This is how it unfolds. People are receiving a forged check supposedly from Rackspace and are told they have won a prize through a sweepstakes entry. All they have to do is contact a claims agent and pay taxes upfront on their winnings to claim their prize. Those that pay the taxes never see their prize because their prize never existed.

The fact that scammers are using the Rackspace name to take advantage of people is regrettable and upsetting. We just hope that no one has fallen prey to them.

If you’ve been affected by this scam please contact the Federal Trade Commission. You can reach them in a couple of ways:

- Visit their website: ftc.gov
- Call them toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261

If you received a notification through the mail, you can report the scam to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by phone, toll-free, at 1-888-877-7644 or by email at www.uspsoig.gov.

From my experience, each customer defines Fanatical Support a little different.  For some it’s about being able to call at 3am and have a team of Linux experts eager to troubleshoot an unusual Apache error.  For others it’s about having the power to go into the MyRackspace customer portal to create a snapshot of their virtual server. This is one of the beautiful things about Fanatical Support; it represents many things to many customers.  And so, having options is very important.

We’ve heard consistently from customers that while they love having a team of Rackers available to support them around the clock, many prefer to just take care of some things themselves. Self-service matters at Rackspace! Self-service is about offering choices that make hosting easier and more efficient.  If a customer has the expertise and would prefer to just knock out a quick change themselves, then they should have the tools available to easily make this change.  This is something we understand and have a fleet of folks working to deliver.

Our latest self-service addition is an updated version of our Firewall Control Panel (FWCP), which we announced last week.  The FWCP offers a hands-on approach to controlling the security measures of a managed firewall.  It adds to a growing list of self-service options; my personal favorites (in no particular order) include the dedicated virtual server administrator, DNS configuration tool and managed mail control panel.  Each gives customers the opportunity to change things when and how they want. 

It’s important to know that if you need to add a permit rule to your ASA 5505 firewall, you have easy access to it and after completing a few simple steps you’re done.  No need to wait or call for help on something you’re perfectly capable of doing.  Simply login and make the change.

We’re always waiting on the other end of the phone and online ticket system if needed, but believe our customers should have the keys to administer their hosted environment so they can manage it as they chose and then move on to the next task in their busy day.  Empowerment is a great thing! Hope everyone enjoys this latest addition.  Keep your ears alert, there’s more to come.