To safeguard your account there are some terms that you need to understand when you have secured accounts on the web. Recently Wolfhome and the other Chatlands™ sites have banned users that were caught trying to extract information from users about their accounts, personal information, personal family information, phone numbers, addresses, pets and their names and personal interests. The perpetrator uses this information to help them hack into and access your accounts. Wolfhome administrative team does not ask you these types or questions. The only time we deal with accounts and ask you questions is when you have inadvertently locked yourself out of your account or your account has been compromised. You should file a problem ticket, which is a direct communication with the administrative team and gives us a record of when that issue has ocurred and a point to start working from.

Beware of persons that claim to be administrative members but do not have rank symbols. If you have been approached asked questions concerning your account and other personal information contact your chat room administrator so we can deal with it immediately. We will need a copy of the scroll, the name of the user/person asking you for personal information.

Know your Administrative Team: http://forum.wolfhome.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=123

Social engineering: is commonly understood to mean the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. While it is similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, the term typically applies to trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access; in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victims. "Social engineering" as an act of psychological manipulation was popularized by hacker-turned-consultant Kevin Mitnick. The term had previously been associated with the social sciences, but its usage has caught on among computer professionals.

Phishing: is a technique of fraudulently obtaining private information. Typically, the phisher sends an e-mail that appears to come from a legitimate business—a bank, or credit card company—requesting "verification" of information and warning of some dire consequence if it is not provided. The e-mail usually contains a link to a fraudulent web page that seems legitimate—with company logos and content—and has a form requesting everything from a home address to an ATM card's PIN.

Pretexting: is the act of creating and using an invented scenario (the pretext) to engage a targeted victim in a manner that increases the chance the victim will divulge information or perform actions that would be unlikely in ordinary circumstances. An elaborate lie, it most often involves some prior research or setup and the use of this information for impersonation (e.g., date of birth, Social Security Number, last bill amount) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target.

~Timberwolf

Sweden's Hope for "Zero-Tolerance" Wolf Policy

Could you imagine hearing that a political party in your country wants to completely remove all wolves, even if that means shooting them on sight? That is what is happening in Sweden with their new political party titled the "Nature Democrats". The Nature Democrats are attempting to gather support of their mission in Riksdag, Sweden so they can gain influence over Swedish predator policies. The recommendation of the Nature Democrats would allow for a zero-tolerance policy of wolves located in populated country areas. They claim that they do not want to eliminate all wolves from the planet, just that they want them out of Sweden. The overall effect on the ecosystem due to the annihilation of these animals can be debated, but morally, I think most of us know where we stand.

~Versailles

One paw forward

As a current resident of the state of Minnesota, a certain topic has been catching my attention. The wolf population in the state has been verified to be above 3,000 wolves, double the federal standards and the highest of the lower 48 states. This is a huge paw forward towards the recovery of this still endangered species but it comes at a price. With the ever growing presence of man in the territories of the predatory animal, livestock and pets alike are becoming prey to the wolves. A rise in attacks has provoked legislation to move forward with management of the numbers once again. Currently there is no season of hunting to be opened but after careful monitoring of predatory attacks the state might soon pass a hunting and trapping season with a minimal number of 1,600 wolves in the state to ensure survival. An extensive report was released by DNR and the site will be continually updated for the public to keep informed. Now even though the prospect of wolves being hunted for sport seems dismal, this form of management has been used for all kinds of animals. The fact the numbers are high enough to be removed from the endangered species list should be looked upon as a huge triumph.

~KoMut

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/wolves/mgmt.html