Internet scams are a continual threat to us all and they are becoming more and more sophisticated in an attempt to catch even the most security conscious people off guard.

We have become aware of another 2 scams that you should all be aware of.

1.  A “Telstra” scam.

A Consulting IT client was recently contacted by someone who identified themselves as being a Telstra representative. This person offered them a free check of their computer, stating that it had been identified as being old and that it may have some problems.

This is a scam, Telstra will not contact you under this premise. This is similar to the Microsoft scam we reported previously, where a person purporting to be a Microsoft representative contacts you to advise that your computer has received a virus and that they need to log into your computer to remove it.

Do not give anyone who phones you access to your computer unless you have prearranged for someone to contact you accordingly. Once these people gain access to your computer, they will have an opportunity to copy all of your passwords and personal information contained on your computer, including login details to your banking sites, details of which many people keep stored in their history.

2. “Facebook” login scam

An employee of Consulting IT has received an email that looks just like any other Facebook notification, which we all would have received!  This notification advises you that your account is locked and that you should “click here” to complete the security checks. This is a fake email and an attempt to capture your relevant information. If you look closely at the senders email address, it will be in a different format to that of the normal Facebook notification emails.

If you believe that you have been a victim of any computer related scams, you should report it to Police, they have special task forces dedicated to internet crime.

What can you do to help protect yourself?

  • Have complicated passwords with a mixture of upper and lower case letters and numbers
  • Do not use pin numbers or dates of birth in your passwords
  • Do not store your username and password details in your internet browsers
  • Do not open emails from addresses where you do not know the sender
  • Be careful opening email attachments, even if you do know the sender

If you would like further information on how we can assist you with your security, please do not hesitate to contact our office.