$300 million lost in online scams as they reach record levels in Australia

A SURGE in scams targeting social media sites such as Facebook has seen a record number of rip-off reports to the national consumer watchdog, according to a report released today.

The unprecedented level of scam activity has prompted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to provide urgent advice to people to avoid becoming another con job victim.

Last year there were 200,000 scam reports made to the ACCC — costing victims almost $300 million in lost money — which was a 47 per cent hike on the 2015 figures, the ACCC said.

South Australians accounted for more than 13,000 reports worth around $4 million in losses.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said there had been a “sharp increase in scams taking place through social media sites’’.

“It can be really hard to tell who’s genuine and who’s fake these days,” she warned.

Ms Rickard said the majority of reports about scams via social media were taking place on Facebook.

“The ACCC is working with Facebook, as well as the major banks, MoneyGram, Paypal,

Western Union and Apple to better tackle scams and reduce the harm experienced by

consumers,” she said.

Among the most common social media scams reported to the ACCC’s Scamwatch involved dating and romance and fake traders.

Around 30 per cent of dating and romance scam victims reported were conducted via social media sites, most commonly on Facebook.

“Dating and romance scammers trick their victims into falling in love with them and then use

their victim’s trust to deceitfully take their money,” Ms Rickard said

“If someone you’ve met through social media but you’ve never met in person asks you for

money, your alarm bells should be ringing. Don’t ever wire transfer or send money to

someone you don’t know because you won’t see it again.”

More than 240 reports of dating and romance scams came from South Australian victims, of whom 68 lost money, 22 being conned out of more than $10,000 each, according to the ACCC report.

While investment scams accounted for the most losses last year, fake trader scams were also on the increase with victims often responding to online store advertisements on social media sites offering discounted products made by well-known brands, the report found.

Ms Rickard urged people to respond to “generous’’ sale offers by researching the company, check where the product is coming from, check the company’s website and try and find

any reviews about the business before making a purchase.

Social media scams are the theme of the annual ACCC Fraud Week beginning today.

''Facebook'' The Domain of Choice For Scammers

Social media is emerging as the new hunting ground for scammers to find victims, according to new data out today.

The consumer watchdog's annual scam report also identifies a whopping 47 % increase in all reports it receives about scams.

It identifies a "sharp increase" in scams taking place through social media sites such as Facebook.

"It can be really hard to tell who's genuine and who's fake these days," Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chairwoman Delia Rickard said.

The joint report from the ACCC and the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network shows 200,000 reports of scams last year, with losses totalling almost $300 million.

 the two most common social media scams reported were dating, romance and fake trader scams.

About 30 per cent of dating and romance scam victims — 1,352 people — reported they were contacted via social media sites, in particular Facebook.

"Dating and romance scammers trick their victims into falling in love with them and then use their victim's trust to deceitfully take their money,

Dating and romance scams cost Australians $42 million in 2016, behind investment scams, which tallied the most losses to scammers at $59 million.

Fake trader scams are increasing, where victims see advertisements for online stores on social media selling discounted products made by well-known brands.

The ACCC says many of these online stores are fake and victims buy goods that do not exist.

Sextortion, an emerging scam, also uses social media to gain access to victims.

It is a form of blackmail, with compromising images of the victim used to extort money.

"We saw a large number of people who had shared intimate videos or photos with someone they'd met online, then being blackmailed and asked for large amounts of money, otherwise these people would release these very embarrassing images to all of that person's friends and family," 

12 Computer Tricks You Should Try Right Now

Computers have simplified our life to a great extent. Things that were impossible earlier can now be completed instantly thanks to computers. However, this does not mean that a PC is all work and no play.

1. Have fun with Notepad
   If you think that Notepad is just a basic text editor, then, you will be amazed by its capabilities. You can use Notepad to create everything from personalized logs to harmless viruses that are incredibly annoying. Go see this post to know just how useful Notepad is.
2. Command Prompt too has some tricks up its sleeves
   If you think that the Command prompt is a boring old program that no one uses, you are making a huge mistake. It can be used for everything from watching ASCII Star Wars to making folders that you cannot delete. See this post to know about all the cool stuff you can do with the Windows Command Prompt.
3. Use Keyboard Shortcuts to get work done in no time
   If you are tired of having to alternate between your mouse and keyboard to operate your Windows computer, you would love to know these really useful keyboard shortcuts which greatly increase your speed and efficiency. See this post for details.
4. Make your computer speak what you type
   You can use your PC's built in features and some VBScript magic to create a simple program that will make your computer speak whatever you input to it. Enter the right words and you could imitate a real conversation. Head over to this post to talk with your PC.
5. Make your computer greet you every time you start Windows
   A simple modification in the previous trick will make your computer welcome you in its own mechanical voice every time you log onto Windows. This is achieved by placing the VBS script responsible for making your computer talk in the Start up folder. 
6. Find your computer's gender
   Want to know if your PC is a male or a female? Simple. Try the previous trick to know if your computer is a 'he' or a 'she'. On a serious note, this depends upon the voice you have selected in Microsoft Text to Speech options.
7. Lock Folders with password
   If you have important personal files that you do not want other people to see, you can hide them in a password protected folder to prevent unwanted users from seeing them. Go see this post to hide your personal files effectively.
8. Change your Processor's name
   
   
   If you are bored of your old processor and want a new one with a staggering name, you will definitely want to see this trick which allows you to change its name to something extraordinary to make your PC special.
9. Make a Keyboard Disco
   You can use some VBScript coding to create a live disco on your keyboard by making the LED lights flash alternately. 
10. Recover permanently deleted files in Windows
    If you have ever deleted a file in Windows that you did not want to and now want to recover it, you would definitely want to know about some free tools to recover your deleted files easily.
11. Use your Keyboard as Mouse.
    You know you can use your mouse as keyboard using the On-screen keyboard utility. What if I tell you that it is also possible to do the reverse? Just read this post to see how.
12. Disable USB ports to prevent others from taking your data
    Ever wanted to disable your USB ports to prevent others from using their flash drives on your PC? This post explains how to do just that with a simple registry trick. Do note that disabling USB ports will also disable your USB connected peripheral devices.