Distressingly, another iTandCoffee client was yesterday caught out by a scam call from someone purporting to be from Telstra. The caller told her that Telstra had detected that her computer had a virus, one that puts the Telstra network at risk and that she must therefore have fixed. She had been having trouble with passwords that morning, so the timing of the call seemed to fit in with her thinking that something was not quite right. Credit Card details stolen But before the caller would fix the 'virus' issue, my client was asked to pay a fee - by providing her credit card details. The 'technician' then asked her to download a product called TeamViewer, which is a tool that allows someone to remotely access and manage your computer - a great product, when it is used for good not evil! Computer remotely accessed & private information potentially stolen With her permission (by providing a passcode shown on her TeamViewer screen), the 'technician' remotely accessed her Mac. He showed her 'proof' of the 'problem' by bringing up some scary looking red error messages. (These messages are normal messages that in no way prove the existence of a virus.) With full access to her computer for a period of time, who knows what other information - identity information, account information, passwords, etc - he managed to access. The Aftermath Having realised too late that she had been scammed, the client disconnected her Mac from the Internet and contacted the bank and other financial institutions to put a hold on accounts. She then called iTandCoffee late yesterday for assistance. Her computer must now be cleaned of any 'nasties' that might have been planted by the scammers and all passwords (a long list) will need to be changed today. A few really important ones were changed last night, just to be safe. Only once she provides proof (from iTandCoffee) that her computer has been cleaned of problems and her passwords changed, will the bank re-activate her accounts and provide her with a new credit card account. The Lesson to be Learned HANG UP on callers telling you that you have a problem with your internet, computer or some other service - no matter how insistent and threatening they are. NEVER giving your credit card or identity details or passwords to someone who calls you, unless it is something that you have initiated and are ABSOLUTELY sure the caller is legitimate. NEVER give anyone remote access to your computer unless you are absolutely sure you know who they are. ALWAYS be suspicious! These callers will often give you a phone number to call to confirm that they are legitimate. Never use that number to confirm their legitimacy, as it will take you straight back to them. If you a concerned that the call might be legitimate, hang up and call the company using a phone number that you get from the REAL business website or from the top of one of your bills, and ask if there is any issue in relation to your account. Guaranteed, there will be NO issue. Need more information? For more information about this scam, check out this article on the government's Scamwatch website. If in doubt or in need of further advice about this or other scam calls or emails, call iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 or email enquiry@itandcoffee.com.au.
0 Comments
While with a client this week, I was showing the various things that Siri can do for you, and the sort of questions that Siri can answer in a flash. Here are a couple that I thought I'd share with you - questions I hadn't thought to ask previously, but that will come in useful in future. For when you are wanting to call someone overseas but need first to check their local time:
For when you are about to travel to somewhere, and wondering what the weather outlook is at your destination.
This is so much quicker than going into the Clock app and looking for the required city, or visiting the Weather app for the forecast. Not sure how to use Siri? Check out the below handy hints and articles about Siri to find out more. Related Handy Hints (for iTandCoffee Club members only - join the club!)
Related Blog Articles (free for all readers) 18/7/2015 0 Comments Don't miss the 'Travel with your iPad and iPhone (and other Technology)' class next weekIf you are travelling some time soon and thinking of taking any technology - or if you are wondering about the options for having phone and internet services while you travel - why not come along to this great iTandCoffee class. We have two places left at this 2-hour class on Wednesday July 22nd at 9:30am. We'll look at all sorts of great tips about preparing for your trip, and about using your technology while you travel. Click/tap here for more details or to book>> Yesterday, a client asked me why some of her Apps have a blue dot to the left of the app name on her iPad's home screen. This means one of two things:
Here is a handy article published this week, with details of how to achieve the Home and End functions on the small Mac keyboard (which does not have dedicated keys for these functions). Related Handy Hints (for iTandCoffee Club members only - join the club!) 17/7/2015 0 Comments Why don't I get any sound or alert when I get messages from one particular person?Client Question: I'm not hearing the tone of texts from one particular contact. Do you have an answer for that please? I have re done his contact completely and changed the text tone, everything.The Message app doesn't show that there is a sms from him either..I have to open it to look.!!! Answer: When iOS 8 came into our lives late in 2014, it brought with it several new features relating to Notifications - the sounds and messages that occur whenever you get a message, email, call, or when certain 'events' happen on your device. It sounds like it is one of these new features that is stopping any 'noises' from occurring when you receive texts from that contact. Find out the solution to this problem here, in this iTandCoffee Handy Hint. This hint can be viewed by members of the iTandCoffee club any time. Not yet a member? Find out more about the iTandCoffee Club or join here. 16/7/2015 0 Comments That scam 'Australia Post' email that could easily have caught me out this week!I am currently doing lots of online purchasing for the new iTandCoffee shop, with several of deliveries scheduled for this week and the next few weeks. So, when I received this email today, it would have been so easy to have been fooled by it - as it tells me that I had missed delivery of a parcel. PLEASE be careful of emails like this. They are not from Australia Post - they are scams, and should be deleted immediately. I could be absolutely sure it was a scam by looking at the link's address to see where it was REALLY going to send me if I clicked on it - definitely not Australia Post. Here is a previous blog post on how this scam: Beware of emails saying you have a parcel for collection! And another that tells you how to check the link in an email to see if it is legitimate: How to work out where an email link is really going to take you. If you are ever wondering if such an email is legitimate, but are not confident enough to check the link, call your local Australia Post to check, or forward it to iTandCoffee to get us to check if it is legitimate! Please do not click the link. You may have noticed that I have not yet advertised classes for August/September this year. Well, this is because iTandCoffee is making an exciting change from August 1st. The business will move to new shop premises from that date! Our new home from August 1st 2015 will be 34 High Street, Glen Iris. This is not far from where we are now at my home in Camberwell, and will have parking at the rear and across the road for easy access. There will also be street parking for shorter visits. Once the arrangements for the move have been completed and iTandCoffee is settled into its new home, I will work out the new schedule of classes - which should be able to start again from later in August. In the meantime, iTandCoffee is still available for private appointments and privately arranged classes, so please don't hesitate to call on 1300 885 420, email bookings @itandcoffee.com.au or book online if you need help. More details will be published soon about exciting new services that we will now be able to offer in our new home. Stay tuned... With the upcoming move into shop premises in Glen Iris in August, iTandCoffee will be looking for tech-savvy women who are interested in getting involved with iTandCoffee, to help other women, seniors, families - anyone - who need help with iPad, iPhones, Macs, Windows, Android and other technology and applications. We will be interested in people with a variety of technical skills, but the key attributes will be patience, friendliness, and a desire to help other people discover a new world through a better understanding of their technology. We need people who really love their technology. Don't worry if you feel you don't know 'enough'. If you have are pretty au fait with iPad, iPhone or Mac (or perhaps Android or Windows, or a variety of applications ) and are willing and able to help others learn about these areas of technology, iTandCoffee would love to hear from you. Hours will be quite flexible, so will suit mums who are looking for work during school hours. Just send me your details at team@itandcoffee.com.au or give me a call on 1300 885 420. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward this week's newsletter or this article to them. Client question: "I have limited internet at home. My iPhone is telling me that I need to do a backup to iCloud but I am nervous about how much data will my iCloud backup will use. How can I find out just how much data it will need? Answer: You can approximate the size of your next iCloud backup by following these steps:
Join us for the Introduction to iCloud classThe 'Introduction to iCloud' class at iTandCoffee will help you better understand iCloud, and how you can be sure your data is safe 'in the cloud'.
Click/tap here to find out when this class is next running. |
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. |
27 Sycamore St, Camberwell, Victoria Australia
Call 1300 885 420
to book an appointment or class, or to enquire about our services and products
SENIORS CARD WELCOME HERE:
Seniors Card holders qualify for a 10% discount on all classes booked and paid for online (excludes PTT sessions and classes already discounted during COVID-19 crisis). To activate the discount at the time of booking, select Redeem Coupon or Gift Certificate and enter 10OFFSEN before selecting Pay Now. |
© 2012-2024 iTandCoffee Pty Ltd. All rights reserved ACN: 606 340 434