7/11/2016 0 Comments A huge loss this week for an iTandCoffee client - don't get caught out by this!Imagine what it would be like to lose all your family's digital photos and other important documents that are stored on your computer, especially those relating to a recently departed loved one. Sadly, this is what has happened to an iTandCoffee client just this week. This poor woman, who is an AGL customer, was caught out by the AGL Email Scam - a scam email that look very legitimate, and that has been 'doing the rounds' for months now, catching out tens of thousands of people. Don't be caught by the AGL Email Scam (or others like it) The AGL scam email is particularly nasty. I looks like a real AGL monthly bill notification. Those who click on the mail message's attached .zip file on their Windows computer (as this lady did) will find that all their files suddenly become inaccessible, locked up by a 'ransomware' virus called 'Cryptolocker'. (This .zip file does not work on Macs, iPads, and iPhones, so does not cause the same damage.) A message appears, asking that a ransom be paid - an amount of around $800. This will supposedly then release all the files and allow the victim to continue using their computer. Unfortunately, even if the ransom is paid and the files are unlocked, the computer may still be infected with the virus and the criminals will be able to continue monitoring the computer and tracking keystrokes - meaning that further theft of money and private information could occur. Here is an article about this AGL scam, for anyone who has not heard of it and the damage that it does. What can be done if you are caught out by this ransomware? For those who are 'stung' by this nasty virus, the best solution is to restore from a backup. Unfortunately, so few people actually do backups of their computers - including this particular lady. So, what can this lady do to retrieve all her precious photos and files if she has no backup? Sadly, it is unlikely that she can if she does not pay the ransom. Her best bet before she does anything is to consult an IT professional who can advise on whether there is any chance of retrieving her precious files. If she decides to pay the ransom and gets access again to her data, her photos and files should be saved to an external hard drive. Her best bet then would be to have her computer wiped and the operating system re-installed, to start with 'a clean slate'. iTandCoffee can assist with this - just call 1300 885 420 to find out more. Are you backing up your computer? If you are not doing a regular backup of your computer, you are putting yourself at serious risk of losing everything that is stored on that computer. Just this week, iTandCoffee has seen two clients who have suffered computer problems and have not had backups. The stress that this causes is enormous - especially when it comes to lost photos. Don't put it off! Start backing up the precious data on your computer, iPad, iPhone or other device today. If you don't know how, it's time to arrange an appointment at iTandCoffee. We can advise on the options and help you set up this essential protection for your valuable data. Book an appointment online or call 1300 885 420.
0 Comments
This last fortnight has seen its usual share of security and scam alerts, but a couple really stood out as noteworthy for iTandCoffee readers. I have also included a third, about a Paypal email scam email that had a new 'flavour'. Millions of Yahoo accounts hacked!For those of you with Yahoo email accounts, make sure your read this article about the theft of the account details at least 500 million users by hackers.The article says that email addresses, passwords and maybe even security questions and answers were stolen, which may put Yahoo users at serious risk of having other accounts hacked - especially if the same email address and password was used elsewhere. If you have a Yahoo email address, consider updating your security across all your online accounts. Here is another article published recently on the topic of online security: How to stay safer online - adding an extra layer of protection
A different PayPal scam email this weekThis week, I received a different 'flavour' of scam email about PayPal. This one alleges that a new email address has been added to my PayPal account! Once again, don't be caught out by scams like this. the first sign is that it says Dear Customer. The email address that it cam from was also dodgy. But even it it did include my name and the 'From' address look legitimate, I would never click on the attachment or link in the email. I would to to the PayPal website, log in from there, and check if there were any alerts or messages. Please share your news of other scamsHave you received, or seen news of, another scam that you would like to warn others about? Please feel free to leave a comment about this scam, and we look at featuring it in a future article.
In honour of Seniors week in October, iTandCoffee will be hosting FREE one-hour information sessions on the topic 'Staying Safe Online'. In these sessions, we will look at the various online threats, how to detect them, how to protect yourself and what to do if you get 'caught out'. Two options will be available in the week 3-9 October;
Seniors card holders only. Bookings are essential - numbers are strictly limited. Every week, there are new reports of major security breaches. Recently, there were reports that cloud storage company Dropbox was a victim of a major hack in which 68 million account email addresses and passwords were potentially compromised. Here is an article about this breach from Macworld. If you have a Dropbox account and have received the notification to change your password, I would strongly recommend that you act on this as soon as possible. If you have not yet set up something called 'two-step verification' on your Dropbox account, now is the time to do this as well. What is two step verification? Apple has rushed out another security update for iOS (for our iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches), and has advised that devices should be updated as soon as possible. iOS 9.3.5 apparently patches a potential security hole - one that, in reality, is unlikely to effect the likes of you and I, but one can never be too safe in this internet connected world. Here is an article about this update from Macworld for those who want to read more:This article includes the following paragraph describing the potential threat. "When used together, the exploits allow someone to hijack an iOS device and control or monitor it remotely. Hijackers would have access to the device’s camera and microphone, and could capture audio calls even in otherwise end-to-end secured apps like WhatsApp. They could also grab stored images, tracking movements, and retrieve files." To apply this update, go to Setting -> General -> Software Update, and choose 'Download and Install' or "install'. Make sure you are connected to a WiFi network when you do this - updates cannot be done over 3G/4G.
Please beware of a scam that impacted an iTandCoffee client this week. This client had recently moved into a house in Balwyn and had asked iTandCoffee to hook up her new Telstra modem/router so she could start using the internet service at the house. This all went well and she had been accessing the internet without a problem. However, a few days later, she got her account from Telstra - and found that Telstra was now charging her for two Broadband services instead of one. The wash-up of whatever conversation she had with Telstra was that her internet service was disconnected completely this week on Tuesday. When this happened, she contacted me again for advice - which was that she would probably be best to brave the Telstra shop to see if they could help resolve whatever had gone awry. Painful, but probably better than trying to resolve this by phone. 'NBN' to the rescue - supposedly!A subsequent text from this client the next day stated that she had decided she would 'ditch' Telstra, as she had just found out that, co-incidentally and almost miraculously, 'the NBN is coming on Thursday'. This surprised me greatly, because I did not think that there were any plans in the near future for the NBN rollout in her area. I double-checked this on the NBN website's rollout map, advised her of my concern that she had been advised incorrectly, and asked who had told her this. When she finally texted me back, she said that she had just had 'the NBN man' at her house for over an hour. Not only that, she had arranged for him to come back tomorrow (Thursday 11th) to connect both her and her 90 year old neighbour to the NBN! Apparently, this guy had come to her front door a week earlier, so she had decided to call him after the Telstra internet problem started. I suggested that I was concerned it sounded very much like a scam. The company he said he works for has no website or entry in the White Pages. Was it a scam?Heeding this warning, the client called ScamWatch on 1300 795 995. She was advised to call the police immediately! Needless to say, the NBN did not come to this poor lady's street on Thursday this week, and she will still need to visit the Telstra Shop to attempt to get her internet problems resolved. Be alert to scams like thisAs per the usual warnings in the iTandCoffee Blog and fortnightly Newsletter (subscribe here if you don't receive this yet - it's free), be suspicious of unsolicited door knockers, callers and emails.
It is always better to be safe than sorry. Visit the Scamwatch website to check for any known scams, or call 1300 795 995 to check. Alternatively, send iTandCoffee a query at scamwatch@itandcoffee.com.au. For more information about this particular scam, here is the Scamwatch article from last year . 7/8/2016 0 Comments Our kids may be the 'digital natives', but it doesn't necessarily mean they are tech-savvyYou have probably all heard the younger generations referred to as the 'digital natives' - and many of us assume that being a 'digital native' equates to being 'tech-savvy'. What does it mean to be a 'digital native'? The website techopdia.com says A digital native is an individual who was born after the widespread adoption of digital technology. The term digital native doesn't refer to a particular generation. Instead, it is a catch-all category for children who have grown up using technology like the Internet, computers and mobile devices. This exposure to technology in the early years is believed to give digital natives a greater familiarity withand understanding of technology than people who were born before it was widespread. Our 'digital natives' understand the jargon of this technology-driven world, and are very quick and nimble at navigating their way around their mobile devices and, often, computers. They are right into social media and get so much of their information about the world from apps like Facebook and Twitter. For many, that's about where it ends.
Even digital natives can be caught out by scammers When it comes to staying safe online and protecting their valuable devices and data, it can be quite frightening to see how un-tech-savvy (is that a word?) our digital natives can be. Here's a case in point: In the last week, the 23 year old 'digital native' son of a client of iTandCoffee managed to get himself scammed by (supposedly) an 'Apple Support' call centre, who told him he had a virus on his computer that they needed to remove for him. A screen locked up the web browser and advised of a virus It had all started when he had been on a website that popped up a window that locked up his screen, and told him he had to call a 1800 number to get support - which, unfortunately, he did. 27/7/2016 0 Comments Apple has released an update that you should install on your Mac, iPhone and iPad (and iPod Touch) ASAPYou may or may not have seen that pesky little red '1' appear on your Settings app on your iPad and iPhone. Perhaps you have seen a message pop up asking you if you are ready to install an update to your iPhone or iPad. A similar message may have also appeared on your Mac. This is because an important update was released by Apple about a week ago, to fix security hole that has been discovered. Here is an article on this topic: Apparently, it is possible that a hacker could 'break into' your iPhone, iPad or Mac by sending a message that has an 'infected' image file in a particular format. Such an image could also be on a website that you access. When you open the nasty image, some malicious software could be downloaded and "corrupt the iPhone’s memory and access information such as website and email passwords".
To ensure that you don't fall victim to this issue, make sure to install the Apple-delivered updates to all your devices. Here are some instructions for those who are not sure how to do this. 16/7/2016 0 Comments This weeks security update: Mac malware; Netflix scam text; Telstra lax security checks; Anti-virus software on mobilesAs usual, online security has been in the news. I dealt with several clients just this week who had been hit by scams or downloaded something nasty to their computer. Here's this week's summary, with links to relevant articles. Mac Threats There are some new Mac malware threats - but these are only threats if you have lowered the standard security on your Mac in System Preferences - Security & Privacy As long as you leave your the 'Allow apps downloaded from' setting as 'Mac App Store' (maximum security) or 'Mac App Store and Identified Developers' (still good security), you should not pick up the sort of nasties described the following articles.
Do you need antivirus software on your mobile devices? This is a question that I get asked on a regular basis. You certainly don't need any such software on an i-Device. As long as you only use the Google Play store, you should not need it on an Android device either. Here is an article on this topic. Are Telstra's identity verification questions adequate? I saw an article this week that covered a topic that has long concerned me - that Telstra's very basic questions that 'confirm' your identity make it very easy for someone to pretend to be you. You only need to provide your name, phone number email address and date of birth to confirm who you are. This article from The Age looks at how easy it can be to steal a person's identity by just knowing these basic details. Beware of a fake Netflix text message If you receive a message purporting to be from Netflix - asking you to confirm you login credentials - please just delete it immediately. Never tap/click on the link in an email and enter account details. ALWAYS assume a scam - this is the safest bet! 14/7/2016 0 Comments Your mail account may be locked when you travel - a very frustrating security precautionA client who is travelling contacted iTandCoffee this week about a Hotmail issue she suffers when she travels. This very same issue - where Hotmail locks a mail account if the user is more that 300km from their 'usual' location - happened to my daughter only recently, when we travelled to Vietnam during the June/July 2016 school holidays. Whenever she went to use her Mail app, her Hotmail emails could not be retrieved. Additionally, she would get an email sent to the account's 'rescue email', saying that the account had been locked for security reasons. She got a new email each time she move to a new city during out trip This problem is not unique to Hotmail. Find out more about this issue, and what you can do to ensure that you don't lose access to your email, in this Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members. Not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club? It is only $30 per year. Not only does it help fund this free newsletter, it also gives you access to a huge library of handy hints and tips, videos of iTandCoffee classes, free guide offers, and more. Find out more here. |
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 +61 444 532 161 or 1300 885 320
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