Mary Worth 2108

For those of you who just moved into Santa Royale, Toby is referring to an incident seven years ago when she responded to a phishing email allegedly from Enormoushop.com and had her identity stolen. She paid no attention to the tell-tale charge on her credit card from Pretty Porpoises because it was so small, but the consequences were disastrous, and we spent weeks listening to Terry Bryson teach Toby to check her credit score. Of all Mary Worth stories ever, this one has lived on as the most "helpful."

So, by all means, Toby, congratulate Terry on getting a new fiance. She deserves it, even if the familiar territory works in his favor.

I have no idea what they're talking about.

Mary Worth 302

Well, the torturous telephone conversation continues, and we still end today's strip with a close up on Toby's face. Except now she's staggering around her house as if she were in some sort of slasher film. Replace the telephone voice with these words: "Toby, we've traced the call. It's coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!" and you have a much more interesting story.

Will someone please explain to me what "reverse the balance" means? I'm as confused as Toby by this one. I think it means the bank is going to send her $18,000 in Enormoushop.com gift cards where she can order Ireland narrated by Pierce Frosnan. Or Utah narrated by Robert Fredford. Or England by Sir Ian McFellan. But not all three; I don't think she'll have enough money for all three.

Today's Full Strip.

Mary Worth 278

Internet safety quiz:

What should Toby do?

A) Click the link and enter her credit card number, Social Security number, or other personal information.

B) By-pass the link, and go directly to Enormoushop.com to see if there is a problem with the account.

C) Read this.

Let me hasten to warn all my readers. If you receive an email that requires you to click a link to re-enter personal information, or re-authorize an account, or update your credit card, do not click the link. I get them from senders claiming to be PayPal sometimes. By holding your cursor over the link without clicking, you can sometimes see that the link will take you to someplace other than the trusted site. If the URL is something like paypal.fkeosk.com, it is not a PayPal site; rather, it belongs to fkeosk.com.

The best thing to do is just go to the trusted site directly, the way you normally would. If there is a problem with your account, the company will notify you there. But divorcing your husband and getting a life is a good second option.

Belive me, you don't want to be the victim of identity theft, or this could happen to you.

Today's Full Strip

Mary Worth 276

Toby sure knows a lot about computers and junk. Having completed her order at enormoushop.com for a used copy of Scotland narrated by Sean Finnery, she's off to demonstrate another way computers can be useful: Email. Email is short for electronic mail. From what I understand, email is like sending a letter using a computer. If someone else has a computer, you can use a special software program to send the letter directly to that person's computer. The panel above is confusing because she uses the phrase "SPAM and junk." We all know that SPAM is a processed meat product that comes in a can and is delicious. But in technical computer lingo, it can also mean email that the recipient does not wish to receive, sent by a stranger. Toby's redundant use of the phrase "Spam and junk" is merely to help us understand what she means by the word "Spam," which is generally sent for the purposes of selling illegal prescription drugs, promoting non-existent stocks, or recommending ways to increase your junk. But who needs more junk? Not me.

And here we all thought this was going to be a story about credit card debt or identity theft. Turns out, it is even more exciting: Computers Can Be Helpful and Junk.

Today's Full Strip

Mary Worth 273

I have no idea who runs enormoushop.com, but they had it up within 30 minutes of the midnight launch of today's strip. In fact, according to godaddy.com, they had the site registered on August 1. Somebody had some inside information and used it for the betterment of the entire world. I suspect the Dharma Initiative.

Today's Full Strip