| There is a new scam doing the rounds in Australia and unfortunately I know of a couple of people that have been caught, so beware! It starts with a call from someone claiming to be a Microsoft employee (or your internet provider, or I.T company) stating that there is a problem with your computer and they need to log on and fix it. Once they are on, you can guess the rest, not only have they got your card details, they have your personal details! We are going to spend the bulk of this newsletter on how to prevent it happening to you. My newsletters are usually light-hearted but this is serious! There is more reading than usual, so grab a bikkie and coffee and take 5! _____________________________________________________ Online fraud can take many forms, including:
Phishing A common type of phishing involves sending emails that appears to be communications from a bank or financial institution hoping to trick people into supplying their online access details. A phishing email might ask an online banking customer to follow a link in order to update personal bank account details or login details. The link often leads to a webpage that looks just like the real site, but is a copy created by the offenders to collect login details. Following the link might also download a program which captures his or her banking login details and sends their details to a third party. Afterwards, these webpages will generally return the victim to the legitimate website. It is important to remember that credit card details or login details used to access finances and services online are valuable and can be misused by others. Reduce the risks of phishing by following these tips:
Internet banking fraud Internet banking fraud is a fraud or theft committed using online technology to illegally remove money out of your account. Some of the malicious online technologies used to obtain information include spyware, trojans, viruses. Internet banking fraud is a form of identity theft and is usually made possible through techniques such as phishing. To avoid this type of fraud or theft: Never give out your username or password. Ensure a firewall and virus protection are installed and regularly updated. Use a strong password, which includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Using poor password security is a major cause of computer fraud. Check your bank and credit card records on a regular basis. Look for any transactions that you did not authorise. Contact your financial institution immediately if you notice an unauthorised transaction. General advice If you receive a suspect email, delete or ignore it, without replying or clicking on a link to unsubscribe.
· Contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission if you think you have been the subject of misleading or deceptive conduct. The Importance of Windows! Windows has become part of our computing life, but are you across all the little things that will make your life easier? The first thing to do is to upgrade to Windows 7. It is without a doubt one of the best version, as many of our users can attest to. It’s easier, more reliable and runs faster. If you are not already using it, you should. At a couple of hundred dollars for increased productivity, it’s cheaper to upgrade than you think. Contact us for more info |
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