Below is a message I received through a listserver (via my
American Online Account):
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 1994 16:18:44 -0500
From: Scott A. Ward 703-614-4719 <wards@AMOMEGA.ACQ.OSD.MIL>
To: Multiple recipients of list COMMUNET
Subject: Warning: International Internet Association
A company calling itself the International Internet
Association, and billing itself as "the largest non-profit
provider of free Internet access in theworld" has started
advertizing in the Washington, D.C. area, and offering free
Internet accounts to individuals who will FAX them, among other
things, a credit card number. As an active member of the
Member Council of the National Capital Area Public Access
Network (CapAccess), I wanted to find more about
this organization that supposedly has offices NOT THREE BLOCKS
FROM CAPACCESS.
Here's the result of my search for the IIA.
1. Their address, listed as "Suite 852 - 202 Pennsylvania Ave,
N.W. Washington
D.C. 20006", is actually a post office box at Mailboxes, Etc.
2. The company lists no incorporation, trademark or
service-mark licenses.
3. They claim your E-mail address would be <userid>@iia.org.
However:
a. No iia.org is listed in the hq.af.mil hosts table
b. No iia.org is listed in the acq.osd.mil hosts table
c. No iia.org is listed is the INTERNIC 'whois' database
d. No iia.org is listed using the INTERNIC 'netfind'
Internet lookup
In other words, IIA.ORG does NOT, at this time, exist.
4. Although they apologize profusely in the application, they
state that "Without receiving a credit card number, the IIA
_cannot_ process an account."
5. Although I have left a message on their voice-mail system,
I have received no response from them. (they also apologize in
the voice mail that, due to demand, they are operating at a
3-week backlog for applications.)
I cannot judge an organization in advance. However, I do think
it highly suspicious that, to use their propaganda, "The
International Internet Association is able to make this service
available through generous private donations, and the
extraordinary dedication of its membership." I can say that
I am not convinced this organization exists, and highly
discourage any Internet user from sending information until you
make certain that the IIA is real.
Scott Ward (703) 614-4719
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Vice-Chair, Public Relations Volunteer Service Manager
(VSM)
National Capital Area Public CapAccess Community Center
Access Network (CapAccess) communit@cap.gwu.edu
sward@cap.gwu.edu "go community"
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 03/09/00 PST