Flat Gecko Design

06/09/2024

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 (𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐧)

𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥

Be cautious of phone calls from scammers posing as representatives from major telecommunications or computer companies like Telstra, the NBN, or Microsoft or any other big companies. These fraudsters may claim that your computer is sending error messages or has a virus.

They might mention issues with your internet connection or phone line, asserting that it impacts your computer’s performance. Their ultimate goal is to gain remote access to your system under the guise of troubleshooting.

Stay vigilant: Scammers may pressure you into purchasing unnecessary software or services to ‘fix’ your computer, or they might ask for personal and financial information. Remember, you don’t need to be a Telstra or Microsoft customer—or even own a computer—to receive these deceptive calls.

𝟐. 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏

If you receive a phone call out of the blue about your computer or internet is causing issues and remote access is requested – hang up. Remember big companies will never ring you out of the blue and ask for personal details and credit card details.

𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒕 𝑮𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒐 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 0430 502 270

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/remote-access-call-scams/

30/08/2024

𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦 '𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥' 𝐒𝐌𝐒 𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬:

Beware of Scam ‘Missed Parcel’ SMS or Email Messages: Protect Yourself from Malware.

Cybercriminals are exploiting Australia by sending convincing ‘missed parcel’ text or email messages.

These messages contain links to what appear to be legitimate delivery or parcel-tracking apps. However, these seemingly official apps are, in fact, malicious—they contain spyware and other harmful software.

Especially during the holiday season, when we anticipate deliveries, this type of cyber scam becomes more prevalent. Here’s what you need to know:

𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦

- You receive an SMS or Email claiming you missed a parcel delivery or to update details.

- The message prompts you to install a parcel-tracking app or a website via a provided link.

𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 (𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧:)

- Steal your banking details, passwords, and sensitive information.

- Access your contact list and send scam messages to others, spreading the malware further.

𝟑. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨

- Avoid Installing Suspicious Apps: Be cautious of any unexpected SMS or Email messages related to missed parcels or detail updates. Don’t rush to install apps or click links from unknown sources.

- Check Legitimate Sources: Check the email address or mobile number from the sender and if still unsure contact your local parcel delivery service that it refers to to confirm.

- Passwords: Change all password. You may have so many passwords and 90% of the time most of us keep the same passwords for each login which is what cyber criminials want. Once they access one account usually the same password is tried with each login. As much as it is a pain to remember passwords to keep our accounts safe usually a password with 8-12 charactars and letters can be used to create a safe password.

- Flat Gecko Design: Call us today and book and appointment to check your PC systems.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝?

Test the strength of your password

https://www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw/be-prepared/passwords

𝟒. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬:

- Immediate Attention: If you think you’ve already installed malware, avoid logging into any accounts (as the malware may steal your details).

- Contact: Your Bank or relavant parties to inform them that you may have been compromised.

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/scam-parcel-sms-or-email-messages/

15/08/2024

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤?

Scam emails (also known as “phishing”) seek to trick people into giving out personal and banking details. These fake emails are designed and written to look as though they come from legitimate businesses, and often contain a corporate logo and link to a fraudulent copy of the real website.

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/scam-nightmare-emails/

15/08/2024

𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝-𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞

A Facebook malvertising campaign targets users searching for AI image editing tools and steals their credentials by tricking them into installing fake apps that mimic legitimate software.

The attackers exploit the popularity of AI-driven image-generation tools by creating malicious websites that closely resemble legitimate services and trick potential victims into infecting themselves with information stealer malware, as Trend Micro researchers who analyzed the campaign found.

The attacks start with phishing messages sent to page owners or administrators, which will send them to fake account protection pages designed to trick them into providing their login information.

After stealing their credentials, the threat actors hijack their accounts, take control of their pages, publish malicious social media posts, and promote them via paid advertising.

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/fake-ai-editor-ads-on-facebook/

15/08/2024

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧

The right domain makes your Business appear credible and professional. Ideally, it should match your company or brand name.

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/find-your-perfect-domain/

15/08/2024

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬
As website owners, we often hear about the importance of keeping our WordPress sites up to date. But what exactly do these updates entail, and why should we pay attention to them?

https://www.flatgeckodesign.com.au/why-is-it-important-to-keep-wordpress-updated/

15/08/2024

The Importance of WordPress Updates: Security, Performance, and Features

The Importance of WordPress Updates: Security, Performance, and Features As website owners, we often hear about the importance of keeping our WordPress sites up to date. But what exactly do these updates entail, and why should we pay attention to them? Let’s dive into the key aspects: 1. Security ...