Glossary of Webspeak & Scams

Before trekking the Web, here are some terms that you might encounter:

ADDRESS

location of an internet site.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A series of 128 alphanumeric characters and sometimes referred to as plain text.

AU (.au)

common audio file format.

AVI (.avi)

(Audio/video Interleave)- commom video format used for video clips on the net.

BANDWIDTH

the amount of information transmitted over a particular network.

BINARY

a number system which utlizes "0's" and "1's" to represent data stored on the computer.

BITMAP

a image format common on the net.

BITS PER SECOND (BPS)

measurements of speed at which a modem transmits information over a network. Most modems transfer information at 14,400 to 56,000 bits per second.

BOOKMARK

this online function operates like a bookmark for your favourite book, by allowing you to access your favorite web sites quickly.

BROWSER

software that allows you to navigate the net and view a web site. The most common web browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Communicator.

BULLETIN BOARD/NEWSGROUP

places to electronically post your message that anyone can read and respond to. Advertisers and promoters can get your e-mail address from bulletin boards and newsgroups.

CACHE

a location on your hard disk used to store date from your web page to improve retrieval times for previously visited web pages.

CHAT ROOM

a place for people to talk online by typing messages to each other.

CLIENT

an internet program to interfaces or interacts with another internet application.

COOKIE

when you visit a site, a bit of information can be stored to a file " known as a "cookie" in your computer for future reference. If you revisit the site, the "cookie" file permits the web site to identify you as a "return" guest - and offer you products suited to your interests. You can disable the cookie feature from your browser or set your online preferences to limit or let you know about "cookies" that a web site places on your computer.

CRAMMING

unscrupulous internet service providers will charge you for services you never ordered. Refer to Cramming.

CYBERSPACE

another name for the Internet.

DAY TRADERS

online investors who buy and sell a stock on the same day hoping to make profit from any small increments in price.

DIGITAL CERTIFICATES

a software tool installed in your computer browser which identifies you to web sites equipped to automatically check it. These sites can authenticate your identity.

DOWNLOAD

the transfer of files or software from a remote computer to your computer.

E-MAIL

electronic messages sent from one computer to another computer through the Internet.

ENCRYPTION

refers to the encoding of information that is transmitted from one site to another. The sender and the receiver of the encoded information have installed on their computers the secret codes on their computers permitting decoding. These codes are called keys. For further information, read Protecting your Privacy on the Internet.

FAQ's

This is an acronym that stands for Frequently Asked Questions. FAQ's can be located on many websites. The owner of the site provides a page which sets out frequently asked questions of his site and the answers to those questions. The benefit of a page with a FAQ's is that the visiter's questions are usually indicated on this page and the operator of the site does not have to spend time answering the same questions previously posed to him or her.

FLAME

a reference to describe a heated exchange of words over the web.

FILTER

software that blocks access to web sites and content that you determine to be unsuitable.

FREEWARE

a program or application that is available to be downloaded from the internet and used for free.

FTP (File Transfer Protocal)

a set of instructions or guidelines for the exchange of files between computers.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

common image format.

HIJACKING

a virus which reconnects your server to the internet through an international telephone number resulting in enormous phone charges.

HIT

is the number of websites which was found by a search containing the keyword that you entered into the keyword field of your search engine.

HOMEPAGE

the main page of a website.

HOST

the name of a particular computer of a larger network.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

the language by which the elements and style of a web page are established.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocal)

a set of instructions between the host computer and a web browser.

HYPERLINK

a link to another web page.

INTERNET

the universal network that allows computers to communicate with other computers in anywhere in the world.

INTRANET

a private network of computers that allows the private members to communicate with other members. Intranet networks have been set up recently by certain companies so that clients can do online business with the company without the fear of having any information intercepted by unauthorized third parties.

IP ADDRESS (Internet Protocal Address)

a specific number associated with a particular machine on a network or over the net. The IP address for www.fraudbureau.com is 207.245.206.170

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

system which enables people to communicate real-time via text based format.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

Fiberoptic digital lines that enable high speed transmisson of data.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

a service that allows you to connect to the Internet through the use of a modem and the required software.

JAVA

a programming language popular for use on the net.

JPEG (Joint Photgraphic Experts Group)

a common image format.

KEYWORD

a word you enter into a search engine to begin the search for specific information or web sites.

LINKS

highlighted text (also referred to as "hypertext") at a web site which when clicked on by your cursor allow to go directly to other parts of the same web site or to other web sites.

LISTSERV

an electronic mailing list format used by a large band of discussion groups.

LOGIC BOMB

a computer program that is executed at a specific pre-determined time to cause damage to another computer program or data on your computer.

LURKER

someone who views but doesn't participate in a particular discussin or forum on the net.

MODEM

an internal or external device that connects your computer to a phone line which permits you to connect to the internet if you are a member of an Internet Service Provider or directly to another computer.

MOUSETRAPPING

A term referring to the inability to exit a scammer's site by using the "back", "forward" or "exit" buttons of your browser as a result of programming code in the scammer's website page which effectively disables such buttons.

MOV (.mov)

a popular video encoding format.

MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group)

video file format.

MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING

online pyramid schemes where you are promised to make lots of money by recruiting others into a program. Read our article on Online Pyramid and Multi-level Marketing Scams for more information.

NETWORK

a system of interconnected computers exchanging information with one another.

NEWBIE

a new user on the internet.

NEWSGROUP

a section of the Usenet sytem relating to a particular subject of the internet on which individuals posts comments or exchange views.

NEWSREADER

a program designed to read and retrieve newsgroup postings.

ONLINE SERVICE

an ISP which has organized its site features relating to news, education, entertainment and shopping features.

PACKET

data transmitted into smaller units for transmission over the net.

PAGE

each screen of a website.

PAGEJACKING

A term describing the diversion of a internet user from his or her intended web destination page to a scammer's site page.

PASSWORD

a personal code that you use to access any account you have with your ISP or any online service of which you are a member. Refer to our article on Passwords which sets out tips on choosing an appropriate password.

PING

a program for determing another computer's connection status on a network.

PLUG-INS

small applications and add-ons that "plug-in" to your web browser giving your browser more tools and options.

PROTOCAL

an established set of rules by which computers communicate with one another.

PUMP AND DUMP

this refers to the stock scam of a stock promoting pumping up a stock price and dumping the stock by selling to innocent investors who then see the price of their stock before they have had a chance to sell their stock.

PRIVACY POLICY

a statement on a web site describing what information the site collects about you, and how the site plans to use it. Not all sites have privacy policies but more and more sites have decided to post them. Feel free to read our Privacy Policy.

QUEUE

a list of e-mail messages waiting to be sent out.

SCREEN NAME

your online name when you communicate on the internet. Many people change their online name to protect their identity. Your ISP may allow you to use several screen names.

SEARCH ENGINE

a function that lets you search for information on the internet. You can find search engines usually at your ISP website and on many other web sites.

SECURE SITES

sits which create a secure line with its authorized user. Information that is passed between your computer and the secure site is encoded. Usually, to do business with a secure site, requires the operator of the site to give you a password which once used creates a secure connection between your computer the site. Go to Protecting Your Privacy on the Internet for more information.

SERVER

a host computer on the net.

SHAREWARE

software that is downloadable free on the net but which the author expects a payment after a trial period if you keep the software.

SHILLS

referring either to a person who drives up prices of items listed on an online auction so that the seller will get more for his or her item or a person paid by a company to tout the business opportunity that the company is trying to market. In this latter case, the shill will talk about how much money he has earned and how easy it is to make money.

SIGNATURE

lines of personalized information that you can add to the end of an email message like your name, business title and electronic signature.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

a transmission protocol for sending e-mail.

SPAM

unsolicited commercial junk e-mail.

TROJAN HORSE

an unwanted and unknown instruction in a computer program which performs an unwanted function.

UPLOAD

transfer of files from your computer to another computer.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

refers to a website's address. For example, http://www.fraudbureau.com is the URL for the Web Fraud and Complaint Bureau. The last letters at the end of the URL give you information about the type of site you are visiting. For example, ".ca" means that you have visited a Canadian site. Other countries use different endings. Government URLs end in ".gov". and non-profit organizations and trade associations end in .org. Commercial companies usually end in ".com", although additional suffixes or domains are now being used as the Internet grows.

USENET

term for internet news and newsgroups.

VIRUS

a file that you have downloaded onto your computer that can damage files and disrupt your system. Read our article on Computer Viruses which tell you when you can and cannot pick up a virus.

WAV (.wav)

a common audio format for computers.

WEB SITE

A site connected to the internet where you can look at and retrieve data. All the web sites in the world, linked together, make up the World Wide Web or the "Web." For example, you are now looking at the Web site of the Web Fraud and Complaint Bureau.

ZIP (.zip)

a compressed file format that requires a decompression utility to decompress such as Winzip.

Send us an email if there is any term which you have encountered on the Web but which is not referred to here and which you would us like to clarify.