If my lights were turned down, it would feel like I'm in a strange land, and I guess, in some way, I am. I'm in the world of J.K. Rowling, the author of all those imaginative Harry Potter books.

I came here because the latest Harry was released a few weeks ago, and I haven't had a chance to see what's happening with him. My kids still like Harry, but the fire isn't there for them like it was with earlier books. They didn't ask to reserve it, or be at one of the midnight book sales. They weren't even among the millions of Potter fans who bought the book the first day -- at a rate of 250,000 per hour.

But I did see warnings that fraudsters were likely to take advantage of innocent Harry Potter fans on the Net. As usual, our children need to look out for fraudulent messages -- these might offer steep discounts on the latest book. So I've been on the lookout.

In January the BBC reported about a fraudulent Web site offering the latest book months before it was due to be released; but it seems to have vanished quickly -- and I haven't seen any reports of major losses. I guess our children are smarter than we are.

J.K. Rowling was said to have posted a warning at her Web site (www.jkrowling.com). I thought it was worth a glance; and that's how I ended up here -- in a detail-oriented magical world -- the type you would expect from Rowling. I've been at the site while I've been typing this column, hidden by my word processing window. Winds are howling; dogs are barking; an occasional car goes by (all through my computer's speakers) -- and if I wait too long, the startling sound of a telephone ringing off the hook breaks through the low noise level to remind me that I've never really left the world of J.K Rowling or Harry Potter.

In some respects, being at Rowling's Web site is like being in your office. The designers used the metaphor of a cluttered desk to help you navigate. But the similarities quickly end as animated spiders and butterflies make their way through Rowling's desktop, stopping just long enough to distract you at times.

Moving your cursor around her desk is as magical as the Potter books. The items move to show you that they are clickable, and you hear that magical sound associated with the waving of a wand. I half-expect the Half-Blood Prince to jump out of the mess.

The attention to detail is among the Web site's greatest attractions. There are always rumours (as they spell it in Rowling's home country); so she has a tabloid newspaper on her virtual desk. Click to open it and learn which Potter related rumors are true. Rowling has maintained the look and feel of real gossip tabloids by including advertisements that wizards would find interesting.

Click on her datebook to learn about her, although it's a bit unnerving to read as her photograph occasionally winks at you, like pictures on the walls of Hogwarts.

After being distracted by all that, I finally got back to my mission of finding what Rowling thinks of the scams. In the newspaper on her desk, she addresses the issue by asking readers not to download e-books. She reminds them that they may be virus laden and lets them know that no Harry Potter book has been published in that format. Her last two words (in all caps) nicely remind the kids what we want them to remember whenever they're online: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"