Stop Scams on FB and SMS

07/04/2025

The hack on Super funds was pretty scary - I was locked out of my account via the website and the app for quite some time! But all good the next day, when I finally had access again. While the attack on superfunds was quite disruptive and worrying, it may have ultimately affected only a bare handful of accounts (no consolation for them, though!)
While the super funds will need to beef up security, it may be that most of us were OK because we have been doing the right thing already by...
1. Not reusing passwords between websites/accounts - especially important for passwords used to access our super funds, online banking, or other financial or shopping accounts.
2. Using a password manager so you can create unique/complicated passwords for each website you visit - without the drama and hard work. This does not mean a Word, text or Excel document! Nor does it mean a piece of paper or a 'special' Password Book!
And heed this final bit of advice from the linked article:
"... be on the lookout for potential scams that may target [you] in the coming days. Scammers have been known to exploit fear and confusion in the wake of data breaches to try to lure victims into giving away personal information or money.
"Anyone receiving messages purporting to be from their super fund and who wants to respond to them should call up their super provider directly, using a phone number from their website. **Avoid clicking links or phoning numbers listed in messages that purport to be from your super fund.**
"Anyone receiving messages they suspect are scams can report them to Scamwatch." https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

Super funds may be missing a basic safeguard to protect retirement savings.

25/02/2025

Please don't get tricked into believing you could win a RV Camper, this is just another recurring Scam!

10/10/2024

Today is WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

So I am sharing this message of advice from Lifeline Australia.

3 TIPS TO SUPPORT YOUR WELLBEING
1️⃣ CONNECT WITH OTHERS
‘A burden shared is a burden halved’ is a saying that holds a lot of truth. Whether it’s on the phone with a friend, or in person with a colleague, having good social connections is one of the key ways we can feel less overwhelmed by our immediate emotions.
2️⃣ MOVE YOUR BODY
Physical activity has many benefits when it comes to our mental health and wellbeing. We know that daily exercise can boost our mood, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, and increase self-esteem.
3️⃣ MEDITATE
As humans, we tend to dwell on the past or worry about things that may be in the future. Meditation can help you gain control of your thoughts and feel calmer. Some people love it, some people ‘don’t quite get it’, but research shows that 10 minutes of meditation can have visible and positive impacts on our brains.

Take care of yourself, and care for others in distress.

Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and su***de prevention services.

16/04/2024

Woodside’s Burrup gas hub is a disaster that will emit 13 times Australia’s total annual emissions over its lifetime. This is not the future I want my super invested in, not to live out my retirement on or leave to my grandchildren! Call on Australian Retirement Trust, AustralianSuper, and Aware Super to publicly hold Woodside to account ahead of their AGM. One superfund, HESTA has already taken this step. It's a great example for the superannuation industry. It's time to put the planet first and hold corporations accountable for their environmental impact!
✊☀️🌏
At the Woodside AGM on 24 April, will our superfunds vote on our behalf on director elections? Will they hold Woodside accountable for their climate damage?
Join the campaign on this page! 👇
https://www.acf.org.au/woodside-write-super-funds-pw.. and post a comment on the pages of those superfunds!

After years of ignoring communities, the science and even their own investors, Woodside's time is up and its board is being held to account.

04/03/2024

04/03/2024

Not much help for Facebook Scams, but there is help with SMS scams!
It appears Telstra has been providing an SMS number to report scam texts since late 2023 - Just forward any scam texts to 7226.

How you do this varies for Android and iPhone.

First, here is the way to do it on an Android device using the default Messages app:
• Tap and hold on to the message – don’t click on any links in the message.
• Tap on the three-dot menu button and hit Forward.
• Select or type 7226 and hit Send SMS.

https://www.facebook.com/Telstra/videos/262866673251802/?ref=embed_video&t=4

04/03/2024

Channel 9 reports on the PayID scam on Facebook Marketplace.

"Online marketplaces have become a haven for fraudsters, with millions of Australians falling victim to scams.
[Researchers found] 10 per cent of people surveyed have been duped while trying to sell their second-hand goods online.
Victims lost an average of $560 in the past 12 months."

But the biggest by far is the loss to investment scams!

03/03/2024

If you start writing about a scam on Facebook, the image below is typical of the scumbags that will try to scam you with 'helpful advice' - of course, they even try it on this page! 🥱
So *before* you BLOCK and DELETE their ever-so-helpful advice, click on 'Report comment' and then select 'spam' from the options.

And after that, do BLOCK and DELETE, in that order.

BUT WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS?🤷‍♂️
Because Facebook is too lazy to filter out and block these for us - it would be so easy for them because these posts are almost word for word the same each time.

Mind you, the same could be said for Telcos, and mobile phone makers, who aren't embedding filtering algorithms or apps to stop the spam/scam/malware text messages 😠

03/03/2024

This is not a Facebook scam but...
If you have an Android phone📱, be aware of a new malware threat that can steal your sensitive information, including text messages and photos within seconds.
The text message may appear to come from someone in your contacts asking you to download a link that contains an Android APK file.
APK files can be used to download apps outside Google Play Store, bypassing Google security measures.
🛑DON'T click on links in SMS or messenger apps unless you are really really sure it is something you expected from a verified source!
(The same goes for iPhone📱 users!)
🤦‍♂️ Read more...👇

https://7news.com.au/technology/android-users-warned-of-xloader-malware-stealing-text-messages-and-photos-c-13775907?utm_campaign=7tech&utm_content=7NEWS+Adelaide&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR18BksZeEKAHowz3G-jboOStnqOmCK9iOhtdddIPwfUIguHMERNV988VEM_aem_Ad3CVHYj7-YQxOMzy12UGtQEX2oYgVBIFNPuIIgQ1J_aK3DwdwPbYNVhsqGEaKRdOyM

Computer security experts say the malware can take data in seconds without needing to be opened.

16/02/2024

What finally prompted me to create this page was a couple of 'attacks' on Facebook Marketplace by 2 scammers 😠 trying out the 'PayID' scam on us as we tried to sell some garden/outdoor furniture.

Reporting the scammers' profiles was extremely difficult/obscure, but we tried our best and blocked the 2 offenders.

BUT, I wasn't at all satisfied with that, so I used the general feedback option from my own profile to send this message to the Facebook Marketplace officianados: 👇

************************

The following Facebook Profile is engaging in the PayID scam on Facebook Marketplace -
https://www.facebook.com/[details redacted just in case it draws their attention to here 🤔]

(This is a Polish profile pretending to purchase from Australian FB Marketplace sellers)

Other than 'Blocking' this profile there is not a good way to clearly report profiles engaging in scams as buyers!
Facebook needs to include such an option for 'Reporting' to meet its obligation to protect good actors on Facebook rather than enabling BAD ACTORS!

It should also be easy to set up an algorithm to detect people engaging in the PayID scam because the chat is an obvious template, as well as the scam 'buyers' being from different countries/regions to the sellers.

At the very least Facebook could easily display country/region of origin for buyers out of the sellers country/region.

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Feel free to copy this 👆 and give your own feedback to Facebook Marketplace!