Security @Home

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Scam artists add new
arrow to their quiver:
Caller ID

Tribune--Caller ID isn't the trusty old crystal ball that it used to be.


Revered for years by persnickety consumers who like to screen their telephone calls, the premium service is now being appropriated by identity thieves.

Such scams are made possible by technology that enables con artists to manipulate the phone number and even the name that shows up on the unsuspecting recipient's caller ID, allowing them to masquerade as officials of churches, banks and courthouses.

Known as "spoofing," the endgame is to persuade consumers to reveal their Social Security numbers or other sensitive information. Spoofing is the phone industry's version of phishing, in which criminals use fake e-mails to fool computer users into divulging personal information. But phishing is so yesterday compared with spoofing, one security expert says. More....

Money Matters @Home

Are you thinking about buying one of those cool retro Vespa Scooters and save a little money and time on your commute? You might want to reconsider. Do you already own one and can't seem to get it fixed? Here's the story from Crain's

Chicago scooter market in disarray after city's only Vespa dealer goes under

A modish image and $3-a-gallon gas are pushing sales of Vespa motor scooters to record heights in U.S. cities — but not in Chicago.

With the area's only Vespa dealer in bankruptcy, the Italian manufacturer has stopped shipping new scooters here. Vespa of Chicago is selling what's left of its inventory out of a single location in Lincoln Park.
And while the dealer insists it is still open for sales and service, many Chicagoans are having better luck buying Vespas out of town, from dealerships as far away as Downstate Edwardsville.
Meanwhile, local scooter owners say they don't know where to get their Vespas fixed.

Chris Oles bought his scooter in June 2005 from Vespa of Chicago's parent dealership, West Suburban Imports in Maywood. This month, he called to inquire about a 3,000-mile tune-up, only to learn that the dealership had closed."It's like if I bought a Yugo and all of a sudden Yugo went out of business," says Mr. Oles of Chicago, who owns a silver Vespa LX.
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Not @Home

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10 things to do this Weekend

1. DANCE. CHICAGO FOLK AND ROOTS FESTIVAL 2006, the Old Town School of Folk Music's annual music extravaganza in Lincoln Square's Welles Park, is as inclusive as it sounds. Check out five stages of live bands of all shapes and sizes. July 7 and July 8, 12:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission is $5, $1 for kids and seniors. Lincoln Avenue, between Montrose and Sunnyside avenues. 773-728-6000, www.oldtownschool.org.

9 More from Crain's