I just received a SPAM email that really made me take a second look, as they were very clever in how they made this email look like it had come from the ATO. While it is pretty obvious that it is not legitimate - even the amount of the refund that is show in pretty ridiculous - I figure it is worth mentioning because of certain aspects that make it look legitimate. When you look at who the email is from - by clicking on the sender to see the 'from' email address - it certainly looks like the ATO (see the second image below, which shows the 'From' address that shows, which is noreply@ato.gov.au). Even the link in the body of the emails seems to be a link to the ATO website, since it starts with 'https://www.ato.gov.au/'. What completely gave this one away as an absolute scam was that, when I inspected the link that was shown, it was actually going to take me a totally different website (certainly not the ATO) that would have immediately downloaded a file to my computer - a file that probably contained a nasty piece of Windows malware (or worse). Because I am on a Mac, this would not have caused my computer any harm - but the same would not have been true if I was using Windows. So, don't be fooled if an email 'looks like' it comes from a legitimate source, and perhaps has a link that 'looks like' it is taking you to a legitimate website. What you see is not necessarily what you get! How did I work out that the link in the email was fake? To check any link that has been sent in an email, I right-click on it and choose Copy Link.
Then, I open a Word document. Right-click in the body of the new document and choose Paste to paste the copied link into the document. What you will then see is the real address behind the link, instead of the fake address that showed in the email. Just make sure that you choose the right-click and not the left-click! Once again, the rule of thumb is to never trust an email that asks you to click a link! (Of course, the exception is the iTandCoffee Newsletter!).
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9/4/2015 3 Comments Making sure that your contacts' names appear in the Messages and Phone apps when you travel OSOne of the things that can happen when you travel overseas is that phone calls and messages that you receive while travelling don't seem to be able to show the Contact name associated with the number - even though the person contacting you is actually in your Contacts App. The reason this happens is that the number that has contacted you has an international code in front of it, but the corresponding Contact's card in your Contacts app does not include this international code in front of that person's phone number. Because of this, the Messages and Phone apps cannot match the received number to a number in your Contacts, so no name is shown. The easy way to solve this problem is the just add the international dialling prefix to each of your Contact's phone numbers in the Contacts app - eg for Mebourne phone numbers, you would add +613. For mobile numbers, you add +61, but drop the leading zero of the mobile number. But, what do you do if you have hundreds (or even thousands) of contacts? Well, there's an app for everything - and I found an app that sorted this out for me really easily. It is called Plus One. I downloaded it to my iPhone from the App Store, for a cost of $1.29. I got this app to select all my contacts that were missing 'international codes', and then I 'unselected' any that did not need to have extra digits added (for example, 13 or 18 numbers). Then, I told it to add the Australian international code to each of the still-selected contacts. Just like magic, it sorted all of them out - even adding the 3 for Melbourne numbers. You can check out this app in the app store here >> 9/4/2015 0 Comments Apple has released a new update to Mac's OS X , including the brand new Photos appApple has been very busy this week. Not only has it released the iOS update for iPhones and iPads (iOS 8.3), it has also released an update to the Mac operating system, OS X. OS X 10.10.3 contains several improvements and stability changes. (Here is the Apple Support page with the content of the release.) But the key thing that this update includes is the new Photos app, which replaces the long-standing photos management app for Mac, iPhoto. When you install OS X 10.10.3, you will no longer see your iPhoto app in the dock. In its place will be the new Photos app. When you open this Photos app for the first time, it will ask you if you want to migrate your library from iPhoto to Photos. If you are ready to do this, just answer 'yes' to this question. But just be aware that the Photos App looks quite different to the iPhoto app - it looks more like the Photos app on your iPhone and iPad. My first glance at this new app highlighted a very key difference. This new App does not include any 'Events'. So, if you are someone who has used Events to manage your grouping of your photos, you may be very disappointed with the new iPhoto replacement. Before moving to it, you may want to think about getting your key Evens put into Albums so that you don't lose this grouping. The great thing about the new 'look' of the Photos app is that it is very much the same as the Photos app on the iPad and iPhone, so it seems very familar and (for me) easy the use. Here is a gallery of images of my new Photos app, just so you can get a 'flavour' of what it looks like. Not quite ready for this change?
But those of you who are not quite ready for a major change need not fear! You don't need to rush in to upgrading to the new Photos app - even if you decide that you want to install OS X 8.3. Your iPhoto app and your iPhoto library is still on your Mac, and can still be used in place of the new Photos app. This will allow you to prepare yourself for the upgrade in your own time. You will find your iPhoto app still residing in your Applications. Just look for it in your Launchpad, in the Applications folder in your Finder, or by using your Spotlight search at the top right of your screen. If you want to remove the new Photos App from the dock (so that you don't accidentally use it instead of iPhoto), just right-click on its icon in the dock (which may be a two-finger click on the trackpad for some of you), go up to Options and 'untick' Keep in Dock. To keep your iPhoto App in the doc, just right-click on it, go to Options and 'tick' Keep in Dock. If you have any questions about any of the above, just leave a comment below. (If you are not sure how to enable the 'right click' function for for your mouse/trackpad, here is an earlier iTandCoffee article on this topic: Do you have 'right-click' enabled on your Mac?) 9/4/2015 0 Comments iOS 8.3 has arrived!You may not have seen to little '1' appear on your Settings App yet on your iPad and iPhone, but the next update to iOS 8 has been released. iOS 8.3 includes a very long fixes for all manner of problems, as well as some improvements to performance for certain features and apps. Here is the Apple Support article that lists the new features, fixes and improvements. I have been using it since yesterday (Thursday 9th) and haven't encountered any problems - in fact, I have not see any annoying crashes of Safari since upgrading. I think that Apple may have finally delivered a more stable iOS, especially for the iPhone 6 Plus and some of the 'glitches' that seemed specific to that phone. One of the things that anyone travelling overseas needs to think about is just how to ensure that you have phone access while away. While the easiest thing to do is to set up International Roaming with your mobile carrier - which will allow people to contact you on your usual number - this can end up being a very, very expensive option. Telstra International Roaming charges As an example for those of you with a Telstra mobile, Telstra will charge $2.00 per minute for calls while you are in the UK (both incoming and outgoing), and 75c to send an SMS. Calls in France will cost $2.50 per minute. And, if you accidentally use data or send/receive an MMS, you will charged $3.00 per MB. If you are not planning to make or receive many calls or use data, maybe this is the easiest option to use. However, if there is the chance that you might be using your phone on regular basis, it is well worth looking at cheaper options. Cheaper options Purchase SIM cards at your destinations One option that you have for cheap access to phone and data while you travel is to purchase SIM cards in your destinations. However, this is not so easy in certain countries, which may require you to have a social security number to purchase a SIM. It also means that you won't know your contact phone number until you purchase the SIM at your destination. Additionally, to utilise the data offered by these SIMS, you will need to know how to set up certain network Settings to gain access to the carrier's network. Purchase a 'Travel SIM' before you go Another option that is cheaper than International roaming - one that I have preferred to use and have recommended to many other clients - is to purchase a pre-paid 'travel SIM' before departing. My travel SIM of choice over the past couple of years has been the Woolworths Global Roaming SIM, which you can get from any Woolworths supermarket for $29. You get $10 credit to start you off, and can add credit as required - with the option to set up automatic top-ups to if want to be sure that you always have sufficient credit. This option allows you to, before you go, give your travel SIM's phone number to friends, family and any businesses that might need to contact you overseas - bank, hotels, airlines, rental car companies, etc. For example, if you get an authorisation SMS every time you pay someone new through your online banking, you can register your temporary number with your bank just before you leave so that you still receive such SMS's. The Woolworths Global Roaming SIM uses the Vodafone network in the UK, so the phone number for the SIM is a UK mobile number (starting with +44). This means that those who call you on this number are calling an overseas mobile number. If you are concerned about the cost that this will incur for those who call you, you can choose to pay a little bit extra to register a local number for your Woolworths SIM. This means that those calling you are only charged the cost of a local call, while you are charge to 'per minute' rate that applies to the country you are travelling in. Some examples of these rates are shown next. Examples of call, SMS and data rates for Woolworths Global Roaming When you are in the UK, incoming calls are FREE, and outgoing calls to Australia (or within the UK) are only 18c per minute. Texts are 14c per SMS, and data is 45c/MB. For France and Italy, incoming calls are only 5c per minute, and outgoing to Australia are 34c per minute. Outgoing calls within the same country are 26c per minute, sending texts is 14c per SMS and data is again 45c per MB. So you can see that this is so much cheaper than your International Roaming option that is offered by the likes of Telstra. Do you need help preparing for your travels with your technology? If you need help with exploring this 'travel SIM' option further, or would like help getting set up with such a SIM before you travel, iTandCoffee can help. For more great tips about travelling with your iPad, iPhone and other technology, why not come along to one of iTandCoffee's information sessions on this topic, scheduled in June and July. Find out more about these information sessions here. A problem that you might encounter when your travel One of the things that happens when travelling overseas is that your Messages and Phone apps seem to no longer be able to show the names of your contacts. Instead, you just get phone numbers, which can be a pain when you want to easily recognise who is contacting you. Keep an eye out for an upcoming iTandCoffee article about how to easily solve this problem. I just saw a post from a Facebook friend, who is frustrated by the fact that she keeps getting her husband's Instagram notifications appearing on her iPhone. This started when he temporarily signed in to his Instagram on her device. Even though her device is now signed out of his account, the notifications continue to appear. She has tried deleting the app, changing notification settings, etc etc - all the no avail. So, I have just done a quick check of online forums to see if there is a solution to this problem and have found a possible solution to try if you ever find yourself in this situation. Stopping those notifications
What causes this problem? From what I read, the problem is that the Instagram Push Server (which sends the notifications) has registered your phone as being connected to his account, so that is why you still get his notifications. It is not something that you can fix by deleting the app or changing anything on your own phone - the Push Server needs to update itself with the correct device information. Hopefully, logging in on his own phone will solve this. Do you have a tech question? Why not ask iTandCoffee? We regularly feature answers to readers questions on this blog. So ask away by clicking here! Subscribe to receive the iTandCoffee newsletter, with all sorts of handy hints and tips like this!Today's Apps Gone Free features an app that I just had to download for upcoming train trips. It's called WayKup, and it is designed to sound an alarm when you get close you your location. Just tell it where you are going, and the distance at which you want to be woken. That way, you can happily snooze, all while knowing that your trusty iPhone will ensure that you don't miss your stop. Here is the link to App in the the AppStore, should you need a wake up alarm as well! Here is another good list of keyboard shortcuts that are worth committing to your memory. There are a few that I had forgotten about, that are now going to be on my list of 'most used!. For example, I will now use Command-Shift-D in Finder to quickly get to my desktop folder. I already frequently use Command-Tab to activate the App Switcher and to switch between running apps (ie by continuing to hold down the 'Command' key as I hit the 'Tab' key.) Each time I hit Tab while holding down Command takes me to the next app on the right. Reading this article, I have also discovered that I can use Command-` (which the key to the left of the number 1 key) to move between the apps from right to left while I am using the App Switcher. So Command-tab to move from left to right, Command-` to move from right to left. Much easier than having to cycle all they way through my apps to get back to one I have tabbed past! Check out this article to see if there are other shortcuts that you may not yet have discovered! Are you about to go travelling? Are you planning to take along your iPad or iPhone? Taking your iPad and iPhone on trip gives you access to so much fantastic content and services, and makes keeping in touch with those back home so easy. I can't imagine travelling without mine. But it is important to understand just how you can keep yourself connected while you are away, whether that be for internet/data or phone. Not only do you want to be connected - you also want to ensure that you don't end up with a massive bill as a result. And you want to be sure that, wherever to access the internet while travelling, you do not expose yourself to WiFi 'sniffers' who try to steal your private data on unsecured WiFi networks. But how do you do all this? Come along to our 2-hour Travelling with Your iPad/iPhone session to find out about
Two new dates for the Travelling with your iPad/iPhone information session have now been scheduled for June 2015.
Click here for more information or to reserve you place at one of these session. Do you understand iCloud? In fact, do you understand the concept of 'The Cloud' in general and where iCloud fits into this? Have you assumed that iCloud and 'The Cloud' are the same thing? Do you wonder what iCloud actually does. Or do you wonder what it does and doesn't 'sync' and 'back up'? Do you even understand the difference between the terms 'sync' and 'back up' Do you worry that it is perhaps not safe to use, or whether you actually even need to worry about using it? And how do you manage your storage in iCloud? Or do you perhaps have an iCloud mess causing message mayhem - with the wrong people getting your messages and you getting theirs? This guide is for you! iTandCoffee has developed a great, easy to follow new guide, titled 'Introduction to iCloud', that has been specially written to help iTandCoffee clients and subscribers to 'get your head around' iCloud. Read this guide to find out how you can take advantage of the wonderful features iCloud offers - all of which can help you keep your important information synchronised between your devices and safe from loss should some i-Disaster befall your device - something that can happen far to easily with our mobile devices. A SPECIAL OFFER As a SPECIAL OFFER for iTandCoffee Club Members, this guide is available until the end of May 2015 for no cost. Members can visit the iTandCoffee Club Special Offers page to find out how to grab a free download of this guide. Not yet a member? Why not join today to gain access to the full library of iTandCoffee Handy Hints, plus regular offers like this one! The iTandCoffee Club Special Offers page currently includes two free class videos for members: 'Introduction to iCloud' guide now available in the iTandCoffee online store For those non-members who would like a copy of the 'Introduction to iCloud' guide, click here to visit the iTandCoffee store to purchase and download your digital copy. A class about iCloud If you would rather attend a class about iCloud, here are two dates for the Introduction to iCloud' 2-hour class. Click here to book online or to find out more, or call 1300 885 420 to book over the phone. Related articles
Here are some articles published by iTandCoffee on the topic of iCloud.
(Note. Some of the above articles are 'members only' hints and will require you to log in with your email address and password to access the article. Only members who have already registered as 'iTandCoffee Club' members can log in - click here to become a member and create a login and password for 'The iTandCoffee Club'. It only costs $30/year.) |
What's on at iTandCoffee ?Below is our list of videos, classes and other events that are coming up soon.
Videos shown are offered for eligible members of the iTandCoffee Club. If you have questions, why not join fun and informative 'user group' meetings, held once a month. All iTandCoffee classes are run as online classes (using Zoom), which means you can attend from anywhere. |
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