How was your Homecoming weekend? We had a great tailgate last weekend with plenty of hot dogs and brats to go around, and it was nice to celebrate our first SEC home game win on Homecoming Weekend!
 
We got started early with the 11 am kick-off time, and some of our team came over from the homecoming parade downtown. It will be sad attending our final tailgate this year as the Tigers take on Syracuse on November 17th, but all in all it has been a great inaugural SEC season.
 
We play Florida this weekend on the road with a record of 4-4, and the game starts at 11 am.  Like always, don’t forget to catch the Socket Post-Game report with Mike Kelly on ESPN KTGR 100.5 FM.
 

On Friday, October 19^th, the mood at our Columbia office was somber. Socketeers came to work wearing black. A few even donned mourning veils.

That’s right – our president, Carson Coffman, is officially over the hill.
 

We figured the least we could do was throw him a surprise party after work. So while his fellow co-owner George Pfenenger shuttled him out of the building, we broke out the grill and started barbecuing… and setting up a bounce house… and throwing up slideshows of his baby pictures… and “decorating” his office…

Luckily for us, Carson is a good sport, and took it all in stride – he even donned the felt “Happy Birthday” tiara we got as a joke!

The party was a ton of fun - here’s to hoping we can throw one next year, too! Happy 40^th Birthday, Carson!
 

If you live in Millersburg or Fulton, MO within our fiber network, you may have seen your neighbors displaying one of our snappy little yard signs.
 
Our customers are helping us get the word out about construction going on in the area as we build our fiber-to-the-home network in rural Boone & Callaway counties.
 
Want in on the free speed upgrade?
 
If you're a current customer on our fIber network, we'll upgrade your speeds to 30 Mbps for 90 days if you display one of our yard signs for a month. It's that simple.
 
We want to spread the word about our fiber Internet, and we really appreciate your help!
 
If you would like to sign up for the program, all you have to do is email office@socket.net with the subject "Free Speed Upgrade" and give us the A-OK to display a sign in your yard next month.
 
After we pick up the sign, you'll be surfing the web at the fastest speeds around!
 

“Spoofing” refers to the act of imitating or masquerading as a trustworthy source. Spammers and scammers often use some form of this technique in order to gain personal information from unsuspecting victims. Here’s a few ways a scammer can implement this:

-Email Spoofing

By altering the “From” and “Reply-to” fields in an email, a spammer can make an email look like it’s from anyone. This is surprisingly easy to do, and yet many people assume that the “From” field is a true sign of legitimacy.

If a scammer can gain access to an address book, another tactic is to send the victim an email from what appears to be a friend. These can elicit less suspicion than, say, a poorly worded email that’s supposedly from the bank.

-Caller ID Spoofing

With the advent of VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), there are now multiple programs that will allow a user to place a call purporting to be from any number they wish.  In other words, a scammer can call from a different country, but have your Caller ID display a local number or familiar name.

While this practice has been illegal since 2010, it’s hardly slowed down the growth of this type of deception, particularly amongst overseas offenders. Don’t assume that Caller ID is infallible; if you’re suspicious, ask for a number where you can call back. If it doesn’t match, it’s time to hang up.
 

Spoofing is just one of the many tools a hacker can use to try and access your personal info. Oftentimes, it’s coupled with a Phishing attempt as well. But a little caution and a healthy dose of skepticism can help protect you from even the most determined of identity thieves.