CLICK AND DOUBLE CLICK: MAD ABOUT BOGUS ADS, SPAMMERS AND HOAXES

We all know sex sells. But how about death?

In what has to be one of the most twisted advertising campaigns in recent history, clothing giant Benetton has picked three death row inmates as their new poster children. One of Benetton's new fashion models is Jerome Mallet of St. Louis, who killed Highway Patrol Trooper James Froemsdorf in cold blood 15 years ago.

Mallet's is one of the faces you see when you jump aboard the Benetton Web site.

www.benetton.com

The idea for the campaign is to put a face to death. But one has to question using a sales strategy that glamorizes killers. Meet our killers, and oh by the way, you'd knock them dead in that sweater.

But if the outrage occurs, are we playing right into Benetton's hands? Is publicity -- no matter good or bad -- just what they want with such ludicrous advertising campaigns?

Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani, who took the death penalty photos, created the campaign "Looking Death in the Face." He has created other controversial campaigns for Benetton like the AIDS patient who looked like Jesus.

Instead of Mallet's face, Benetton should have considered a photograph of widow Sarah Froemsdorf and her three children. Surely it's easier to whip up sympathy for these victims of crime than Mallet, who when asked what he wanted for his last meal said with a laugh: Cindy Crawford. You can read his alarming interview, as well as those of the two other convicted killers, on the Benetton site.

The best thing about the site is an e-mail address: press@benetton.it. Take the time to let them hear your voice of outrage. I did.

OK, I'm on a roll. Let me vent about other things that make me mad: Like spam. My e-mail address at work fills up every day with get-rich schemes and solicitations from people I've never even heard of. Where does it all come from and how can I stop it?

Experts say it is no longer prudent to send a return reply to spammers telling them to quit sending their messages. It simply tells the spammer your e-mail is an active account and that you looked at the advertisement. Even if they don't send another e-mail, they may sell your name to a fellow spammer.

www.scambusters.com

This site has received thumbs-up from various publications. Here, you can read about the top scams of the year and how to stop -- or at least reduce -- the amount of spam and bulk e-mail you get.

They also recommend to NEVER buy anything from people who spam you, even if you want it. It only encourages them.

Randy Cassingham, author of the "Getting Rid of Spam" article, encourages you to examine your own computer and take advantage of spam filters in your e-mail program. Yahoo, Hot Mail and other free e-mail programs also offer anti-spam services.

He also says there is a federal law in the U.S. known commonly as the "junk fax law" that makes it illegal to send unsolicited advertising by fax. People are working to amend the law to include e-mail spam in the prohibitions. You can find out more at the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, or CAUCE, site.

www.cauce.org

According to this group, unsolicited commercial e-mail is the leading complaint of Internet users. But it's more than annoying. They claim it costs users and Internet-based companies millions every month in bandwidth, customer service and systems administration.

They estimate about $2 of every customer's monthly bill can be attributed to electronic junk mail and other forms of spam. But perhaps the biggest cost of all, they suggest, is that spam is damaging customers' opinion of the Internet and e-mail.

They're right on the mark.

They want others to help promote the cause and contact your congressman by snail mail. That's right, lick a stamp. They say congressmen pay little attention to e-mail because they get so much. They provide suggestions of what to say.

How much of this junk e-mail are chain letters, bogus warnings or hoaxes? Plenty. A good site to help you separate fact from fiction is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.

ciac.llnl.gov

Click on the Hoaxes button on the top right hand side of the site.

This site is provided by the "Computer Incident Advisory Capability" of the Department of Energy. It lists dozens of alleged hoaxes along with some advice on how to identify a hoax or valid warning and what to do if you think the message is a hoax.

The site is provided as a public service, but CIAC says up front it doesn't have the resources to investigate every hoax. Some of these sound familiar like the hoax about Bill Gates and the Disney giveaway. I got that e-mail.

You can also jump over to their page on chain letters, which describes such jewels as "Penpal greetings," "Make Money Fast," "Bud Frogs Screen Saver," "A Little Girl Dying" and many more.

How do you recognized a chain letter? They have three distinct parts: A hook, a threat and a request.

What happens if you get a possible hoax or chain letter? The CIAC gives some suggestions, but the best advice is don't send it to anyone else.

You can report Internet fraud to the National Fraud Information Center.

www.fraud.org

This organization was first established in 1992 to fight telemarketing fraud, but it expanded to Internet fraud in 1996.

They offer some solid Internet tips for online auctions, business opportunities, credit card safety, travel offers, scholarship scams, sweepstakes and prize offers and more.

They also have an online incident report form, which could come in handy. In 1998, online auctions were named the number one Internet fraud complaint. I'll check back later about what topped the 1999 list.

After all that venting, I feel better. How about you? See you in Cyberspace.

Joni Adams is managing editor of the Southeast Missourian. You can e-mail her at click@semissourian.com.