[log in to unmask]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Thu, 6 Jan 1994 12:43:59 -0330 (NST)
Alberta Wood <[log in to unmask]>
Internet access alert (fwd)
This has had various postings, but it looked like something that MAPS-L
folks should know about, too.
Alberta
Alberta Auringer Wood, Map Librarian, Memorial University of Newfoundland,
St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3Y1. phone: 709-737-8892; fax:
709-737-3118; Internet: [log in to unmask]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Wed, 05 Jan 1994 15:02:02 -0600 (CST)
"Andrew Hubbertz, University of Saskatchewan Library"
<[log in to unmask]>
[log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
Internet access alert
The following message was posted to GOVDOC-L. I am forwarding it to
GOVINFO, CARTA, and CAPDU-L.
Andrew Hubbertz
University of Saskatchewan Libraries
[log in to unmask]
...........................................................................
A company calling itself the International Internet Association, and billing
itself as "the largest non-profit provider of free Internet access in the
world" has started advertizing in the Washington, D.C. area, and offering free
Internet accounts to individuals who will FAX them, among other things, a
credit card number. As an active member of the Member Council of the National
Capital Area Public Access Network (CapAccess), I wanted to find more about
this organization that supposedly has offices NOT THREE BLOCKS FROM CAPACCESS.
Here's the result of my search for the IIA.
1. Their address, listed as "Suite 852 - 202 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W. Washington
D.C. 20006", is actually a post office box at Mailboxes, Etc.
2. The company lists no incorporation, trademark or service-mark licenses.
3. They claim your E-mail address would be <userid>@iia.org. However:
a. No iia.org is listed in the hq.af.mil hosts table
b. No iia.org is listed in the acq.osd.mil hosts table
c. No iia.org is listed is the INTERNIC 'whois' database
d. No iia.org is listed using the INTERNIC 'netfind' Internet lookup
In other words, IIA.ORG does NOT, at this time, exist.
4. Although they apologize profusely in the application, they state that
"Without receiving a credit card number, the IIA _cannot_ process an account."
5. Although I have left a message on their voice-mail system, I have received
no response from them. (they also apologize in the voice mail that, due to
demand, they are operating at a 3-week backlog for applications.)
I cannot judge an organization in advance. However, I do think it highly
suspicious that, to use their propaganda, "The International Internet
Association is able to make this service available through generous private
donations, and the extraordinary dedication of its membership." I can say that
I am not convinced this organization exists, and highly discourage any Internet
user from sending information until you make certain that the IIA is real.
Scott Ward (703) 614-4719
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Vice-Chair, Public Relations Volunteer Service Manager (VSM)
National Capital Area Public CapAccess Community Center
Access Network (CapAccess) [log in to unmask]
[log in to unmask] "go community"
|
