I don't know whether to laugh or cry

[Shmuel Metz]

I want PDF files for the July-October 1996 issues of Analog, without
having to register for anything. I naïvely went to google and found
foo.bar, which purported to be a free download site. They asked for an
email address, and I gave them foo.bar@myISP. Their brain-dead web
page doesn't handle + signs in the local part, nor does it have the
common decently to say what it's whining about, just a message that
the valid address is invalid. So I gave it an address of
foo.bar@myISP.

Now the fun begins. For "verification purposes" they want my CC
number. What sort of idiot would give them one of his CC numbers for a
free service?

Is there a bank that will issue a special credit card where *ANY*
use[1] of the card is automatically treated as fraud and passded on to
the authorities.

[1] An actual attempt to access funds, not just a validity check.

--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <http://patriot.net/~shmuel> ISO position
Reply to domain Patriot dot net user shmuel+bspfh to contact me.
We don't care. We don't have to care, we're Congress.
(S877: The Shut up and Eat Your spam act of 2003)

[hymie!]

In our last episode, the evil Dr. Lacto had captured our hero,

Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spam...@library.lspace.org.invalid>, who said:
>Is there a bank that will issue a special credit card where *ANY*
>use[1] of the card is automatically treated as fraud and passded on to
>the authorities.

Bank of American offers "virtual credit card numbers" designed for
on-line use. They have both a dollar maximum and an expiration date.
So I guess you could create a card, give it a two-month (the minimum)
expiration and a $5 value (I don't honestly know if there is a minimum
value).

As far as I know, usage won't be "fraud", it will just be declined.

--hymie! http://lactose.homelinux.net/~hymie hy...@lactose.homelinux.net
My fitbit says I've walked 1361 steps today (as of 09:22).

[David Scheidt]

"Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz" <spam...@library.lspace.org.invalid> wrote:
:I want PDF files for the July-October 1996 issues of Analog, without

:having to register for anything. I naïvely went to google and found
:foo.bar, which purported to be a free download site. They asked for an
:email address, and I gave them foo.bar@myISP. Their brain-dead web
:page doesn't handle + signs in the local part, nor does it have the
:common decently to say what it's whining about, just a message that
:the valid address is invalid. So I gave it an address of
:foo.bar@myISP.

:Now the fun begins. For "verification purposes" they want my CC
:number. What sort of idiot would give them one of his CC numbers for a
:free service?

Well, gee, a "free service" that offers pirated material might be a
scam? What a shock!


--
sig 43

[Shmuel Metz]

In <mivll6$na6$1...@reader1.panix.com>, on 05/13/2015

at 02:04 PM, David Scheidt <dsch...@panix.com> said:

>Well, gee, a "free service" that offers pirated material

You know that how? The material might be out of copyright, or they
might have permission from the copyright owner. I know of free online
material in both of those categories, sometimes even on the author's
web site.

[David Scheidt]

Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz <spam...@library.lspace.org.invalid> wrote:

:In <mivll6$na6$1...@reader1.panix.com>, on 05/13/2015

: at 02:04 PM, David Scheidt <dsch...@panix.com> said:

:>Well, gee, a "free service" that offers pirated material

:You know that how? The material might be out of copyright, or they
:might have permission from the copyright owner. I know of free online
:material in both of those categories, sometimes even on the author's
:web site.

It's in the first line of your original post.

--
sig 92

[Shmuel Metz]

In <mk0n5d$i4r$1...@reader1.panix.com>, on 05/26/2015

at 02:52 AM, David Scheidt <dsch...@panix.com> said:

>It's in the first line of your original post.

Have you verified the copyight status of the early isssues?